Nursing Student Ambassadors Participate in P-20 Panel Discussion

Hawaii P-20 Partnerships for Education is a statewide initiative led by the Hawaii State Department of Education (DOE), Executive Office of Learning, and the University of Hawaii (UH) System to promote education success and student achievement in all educational levels. Programs spawned by the organization include the 55 by ’25 initiative, where the goal is to have 55% of Hawaii’s working-age adults have a two- or four-year college degree by 2025.

The Hawaii P-20 Pathways Summit was held on April 2 – April 3, 2019, at the Hawaii Convention Center. The two-day event hosted more than 200 staff & faculty members from various Hawaii DOE public and charter schools, UH campuses, and community partners to build on possibilities for career pathways and college preparedness. The second day of the summit featured a student panel that included two UH Manoa Nursing undergraduate students: Jarek Garcia and Jane Raquinio, along with two public high school students. The student panel was facilitated by Terrence George, President and CEO of the Harold K. L. Castle Foundation.

During the panel, the students were asked about their future career interest and reasons for this interest. Garcia shared, “having career fairs where representatives from different colleges were in attendance helped me gain the information I needed to choose an appropriate college for my nursing interest.” Raquinio added that “the health pathway at my high school was helpful in preparing me for nursing school by providing me with a head start in health subjects, including medical terminology and anatomy and physiology.” The panel ended with student panelists giving suggestions on how to be better prepared for college. Garcia and Raquinio agreed that “high schools should focus on communicating various career pathways and college resources available on campus to parents.”

Visit Hawaii P-20 initiative and 55 by ’25 campaign for more information.