This is good news for rural Hawaii Island families, giving hundreds of students a clearer path to college.

• The University of Hawaii landed a federal grant worth about $4.4 million over seven years.
• Around 850 students from rural communities will get support starting in seventh grade.
• The program covers tutoring, college credit classes, career exposure, and help figuring out how to pay for college.
• The goal is to help more of these students finish high school, get into college, and actually earn a degree.
• Organizers hope students who go to college at the Manoa campus will come back and work in Hawaii afterward.

Outlook: Support for this group of students will continue for seven years as they move from middle school through college.