Shantice Caldwell, a 25-year-old Kapiolani Community College student, fell into homelessness right after her first day of classes in the spring of 2014.
"Our family had two cars, so I slept in my car with my grandma, but she had dementia and would stay awake late into the night," said Caldwell, who became economically unstable after she and her sister, who were supporting disabled family members, lost their jobs when Sears Ala Moana closed in 2013.
It wasn’t long before a sleep-deprived Caldwell began to fall behind in her classes. However, she was determined not to disappoint KCC and the King William Charles Lunalilo Scholars Program, which overlooked the high school years when she struggled through a learning disability and agreed to fund her first year of college.
"College was really hard in the beginning because of all my challenges. I slept when I could, I studied when I could and I talked to my teachers and made arrangements," Caldwell said. "I wanted to give up so many times, but the last semester I came out with a 3.0 GPA. That’s the highest that I ever earned in my life. Now I know I can keep going, and I don’t want to stop until I become a pediatrician or a vet."
Caldwell is just one of the reasons that KCC is launching a campaign to double original funding and enrollment in its Lunalilo Scholars Project, which was seeded by the Kaneta Foundation and the University of Hawaii Foundation. The unique program, which gives preference to first-time college students and those of Hawaiian ethnicity, targets students who have not considered college because of finances or other barriers.
The project diverts struggling adults from a cycle of poverty by funding their first year of college and empowering them with tools of hope, confidence and peer/counseling support, said LaVache Scanlan, director of the Lunalilo Scholars Project.
"For many of our students, college starts out as another obstacle," Scanlan said. "But with support, I’m seeing so many of them find the strength in themselves to succeed. They learn that project donors, the college and other scholars care for them, and sometimes that’s what’s missing most in a person’s life."
Philanthropists Lester and Marian Kaneta are the backbone of the project, which launched in 2012 with 22 students and has grown each year. In 2013, 34 students were accepted into the program, and 43 in 2014. This year the program will serve 53, but KCC and project donors would like to serve 100, a goal that will require supplemental donations.
"We believe the best way to achieve generational change is through a college education, but a program was needed to break the cycle of poverty," said Lester Kaneta, who along with his wife, Marian, is the program’s primary benefactor. "The need is great, but we cannot expand without additional support."
A $6,000 donation will cover one student’s annual project costs, which include a summer bridge program and freshman year classes and wraparound services. Scanlan also would like donors to support a dorm or transitional housing for students who are struggling with being homeless or are on the brink of homelessness.
Scanlan said other students have triumphed over such struggles as domestic abuse, extreme poverty, foster homes and a lifetime of people telling them that college just wasn’t for them.
"I wasn’t an ideal student to get a scholarship. I got a 4.0 my last two years at high school, but my GPA was really low because I screwed up the first two years," said 19-year-old Traven Watase, who entered the Lunalilo program. "I’m so grateful that this program gave me a chance, because without it I wouldn’t have been able to go to college. When I heard I had been accepted, it was like there was finally light at the end of the tunnel."
Shyanne Hummel, 21, said program resources allowed her to move forward after a youth spent in foster care. She plans to graduate from the University of Hawaii in 2016 and then pursue her master’s and doctorate so she can teach at the college level.
"In high school I never could have imagined this life. I had a lot of confidence and self-assurance issues that put me in a lot of dark places," Hummel said. "My life has changed so much. When I look at my high school pictures now, I almost don’t recognize myself."
Scanlan said the scholars in the project, who range in age from their teens to their 50s, go through a transformative process that has them outperforming KCC’s regularly enrolled students
"Our students take more credits, have higher grades and graduate more frequently. We’ve already got five students from our 2012 cohort that are in a bachelor’s program or will be after this semester," she said. "A handful more will be getting their associate degrees, and from there many will go straight into the workforce in jobs like culinary arts, travel and hospitality, and nursing."
Durella Paikai-Hind, who became a scholar in 2012, earned an associate degree in Hawaiian studies from KCC and is working on a similar bachelor’s degree at the University of Hawaii.
"I came from a very loving home, but there were many children and my parents said that they couldn’t pay for college," said Paikai-Hind, who is working toward her educational goals while undergoing dialysis. "Becoming a scholar was a dream and prayer come true. Now, at 53, I’m an honors student with a 3.9 GPA. I’ve worked hard to do the best that I can for these special people who gave up time and money to support my education."
"The program is successful because the support is there because someone cared for them for the first time in their lives," KCC Chancellor Leon Richards said. "It’s about giving people hope and helping them achieve dreams that they never thought possible."
It’s the kind of support that shores up future generations, Richards said.
Yoana Amond, a 52-year-old project scholar, said one of the things she loved best about participating in the 2013 program was the example that she set for her children.
"I couldn’t go to college when I was younger, but I always told my kids that they should go to college," Amond said. "When I ended up applying, I was in college with my kids. We were proud of each other. We’re all doing well."
