The Clarance T. C. Ching PUEO Program at Punahou School was a summer scholarship that I received shortly after finishing the fifth grade. The program offers a preset private school education for up to seven consecutive summers. Students of the PUEO Program come from a lower-income household, with many on track to becoming a first-generation college graduate. The program composes of several various courses, from magic class to theater arts to ACT preparation, that teaches students both school subjects and leadership expertise. Additionally, the students in one’s year continue to return until completion of the program, so it creates a sense of community around your class.
I went through the PUEO Program in its entirety, meeting a lot of new friends and experiencing new opportunities. Looking back at how much the program has impacted my life for the better, I wanted to make that lasting impact worth it. I applied to rejoin the program, but this time as a teaching assistant. My first summer doing so was with the freshman class of the program. It was nostalgic seeing this group of students who barely know each other form a community around the sole fact that they are a part of this program. My second summer worked with the senior class of students, who are rising high school seniors. Being able to help them figure out colleges and get to know their interests reminded me of my adventures when I did them with my friends.
My first summer played a major role in my character development. With the new students coming in, I had to be a role model that they would look towards and be proud to be shadowing. My co-worker and I were in charge of running the afternoon class with the students. That class trained my management skills, as well as my leadership skills. It was definitely not easy to get over 20 students to sit down for a math lesson, but doable once you understand who or what you are working with. Since the students loved playing games, my co-worker and I often made games out of our math lessons. For example, we played four corners, where we said a math problem and put a different answer at each corner. Being able to read the situation and react appropriately was something I have taken with me from the experiences I had with the PUEO Program.
You can read more about the program here.