University of Hawaiʻi awarded $4.4M federal grant to expand college pathways for rural Big Island students

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has secured a nearly $4.4 million federal grant to help students from rural Hawaiʻi Island communities achieve success through college and beyond.

The 7-year Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, known as GEAR UP, is part of the Hawaiʻi Island Partnership Project that will prepare 840 students for college, academic success and career opportunities, a news release said.

The project, which runs through 2032, will support students from seven target schools in Kohala, Honokaʻa, Keaʻau, Kaʻū and Pāhoa.

The highly competitive federal program awarded 19 partnership grants this year.

“This grant is an investment in the potential of Hawaiʻi Island students,” said Anna Ah Sam, principal investigator for the project and a coordinator in the UH Mānoa SEED Office. “By connecting students with academic support, college credits, career experiences and ongoing guidance, we can help them see a path to higher education and give them the tools and support to pursue it.”

The initiative is designed to address educational barriers facing students in communities where poverty and geographic isolation can limit access to academic support and post-secondary opportunities. It will provide services to students beginning in seventh grade and extend through their first year of college.  

Activities will include tutoring, summer credit recovery, standardized test preparation, financial literacy workshops, and assistance completing college and financial aid applications.

Students also will have opportunities to earn college credits through Early College programs, explore career pathways through internships and apprenticeships, and visit college campuses.

Since the federal program began 26 years ago, UH has received six GEAR UP partnership grants benefitting more than 5,000 students.

GEAR UP is a federal program that supports early college awareness and preparation, particularly for students in underserved communities. Through sustained academic support and exposure to postsecondary education and careers, the program helps students transition from high school to college and complete their degrees.