Punahou historically has been a college prep school almost exclusively attended by the children of Hawaii's elite families. Although I have no reason to doubt that Punahou's student body had some students of modest socio-economic backgrounds over its past history, that still was not the norm. Obama's parents were certainly not part of the elite families living on Oahu, but he was definitely not part of the common or poorer class families that lived in Waipahu, Kalihi, Waianae, etc.
Scholarships or chump change?
If you call getting chump change as receiving a scholarship, I guess you could argue that he got an opportunity. However, as you yourself pointed out Obama having to work to help supplement his tuition costs, that scholarship definitely did not provide a full ride.
You're moving goal posts on me. When did I say Obama was poor when he attended school on Oahu? He was solidly middle class from what i read.
I never once said every individual is afforded the same path to reach their goals. The "norm" is you have to compete to attend the better schools. Not everyone qualifies nor completes their education in the top schools. Those not selected for a scholarship and who can't afford it on their own dime will find a different path.
I know many who enlisted in the Air Force and applied for acceptance into educational programs. Some were able to go to college full time on USAF money if they completed the first 2 years on their own -- most using their GI educational benefits which paid for tuition. That meant going to class at night or on weekends, or perhaps taking the classes online.
Some were able to get their Associate's Degree, then finished their BA/BS requirements using GI benefits.
I was able to pay only 20% of in-state tuition rates at Old Dominion in VA. Benefits were less for officers. That was for graduate classes to get an MBA.
As for Punahou, you said it's a college prep school. Isn't that true of all secondary schools? My public county high school offered college prep classes. For example, if you took a year of history, the curriculum was divided into 4 quarters. In my Russian history class, we studied the Russian Revolution, the Cold War, 100 years of Czars/rulers, and Russian government. Same class format for English literature and Social Studies.
It's true that some schools are tailored to educating potential Ivy League Applicants. That speaks more to the school, not the individual attendees. i'm sure they offered many scholarships to students not already in private schools to provide ..... what's that word again? Opportunities?
You can keep trying to pretend that our institutions only cater to the elite and wealthy, and you'd be wrong.
The end result will always be the same: if you make good choices, excel in your classes, and have a well-rounded extracurricular life, you might not become President or the CEO of a major hedge fund, but you can better your position and have a better situation financially and socially than you likely would have otherwise.
I'm not discounting raw talent or physical ability either. Those who rise to the top in sports or entertainment had the characteristics to work hard at their craft so they were prepared to take the opportunities that were offered to them. But, that is actually not the norm.