About 75 students are projected to graduate from Pahoa High School on Sunday (May 21). The commencement ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium in Hilo.
The following are profiles of two graduating seniors selected by school administrators. This is the fourth of six articles featuring soon-to-be graduates within the Tribune-Herald’s coverage area.
Students in this series are recognized for either overcoming significant hardships and/or for their academic achievements.
Taniya Thomas
Taniya Thomas can’t help but smile when she remembers the day she got an acceptance offer to the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
“I was pretty happy,” Thomas, 18, recalls. “It was really exciting.”
For Thomas, that feat seemed just about impossible a couple of years ago.
At age 14, she unexpectedly became pregnant. At 15, she gave birth to her son, Kaikea, now almost 3. For most of high school, Thomas has juggled parenting and school, all the while largely financially supporting herself.
Those responsibilities have brought challenges, plenty of stressful days and a few moments that were seemingly so overwhelming Thomas said she contemplated giving up.
Instead, she persevered. On Sunday, Thomas is graduating from Pahoa High School, with that UH-Hilo acceptance offer to boot. She said she plans to attend Hawaii Community College initially, however, to save money to eventually transfer to UH-Hilo.
She said she will be the first person in her immediate family to attend college.
“I’m happy about (being the first in my family),” Thomas said. “Because I’m looked upon as such a disappointment by some because I had a kid so young. But I got into UH, and I’m proving them wrong. I’ve known I’m a lot more than what people say I am, and I proved it.”
Thomas said she wants to study psychology in college because she enjoys “learning about why people act a certain way.” Eventually, she’s eyeing a career as a school counselor or a social worker.
She said becoming a teen parent forced her to grow up quickly. She said it also pushed her to become stronger, more independent and more financially savvy. She currently lives with her boyfriend, who watches her son during the day.
“I’m happy I’ve learned so much now so young,” Thomas said. “Because I can already picture what the real adult world is like.”
On the toughest days, Thomas said, thinking about her son keeps her going.
“I thought about (dropping out),” she said. “But I was like, ‘Where am I going to go?’ And I thought about home schooling, but I feel if I did that, I’d get lazy. And I feel my son deserves the best … I decided to stick it out. I’ve (been in school) for so long, and I decided to finish.”
She advises other young moms, or students facing obstacles, to keep “going when (life) gets hard.”
“I don’t feel a kid is a road block,” she said. “There’s always a way. … It’s not always going to be easy. Nothing is ever easy, but if you really want it, and you really want to do it, you can get it done.
“Anything is possible, just keep trying and keep going. You’ll be happy with your results.”
Dylan Salmo
Dylan Salmo learned a few life lessons from volleyball.
First, show up on time. Second, communication is the key to success. And third, hard work pays off.
For three years, Salmo has worked hard to perfect his volleyball game as a member of Pahoa’s varsity volleyball team.
That hard work is now paying off.
In the fall, the 17-year-old is headed to Judson University, an Illinois-based, private liberal arts college on a volleyball scholarship. Salmo will join the school’s inaugural team.
“I was pretty surprised,” Salmo said, recalling the day this past spring when he received an acceptance offer. “I rushed to my family and told them. They were really proud of me. They’ve always told me to work hard for the things I’ve wanted.”
Salmo said he will be the first person in his immediate family to attend college. His accomplishments haven’t necessarily come easy.
Salmo said his family has had some financial struggles. As a result, he moved at least four times during high school, most recently during the middle of the current academic year. Some days, because Salmo’s family shares a vehicle to transport his siblings to different schools, he said he’s inevitably been late to class.
“The moving process is really hard,” Salmo said. “I have to miss school sometimes and help pack. (This year) my grades started dropping, and I’ve been working to get them back up and catch up on all the work I’ve missed. It’s frustrating and it’s hard.”
He said those challenges, however, have taught him “time management skills” — in particular, how to use his free time in the evenings most effectively.
In moments of frustration, he tells himself to simply “finish the work I need so I can graduate.”
“My No. 1 priority (this year) was making up all the work I missed to get my grades up and keep them up for college,” he said.
Salmo said he didn’t initially picture attending college out of state, and was “pretty excited” when his coach told him about Judson’s scholarship opportunity.
He said he’s “nervous and excited” to head to the mainland campus this fall and plans to live in Judson’s dorm housing. He wants to study exercise and sports science. Eventually, he’d like to work in athletic training.
Someday, Salmo said he wants to move back to Pahoa and coach future volleyball students.
He advises other students striving for an athletic scholarship, or perhaps enduring a tough time, to persevere and keep their end-goal in mind.
“When you feel like giving up, push your hardest,” Salmo said. “Because it’s worth it in the end.”
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
