As early letters of decision role in for the senior class, it is vital to acknowledge the institution of elitism at Kamehameha that pushes our high-flying warriors into these highly selective schools.
The most recent and notable push made by our school is the Poʻo Kula Scholarship. With around 50 recipients and up to a $100,000 award amount over four years, this scholarship removes financial barriers associated with attending college, which remains our parents’ number one concern.
Although this scholarship is painted wholly as beneficial, one of the requirements to apply for this scholarship is to apply to one of the “top tier colleges” labeled by the Poʻo Kula office. With this new requirement, it is clear that the administration of our school wishes for more of us warriors to attend an elite university drawing the question – why?
The emphasis on admittance into a highly selective college fosters a climate of competitiveness and makes students believe that they have to possess an “edge” against their peers. The prevalence of this danger can already be seen in our students who partake in APs, extracurriculars, and other activities solely to fuel their college application. This drives attention away from the passion of our students and creates an everlasting essence of tension within our class.
Attending an elite college is like winning an Olympic gold medal as it is viewed as the most prestigious thing a high-school student can accomplish. However, our students enter these colleges with a fueled application and a next-to-nonexistent passion, revealing that in the end, we value the brand associated with such elite schools more than the quality of their education. The implication of this on our campus will only act as a catalyst to the already growing competitive and fierce climate of peer competition.
