Holomua, a Hawaiian word meaning “improvement” or “progress,” is a program BYU–Hawaii provides to give high school students an experience of college life. The program occurs every year and is open to any high school juniors who are becoming seniors and graduating in the subsequent year.
According to the admissions website of BYUH, the goal of Holomua is three-fold: “Introduce students to the benefits and expectations of BYU–Hawaii, help high school seniors visualize themselves as successful students at BYU–Hawaii, and increase the opportunity for more students from Hawaii to attend BYU–Hawaii.” High school students from around the United States enjoy a week packed with classes and activities.
“It’s basically an academic EFY. The children have about 5 hours of academic preparation classes a day,” said Beau Kapeliela, a junior from Washington studying international cultural studies. Kapeliela works as a mentor for the program and said the program is about preparing the students for the ACT.
Hannah Liao, a senior majoring in international cultural studies from Taiwan, said she saw the opportunity to be a mentor and thought it seemed like fun. “It’s all about helping kids to find their majors, and I know a lot of them want to come here for school. Also to help them prepare for the ACT, but have fun at the same time.”
The high school students attending Holomua this year have shared how much they enjoy their time in the program. “The coolest thing I’ve learned is BYU–Hawaii represents over 70 different countries,” said Jurell Kai, a student from Kahuku. Kai also talked about how he heard from others how fun the program was and wanted to see it for himself.
Kaden Nielson, a student from Utah, mentioned how he felt like he was a part of a family here on campus. “Everyone’s just so chill here. Everyone’s united, kind of,” Nielson said. “I’ve only been here a week and everyone’s close with one another.”
He also said his favorite part of the program was being talked to about the majors offered by the school. “You can always read [about] it, but when someone else starts talking about it and how much they like it, it’s completely different."
Even though Holomua attempts to help high school students see “themselves as successful students at BYU-Hawaii,” the program is also meant to be fun, according to Kapeliela. “Every night we have a devotional, and they get to experience Hawaii a little bit while they’re here as well: go to the beach and stuff like that. Go to PCC,” said Kapeliela. “My favorite part of the program is definitely the times where we get to meet together as a group and have a devotional at night.”
Liao also shared how Holomua can really benefit the students involved. “If you have a chance, you should participate because it’s not only fun, but it can also help you with future college and school. So it’s not just having fun but you’re doing something important,” she said.
She also commented on why she has enjoyed seeing the students grow in the program. “We had an outdoor activity and just seeing a bunch of people who don’t know each other at all talk to each other and get to know each other. Seeing their teamwork and how they work everything out. You can be mentor and friend at the same time.”
Both Kapeliela and Liao noted that making long-lasting relationships with the young students and getting to know and learn from them was one of the most rewarding aspects of being a mentor.
Jared Peterson, a senior studying psychology from Arizona, said Holomua could be helpful in a high school student’s decision in applying to the school. He said, “If I were already interested in coming to BYU–Hawaii, then it could be the experience that helps me to decide whether it’s worth it.”