Leeward Community College offered Pearl City High School students the opportunity to take college classes in a pathway leading to a management certificate. Fifteen students were enrolled in Pearl City High School’s International Business and Design Academy (IBAD) and offered the cohort to graduate with a Career and Technical Education (CTE) honors certificate and a Certificate of Achievement in Management this spring.
Instead of traditional high school CTE courses, these students completed college-level business courses and established the HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union Student-Operated Credit Union, handling deposits and opening accounts for Pearl City High School staff and students.
“This program has been life-changing for me. Joining this program has pushed me beyond my comfort zone, challenging me to explore new ideas and experiences… giving me the confidence to seek out opportunities to grow,” said student Jordyn Shibata. “I’ve not only gained valuable knowledge, but it has also made me feel more confident and capable as an individual, ready to tackle any challenge in the future.”
Daphne Okunaga, lead teacher for IBAD, said, “The focus was not just Early College (a program that allows high school students to take college classes for credit), but rather a strategic approach to earn CTE honors, the management certificate, and to prepare them to major in business at UH Mānoa or UH West Oʻahu.”
Check out more stories of our UH spring graduates
“I am consistently inspired by the potential of our Early College program,” said Syreeta Washington, Leeward CC’s Early College counselor, “The program’s success is built upon our students’ dedication to their education, the strong collaborations we’ve cultivated, and our shared dedication to fostering student success.”
The program was supported by Hawaiʻi P–20 and a grant from the Stupski Foundation.
