Pacific Islanders have among the lowest high school graduation rates in the Asian American Pacific Islander communities.
130 Pacific Islander high school students received some inspiration after attending the Pacific Islander Youth Career Day at the University of Hawaii, Hilo.
The hope was for them to connect with college students who speak the same language and share the same culture and to motivate them to go on to college.
“In keeping with the theme, we gave each of the students a star and told them to reach high,” says Mitch Roth, a county prosecutor. “We told them, ‘If you are going to reach for the stars, you need to know where you are going.’”
Roth said the students came from different islands and bonded like a family.
You can find out more about the event in UH Hilo Stories.
