For many students at Kamehameha, including myself, the drive to apply to selective institutions stems from the idea of elitism and a myth that our lives can be defined by a single letter. With the addition of a new requirement to the poʻo kula scholarship, necessitating applicants to apply to a “highly selective” institution, does the generous scholarship enforce beliefs of elitism and the myth of mobility?
The concept of mobility, the ability to change one’s socioeconomic status, has been widely researched by both national and international groups, specifically paying attention to “upward” mobility, the ability to improve one’s socioeconomic status. Coined the “land of opportunity”, the American dream and upward mobility are inextricably connected, both investing in the idea that any American – if they work hard enough – can achieve economic success despite coming from a disadvantaged background. However, research demonstrates consistently that upward social mobility is uncommon for specifically African Americans and Native Americans (including Hawaiians). According to census data, “Black and Native children have much higher rates of downward mobility than other groups. These children born to parents in the top income quintile are almost as likely to fall to the bottom quintile as they are to remain in the top quintile.” Admission to an elite university is often regarded as a golden ticket to upward mobility, yet, according to Taylor and Francis: “Despite accessing an elite university, students of color and poorer students find themselves positioned as second- or third-class citizens within the institution.” Studies show that both a sense of belonging and a hierarchy of privilege play a part in why students of color and poor students at elite universities communicate feelings of being left out, producing a visible meritocracy on campus.
Although the poʻo kula scholarship may not explicitly enforce the myth of upward mobility, it still encourages students to apply to universities with a harsh climate towards disadvantaged students. With many students from Kamehameha both coming from a poor socioeconomic background and being students of color, there is no doubt that even with an abundance of preparation from our school (let alone the cost of standardized testing and college prep being astronomical), a sense of estrangement and opportunity barriers are faced by our haumāna at elite schools.
Many parents send their children to predominantly white and exclusive schools, my parents included. Yet, in an attempt to give their children a ticket to upward mobility, they place them in a space that feels disenfranchising and disempowering. Our school should be better equipping us haumāna with the knowledge and tools to succeed in an unmistakably distant clime of highly selective institutions in addition to the generous scholarships and aid gifted to us.
