Education Profiles: Extracurricular Activities
Cheerleading
College and Cheerleading: Bring it On!
by Mike Yoshiura
BRITTANY HAMOCON is not your stereotypical cheerleader. This cheerleader is staring higher education in its beady-little eyes, as she says rather smugly, BRING IT ON!!
"Cheerleading is my life, but right now getting my education is everything. I'm using cheering as a means for getting my education and a future career," said Brittany Hamocon, 18, a freshman at Hawaii Pacific University (HPU). Isn't college supposed to be about meeting people and experiencing new things? That's the whole point of it, right? "At HPU you meet so many different people. It's like traveling without even getting on a plane."
In her second semester of college, Brittany is still getting acquainted with the crowded-downtown campus. Although Hamocon may be new to college life, she has already made the necessary adjustments in her study habits, as she maintains a 3.0 grade point average. This communications major quickly learned that the study habits that got her through high school weren't as effective in a college classroom. "My biggest adjustment to college was my study habits. In high school I rarely studied, but in college it's much different. Missing one class in college is like missing a whole week of high school."
In her first couple of weeks on campus, Brittany learned that she had a difficult time managing her part-time job with school. Completely burnt out and left with no choice, she quit her job. "Learning how to balance things is the key. I had the most amazing job of my life, but I didn't know how to juggle it with school," said Hamocon. "I'm better at managing my time, but I'm not looking for a job."
With college there comes many unexpected expenses. As a freshman, Hamocon can recall spending up to $25 a day on parking. "My second semester I decided to take classes online to save me from the hassle of finding parking. There's no way I could afford to pay that on a daily basis."
For the first time, this Kailua teen found it difficult to fit in. "In my first semester I changed completely. I used to always wear bathing suit tops under my clothes, and the girls (cheerleaders) would give me a hard time about it. If you're from the mainland, the only time you wear a bathing suit is at the beach. I had to change my whole wardrobe."
Hamocon does admit that college life does have its perks. "The best part about college is that you can miss a class and they don't go calling your mom."
Brittany's mother is a single parent who never got the chance to attend college, which gives extra meaning to this opportunity of a lifetime. "She's the one who pushed me to go to college. She just wants me to have more than what she had. My mom's the one who found me the school (HPU), and she's the reason I'm here now."
"I love cheering for HPU! It's the best thing that ever happened to me. Except I never get to go out anymore because all I do is sleep on my free time."