Seattle Education Access (SEA) is one of Eastside Pathways’ newest partners. The organization is providing young adults struggling with poverty and adversity in King County with opportunities to overcome that through higher education advocacy.
What role does Seattle Education Access play in the community?
Education provides one of the most effective ways to break the cycle of poverty. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2015 the average weekly earnings of a person 25 years old or over with less than a high school diploma is just $493, significantly less than those with a high school diploma ($678), an associate’s degree ($798), or a bachelor’s degree ($1,137). In King County, a bachelor’s degree holder can expect to earn nearly twice that of a worker with only a high school diploma (Washington State Employment Security Department, 2013). Nationally, over 30% of those with a high school diploma or less are in poverty, while only 10% of those with a bachelor’s degree are in poverty (Aspen Institute, 2012).
SEA addresses the inequality of educational attainment by low-income students. We serve young people age 16-29 living or attending school in King County. While similar college access programs help low-income, high-achieving students transfer directly to college after graduation from a traditional high school, SEA works with young people whose educations have been derailed by poverty or trauma. Often our students have not yet earned a high school credential and may connect with us through a dropout re-engagement center. Of the over 1,000 students we served between 2011 and 2015:
- 100% were low-income
- 54% have experienced homelessness
- 80% are the first in their family to attend college
- 45% are the first in their family to earn a high school credential
- 77% are people of color
- 33% are immigrants
- 23% are single parents (to 388 children)
- 15% identify as LGBTQ
- 10% have been in foster care
- 56% are female, 42% male and 2% transgender
How do you get this work done?
Seattle Education Access helps young people earn college degrees by addressing all the barriers that stand between them and academic success. Our goals are to:
- Connect non-traditional students with the information and financial resources to help them achieve their dreams of a college education.
- Provide financial support that helps low-income youth access higher education and meet their housing and basic survival needs while in school.
- Offer personal attention, mentoring, technical assistance, and moral support that marginalized youth need to navigate complex systems of higher education and financial aid.
- Empower young people living in poverty to develop their own voices and succeed in the higher academic arena.
Students can access our services throughout King County free of charge at nearly every community college, drop out re-engagement centers, and at community-based organizations that serve low-income young people, such as Friends of Youth on the Eastside. Our program staff also have the flexibility to meet students in their community at a library or coffee shop so that transportation is not a barrier to services.
Our individualized, holistic model is designed to support students before they enter higher education all the way through graduation day:
College Prep: In our College Prep Program, we help youth prepare for higher education and meaningful employment, with the aim to have each students start an appropriate post-secondary program with the resources and skills they need to succeed. Our Education Advocates work one-to-one with each student to create a career and academic achievement plan tailored to each student’s gifts and goals. We teach our students how to navigate the education system, choose the right campus and degree program, obtain financial aid, compete for scholarships, make a budget, secure housing, register for classes, and effectively access campus services. We provide free tutoring, study guides, and funds for testing fees for the GED and college entrance assessment tests.
College Success: A failed attempt at college can make life worse for the student, if the student exits with student loan debt but no diploma or improved employment prospects. In our College Success Program, we provide support designed to maximize graduation rates, including tutoring, mentoring, career exploration, and advising throughout a student’s education pathway. SEA provides support for tuition, textbooks, bus passes, and other basic needs to supplement financial aid so students can afford safe and stable housing. We frequently assist students with transferring to a four-year university after they complete an AA or AS degree. As our program has matured, we now have the privilege of helping students apply to graduate school.
Last year, we served 713 students:
- 155 College Prep participants completed their GED or high school diploma
- 178 completed the COMPASS or SAT test
- 153 students started college
- 103 students in the College Success Program earned a higher education degree (41 AA/AS degrees, 42 professional or technical programs, 20 BA/BS degrees)
- 84% of students in our College Success Program have either earned a degree or remain in good academic standing
What are ways that people can get involved with Seattle Education Access?
Donate to support students!
- $20 can fund a college placement test fee
- $50 can cover a college application fee
- $100 can subsidize a student’s bus pass for one quarter so they can get to school and work
- $400 can buy a student’s books and school supplies for a quarter
Volunteer
- Tutor for the GED test, college placement tests, pre-college and college classes
- Be a personal or professional mentor to a student
- Provide career exploration guidance for a student looking to go into your professional field
- Help a student with scholarships, housing or employment
- Become a board or committee member
- Assist with events and fundraising
How will being a part of Eastside Pathways make a difference for Seattle Education Access?
Seattle Education Access is excited to be an active participant in Eastside Pathways so that we can build a stronger Community for students we work with on the Eastside. We are involved in the Career Pathways and Racial Equity Collaborative Groups and look forward to working with others who care about young people’s access to opportunities and resources.
Article submitted by Kim Macias-Shell, program coordinator at Seattle Education Access