{"id":102011,"date":"2019-08-28T08:08:51","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T18:08:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=102011"},"modified":"2021-03-31T13:57:07","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T23:57:07","slug":"college-opportunities-program-opens-doors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/08\/28\/college-opportunities-program-opens-doors\/","title":{"rendered":"College Opportunities Program opens doors for motivated students"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_18938\"  width=\"620\" height=\"349\"  data-origwidth=\"620\" data-origheight=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LAq0j1Meoek?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"College Opportunities Program opens doors for motivated students\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>The transition from high school to college can be challenging to navigate, and even the most motivated students may need a little extra community help. For 50 years, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/cop\/\">College Opportunities Program<\/a> (<abbr>COP<\/abbr>) at the University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa has created an alternative pathway for for approximately 3,800 <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> students who had the drive to enter university but may not have met the minimum requirements.<\/p>\n<p>The backgrounds of <abbr>COP<\/abbr> students vary. &ldquo;Some of them didn\u02bbt take high school seriously,&rdquo; said <abbr>COP<\/abbr> Director <strong>Michael Maglaya<\/strong>. &ldquo;Some were told by those close to them that there was no way they would succeed in college. Some could not see how they could pay for their college expenses. Some came from families where neither parent attended college.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The statewide program provides a free six-week intensive summer course that requires participants to live on-campus and enroll in classes focused on upgrading academic and social skills. Those who successfully complete the <abbr>COP<\/abbr> program are admitted to <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa in the fall semester and advance to <abbr>COP<\/abbr>&#8216;s First-Year Academic Program. Approximately 95 percent of students in the summer program successfully pass and gain admittance to <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa.<\/p>\n<h2>Finding a path and a family<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_102068\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-102068\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-activity.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-activity-250x300.jpg\" alt=\"C O P students rolling a log\" width=\"250\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-102068\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-activity-250x300.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-activity-108x130.jpg 108w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-activity.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-102068\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><abbr title=\"College Opportunities Program\">COP<\/abbr> outdoor activity<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This summer, <abbr>COP<\/abbr> had 61 students including <strong>Cody Retuta<\/strong> and <strong>Emelie Ogata-Tambua<\/strong>, recent graduates of Leilehua and Radford high schools, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>Retuta, who is interested in pursuing creative media and a possible career in teaching, credits his high school college counselor at Leilehua for the encouragement. &ldquo;She suggested <abbr>COP<\/abbr> would be a good transitional period for me to get to know the people, the dorms, how <abbr>UH<\/abbr> functions, and overall it has worked out very well,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Through the program, Retuta enjoyed not just participating in study groups, but also creating them. &ldquo;When we\u2019re studying for tests, I make Kahoots or Quizlets [a game-based learning platform and app, respectively] to make it easier for us to study,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I\u2019ll bring out my projector and we\u2019ll be all competitive. Sometimes we get a little loud, but we still have fun and we\u2019re learning at the same time.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>For Ogata-Tambua, a sense of family was the most important thing she wanted from her college experience, and <abbr>COP<\/abbr> provided that support. &ldquo;I ran into people I grew up with in elementary school, and then I met people I never knew were from this island,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;The neighbor island students, they\u2019ve never been here, so it made it easier to get along. There was a lot of bonding between a lot of us.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;At first, people think [<abbr>COP<\/abbr>] is for students who can\u2019t make it, but it\u2019s not,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;It\u2019s more than that. It\u2019s your family. They help you.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>While she originally chose one educational path, Ogata-Tambua found a better fit in dental hygiene through <abbr>COP<\/abbr>. In addition, she hopes to create a college career center for high school students who, like her, would benefit from the support and guidance. &ldquo;Where I\u2019m originally from, there isn\u2019t a college career center,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;So I plan to make my own not just for college, I want to help students find jobs too.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>50 years of guidance and support<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_102069\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-102069\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group-1975.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group-1975-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white group photo\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-102069\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group-1975-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group-1975-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group-1975-630x353.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group-1975.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-102069\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><abbr title=\"College Opportunities Program\">COP<\/abbr> 1975<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><abbr>COP<\/abbr> was established in 1970 as a federally-funded model cities project aimed at recruiting residents from <span aria-label=\"Waianae\">Wai&#699;anae<\/span>, N\u0101n\u0101kuli, K\u0101lihi and P\u0101lama to pursue a postsecondary education. In 1973, the <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> State Legislature authorized the release of funds to continue the <abbr>COP<\/abbr> program for residents throughout the state. Room, board, textbooks and instructional expenses are covered by <abbr>COP<\/abbr>, which has provided the support and structure to help approximately 3,800 students attend <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa over its 50 years.<\/p>\n<p>In commemoration of <abbr>COP<\/abbr>&#8216;s 50 years of helping students to successfully start their career journeys, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.centralpacificbank.com\/About-CPB\/Going-Beyond\/Serving-Our-Community\/CPB-Foundation\">Central Pacific Bank Foundation<\/a> committed $50,000 to provide scholarships for students in the program. Denis Isono, President of the Central Pacific Bank Foundation attended the <abbr>COP<\/abbr> awards banquet on August 8 to celebrate with the students and their families and to present the donation.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_102122\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-102122\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-rising-scholars.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-rising-scholars-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Group of students with lei\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-102122\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-rising-scholars-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-rising-scholars-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-rising-scholars-630x353.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-rising-scholars.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-102122\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Denis Isono (far right) with the <abbr title=\"Central Pacific Bank\">CPB<\/abbr> Foundation Rising Scholars<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;<abbr>COP<\/abbr> drives positive change in our community through education, and the Central Pacific Bank Foundation is well aligned in this mission,&rdquo; said Isono. &ldquo;We know these students are the leaders of tomorrow, and we&#8217;re proud to support a pathway of higher education and work readiness for their future career success.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Seeing the continued success of <abbr>COP<\/abbr> students has been rewarding for Maglaya. &ldquo;Giving these students an opportunity to try college and watch them succeed and grow in the process has to be the most gratifying aspect of my job,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When they graduate from M\u0101noa, that has to be the icing on the cake for the <abbr>COP<\/abbr> staff.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Going forward, <abbr>COP<\/abbr> will continue to inspire students to start on a path that they may have considered closed to them. For the 2019 summer program, all 61 <abbr>COP<\/abbr> students passed and will begin their studies at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa in the fall. <abbr>COP<\/abbr> has a consistently high success rate, but this is only the third time in Maglaya\u2019s 17 years with the program that the entire class, including Ogata-Tambua and Retuta, has passed.<\/p>\n<p>Said Retuta, &ldquo;The <abbr>COP<\/abbr> program has helped with my confidence in college, cleared up a whole bunch of my doubts and, above all, it\u2019s been a good program.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8212;By Heidi Sakuma<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_102067\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-102067\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group1-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Students holding certificates\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-102067\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group1-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group1-630x353.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group1.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-102067\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ogata-Tambua (third from left) at the <abbr title=\"College Opportunities Program\">COP<\/abbr> awards ceremony<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_102066\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-102066\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group2-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Students holding certificates\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-102066\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group2-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group2-630x353.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/manoa-cop-group2.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-102066\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Retuta (front row, third from left) at the <abbr title=\"College Opportunities Program\">COP<\/abbr> awards ceremony<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For 50 years, <abbr>COP<\/abbr> has given <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> high school graduates who do not meet admission requirements for <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa a second chance to pursue a university education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,12],"tags":[1466,9,56],"class_list":["post-102011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","category-video","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-uh-manoa","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102011"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":124420,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102011\/revisions\/124420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}