HONOLULU (KHON2) — It’s back to school around the islands, including at Chaminade University in Kaimuki.
While the school year did start on Aug. 25, the academic year is still beginning.
For Michelle Richardson, head coach of the university’s women’s soccer team, Chaminade is about community.
“Chaminade really, the basic tenets is about community. It’s a Marianist institution, we really want to make that sure we give everybody opportunities to go on in life and to play at the next level here, especially in our community, but also abroad from the mainland,” Richardson said.
Bryana Yoshida, a student and soccer player, said that Chaminade helps ensure the success of their students.
“The culture here that we have at Chaminade, we definitely are one big family, everybody here wants to help us from our professors, our staff, our coaches,” Yoshida said. “It just feels really amazing to be in an environment that is so uplifting where everybody around us wants us to succeed.”
The university also has a special scholarship for local high school students, called the Hawaiʻi Guarantee.
“Hawaiʻi Guarantee, it’s a scholarship opportunity for our Hawaiʻi high school seniors that are coming in, and what’s great about it is that it makes Chaminade University, a private institution, affordable for our Hawaiʻi residents,” said Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management Abigail Hurgo. “So what it does really is that it meets the in-state resident tuition. So students are paying no more than $11,600 for tuition, which is really affordable.”
Students are able to enjoy an intimate campus and tight-knit community with their peers and professors, Hurgo said.
Additionally, high school juniors and seniors are able to begin getting college credit through Chaminade’s Early College program.
“The benefit of Early College is ultimately it saves time and money for students and their parents,” said Dr. Janet Davidson, vice provost for academic affairs. “Students are able to get high school credit while they’re taking these college courses, so it saves their time to degree once they enter college full-time.”
Students in the program also enjoy other educational benefits, such as statistically higher GPAs and better graduation rates, Davidson said.
For more information on Chaminade University, visit their website.