Pacific Islander high schoolers in an Early College (
EC) program whose core curriculum was developed in partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu were honored in June at a graduation ceremony for completing their first
EC course.
EC allows high school students to take college-level classes for both high school and college credit (dual credit).
The event was part of a larger effort to introduce college opportunities to and boost the confidence of Pacific Islander students, from Micronesian, Samoan and Tongan backgrounds, who are underrepresented in higher education.
The McInerny Foundation Early College Program at Waipahu High School hosted the graduation ceremony to celebrate the accomplishments of the inaugural Early College Explorers (