Yosuo, a mother of three living at Kuhio Park Terrace public housing, has begun charting that course, beginning with morning treks to the Samoan Service Providers Association office at KPT for computer classes. She's got some time left in the information technology management class, but a group of 45 of her neighbors, mostly Pacific island and Asian immigrants, will celebrate their rite of passage this weekend.

The first graduation ceremony today at KPT will mark their completion of various courses underwritten by the Housing & Community Development Corp. of Hawai'i, in a two-year contract with the Samoan organization.

The training seminars are known collectively as the Strategic Training Employment and Empowerment Program, or STEEP, open to all residents of KPT and Kuhio Homes, regardless of ethnicity, said Bill Emmsley, the association's executive director.

However, Emmsley said, those who are not new to Western culture might progress directly to the technology class, while others may need help first in sessions of English as a second language and other courses geared to help people bridge a sizable cultural gap.

Emmsley — who is a Samoan "talking chief," or community leader — said the "Acculturation and Life Skills" workshops address some of the problems that new arrivals face reconciling the differences between expectations here and in their homeland.

Within his own ethnic community, he cited the case of a young man who worked for a beverage company and thus was asked by a leader to contribute the soft drinks for an impending family wedding.

He was asked to provide more than his employer was willing to donate, Emmsley said. Rather than go back to the family and give his regrets, he said, the young man took and then delivered the full requested amount, then returned to the office and turned in his resignation.

In another case in Samoa, he said, a woman opened a store with a bank loan and then, upon the death of her mother, donated the inventory as a funerary tribute. She chose to fulfill her daughterly duty first and to struggle with the bank deficit later.

"The tendency of Polynesians is to take care of these relationships first, rather than some abstract principle," he said.

The conflicting expectations of Western society and other cultures can be better addressed if the issues are at least brought to the table, Emmsley said, which is why the acculturation class is offered.

That's the big hurdle; the rest is the more straightforward accumulation of skills.

Lynda LaForm had no cultural hurdles to overcome but has hopes of finding a job in medical billing, which is why the technology class seemed so appealing.

"I really need to learn how to do this," she said. "Then I can get a computer at home, and that will help my daughter."

Some of the younger kids have grown up in Honolulu and know basic computing; Emmsley hopes to launch classes in Web design or other specialized skills for them.

By contrast, the Rev. Tinetali Gafa was not in the computer class to gird for a career change — he loves his work as pastor at Samoan Congregational Christian Church. But the skills are useful in the ministry; besides, he can share the wealth with his flock by teaching them what he learned.

"I'm sure there are some boys that don't have jobs," he said. "It's good to encourage them."