As a student at Tacoma’s Lincoln High School, Josh Cushman ’07 faced a dilemma. Upon graduation, he could go to college or join the Army. And college costs being what they were, the Army might have been the more likely option. “A lot of my friends were like that – it’s a money thing,” Cushman said.
He did. Cushman just completed his first year at PLU, as one of 52 students who will receive up to $20,000 in scholarships over four years. PLU has the largest number of Washington Achievers of any independent university in the state. For the students at PLU, the stories aren’t always the same, but the impact on their lives most certainly is. Lam-Phuong Nguyen ’05, also a graduate of Lincoln High School, said she “always knew that she’d be going to college, no matter what.” And the Achievers scholarship helped make it possible. Nguyen is now a chemistry-biology double major, and anticipates continuing her studies in medical school. For Chenda Minn ’05, a third-year student in the nursing program and a graduate of Tacoma’s Foss High School, the Achievers scholarship will allow her to be the first in the family – many of whom did not survive the killing fields of Cambodia – to earn a college degree. “I was lucky enough to be steered in the right direction by my family,” she said. Cushman, Nguyen and Minn are but three of the extremely directed students who, thanks to the program, have the same academic opportunities as students in more affluent school districts. The Washington Achievers program identifies 16 Washington high schools that serve a large percentage of low-income students and/or students of color. The program seeks to improve academic achievement at these high schools, as well as provide some 550 scholarships for students at those schools to increase college-going rates. A recent College Board report notes that more than 40 percent of students from high-income families graduate from college in five years, compared to only 6 percent from low-income families. The scholarships are not necessarily granted to high-schoolers with the highest GPAs or test scores – they are awarded to students who show the promise of success. “This is not necessarily an academic scholarship,” said Rick Seeger, who coordinates the college mentoring program at PLU on behalf of the Washington Achievers program, “but they succeed like crazy.” PLU’s success in recruiting and retaining Achievers is attributed to the fact that several high schools are nearby and that PLU quickly understood the value of having extremely promising students with diverse backgrounds on campus. The on-campus Diversity Center proves to be a great home base for the students, and admissions counselors make the students feel welcome. The scholarships were first awarded to high school juniors during the 2000-2001 school year and, according to the Washington Education Foundation, as of this spring, more than 1,500 students were participating in the program. Another 550 begin this fall. And the program continues to only grow stronger. “A lot of the students never thought about going to college; they simply did not have the money,” said Tomieka Garrett-Gonzales ’02, a community involvement officer for the Washington Education Foundation. “Or, their friends weren’t going to college, so they thought why should they? But when they get that money, you can see the change – it gets them excited.” Garrett-Gonzales recruits and organizes mentors at Lincoln and Mount Tahoma high schools. She works with 80 adult volunteers who help scholarship winners with issues such as preparing for college entrance and filling out college admissions applications. Once the students reach their college campus they receive another mentor who helps them transition into college life. At PLU, that is Seeger. As a graduate of Lincoln High School, Garrett-Gonzales has a unique perspective on the program. She finds that having so many scholarship recipients in one graduating class has a profound effect on the rest of the student body. As was the case with Josh Cushman, when students see others winning scholarships and heading off to college, it pushes them to strive for the same goal. Said Garrett-Gonzales: “It can change the school.” And it can change lives too.
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