 Welcome to Act the Crossroads. I'm your host, Tisha King, and I am so excited to have you join me here today. You know, we always talk about conversations that are real and relevant, and today is no different. I'm so excited to share with you our guest for today. But before we jump right into it, I want to kind of talk about things that are going on with our 2020 presidential debate and race for president. As you know, there are $1.6 trillion worth of student debt. That's right, $1.6 trillion. And all of our presidential hopefuls are speaking about what they can do to make a difference. There are different strategies that they want to employ, and none of them seem to be the perfect fit. As a person who's currently paying back her student loans and feels like it's never, ever, ever going to go away. I hope and long for the days when that would not be the case, not for my children or anyone's children. Well, for one such family right here in Honolulu, Hawaii, they do not have to face college debt at all. That's right. Today's guest is the recipient of the Gates Foundation Gates Scholarship Award. Is that correct? Yeah. Join me as we welcome Ariana Foe to our show today. Ariana. Ariana. Ariana Bowe to our show today. I looked at you with the hope of saying it right, and I still said it wrong. All good. It's all good because you are all good. Ariana, welcome to At the Cross Road. Thank you. It is such a joy to have you here. You are just so bright and full of hope. I'm so excited. I want to jump right in and say congratulations on being the recipient of not one, but two scholarships. Tell us what they are. Yeah. So I received the Gates Scholarship and also Cross Bridge Math Scholarship. Wonderful. Now I want to say the Gates Scholarship is much different than the Millennial Scholarship from Bill or Melinda Gates. Is that right? Yeah. They transitioned from the Millennial Scholarship to the Scholarship that they have now. The Millennial Scholarship covered not just undergrad, but all the way through graduate school and the Gates Scholarship program that they have now is just graduate. Wonderful. So you get the opportunity to work really hard and get another scholarship from grad school. That's my plan. Good, good, good. Well, I want to know more about you. And I'm sure our viewers do too. Talk to us about your early childhood education. Where did you go to school? For elementary. Yeah. I went to Coco Head Elementary School. Okay. Wonderful. What was that like in elementary? I mean, were you an academic scholar in first grade? You know, that wasn't necessarily my focus at that time. I was like a seven-year-old, but I did, I was a part of the gifted and talented program that they had, which at the time was just kind of a bothersome thing for me because I was like, oh no, extra questions, like I have to do extra work. But I feel like it really kind of set me up to do well as I transition into middle school and then high school. Wonderful. So you had extra work because you were gifted and talented. So there, I know about that program and there, there is some testing that you have to complete to qualify for that. And as you moved on, you graduated from elementary school and there was a transition. Yeah. Tell us about that transition. What happened in sixth grade? So I went from a public co-ed elementary school and I started going to La Piatra, which is a private old girl school, where I picked all the way through graduation in my 12th grade year. And it was quite a transition. I wasn't necessarily used to all of my classmates being in different economic years than I was used to. I kind of came from a family that didn't necessarily have an incredible amount of money. And it was an adjustment being in a new environment where my friends had nice clothes and big houses and I didn't necessarily have much experience with that. That's wonderful that you were able to see those differences. I know your mom and I know that she is a hardworking woman and provided a really good lifestyle for you. Just a little bit different than what your friends may have had. Yes. So having made that adjustment, I think that it was first of all good of you and commendable for you to notice the difference, but you still seem to have turned out to be a well-rounded person. So you never had this temperament that said, what was me? No, it was pretty easy for me to keep a straight head about it because I had a lot of friends. Because of my experience not only in having a public school education but also private school education, I had friends from a lot of different social groups and economic factors. And they're all amazing. Yes. Right. Because in the end, people are people. Yeah, it's true. Right. And so it's not always about the social economic status. It's really about the heart of the person. Yeah. That's been my experience. Terrific. So now you made it into this school and you were working really hard and your academics. You seem to have a certain academic prowess. What did it take to get into the school and what made you choose that particular school? So I'm going to be going to Bowdoin College? No, no, no. No? No. Just about your 6th through 12th grade experiences. 6th through 12th grade. Okay. Sorry, I misunderstood. I apologize. I honestly don't remember very much about the process. I don't remember taking the SSAT, which I believe is a secondary school placement program, or placement test, and going high enough to get into these private schools. And genuinely, I chose La Piatra kind of less for all of the things that it offered and more just because it had a beautiful campus. Because that was what I cared about as a 6th grader. I understand that. So what was your impression when you first walked on campus? Take us through all the emotions and what it felt like. Mostly it was excitement. I had gotten a new book bag, and I had decorated it with glitter glue and stickers. All the things that mattered to 6th graders. All the things that mattered to 6th graders. And I was so excited. I got on campus and they gave me an iPad, which was... I was just blown away. I was like, wow. And being on such a... La Piatra used to be a villa that was owned by the Dillinghams, and it's like a house. It's a big beautiful place. And I was so grateful to be able to go to school in a place that was so beautiful and had so much life that felt like... And you connected in some type of way with all of that beauty. You fit right in. You're a beautiful girl. Thank you. You're welcome. So there you are surrounded by beauty and nature. You've received a new iPad. You've got this sticker, glitter book bag. And you're ready to get into school. So tell me, what is your academic program like? Are you more inclined? Are you a bookworm? Or do you just have natural gifting? If you tell me you have natural gifting, I'm going to get upset because I have to study. And if you're one of those, you hear it once and you've got it. That's it. Interview over. I'll ditch you that type. Go ahead, tell us. I honestly didn't really... I wasn't necessarily really focused on academics at all in my first few years at La Piatra. I kind of naturally was... I read a lot as a child and I had... and my parents spent a lot of time... like they taught me how to count really early and how to read really early. And they were really interested in fostering my growth in that way. And coming into La Piatra, I didn't really notice a difference at first between my academic level and anybody else's really, or anything like that. I was more focused on making friends and having a good time as a middle schooler. And the academic part of it, when I started to focus more heavily on that, more as I was moving from middle school to high school and I realized that I could use these skills that I had to make myself an outstanding student. What are some of the characteristics of an outstanding student? I don't know if that's really for me to say. It must be. I don't know who else in this room has received any type of free money for education, but you are more than qualified to answer that question, Miss. Thank you. You're welcome. I really feel like what has helped me the most in that particular department is really just kind of... I really enjoy learning just for its own sake. And so in my free time, I kind of did my own research into topics that I was interested in. I read books about things. I said to my own research about stuff. And in that way, just kind of being... not trying to be somebody that I wasn't, just really leaning into the things that I already wanted to do that were my own interests. Being true to myself is such an important part of that for me. It's part of being an outstanding student or however you want to phrase it. So then the answer that you just gave, which I think is very, very true and honest, is in order to be an outstanding student, you need to have a love for learning. That's what you said. Number two, you said you read and became involved in things that you did research on things that you were interested in. So you had a certain type of independence or certain type of freedom with your studies. And then you weren't trying to be anyone else but yourself. Yeah, I feel like that was probably the biggest part of it for me. Fantastic. That was an excellent answer. It sounds like a scholar to me. I appreciate it. You're very welcome. Well deserved. So you went through that process all throughout middle and then high school at La Petra. And that school sounds really amazing. It's the Hawaii School for Girls. And so you live there? Are you on campus? Oh, no. It wasn't a dormitory service situation. Yeah, so I was living with my friends. That's normal. Okay. Wonderful. So you also had this very close knit. How many are in the school approximately or at least in your graduating class? In my graduating class there were 28 students and we were one of the biggest classes on campus. Oh, wow. Yeah. Wonderful. So it was a very... La Petra is a very small school and I think personally that was for me one of my favorite things about it was because you're saying it kind of created this community that I felt like is an integral part of and I knew that there were people I could reach out to for support and I had all these resources because it really felt like a community of people who were all interested in lifting each other up. Right. And probably your teachers knew you on a much deeper level. That's true. Yeah. I have become very close with a lot of my teachers over the years. Is that right? Yeah. So what was your favorite subject? If French was a language that you chose as your foreign language to learn, what was your favorite subject? Yeah. I would say probably my favorite... I really loved to learn French but also I enjoyed English quite a lot. I would say that those are probably my two favorite subjects. If we're going just by classes I've taken, I think my favorite class is probably dance. Oh. Actually, not really an academic class but I really enjoyed... One thing, like the thing that I really enjoy about all of those different subjects is the ability to kind of make it what you want it to be. Nice. Yeah. I believe that this school does allow for that. We're going to take a quick break and when we come back, we're going to hear more from Ariana Bowe and we're going to talk about her academic prowess and what it takes to earn the scholarships that she has earned so she won't acquire the debt that so many find themselves with. You are watching At the Crossroads and we'll be right back. Hi guys. I'm your host, Lillian Cumick from Lillian's Vegan World. We live every second Friday from 3 p.m. and this is the show where I talk about the plant-based lifestyle and veganism. So we go through recipes, some upcoming events, information about health, regarding your health and just some ideas on how you can have a better lifestyle, eat healthier and have fun at the same time. So do join me. I look forward to seeing you and... Aloha. Aloha. My name is Wendy Lowe and I want you to join me as we take our health back. On my show, all we do is talk about things in everyday life, in Hawaii or abroad. I have guests on board that will just talk about different aspects of health in every way. Whether it's medical health, nutritional health, diabetic health, you name it, we'll talk about it. Even financial health. We'll even have some of the Miss Hawaii's on board and all the different topics that I feel will make your health and your lifestyle a lot better. Wendy, I welcome you to take your health back. Mahalo. Welcome back. You're watching At the Crossroads with Keisha King and Ariana Bowe. She is the Gates Scholarship recipient as well as another scholarship where she doesn't have to pay anything for it to wish it. We are so proud of her and her academic achievements. Welcome back to the show, Ariana. Thank you so much. It is such a joy to have you. Just before our break, we were talking about dance and the fact that you can take dance or you were taking dance classes at La Pietra. La Pietra. La Pietra. Yeah, I'm just messing up all kinds of things today. Oh, good. Apparently, I didn't get the scholarship and this is why. I'm just kidding. You are an amazing person. You are an academic. And now we find that you have these other talent. Tell us about dance. Well, I really enjoyed the, I took two dance classes in my senior year at La Pietra and it was my first time taking a real dance class and I was very young. I did ballet, I think. I did it with everyone. I was going to say with the little pink ballerina shoes. Yes, we were all on our toes in those. Amazing. So what drew you to take these two classes? Because that's a total right side, left side thing you've got going on. It honestly wasn't something I thought very hard about. It was offered as an alternative for PE and I liked PE but I was intrigued by dance because I enjoyed dancing just by myself at my own house. And I thought I might as well learn a bit more about it. Wonderful. It's amazing that not a lot of people can do that. You're working with your academic side and then now your self-expression side or creative side that right brain, left brain challenge is not always easy to kind of mix. So I'm glad for you that you did that. And as an aside note, I want to know, are you going to go see the Phantom of the Opera? I wish. I have a lot of friends who have seen it and have been talking to me about it. I would suggest if you don't go see it, connect with Ballet Hawaii. That's another group that I work with. They do great things. You guys know Ballet Hawaii. So go to Ballet Hawaii and you can watch some of the master performers that are participating in the Phantom of the Opera. So that's an aside. It's not a commercial for them, although it sounded like one. But go check that out and that way you can see that. Now moving forward, I want to talk about how in the world did you get your scholarship and how did you get your GPA that high? It was... in terms of finding and getting these scholarships, I was aware that just paying for college wasn't necessarily going to be really an option unless I chose to take a gap year and earn some money or find some other way of doing that. So I knew that I was going to be applying to a scholarship like that. So it was really self-directed. Very good. I spent a lot of time looking for scholarships and things like that. And in terms of staying qualified for these scholarships, I grew a lot from the community that my school offered. And taking opportunities to work closely with teachers if they offer and really work through things that I was struggling with, concepts, things like that. And just put a lot of time and effort towards doing well and succeeding at these things. Very good. So you took a lot of the pressure off your parents. I'm sure they appreciate that. And they're very proud of you. But then in addition to that, you were self-directed. You knew that it wasn't going to pay for itself and that the other option of taking a gap year might lead to venturing off into some career and not really ever having enough. And that's always a challenge. There's nothing wrong with taking that time, if necessary. But this route seemed to have worked for you quite well. So you came across that opportunity to apply for both of these scholarships and you won. You earned it. You didn't just win it. This wasn't some luck of the draw like a lottery. You earned it. What were some of the qualifications that were needed that you met? A lot of the... Both of the bigger scholarships that I won had a GPA cutoff that I met. Exceeded. And I also was... I found myself kind of from early on in high school being involved in a lot of different extracurriculars. There were a lot of different paths that I followed with that. I became the president of one of my school's community service clubs. I was teaching sex ed through Planned Parenthood's Outreach Program. I did some sports. What sports? I did air rifle retract, paddling, and judo. Not all at once. When did you sleep? When did you study? How could you do all of this? What I like about your story is that you are so well-rounded. You're not an academic who's only in the books. There's nothing wrong with those who are. But I think what has happened now is colleges and acceptance committees are looking for well-rounded individuals. They want to know that you have other things that you're involved in because it makes you more of a critical thinker when you have those types of skills. Would you not agree? I agree. Wonderful. So you knocked that out of the park and you received the reward scholarships and then you had to make the tough decision about what schools you would attend. So where have you chosen to go? Like I said before on accident, I'm going to be going to Bowdoin College. It's in Maine. Whoa, I just got cold. She said Bowdoin College. I think everyone got a chill in the studio. How are you going to go from Hawaii to Maine? It's going to be an adjustment. It will. But you've done that before. It's okay. I have faith that I'll go through. I do too. Now what will you major in when you get to this school? I won't be able to officially announce my major until I'm a sophomore because Bowdoin is designed to, is a liberal arts college. So it's designed to give students a range of experiences and opportunities before they really narrow down into what they want to do. But I have been really, really interested in studying psychology since I think late middle school. And that is really, really where I feel like I'm going to be the path I'm going to be following. Fantastic. I think you will be very good in that field. I think going from here to Maine, very unique choice. But this school, just like any other school you would have chosen, is going to be so fortunate to have you. I think you're going to offer so much. So grab your winter coat. Lots of them. You're going to need a scarf and a hat and some extra socks and mittens as well. But then get there. And then for any student who's in school right now, I want you, or just starting, especially those who like you were at one point just starting high school, what advice would you give them to become academically successful? And I want you to look right here at this camera and tell them what it takes. I think genuinely the best thing that you can do for yourself is to really follow what you're interested in and pursue those things genuinely. Because I think that the best kind of student you can be is one who is true to themselves and can be independent and self-directed in that way and can decide for themselves what they want and see the steps that they're going to take to get there. Fantastic. Listen to this valedictorian. She speaks so wonderfully. Very articulate and very low-spoken. Thank you so much for joining us today. I am very proud of you as an educator but also as a mom. I'm grateful. I'm glad somebody's got it out of here. You did wonderful. And I think that it's really special that you've chosen Bowdoin College because partly it's part of your last name. So that's an aside. This is why I didn't make academic scholarships because I don't look at the important things. They're important to me. But then the other thing is that your school's initials are BU. And I think that is so wonderful about what you've done. So great job. I wish you continued success and we want to hear back from you. So anytime you're in town, you or your mom will call and let me know what's going on. I'd love to hear from you. And as always, I am so grateful to bring you conversations that really matter to all of us right here in Hawaii and beyond. And our hope is to help reduce the debt one way or another. If we can stop students from accumulating all of this debt by earning scholarships, just like Ariana has done, then that's great. But if you have to take out loans, you have to do it responsibly and work. You have a job. You can work while you're going to school. So many have done it before you. We just encourage you to do whatever it takes for you to be happy and successful. And just like Ariana has said, Ariana has said, I got it right, right? Yes. Just like she has said, BU, find what you love and then study that, do the research and BU. Congratulations to Ariana Bow. Congratulations to her parents. And we wish you the best. Thank you for watching at the Crossroads. Aloha.