College Possible Washington extended its partnership with the Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation this year to support our shared commitment to improving access to higher education for immigrant students.
Through its Lotus Scholarship Program, the foundation provides assistance to recently emigrated students in Washington’s King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Historically, College Possible Washington has provided Lotus Scholars with our summer programming to support incoming college students with their transition to campus life. For the first time, in the 2021-2022 school year we also provided a fall session for the 15 Lotus Scholars (four of whom are also College Possible students) in an effort to support students during their crucial first year.
We were excited to see full attendance at this fall’s sessions—an indication that Lotus Scholars are interested in connecting and in need of building community. During the fall session, we offered two workshops:
- Revisiting Campus Resources—Here we helped to students understand where to find jobs on campus, how to access available campus services, and how to build connections with resources or people who can help fund their education.
- Adjusting to College and Building Community on Campus—We facilitated a discussion with students about what was working and what wasn’t working with returning to in-person Students left with tangible next steps on how to build community and continue to adjust to the challenges of the pandemic, such as to support their mental health, develop community, and stay on track academically.
After the workshops, students participated in one-on-one coaching sessions to check in about registration for next term, review financial aid award letters and confirm next steps to secure funding for their education. We heard from attendees that…
- “I learned that there are many resources and people for me to talk to.”
- “I learned that I have to focus and reach out to people.”
- “I’m excited about meeting new people and having new friends.”
Students were most concerned about navigating hybrid learning and how to build community on campus in this current environment. Students gained additional tools, resources, and connections to answer their questions and address their concerns–an important step to set them up for success for the rest of the year.
Thank you to the Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation for their partnership.
