[ HAWAII'S SCHOOLS ]

STEPH PAGUYO / ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL From left, students Lory Mannering, Tahiti Hernandez and Daniel Siracusa recently explored their college options with post-high school counselor Dayna Kaneshiro at the Career and College Center.

Roosevelt gives helping hand
in search for right college

Student Q & A

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By Randi Akasaki
Roosevelt High School

When you first walk into Roosevelt's College and Career Center, the college pennants all over the walls are the first thing that catch your eye.

Every college you've ever heard of -- and some you haven't -- has a pennant in the room: Ivy League colleges, big state universities, small private colleges, technical institutes.

At Roosevelt High School, students are given not only an education, they are given a helping hand with planning for their future through the guidance that comes from the College and Career Center.

Nancy Scarci, who retired in 2001 as Roosevelt's post-high school counselor, spent 34 years at Roosevelt (12 of which as a counselor), during which time she visited numerous mainland colleges and became well known nationally.

"She was as well respected as the dean from Punahou," said Melissa Koers, a representative from Whittier College in California.

When Scarci retired, she left a huge responsibility to her successor, Dayna Kaneshiro.

"I was just kind of thrown into it; it was very overwhelming," Kaneshiro said.

Luckily, she had help from her fellow college counselors in the Hawaii Association for College Admissions Counsel.

"The counselors help each other; they were a big resource to me," said Kaneshiro.

According to Emily Oshima, a 2002 graduate currently attending Northwestern University, the college counselor can give students a lot of guidance as to what school and what environment would suit them best.

Jonathan Yamauchi, who graduated in 2001 and is in his sophomore year at the University of San Francisco, said that the counselor helped him find a college that was the right size.

"I just told the counselor what I wanted, and she suggested a whole bunch of colleges for me," Yamauchi said.

Some students already know what colleges they want to go to, and just need assistance financing their education.

"The center helped me find scholarships," said Pius Pack, who graduated in 2002 and is attending the University of Southern California.

The center also has college guides, AP and SAT test preparation books, career and vocational school guides, and other college and career resources.

There are several computers for students who do not have Internet access at home, to help them research and apply online for colleges and scholarships. File cabinets are filled with brochures, pamphlets and videos from colleges across the nation.

The most notable feature of the center is the impressive number of college representatives who visit the center to talk to students and answer their questions. More than 80 colleges annually send representatives.

According to Kaneshiro, "These visitations are great because they give students chances to meet the representatives on a personal level and get information on the college firsthand instead of reading it from a book." In addition, former students come back and give their impressions.

Aarin Yu, another 2002 graduate who has sophomore standing at Washington University in St. Louis, said, "Allowing students to come in to see representatives from schools is an awesome way for them to get started learning about their potential colleges."

Kaneshiro's primary communication tool is the weekly Post High School Bulletin, a flyer to the students about college representatives who are visiting, scholarship information, and other college- and career-related information.

Primarily juniors and seniors read the bulletin, but Kaneshiro said that one of her goals is to start reaching out to the freshmen so they can get an early start on college planning.

The most important goal she has is to "help kids realize their full potential." The College and Career Center provides a giant leap in that direction.

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You asked

What is your view on cliques and stereotypes?

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Compiled by Steph Paguyo and Dina Kaniho
Kristen Tanabe
Sophomore
"People go through high school trying to find themselves. Some people don't respect that, and people get labeled."

Phoebe Rogers
Sophomore
"No matter where you go, there will always be stereotypes and cliques. People say they are bad, but it still happens."

Ryan Keomaka
Senior
"We don't have any cliques over here. We have friends who hang together, but no cliques. I hate stereotypes because they judge you when they don't even know you."

Monica Carreira
Senior
"I think that stereotypes categorize people, and that causes unnecessary teenage stress. Cliques are bad because they single people out."

Jessica Hazen
Sophomore
"I think everyone should be open to other people."

Shaun Mendiola
Senior
"I think it's bad when people discriminate and leave out the minorities. Why can't we all just get along?"

Calvin Low
Senior
"It happens all the time, it can't be helped. It's probably going to happen forever."

Kenji Hobbs
Senior
"I'm glad they exist, because they keep you away from idiots I don't want to talk to."

Whitney Alama
Junior
"I think that people feel more comfortable with their own kind."

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