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FEATURED STUDENT - JENNIFER HACKFORTH

Personal Effort + Bridge to Hope Support = Extraordinary Opportunity

Bridge to Hope Graduate: Jennifer Hackforth

After graduating with my Associates degree from Leeward Community College, I transferred to UH West Oahu. I signed up with Bridge to Hope right away and was able to work as a Research Assistant for two professors, as well as an assistant to the campus Career Service specialist.

Bridge to Hope was an invaluable asset to me right off the bat. As a mother of four boys, I found it was an extraordinary challenge to juggle a fulltime class load, a job, an internship, and duties at home. The Bridge to Hope program made it possible. The flexible hours, as well as the support and true friendship that I received from my supervisor, Dr. Joyce Chinen made it an extremely positive experience for me.

I am now an Anthropology major in senior standing. I am also pursuing the Applied Forensic Anthropology (AFAN) certificate. I have been interning at the Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Command/Central Identification Laboratory (JPAC/CIL) at Hickam Airforce Base for over a year now. It is considered the most prestigious forensic anthropology laboratory in the world.

I was recently offered a fellowship through the Oakridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) to work at JPAC/CIL as a Laboratory Technician. I will receive a monthly stipend that is far more than I’ve ever earned before. The fellowship can be renewed for up to three years, based upon my job performance.

At that time JPAC/CIL has the option of hiring me as a Federal employee. That is my ultimate goal. My family is very proud of me, and the knowledge that we will soon be financially self-sufficient is a far greater feeling than I can express in words.

I will always be grateful to the Bridge to Hope program for assisting me with my educational and career goals. As a result of my participation in the program, my college experience has been nothing but great.

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