Support for Filipino students, Dap-ayan opens
Special guest Senator Daniel Inouye joins the celebration
Leeward Community College
Senator Inouye with Sulong Aral students
More than 100 students, faculty and staff crowded into DA 204, the new official home of Sulong Aral project, designed to increase retention, persistence and success for Leeward CC students of Filipino ancestry. Special guest, Senator Daniel Inouye, spoke at the short ceremony, addressing the program's peer mentors and students in the Philippine Studies program. The event included a cordillera opening, Oggayam (blessing ceremony), and performances by students and faculty.
The Sulong Aral Project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Education for $638,000 over a two year period. Sulong Aral is derived from two Filipino words: sulong which means “to advance” and aral which means “to study.” The program offers students of Filipino ancestry assistance to achieve and maintain satisfactory academic standing at Leeward Community College by providing programs, services and activities that focus on students’ learning styles and needs.
- To increase postsecondary access for Filipino high school students from Oahu communities,
- To raise persistence and completion rates of Filipino students at Leeward Community College, and
- To increase the transfer rate of Filipino community college students into baccalaureate programs at the University of Hawai’i.