Go Govs! Farrington High School students earn degrees from Honolulu CC

Eight Farrington High School students will earn their AA degrees from Honolulu CC on May 12, 2023.

Leilani Joy Dela Cruz, Cadyn Ramos, Kailee Umaga-Silva,

Kailee Umaga-Silva

Cadyn Ramos

Regan Honda, Farrington High School, College and Career Counselor

Link to video and sound (details below): https://go.hawaii.edu/iSX

WHAT: Eight Farrington High School seniors will earn associate’s degrees from Honolulu Community College before graduating from high school.

WHO: Farrington seniors Leilani Joy Dela Cruz, Rachelle Anne Sales Manuel, Kuʻuleihoku McConnell, Cardenas Pintor, Norine Quach, Cadyn Ramos, Rachael Ahfook Tamapolu and Kailee Umaga-Silva.

WHEN: 

• Honolulu CC’s commencement is on May 12, 2023 at the Waikīkī Shell.
• Farrington High School’s graduation is on May 20, 2023 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

HOW: Through Early College and Running Start

• Early College is a partnership between the Hawai‘i Department of Education and the University of Hawai‘i that allows high school students to take free college classes offered in a variety of ways—face-to-face on the high school campus, online or hybrid. 
• Running Start is a program that allows Hawaiʻi high school students to take a college course at a UH campus as part of their high school coursework. 
• Students who successfully complete 100-level and above classes through these programs receive both high school and college credit (dual credit).
• Early College and Running Start programs have served more than 27,114 local high school students since 2013.
• Over the 2021–22 school year, more than 50 public high schools across the state partnered with UH to offer more than 500 Early College classes.

OTHER FACTS:

• Honolulu CC started offering two Early College classes to 46 Farrington students in 2014. By 2022, there were nine Early College courses and enrollment had quadrupled to 184 students.
• From 2014 to 2021, more than 80 high school students across the state earned associate’s degrees from UH campuses.

Caption for group photo: From left: Cadyn Ramos, Rachelle Anne Manuel, Norine Quach, Kailee Umaga-Silva,, Leilani Joy Dela Cruz, Rachael Tamapolu, Jahren Pintor, Ku'uleihoku McConnell

VIDEO: (TRT 3:01)

BROLL: (1:48)

:00-:12 Shots of Farrington HS

:13-:16 Early college students at Farrington High School

:17-26 Shot of Honolulu Community College

:27- 1:23 Shots of eight soon-to-be graduates at Honolulu CC

1:24-1:38 3 students at Farrington HS and mural

1:39-1:48 Group shot at Honolulu CC, cheering “Govs!”

SOUND:

Rachael Ahfook Tamapolu, Farrington/Honolulu CC student (:09)

“Having my pride all the way up—that's how it feels like. I’m walking my high school campus, knowing I'm going to get an associate's degree.”

Kailee Umaga-Silva, Farrington/Honolulu CC student (:05)

“It's very exciting. I’m glad that my work has paid off in the end.”

Cadyn Ramos, Farrington/Honolulu CC student (:07)

“My family I'm pretty sure they're going to be proud of me when they see me holding an associate's degree and then seeing me walk for college graduation.” 

Leilani Joy Dela Cruz, Farrington/Honolulu CC student (:10)

“The more I challenged myself the more energetic I felt, and more motivated I was to get my associate’s. I was like, ‘I'm like right there. I need to do this. I have to do this. I should do this.’”

Jean Maslowski, Honolulu CC, Academic Counselor (:13)

“It can give them the opportunity—when they learn more, they will earn more—and set a good example for younger siblings and possibly even parents in the household to say, ‘I did it. You can do it, too.’” 

Regan Honda, Farrington High School, College and Career Counselor (:16)

 “It’s a huge achievement. For Farrington High School, for the whole public school system, showing that these students can set high goals for themselves and achieve those goals.”