Sponsored by Hawai’i Pacific University
While many universities face an uncertain fall because of the COVID-19 pandemic, here in Hawaii, Hawai’i Pacific University is ready for an in-person, on-campus semester coming up in late August. HPU students here in Hawaii, across the Mainland, and around the world, are getting ready to rebound and enjoy the student life in the most beautiful place in the world.
Amanda Borjas is an HPU student currently home in Texas for the summer. She’s excited to return to Honolulu in the fall not only to reunite with friends, but also to get back to in-person classes.
“We saw a lot of the social distancing and major cleaning that were in place during spring semester,” she explains. “Now we know there will be regular health screening and monitoring, especially early on to be sure we are getting the new year going with everyone healthy.”
Sydney Brown is an HPU student from Colorado. She shares Borjas’ sentiments and is ready to make her way back to Hawaii soon.
“It sounds like campus is ready for us,” she says. “I think the social distancing should work well, especially in our classes. HPU doesn’t have large classes to begin with, and we’ve been hearing about the spacing that’s being put into place.”
Brown says HPU has also instructed students to wear face coverings upon returning to campus. With all of its students coming from different communities and different families, the university hopes to remind everyone to do their part by wearing their mask.
Vicky Nguyen just graduated from Pearl City High School and is a new student at HPU. She says she decided to stay in Hawaii and attend the university because of its Holomua Program, a special program for students from Hawaii.
“I think, especially with the pandemic, that this is a great time to stay right here in Hawaii for college,” she says. “Every case and every death from COVID-19 is tragic, but I think it’s a relief that Hawaii has done well, by comparison, and that our numbers have been so low.”
For more information: hpu.edu, Facebook: @hawaiipacific, Instagram: @hawaiipacificuniversity, Twitter: @HPU