Excerpt from civilbeat.org
As a senior at Castle High School, Shanelle Bartlett wished for an easier way of applying for college. She planned to enroll in Kapiʻolani Community College’s competitive medical laboratory technician program, but she didn’t know how to apply for the program and struggled to find financial aid options.
“I had to figure out how to do the KCC application by myself,” said Bartlett, who graduated from high school in May and is now pursuing the college’s medical laboratory technician program with a scholarship covering her first year of tuition. “I was very confused, and I didn’t understand anything.”
Hawaiʻi lags behind the nation when it comes to college attendance. Just over half of Hawaiʻi high school graduates attend college, compared to the national average of 63%, with roughly a third of graduates attending a University of Hawaiʻi campus.