Hawai'i Congressman Charles Djou '88 urged students to make no excuses in their drive for higher learning and also encouraged their political aspirations during a candid talk at Punahou School.
"No one should say 'I can't go to college because I can't afford it,' " the 1st District Republican told some 80 students of the Clarence T. C. Ching PUEO Program, which aims to make college a goal and a reality for public school students of high academic potential but low economic means.
Djou related his own upbringing as the child of immigrants (his mother is from Thailand, his father from China) and described how he financed an Ivy League college education by signing up for ROTC.
"I had the opportunity to go to college and to have Uncle Sam pay for it. That's the option I chose, but the point is that there are many different paths: grants, scholarships, lots of things. The message is to aim high, work hard and take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way."
The goal of PUEO (Partnerships in Unlimited Educational Opportunities), founded at Punahou in 2005, is to spark a love of learning in public middle and high school students and to encourage them to attend college.
To that end, Punahou provides facilities and human resources for a seven-year educational experience of group activities during the regular school year, small group mentoring, and summer school classes.
A large block of time during the summer addresses individual student needs in the disciplines of reading, writing and mathematics. Kumu (teachers/mentors) are recent graduates from Punahou and other private and public schools who work closely with PUEO scholars to boost study skills in all content areas, which for some includes American government.
Kumu James "J.C." Wo '06, who will begin doctoral studies in criminology, law and society at the University of California-Irvine this fall, is teaching science to rising PUEO eighth-graders this summer.
He invited Djou to speak because he figured students would relate to Djou's personal story, given that many come from immigrant families themselves, and might gain inspiration about college opportunities and financing.
Wo stressed to the audience that the appearance did not equal a political endorsement. The congressman, who represents urban Oahu, was game as students questioned him about a variety of serious Hawai'i issues, including rail transit, funding for public education and social services for Micronesians.
Throughout the 45-minute exchange, Djou encouraged the students to become politically active, to vote as soon as they turn 18 and to dive in as a volunteer even before that.
Politics "isn't for everybody, but it is for anybody," he said. "That is the beauty of the American system. Everyone has a voice."
The students raised those voices as the session ended, in a motivating call-and-response with their kumu Wo.
"What group are you in?"
"PUEO!"
"Where are you going?"
"College!"
