Wai‘ale‘ale Project opening 14th cohort

PUHI — The Wai‘ale‘ale Project at Kaua‘i Community College is accepting applications though April 15 for its 14th cohort.

Since its inception, the Wai‘ale‘ale Project has helped nearly 1,000 students successfully navigate the college system. That includes students who otherwise likely would not have gone to college.

The program offers Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau residents an opportunity to attend college for free, as students who participate in the Wai‘ale‘ale Project receive financial assistance and support in the form of counseling and mentorship throughout their time at Kaua‘i Community College.

Applications are available by calling 808-245-8383, or emailing waiale@hawaii.edu.

To apply for the Wai‘ale‘ale Project, students must be entering their first year of college or returning to college following a gap in their education. Applicants are highly encouraged to submit a referral form with the application.

Joana Rodriguez is a student and a mentor who has participated in the Wai‘ale‘ale Project program. She said she’s not sure she would be alive today without Wai‘ale‘ale Project, and was asked to be a mentor to other students following her first year in the program.

She has been a Wai‘ale‘ale Project mentor for six years.

“It’s a blessing for me to give back what was given to me from my previous mentor,” Rodriguez said. “I like sharing my story. That’s how we connect with our students, and it motivates them by showing them that I’m someone who’s been in their position. I’ve experienced the school, and I can provide that support for them.”

Rodriguez was in the 10th grade when she dropped out of school. Her mother convinced her to get her GED certificate. At 16 years old, Rodriguez visited Kaua‘i Community College, but was a year too young to join her preferred program — nursing.

During the year she had to wait for eligibility, Rodriguez became pregnant with her son, started using drugs following his birth, and went through a cycle of getting clean and relapsing before becoming pregnant with her daughter and falling into the same cycle.

Toward the end of her addiction, Rodriguez became very ill and was hospitalized for two months. That was her wake-up call. She checked herself into an outpatient recovery program where she met her mentor, who helped her apply to the Wai‘ale‘ale Project.

“I applied for the scholarship, and I thought, ‘who’s going to give money to a recovering addict who’s had three CPS cases, been to jail, and is on probation?’” she said.

Rodriguez was accepted, and following her first semester, reclaimed full custody of her children and finished her first year with a 4.0 grade point average. Since then, she has received her associate degrees in business technology and liberal arts from Kaua‘i Community College, and is currently working on her psychology bachelor’s degree at the University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu.

“College really played a key role in my recovery. I don’t know what would’ve happened if I didn’t take this chance, and I didn’t take this opportunity,” she said. “College gave me a sense of purpose in life. Hearing someone else’s story helped me feel like I’m not the only one that’s like this, there is someone else like me. If she (my mentor) can do it, I can do it, too.”

More information on the Wai‘ale‘ale Project can be found at kauai.hawaii.edu/waialeale-project.

Wai‘ale‘ale Project is made possible by support from private donors, community partners and philanthropic organizations. For information on how to contribute to the project, contact Christina Ahia Trugillo at cahia@hawaii.edu, or call 808-245-0105.