{"id":99929,"date":"2019-07-21T08:00:58","date_gmt":"2019-07-21T18:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=99929"},"modified":"2020-08-07T13:45:33","modified_gmt":"2020-08-07T23:45:33","slug":"waialeale-project-changes-hundreds-of-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/07\/21\/waialeale-project-changes-hundreds-of-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"Wai\u02bbale\u02bbale Project changes hundreds of lives at Kaua\u02bbi <abbr title=\"community college\">CC<\/abbr>"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_78409\"  width=\"620\" height=\"349\"  data-origwidth=\"620\" data-origheight=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/d0psOV019F0?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"Wai\u02bbale\u02bbale Project changes hundreds of lives at Kaua\u02bbi CC\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>A former teen mother and recovering addict. A young man who thought his lifetime work would be bagging groceries. A <span aria-label=\"Niihau\">Ni&#699;ihau<\/span> native with a six-year gap after graduating from high school. These are just several of the hundreds of lives that have been transformed through the groundbreaking <span aria-label=\"Waialeale\">Wai&#699;ale&#699;ale<\/span> Project at <span aria-label=\"Kauai\">Kaua&#699;i<\/span> Community College, which celebrates its 10th year in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Since its inception in 2010, the <span aria-label=\"Waialeale\">Wai&#699;ale&#699;ale<\/span> Project has positively impacted the lives of almost 800 <span aria-label=\"Kauai\">Kaua&#699;i<\/span> residents ages 18 through 66. Nearly 300 students have earned a bachelor\u2019s or associate\u2019s degree or a certificate.<\/p>\n<p>Established through a generous donation from philanthropist Jim Lally, and with ongoing support from Kamehameha Schools, the Scheidel Foundation and numerous other benefactors, the <span aria-label=\"Waialeale\">Wai&#699;ale&#699;ale<\/span> Project encourages and finances non-college-bound high school students and adults to attend, and successfully complete, their first year of college.<\/p>\n<p>The <span aria-label=\"Waialeale\">Wai&#699;ale&#699;ale<\/span> Project has been life-changing for individuals and their families. Here are some of their stories:<\/p>\n<h2>Joana Rodriguez, finding a future<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/kauai-waialeale-rodriguez-j\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-rodriguez-j-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Joana Rodriguez\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-100175\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-rodriguez-j-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-rodriguez-j-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-rodriguez-j-630x353.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-rodriguez-j.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Joana Rodriguez<\/strong> dropped out of high school in the 10th grade, but planned to get a nursing degree. At 16, she was told she was too young and to wait a year to come back. She didn\u2019t come back. Instead, she got pregnant and fell into a drug addiction that lasted six years. During that time, she had a second child and was hospitalized for two months for illness related to her drug use.<\/p>\n<p>While attending an outpatient substance abuse class, she saw an old friend who was in the <span aria-label=\"Waialeale\">Wai&#699;ale&#699;ale<\/span> program and who helped Rodriguez get an application the next day. She never looked back.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They helped me to see that I have a purpose. I can succeed in life. I can do good in school,&rdquo; Rodriguez said. &ldquo;In my first semester, I got a 4.0 and that just built my confidence.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>She is planning to earn an associate\u2019s degree in business technology and hopes to become a substance abuse counselor.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In my addiction, I found myself at my lowest point. I thought I was going to die an addict,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I\u2019m so grateful. My life has changed tremendously and I\u2019m three years clean.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Rodriguez added, &ldquo;<span aria-label=\"Waialeale\">Wai&#699;ale&#699;ale<\/span> is just not a scholarship to help you with your college tuition. It\u2019s also a great program to help people see that they have a future.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>Austin Manipon-Hamada, realizing potential<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/kauai-waialeale-manipon-hamada-a1\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-manipon-hamada-a1-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Austin Manipon-Hamada\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-100192\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-manipon-hamada-a1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-manipon-hamada-a1-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-manipon-hamada-a1-630x353.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-manipon-hamada-a1.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;<span aria-label=\"Waialeale\">Wai&#699;ale&#699;ale<\/span> is my family. This is where I learned my self-worth, where people really come to fulfill their dreams,&rdquo; said <strong>Austin Manipon-Hamada<\/strong>, who, like Rodriguez, now also serves the program as a peer mentor.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Whatever your past may be, it doesn\u02bbt define your future. You can be whatever you want and <span aria-label=\"Waialeale\">Wai&#699;ale&#699;ale<\/span> will support you through thick and thin,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We are like your best friends, your family, the people you can count on.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He says when he graduated from high school he did not really think he had a future.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I thought I would be like the best grocery bagger ever,&rdquo; recalled Manipon-Hamada. &ldquo;But <span aria-label=\"Waialeale\">Wai&#699;ale&#699;ale<\/span> showed me you have more potential. You have more than just being the best grocery bagger.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>Francine Niau, building confidence<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/kauai-waialeale-niau-f\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-niau-f-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Francine Niau\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-100172\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-niau-f-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-niau-f-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-niau-f-630x353.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-niau-f.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The <span aria-label=\"Niihau\">Ni&#699;ihau<\/span> native and charter school graduate has a quick, hearty laugh to go with her sunny smile. The future wasn\u2019t always so bright. After graduating from high school in 2006, <strong>Francine Niau<\/strong> didn\u2019t do much of anything for years, until she ran into a friend at a local shopping center. She was accepted into the <span aria-label=\"Waialeale\">Wai&#699;ale&#699;ale<\/span> Project and enrolled at <span aria-label=\"Kauai\">Kaua&#699;i<\/span> <abbr title=\"Community College\">CC<\/abbr> in 2012.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Wow, they made a really big difference,&rdquo; Niau said. &ldquo;I\u2019m usually shy and a quiet person. But being part of <span aria-label=\"Waialeale\">Wai&#699;ale&#699;ale<\/span> and coming to <span aria-label=\"Kauai\">Kaua&#699;i<\/span> <abbr>CC<\/abbr> made a big thing, because now I stay all confident.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>She now serves as the assistant for student activities and says the most important aspect of <span aria-label=\"Waialeale\">Wai&#699;ale&#699;ale<\/span> is the support, which, like the others, she describes as being like a family.<\/p>\n<p>Niau has this advice for <span aria-label=\"Kauai\">Kaua&#699;i<\/span> residents: &ldquo;Take advantage of all the program is willing to help you out. No be scared. Education is the key.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>Lahea Salazar, filling gaps in the community<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/kauai-waialeale-salazar-l\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-salazar-l-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Lahea Salazar\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-100174\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-salazar-l-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-salazar-l-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-salazar-l-630x353.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/kauai-waialeale-salazar-l.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span aria-label=\"Waialeale\">Wai&#699;ale&#699;ale<\/span> Program Coordinator <strong>Lahea Salazar<\/strong> said they want folks who are NOT college bound to come and give college a try. They can start slow, even if it\u2019s just one class.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are trying to fill the gaps in our community,&rdquo; Salazar said.<\/p>\n<p>The program can be most effective with individuals who may be going through a transition, and who don\u2019t have extra support at home or in their lives. Salazar says the <span aria-label=\"Waialeale\">Wai&#699;ale&#699;ale<\/span> students do as well and oftentimes better than the mainstream <span aria-label=\"Kauai\">Kaua&#699;i<\/span> <abbr>CC<\/abbr> students.<\/p>\n<p>Salazar took over the program three years ago from the first program coordinator, <strong>Kimo Perry<\/strong>, who is working to replicate the <span aria-label=\"Waialeale\">Wai&#699;ale&#699;ale<\/span> Project at all seven University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> Community College campuses.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It\u2019s really nice that we\u2019re changing generations,&rdquo; Salazar said. &ldquo;Now that we\u2019re at 10 years, it\u2019s the mom and the son, or the daughter and her mom\u2019s with us, the cousins with us. And so we\u2019re changing the whole family.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8212;By Kelli Trifonovitch<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The project encourages and finances non-college-bound high school students and adults to attend, and successfully complete, their first year of college.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,12],"tags":[64,1051,71,947,56,482],"class_list":["post-99929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","category-video","tag-kauai-community-college","tag-mentorship","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-uh-system","tag-video-2","tag-waialeale-project","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99929"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":124610,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99929\/revisions\/124610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}