Clark College sophomore Nick Gibson successfully pursued two hands-on community journalism opportunities over the summer. The experience he gained will enhance his job as editor-in-chief of Clark’s student news magazine, The Indy, for the 2020-21 academic year.

His first project was working as a news intern at The Columbian, Vancouver’s daily newspaper. The paid internship was provided by the Dee Ann Finken Fund through Clark College Foundation.

NPR’s Next Generation Radio 

Gibson’s second summer project was being selected by Oregon Public Broadcasting to participate in National Public Radio’s Next Generation Radio Project for outstanding college journalists. Now in its 20th year, NPR Next Gen selects emerging journalists who are either still in school or recently graduated and provides them with five days of training to produce a radio news piece.

Clark journalism professor and Indy adviser Beth Slovic encouraged Gibson to apply to Next Gen. Gibson applied, but was doubtful that a community college student would be selected.

“I didn’t believe I had any chance of getting this NPR fellowship experience,” he says. “I don’t have access to the equipment or the training that these big institutions have.”

“I like to think The Indy lets students follow their interest,” Slovic says. “I knew radio was Nick’s primary interest. I’m proud of the work Nick did with the project. I think it was great preparation for his work at The Indy, and I know he’s super-energized to share his enthusiasm for telling people’s stories with the rest of the staff.”

Despite his initial concerns, Gibson was encouraged that another community college journalist, Kanani Cortez from Portland Community College, also was selected to participate in his Next Generation cohort.

Gibson’s NPR project told the COVID-19 story of Shannon Chasteen, chef de cuisine for Portland’5 Centers for the Arts. When the pandemic shut down restaurants and event venues, Chasteen was furloughed indefinitely. Looking for something productive to do with her time off, Chasteen began volunteering to cook at Blanchet House, a nonprofit organization that feeds and houses people in need in downtown Portland.

When Gibson went to Blanchet House to interview Chasteen, she was nervous. She had never been interviewed before.

“It was really about making Shannon comfortable,” Gibson says. “It’s a non-narrated piece so I had to rely on Shannon to tell her story.”

His next challenge was to edit his 45-minute interview down to a four-minute story. OPB provided journalists, editors, and illustrators to support Gibson and the other Next Gen journalists. He was given a short lesson in editing with Adobe Edition software. He had only five days to complete the project: interview, audio editing, taking photos, and writing the print story.

Gibson says he appreciates the network and support provided by the 600 journalists who have participated in the Next Gen project over the past 20 years. They often share internship and job opportunities across the U.S.

Finding his niche—and his passion 

Gibson’s original career plan was not journalism, but psychology. After graduating from high school in Montrose, Colorado in 2016, he received a full-ride scholarship to Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, about an hour from home. Settling into his new city and the university campus, he started his classes. Whether it was the coursework, the school, or the timing—or a combination—it didn’t take long for Gibson to realize it wasn’t a good fit. After his first term, he took a break from school, but he stayed in Grand Junction for about a year working and getting involved in the community.

He found purpose, connection, and perhaps even his passion when he started volunteering at 100.3 KWSI-LP, a fledgling community radio station. In sharp contrast to how his university classes had felt, radio clicked for him. First, he helped paint the studio and set the antennae. After the station’s engineer taught him to work the radio equipment, Gibson hosted a music show, and then a League of Women Voters program. He did stories on ballot issues and teen suicide.

Gibson explains, “Volunteering at the community radio station was a life-changing experience. I realized I was having fun and decided to get into audio storytelling.”

He says, “I’ve always worked best by doing. I think journalism is a lot like cooking. It’s best to be in the kitchen, doing it every day. I’ve always been hands-on, getting to know my community, getting to know how to work the board.”

His success at his volunteer gig at the radio station led him down a new career path as an audio journalist. He relocated to Vancouver and moved into his aunt’s home to save money. After he learned about Clark College’s journalism program, he established Washington residency, which made school more affordable. Eventually, he moved into his own apartment down the street from campus.

The resiliency of students: Learning to pivot and seek help  

Gibson was ready to try college again, but he didn’t want to repeat the negative experience he’d had in Colorado. Recognizing he needed to develop coping tools to help him be successful in navigating the challenges of college, he sought therapy. One of the tools he developed in therapy was practicing mindfulness.

“It changed my life,” Gibson says. “It helped get me to a place to be able to go back to school.”

Three years after his high school graduation, he started attending Clark College in fall of 2019.

Gibson, 22, says, “I understand I’m a couple of steps behind some people I graduated high school with.” Then he adds, “But there is no timeline.”

Pursuing a journalism career 

His first quarter at Clark, he took Journalism 101 taught by Beth Slovic “because I knew I wanted to pursue journalism.”

The next term, he joined The Indy staff. On his first day, he produced an audio story about the faculty strike.

Gibson says, “I wanted to bring my experience at the radio station. As editor-in-chief, that’s one of my goals—to diversify The Indy’s content. With a digital format, you must have engaging content that people want to stay with. Beth (Slovic) is there guiding you. She’s an advisor in the best sense. It’s student-run.”

Slovic agrees. “I don’t control what they do. I give them instruction and assignments in class, but I ensure my assignments don’t bleed over into their stories for The Indy.”

Clark’s journalism program teaches students to report and write, but also to produce multimedia stories, including audio and video.

“Entry-level journalists today are expected to do it all, so I give students the freedom and the tools to experiment with a lot of different story formats,” Slovic says. “Students like Nick, who come to Clark with radio experience, can take it as far as they want. We have had training in podcasting in past quarters in that class, and our newsroom includes podcasting equipment and dedicated space for recording.”

She says learning to pitch stories is a key focus during class for The Indy.

“Students collaborate over Zoom, phone, Slack, Canvas to share story ideas. As part of the class, they’re required to write story pitches. The editors—Nick and his staff—evaluate the pitches and make assignments. We have new students joining the class every quarter, so not a lot of experience pitching. That’s one of the things we practice the most.”

Gibson says he is grateful for his Clark instructors: “Professors at Clark are so engaged and passionate about their subjects, and they’re in the field doing research. I think they really care about their students. They understand the circumstances of their students who are working or are parents.”

At the end of NPR’s Next Gen production week, Gibson and the other journalists were asked to write a reflection piece. Gibson wrote about the value of community college journalists and community colleges in general. Read Gibson’s reflection here.

“[C]ommunity college students are a valuable part of this industry and should be recognized as such,” he wrote in his reflection. “Those students are often working with limited funding and limited access to equipment while juggling other responsibilities like parenting or a part-time job. When those students are overlooked it leads to a lack of diversity in newsrooms, which in turn leads to underserved and under-covered communities.”

Gibson says, “When you talk about community college students, you’re talking about lower-income, many POC [people of color], first-generation college students. I love my peers. I want them all to go on to do great things.”

Meanwhile, Gibson is planning for his own great things. After he graduates from Clark, he plans to transfer to WSU Pullman and continue pursuing his journalism education at the Edward R. Murrow School of Journalism and Northwest Public Broadcasting.

Links

• Listen to Nick’s Next Generation Radio Project story on NPR: https://opb2020.nextgenradio.org/furloughed-chef-volunteers-to-feed-the-needy/
• Read Gibson’s Columbian stories: https://www.columbian.com/author/ngibson/
• Contribute to the Dee Anne Finken Scholarship: https://www.clarkcollegefoundation.org/campaign/give/
• Read the Clark College Indy: https://clarkindy.com/

For 51 years, Clark College’s dental hygiene clinic provided affordable dental service to the community—until the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to close in spring term. Now, thanks to careful planning by the college’s dental hygiene program, the Firstenburg Dental Hygiene Education and Care Services is back open to serve the community and train the next generation of dental caregivers.  

The clinic is a win-win for both the community and the students.

“It’s a two-way street,” says Program Director Kristi Taylor. “We’re helping the community, but they’re helping the students gain real-world experience. We’ve set up our clinic so students have the feel of a private practice. Our goal when students leave here is to be prepared to walk into a private practice. They are very job-ready.”

COVID-19 safety measures added 

Before the clinic could reopen, Taylor and instructors scrambled to adapt the lab classes and clinic to meet safety guidelines prescribed by the Centers for Disease Control, Washington State Department of Health, and American Dental Association to protect students, staff and patients.

“It’s a lot of changes across the dental and medical fields,” says Taylor.

The program was helped by the fact that many safety procedures were already in place. Even before the pandemic, students and instructors wore face masks in the clinic when working directly with patients. Frequent handwashing and wearing gloves were also standard.

“We have always been very conscious of infection control,” Taylor says.

Since COVID-19, the program has implemented these new safety measures:

• Scrub caps now are mandatory. 
• Clear plastic face shields are worn by students or instructors who are within six feet of a patient.
• Two-feet-tall clear plastic partitions were installed to separate individual stations (called “operatories”) from each other and from common spaces.
• Following social distancing guidelines, the clinic has reduced the number of patients and students on site. The clinic has 30 operatories. Normally, 25 students are working at a time, and they treat 22 patients. Due to COVID restrictions, the students and patients are divided into two groups, and only 10 to 15 patients are scheduled at a time.
• N-95 masks will be required when the clinic is using aerosols again. For now, the program has opted out of using aerosols in the clinic because they potentially could spread COVID-19 particles through the air. Normally, student hygienists use aerosols to polish teeth and to cut out decay before filling cavities. During the pandemic, if a patient needs a filling, the clinic refers them to an outside dental office.

“These precautions are probably long overdue,” Taylor says. “I think we’ll see many of these safety measures remain [after COVID-19].”

Students were assigned patients to call and explain the safety protocols put in place. Some patients chose not to come into the clinic during the pandemic. 

A dentist oversees every clinic session. On this day Dr. Eugene Sakai, retired from his own dental practice, is on site to examine patients and diagnose issues, do soft-tissue exams, and look for disease.

Dr. Sakai says, “COVID is changing things a lot.”

CDC guidelines recommend that people maintain six feet distance from others.

“We cannot do our work from six feet away,” Taylor says. “A lot of active hygienists have decided to retire due to COVID.”

As a result, Taylor says, the industry is short of hygienists. This is good news for Clark’s student hygienists.

Taking care of students 

Public health restrictions meant instructors and students worked remotely Spring quarter. Before COVID-19, students had all face-to-face classes, except for one online class per quarter. It took team effort to adapt Spring classes for remote learning. By moving the didactic portion into spring and the labs/clinics into summer, instructors didn’t have to create many instruction videos.

Dental hygiene students who were scheduled to graduate Spring term had missed an entire quarter of crucial hands-on instruction, both in the lab and working with patients in the clinic. Taylor and her team got to work figuring out how to schedule clinical hours for all students while also observing the social distancing protocols that reduced the number of students allowed to work simultaneously and the number of patients allowed in the clinic.

By the time dental hygiene students returned to campus on June 21, all the lead instructors had put together a plan for their respective clinics.

“We all worked together to create the overall schedule of courses that included all the labs and clinics they had missed in the spring,” Taylor says.  

Then all the plans were compiled onto a detailed, color-coded schedule to ensure all students completed their required hours for labs including local anesthesia, nitrous oxide, radiology, cleaning and clinic. Implementing social distancing while compressing all the labs and clinical experience into the shorter summer schedule has required most students and faculty to work six-day weeks, and to sometimes work Sunday too.

“This summer has been full of catching all the students up on their hands-on skills,” Taylor says.

“It’s been really hard on the students,” adds instructor Amy Johnson. 

The Bachelor of Applied Science in dental hygiene is a four-year degree. The dental portion takes two years to complete. Each year about 100 potential students from as far away as Seattle and California apply for the program’s 25 slots.

“Students can come to Clark, pay a much lower tuition [than at a four-year university], and get the same training,” Taylor says.

Seniors will graduate at the end of August after completing their hands-on clinics.

Taylor says some students already have jobs waiting as soon as they pass their six clinical boards and get their license to practice.

“In recent years, all of our students have found jobs,” Taylor says. “I get four to six phone calls a week from dental offices looking for hygienists. I’m extremely happy we could return to the lab.”

Clark’s dental hygiene clinic is open to the public and offers affordable dental care to adults and children. To schedule an appointment, call 360-992-2158. Learn more at www.clark.edu/dentalhygiene.

Most staff at Clark College will be largely unavailable to the public while they participate in a collegewide staff training, Teaching and Learning Days on Tuesday, August 11 and Wednesday, August 12. 

Classes will continue as normally scheduled. Additionally, the following services will be available:

• Child & Family Studies (child care)
• Computer lab (by appointment only)
• Counseling and Health Center (no appointments available, but virtual open office hours still available from noon to 2:00 p.m.)
• Information Desk/Welcome Center (available via Zoom 10:00 a.m. – noon)
• Library Services (response times to some emails may be slower than normal)
• Security & Safety
• Tutoring Services

This training will help staff to improve their skills and systems so that they can better serve students and the community in the future.

Find more information about Teaching and Learning days on the Clark College website.

Two members of the Clark College community shared their experiences of being Black in Vancouver during a public online event held on July 30. Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Rashida Willard and marketing professor Nathan Webster were among four speakers who told their stories during “Listen to Learn & Lead: Stories from our Black Community.”  

The event was co-presented by VanTalks, Vancouver’s version of TED Talks that inspire change, ideas and innovation, and by Ready to Rise, which supports students of color and first-generation college students.  

The other two featured speakers were Tyler Monk, Clark County director of Ready to Rise, and Erykah Weems, who grew up in Vancouver and recently graduated from Central Washington University. She is passionate about supporting and elevating the voices of girls and young women of color who have been impacted by adverse childhood experiences. 

At the start of the forum, emcee Monk reminded the audience: “We have four Black folks sharing our experience. We do not speak for all Black folks.”

Nathan Webster 

Webster, who grew up in Vancouver and graduated from Mountain View High School, talked about how it felt growing up in a sea of white people. During his presentation, he shared class photos in which he is the only Black person.  

“I’ve always been that ink spot in that bottle of milk,” he said. “I don’t see enough Black males in leadership roles in Vancouver. Can we show some love to our Black males? So many of my students at Clark have never had a Black male teacher until they took my class.” 

Webster also addressed how he feels being a Black male during an era when police brutality toward Black males is rampant. Too often, white people encounter a law-abiding Black male who is doing nothing illegal and minding his own business, but the white person calls the police.    

He said, “White folks, please don’t be scared of Black men. I don’t want to be an endangered species.” 

Rashida Willard 

Willard says she grew up in pre-gentrified Northeast Portland in a close-knit Black community that included “cookouts, church ladies and aunties sitting on the porch watching out.” Later, she and her husband and their growing family were priced out of their Portland community. After moving to Vancouver, where housing prices were more affordable, she started looking around for other Blacks and asked herself: “Where are they?”

Willard spoke about the need to pay attention to her actions and words in Vancouver’s stores, medical offices, restaurants and her workplace. She talked out her internal monologue when she’s in a store: Keep your hands out of your pockets or people will think you’re stealing. Her list of “don’ts” was long and included paying attention to her clothing and hair.

She told a story about a time she was grocery shopping when a white stranger asked her to control her child. The woman was pointing to someone else’s Black child.

She told the audience, “I don’t own all the Black kids in Vancouver!”

On another trip to the grocery store, the cashier asked Willard whether she was going to use her EBT card to pay for her groceries. Willard told the audience that she doubted the cashier asked white shoppers that same question.

After many negative encounters in Vancouver, she said, “I started to wonder where I belong.”

She spoke about the need for more local leaders who are not white: “In Vancouver students need to see people of color in leadership positions.”

During the Q&A after the presentations, an audience member asked: What’s the biggest mistake white allies make?

Willard answered: “Be an ally when the cameras aren’t rolling. True allyship is what you are doing when nobody is watching.”

She added, “If you’re a white person called out by a person of color, listen to them. Believe Black folks.” 

The event is viewable on the VanTalks YouTube channel. 

Clark College has carefully reviewed the Northwest Athletic Conference’s recently announced Return to Play for Fall Sports and made the difficult decision to not offer sports programming during the 2020 fall term.

This decision was based on the impact of the NWAC guidelines on Clark’s students and staff, as well as the continued increase of COVID-19 cases in Clark County and surrounding areas. As always, the safety of our students, employees, and greater community remains paramount.

This decision will directly affect the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country competition season, currently scheduled to begin this Fall. Clark will forego entering teams into scheduled NWAC competitions for the 2020 season. If future decisions are made, delaying the Cross Country season to winter term, there is a possibility for Cross Country to compete in the winter.

This decision also includes training and practice components for the Volleyball, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, as well as the training and practice components for Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Baseball, Softball, and Track and Field. The college will continue to closely monitor guidance from NWAC for changes to their 2020-2021 sports calendar.

“This is by far the most difficult decision I have had to make, since taking on this role,” said Clark College Director of Athletics Laura LeMasters. “Ultimately, the student safety and experience was at the forefront of our conversation, along with the safety of our coaches, trainers, and department staff. We are prepared to work with local health authorities and college administrators to return to play, when our campus and community can provide the safety and experience expected by those who attend Clark College.”

LeMasters added that the college appreciates each student-athlete who chose to attend Clark College and represent the Penguins in competition this fall, and will honor their athletic aid. “Should a student-athlete decide that another situation will allow them to be successful elsewhere, Clark College stands ready to assist in that transition,” she said.

Clark College will consider the status of subsequent 2020-2021 sport seasons for winter and spring at an appropriate time in the future and in accordance with the most current version of NWAC protocols for return.

As always, Clark College will continue to center its decisions on the health and safety of its student‐athletes, coaches, athletic staff, support members, and fans as it responds to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

When Clark College made the switch to online instruction during COVID-19, students showed their tenacity by adapting to new ways of learning. But some challenges take more than determination to overcome. For instance, what if your “homework” is an automobile you need to repair—what then?  

Well, that’s when your professors’ creativity and flexibility come in. When Clark’s Dealer Ready Automotive Technology programs faced COVID-19 restrictions, the college found a way to help students complete their hands-on labs in the shop.   

The college set up a system for daily health screening checks. It has required face coverings for both students and employees. To comply with social distancing, the professors re-organized the garage with fewer students. The programs integrated online learning with in-person labs to keep students on the path while minimizing in-person class time. The program’s creative solutions for keeping its students learning were featured in the July edition of Northwest Automotive Trades Association (NATA) Industry Review.  

Similar models will be used throughout summer and fall terms for all students taking Career Technical Education classes that require hands-on labs. 

President Dr. Karin Edwards recently had the opportunity to visit Clark’s Toyota T-TEN program to talk with instructors Tonia Haney and Mike Godson and observe students working in the reconfigured, socially distanced lab environment. She learned how the automotive instructors adjusted the program to COVID-19 restrictions, helping students complete their programs while putting safety first. 

Smaller classes, safer classes

Two new cohorts of students start in the Automotive Technology program each fall: T-TEN (Toyota/Lexus) and HiTECC (Honda PACT, Audi AEP and Dick Hannah dealers). Normally, each program starts with 20 students per cohort, for a total of 40.

But to maintain social distancing requirements, fewer students will be admitted in each cohort this fall. 

Haney says that to begin an automotive program, a student must be hirable, have a good driving record, and be at college-level math and English. 

“To diagnose with computers, you must have a good understanding of electronics,” Haney added. “But you have to be able to turn a wrench.” 

Making apprenticeships work

Clark College provides hands-on instruction so graduates are equipped to step into good jobs. Clark’s automotive programs are apprenticeships that require students to concurrently be working at a dealership garage or independent repair facility so that they can put into practice what they learn in the automotive lab. Students have three days of instruction in Clark’s automotive labs weekly, followed by three days of in-dealer apprenticeship experience. 

Most students work in shops in the Vancouver-Portland metro area, but students have worked at dealerships as far north as Centralia (83 miles from campus) and as far east as The Dalles (90 miles). 

Although auto repair and maintenance facilities are deemed “essential services” during the coronavirus outbreak, Haney says there may be fewer apprenticeship slots available because dealers may not be hiring as many people. 

Haney adds, “We may make exceptions to the apprenticeships, due to COVID.” 

From a hobby to a career

Nick Ferguson, 33, lives in Tigard and has been working at Lexus of Portland for 10 years as a lube technician doing oil changes, minor maintenance and repairs. He realized that in order to advance in his career and be considered for promotions, he needed more training. 

He enrolled in Clark’s Toyota T-TEN program because “I wanted to move up in the shop. It was the only way to move up.” 

Ferguson earned his GED in 2005. He hadn’t attended any college classes. When he started Clark’s program two years ago, in the Lexus shop he could do work that was supervised by a team lead, but as he neared graduation from Clark’s Toyota T-TEN program, he says, “Now I’m doing anything and everything they’ll let me do.”  

For the past two years, Aaron Quick, 19, has driven 140 miles round-trip between Winlock and Vancouver to participate in Clark’s Toyota T-TEN program.  

“I’ve always enjoyed working on cars,” says Quick, who graduated from the program this spring. “I work on my own cars, and I work on my parents’ and friends’ cars too.” 

During his senior year at Centralia High School, he started looking for a robust, hands-on automotive technology program close to home, but he couldn’t find one, so he applied to Clark and started the program immediately after high school graduation. Clark has turned Quick’s hobby into a vocation.  

Haney says, “Most students starting in the fall already have been hired by a sponsoring dealer and are working throughout the summer in a variety of different positions—from lot porter to lube technicians or even line tech, depending on their skills coming in. When classes start in the fall, most students will have three months or more of experience in the dealer to relate to instruction. Even if that experience is parking cars, it still helps to relate to daily instructional topics.” 

Learn more about Clark’s Automotive Technology programs at www.clark.edu/cc/auto.  

Six outstanding members of Clark College’s faculty have been recognized for their contributions to the college with a 2020 Clark College Exceptional Faculty Award.

These awards are presented annually to full-time and part-time faculty members. Nominations can be submitted by Clark College students, faculty, classified employees, administrators, alumni, Board members, and Foundation directors. Traditionally, they are announced during Commencement; because this year’s ceremony was online and abbreviated due to the COVID-19 outbreak, they were announced at a later date.

The awards are made possible through an endowed trust fund established by the Washington State Legislature and the Clark College Exceptional Faculty Endowment Fund, which was established in 1993. That fund provides recognition of exemplary work performance, positive impact on students, professional commitment, and other contributions to the college.

This year’s Exceptional Faculty members are:

• Dr. Don Appert
• Adam Coleman
• Molly Lampros
• Ken Luchini
• Thomas Stevenson
• Lauren Zavrel

Dr. Don Appert, professor of music

Dr. Don Appert just celebrated his 30th anniversary of teaching music at Clark College. The director of the Clark College Orchestra and head of the Music Department, Appert has earned many awards over his career, including the prestigious American Prize, the ASCAP Plus, and the Clark County Arts Commission Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award.

“He doesn’t just ‘talk the talk,’” wrote one student in nominating Appert. “He truly embodies everything he teaches his students, from being punctual for class to practicing his instrument every day. He puts his students before himself and goes out of his way to create the best learning experience. He expects a lot from his students, but expects even more from himself.”

Appert earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music, specializing in trombone, from the New England Conservatory. He earned his doctorate in orchestral conducting from the University of Kansas. In addition to his 30 years at Clark College, he has teaching experience at Centre College in Kentucky and at Hampton University in Virginia. As a member of ASCAP, most of Dr. Appert’s compositions have been performed throughout the world. He has appeared as a guest conductor in Japan, Australia, Central America, and throughout Europe. In the United States, he has appeared as a guest conductor of the Vancouver (Washington) Symphony, the University of Texas – Arlington Symphony Orchestra, the Eastern Washington University Symphony Orchestra, and the University of Central Arkansas Symphony.

Adam Coleman, professor of computer technology 

Adam Coleman’s connection to Clark College goes back to his own student years, when he earned his associate degree with a double major in Data Networking and Computer Networking from the college. He then went on to get his bachelor’s degree in Computer Technology at Eastern Washington University. He worked at SEH-America before returning to Clark College to teach, and in 2014 was named a tenured member of the college’s computer technology faculty.

Coleman has been active in serving on college committees and creating partnerships with local organizations geared toward helping people build careers. He was central in developing and implementing new courses designed to help students earn their Microsoft Technology Associate certification. An avid bike rider, Coleman represented the college in the American Diabetes Association’s annual Tour de Cure for years.

“Professor Coleman has been there for me since the beginning of my degree,” wrote one student in nominating Coleman. “He has always been attentive. He will sit down with me and work through questions or concerns. He pushes on. He keeps going no matter what.”

Molly Lampros, professor of communication studies 

Molly Lampros joined Clark College’s communication studies faculty in 2010, and over the past decade she has taught classes including Introduction to Mass Media, Interpersonal Communications, and Small Group Communications. She has also given her energy and expertise to enrich the college beyond her classes, serving as a Phi Theta Kappa faculty advisor, giving presentations to colleagues on how to support students in the classroom, serving on scholarship and awards committees, and serving as a faculty mentor for student interns. Additionally, she has worked to create an Open Educational Resource for her classes—essentially, a free textbook that reduces expenses for her students. She is also certified in eLearning and Quality Matters.

“She’s fun, upbeat and always brings such a positive energy into class,” wrote one student in a nomination for Lampros. “She knows how to engage a class and make people want to participate, and she makes everyone feel included and heard. She makes you excited to come to class.”

Lampros earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in communication studies and psychology and her Master of Science degree in communication studies and conflict resolution from Portland State University. She earned her Master of Arts in Teaching in English language education from Pacific University. In addition to her decade of teaching at Clark College, she has teaching experience at Portland State University and the Oregon Institute of Technology. She also gets to put her communications expertise to work in a practical environment as co-owner of the Helvetia Tavern in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Ken Luchini, professor of mechatronics

Kenneth Luchini earned his associate degree in industrial electronics from Diablo Valley College in California. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in industrial electronics and computer technology from California State University Chico, and completed Master Studies in instructional processes in vocational education at the University of California Berkeley Extension. His work experience includes more than two decades as an electrical engineer, as well as 10 years as an electronics technician and eight years as a full-time college vocational education instructor in electronics and industrial automation.

Luchini earned tenure at Clark College in 2016. At the college, he serves as the faculty advisor for the MechaNerds, a student club devoted to mechatronics. He was also co-principal investigator for the Clark College Rural Access Mechatronics Program (RAMP), a program that developed “hybrid” (combination online and face-to-face) curriculum to serve rural portions of the college’s service district through a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program.

“The amount of one-on-one time he provides is amazing,” wrote a student. “While he is inexhaustible in the classroom, that is not where his day ends. He’s always available after hours for discussion/clarification, and prides himself on getting you the right (or best!) answer.”

Thomas Stevenson, professor of communication studies

Thomas Stevenson has taught in the Communication Studies department of Clark College since 2010, teaching classes that include Interpersonal Communication, Small Group Communication, and Public Speaking. Before he began teaching, he had a long career as a newspaper reporter and editor.

A graduate of Portland State University, Stevenson earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Development (with additional focus on Communication Studies) and a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies (with additional focus on Conflict Resolution), both with honors. In addition to his decade at Clark, he has teaching experience at Portland State University, Portland Community College, and Chemeketa Community College.

“I became a much better communicator after I attended both Interpersonal Communication and Small Group Communication classes from Tom,” wrote one student in nomination Stevenson. “His enthusiasm and compassion have a huge impact on students. I am grateful for the conflict-resolving skills I’ve gained to deal when I work in a group and use these skills in my family. Using perception-checking has helped me understand how to solve misunderstandings and conflicts.”

Lauren Zavrel, professor of adult basic education at Larch Corrections Center

While academia is full of highly specialized fields, Lauren Zavrel has built a career path that might be considered unusual even by the standards of higher education: For the past decade, she has taught in correctional facilities. She has served on the faculty of Clark College’s Adult Basic Education program at Larch Corrections Center since 2016, earning praise from her students for her inclusive, supportive teaching style.

“Ms. Z treats us as students first, not inmates,” wrote one student in their nomination. “She works with you on an individual level. She has a lot of respect for cultural differences and is aware of how cultural differences might play out in the classroom. She is accepting of all backgrounds. She actively recruits and hires Teacher Assistants from different backgrounds so that her students see themselves reflected in teacher’s assistants.”

Zavrel first discovered a love of teaching as a motorcycle safety instructor and began her academic teaching career in English as a Second Language. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Romance languages and her Graduate Certificate in nonprofit management from the University of Oregon and her Master of Education degree in adult and higher education from Oregon State University. In addition to her time at Clark, she has teaching experience with Lane Community College, Lane County Adult Corrections, Clackamas Community College, Clackamas County Jail, the American Red Cross, and Team Oregon Motorcycle Safety Program. At Larch, Zavrel helped develop the first-ever tutoring program in a correctional facility to be certified by the College Reading and Learning Association. She also saw a record number of inmates earn their GEDs in the 2019-2020 academic year.

As she begins her Clark College presidency on June 22, Clark 24/7 sat down with Dr. Karin Edwards to learn a little bit more about her life, her outlook on higher education, and her experience guiding a college—in her former capacity as president of the Cascade Campus of Portland Community College—through a global pandemic. 

Read a full biography of Dr. Edwards at the bottom of this Q&A. 

Starting out

Q: Tell us about your family. 

A: I’m the youngest of eight children. I have four sisters and three brothers. We were a tight family who ate dinner and watched TV together, did chores, stuck up for one another, and played games. We grew up in a housing project in the Bronx, New York. My parents finished high school in Atlanta, but they did not attend college. My siblings and I all attended college or some other post-secondary training.  

I met my husband, Raymond Edwards, during my freshman year at SUNY Albany. We’ve been married going on 35 years. He is a major accounts manager with Northwest Natural. We moved to Portland in the summer of 2014 when I was hired at as Campus President at PCC Cascade. We have two children—an adult daughter and son. We have two granddaughters and a third on the way. 

Q: Did you have a Plan A and/or a Plan B for your career? Are you doing what you set out to do 25 years ago? Was a there a moment or experience that changed your direction? 

A: I learned the power of education early on, so I knew I wanted a career in education. It would provide me an opportunity to impact lives. I remember wanting to be a teacher and/or a guidance counselor. I wanted to help students. I knew that was my purpose. Some of that was based on my wonderful second-grade teacher, Miss Saxton, who demonstrated so much care and consideration toward her students. 

I first set my sights on the K-12 sector, but while I was a college student, I got a job helping students in my college’s Financial Aid office. I enjoyed being able to help students make the financial aid process easier. That job experience changed my path. That is when I decided to stay in higher ed. Since then, all my professional experience has been in higher ed. I worked in financial aid, admissions and advising.

Q: Are you an introvert or extrovert? Does it affect how you work? 

A: I’m more of an introvert, though not shy and quiet. Instead of sharing about me, I’m more interested in learning about others. I find ways to build relationships with people based on what I learn about them. I also do quite a bit of reflection.   

Q: What are the milestone moments in your life that have shaped you today? 

A: Here is my first milestone moment: When I was in seventh grade at Clark Junior High School in the Bronx, my homeroom teacher, Mark Cooper, who also taught science, noticed that I wasn’t being challenged academically. He suggested I apply for a private school, Columbia Preparatory—Columbia Prep—an affluent school in Manhattan. 

At Columbia Prep, I was exposed to so many things I’d never seen before. I was in the same city I’d lived in my whole life, but I was having all-new experiences. I went to the ballet and Broadway shows. I visited my classmates in their Central Park West apartments. Growing up in the Bronx, I never knew or experienced such affluence. 

Here’s my second milestone moment: Six years ago, I moved across the country from Connecticut to Portland to take my job at PCC. I’m not afraid to try something new.   

Q: How did your parents influence your educational decisions? 

A: My mother was a homemaker with eight kids. I’m the youngest. My dad was injured while in the Army. He later worked with the railroad.

Both of my parents were very supportive of me attending Columbia Prep, the private school. They both finished high school in the South. My mother recognized that, if you’re going to get a quality education, there’s a cost associated with it. I received significant scholarship support through A Better Chance.  

My graduating class at Columbia Prep had only 64 students, and I was one of only four students of color; a very different experience. I would go to school in Manhattan where I had to live by one set of rules, but then I’d come home to the Bronx, which had another set of rules.   I was living in two different worlds. At Columbia Prep, it was very competitive. Students ranked themselves on practically everything, including wealth, grades, personal attributes, you name it. In the Bronx, we were family; we helped each other and didn’t try to outdo one another. 

Straddling those two worlds taught me to ask myself: How do you live in both worlds? It’s a survival skill I developed. Long story short, I got an excellent education at Columbia Prep, but it was annoying to me that I couldn’t get the same education in the public schools in the Bronx.  

That’s been part of the basis for my fight for equity. If I hadn’t had that foundation of the private school opportunity, I wouldn’t be in the position that I am. I saw the power of education, the disparities that exist between the haves and have-nots. This has led me on the quest for equitable success for students.

Going away to college was that first step of independence. For me, as the youngest of eight children, it was a very big step. It helped me build my confidence and independence.

Q: What’s a significant achievement in your life? 

A: Earning my doctorate was significant. I had the pleasure of working with exceptional college leaders and presidents in Connecticut and New York. My mentors told me if I wanted to pursue a college president position, I had to get my doctorate.  

When I was pursuing my doctorate, my entire immediate family was in college: my husband, our two children, and me. My husband was getting his MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. My daughter got her BA in English from Columbia University. My son was studying at Morehouse College. Three of us—all but my son—graduated all in same year. Now my son is enrolled in a doctoral program at Vanderbilt University.  

Q: What do you see as a teacher’s role in a student’s life? 

A: I have so much respect for teachers. They can change the trajectory of a student’s life. I know the power of quality instruction in education. I’ve witnessed it. In our work, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to help encourage, inspire and challenge students to reach their full potential. That’s the power and the value of education. 

Q: Who are your role models or heroes?  

A: My mother, Roberta Slaughter, who is 97. She raised eight children and demonstrated that kind of unfailing love for us. Each of us were different. Some did sports, some were homebodies. She tried to find something that fit each of our tastes. When I think about equity work, I think about my mother, meeting the needs of the individual. My mother is still with us today. My father, Purchase Slaughter, also believed in me. He’s now deceased. 

I have worked with outstanding college presidents, both in New York and Connecticut, who demonstrated that kind of concern for me as an individual and continued to push me and encourage me for opportunities to learn and grow. I’ve tried to model that same leadership style in my work to recognize an individual’s capacity and help them develop their talents.  

I worked with two excellent presidents at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, Connecticut: Dr. Booker T. DeVaughn and Dr. Grace Jones. Both took stock in me and showed me how to be professional—how to be prepared. They remain in my life now, even though we haven’t worked together for many, many years. 

I also think of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a hero and role model. His ideals and his ability to communicate powerfully inspires me.

Career and technical education 

Q: You’ve had a lot of experience with career and technical education at PCC Cascade. 

A: Of all the PCC campuses, Cascade has the highest percentage of CTE students and programs. About a third of Cascade students are enrolled in CTE programs. 

Some of PCC’s programs that lead directly to a career instead of going to a four-year college include Emergency Medical Services, Fire Protection Technology, Paramedic, Criminal Justice, Medical Laboratory Technology, Ophthalmic Medical Technology, and Addiction Counseling. 

Q: Why are you an advocate of Career Technical Education? 

A: For so many students who may feel college is not for them, career technical education provides opportunities to train and prepare  for meaningful careers and living-wage jobs.  As educators, we must ask ourselves: How are we preparing the next generation of workers?  

The applied baccalaureate programs at Clark are designed to meet specific workforce needs. It’s important to ensure the cybersecurity, dental hygiene, applied management and human services programs are meeting the workforce needs. 

Clark’s Career Technical programs are successful because they provide relevant training and education that prepare students for high demand jobs in our community. They play to a students’ best strengths allowing opportunities for growth, challenge and creativity.

It’s important there’s a close tie between workforce needs and what the college is offering. Workforce changes can be quick and expensive. It means a college must be strategic. A college must be nimble to keep up with industry.

Working during a pandemic 

Q: What have you learned during the COVID-19 crisis? 

A: Traditionally, colleges are not well known for being agile and nimble, but most schools were able to very quickly shift from face-to-face operations and instruction to remote and online. It was quite remarkable. So, I learned we could move and respond quickly when needed. I learned different technological platforms to communicate and create virtual groups.

I was further made aware of the disparities that exist for people of color and other marginalized populations as it relates to health, healthcare, access to equipment and internet service. Also, it became clear that the risk of exposure to COVID-19 is so much greater for people of color and other marginalized populations because of the jobs they hold. The service industries do not provide flexibility for employees to work from home.

I also saw the increased risk of physical and emotional abuse that occurs when staying home is not always a safe people for people who are living in very difficult circumstance.

We see stress and strain throughout the community. It’s a poignant reminder, that while we are all in this together, we are not in the same boat.

Q: How have you navigated working remotely at PCC? 

A: Initially, it was very exhausting. I experienced Zoom fatigue; my eyes and body were so tense from the back-to-back meetings. I felt like I was engaged every minute of the day. Eventually, I’ve become so much better at scheduling meetings and making sure I give myself screen time breaks.

Q: What has been your most humbling tech moment during COVID-19? 

A: I’ve had a few humbling moments with technology. My grandaughter had to help show me how to retrieve notes in the chatbox.

I also couldn’t figure out how to un-mute myself on a few occasions and there have been times, I’ve had to walk around my house to find sufficient bandwidth. But I take comfort in that, we’re all learning as we go.

Q: What routines have you built into your workday while working remotely? 

A: Both my husband and I are working from home—in separate rooms. We’ve designated the kitchen as our cafeteria. During our workday, we meet in our “cafeteria” for breakfast and lunch. I wear my FitBit and march in place to get some steps in. 

Q: What are the lessons learned from this experience?

A: College faculty, staff and students are resilient. They are creative and they are motivated to be successful regardless of what challenges they face. I am impressed by their ingenuity and their commitment to this work.

There are opportunities for creativity as we adapt our traditional model of education. We want to engage our students, inspire them and support them. This can be challenging when working on line.

But I have seen examples of creative innovation this year that encourages me. Our students have learned to paint and draw online this year. They are treating patients using digital simulation models. They are becoming confident online learners.

For all the challenges, there are tremendous opportunities to rethink and explore new ways that as faculty and staff we can support our students whether online or face-to-face.

Colleges have learned they can and must adapt.

Q: You began your new job as President of Clark College on June 22 at a time when the college remains in remote operations. How do you connect?

A: I’m giving so much thought to that! I am a relational person. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, it will be months before we’re all on campus together. I want to maximize technological resources to make it more personal—more real—so that by the time we’re able to meet face-to-face on campus, people will know something about who I am and that I know about somethings about them.

I think the key to connection is a willingness and a desire to be authentic and at times vulnerable with people. I am not afraid to show people who I am and I am honored when they feel comfortable to reciprocate.

I met several Clark career technical education instructors during my first week at Clark College. We were all wearing our face coverings. We’re learning how to use our eyes and gestures to smile and to listen a little more closely to hear the words in order to get to know each other.

I’ve received such warmth in every greeting during my first days at Clark. I am excited to be here at this time to lead this talented group of instructors, staff, and students. I’m honored to be the newest member of Penguin Nation.

About Dr. Karin Edwards

Dr. Karin Edwards’ 36-year-career at community colleges spans roles from Admissions Counselor to Campus President. Since July 2014, she has served as president of Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus. For the previous 14 years, she was Dean of Student Development and Services at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, Connecticut. Before that, she served for eight years in leadership positions—from Student Development Counselor to Director of College Extension Centers—at Orange County Community College in Middletown, New York. Earlier in her career, she was Higher Education Opportunity Program Counselor at Skidmore College, in Saratoga Springs, New York and Admissions Counselor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York.  

Dr. Edwards has been actively engaged with the American Association of Community Colleges, attending its Presidents Academy Summer Institute and serving on its Commission on College Readiness and Marketing/Public Relations. Additionally, she has been an active participant in the American Association of Community College Trustees Governance Conference; National Council on Black American Affairs, Western Region Conference; and Creating Inclusive, Socially Just Campus Environments.   

Her community service includes serving on the board of directors of Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives and on the advisory board of the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, as well as being an active member of the Partners in Diversity Leadership Council and the Oregon President’s Council of the Oregon Community College Association.  

Dr. Edwards earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and her master’s degree in Higher Education Administration at State University of New York at Albany, and her doctorate degree in Educational Leadership at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.  

Congratulations to Clark College students Julisse Hopmann and Kellie Langston, who were named to the 2020 All-Washington Academic Team. The students were recognized for their achievement during the June 10 Board of Trustees meeting. 

Julisse Hopmann is earning her Associate of Applied Science degree in Business Administration with a Certificate of Proficiency in business management. She expects to graduate Winter 2021. Running Start student Kellie Langston graduated from Clark College in June with her high school diploma and her Associate of Arts degree. Read more about Julisse and Kellie below. 

Julisse Hopmann  

Sometimes we find ourselves in over our heads—treading water and about to go under. But then a stranger comes along at just the right moment and pulls us to safety. Four years ago, when Julisse Hopmann was a 25-year-old diner waitress, a customer pulled her from the brink and changed her life. 

Julisse explains, “During that period of my life, I was drinking heavily. I wanted help, but I didn’t feel I could get the help I needed.”   

An astute customer approached Julisse, pressed a card into her hand, and told her she had turned her own life around through a 12-step program.  

“She probably could smell the liquor coming from my pores,” Julisse recalls. “She gave me her card and said she could help me. Sometime later, [I had] one really bad night when I was drinking so much that I didn’t think I was going to wake up, and I didn’t want to wake up. But I did wake up—so I called her that morning and asked her to help me.”  

Julisse says, “My life was one big struggle, but at age 25, I turned my life around. That was my second chance. My redemption. Now I ask myself how I can be a beacon of hope.” 

Today she juggles her classes at Clark, cares for her 3-year-old son, and helps others through her involvement with a 12-step recovery program.   

“I try to help others the way I was helped,” she says. “Some people just need to get to 12-step meetings. Some people need resources. Alcohol and addiction come with other issues, including mental health issues.” 

Before her alcohol addiction and recovery, she ran away from home and joined the carnival when she was 18. She had always wanted to travel. Shortly after earning her high school diploma via Clark’s Running Start program, she told her parents she was joining a friend and going on the road to work at a carnival, Funtastic Traveling Shows.  

“My parents told me they’d do anything they could to stop me,” Julisse recalls. “So, I left a note on the kitchen counter and left in the middle of the night. I caught up with the carnival at the rest stop near Battle Ground. I left everything behind.” 

For six seasons she traveled with the carnival to state and county fairs throughout Washington and Oregon. She discovered she enjoyed the work and was good with people and at business management. The carnival owner, Ron Burback, who had earned a business degree at Portland State University, saw something in Julisse and gave her increasing responsibilities. She started out making cotton candy, but by the time she left, she was managing a burger stand and two cotton candy stands.  

She recalls the 80-year-old carnival owner telling her, “This carnival is my dream. You need to go back to school and find your own dream.” 

She doesn’t have any regrets about joining the carnival. “I picked up a lot of useful skills: leadership, communication, working with people, learning how to handle stress, working long hours,” she says. “When people tell me starting your own company is hard work, I know I can do it.” 

Five years after leaving the carnival, she’s following Burback’s advice. She’s back at Clark College and pulling straight A’s. She’s been a Clark student before. She completed her high school diploma as a Running Start student in 2009. After she left the carnival, she enrolled at Clark but didn’t stay. “I wasn’t in the right mental space to take care of myself,” she says. “My drinking picked up. I got depressed. I couldn’t do it.” 

Julisse grew up on Larch Mountain near Hockinson, “way out in the sticks,” she says. “I was always in the woods. Nature is healing for me.”  

After she graduates from Clark, her career goal is to combine her love of nature with her desire to help people struggling with addiction to find connection.  

“I get a lot of personal connection from a 12-step program. Everybody needs connection,” she says. “My goal is to start a nonprofit naturopathic clinic to help people with addictions to connect with each other and with nature.” 

Kellie Langston 

If there’s a volunteer project to be done, Kellie Langston is likely rolling up her sleeves. During COVID-19 quarantine, the 17-year-old volunteer helped distribute meals to the students at Hearthwood Elementary, where her mother is a teacher.  

Kellie has faced multiple challenges: coping with her parents’ divorce, abuse, toxic households, and going back and forth between two families. As a result, she struggled with mental health issues. She chose to use that struggle to guide her volunteerism. During her first two years at Mountain View High School, she volunteered with her school’s chapter of Youth Suicide Prevention Program, which trains youth to recognize the signs, risks, and triggers of suicide and how to get help. 

“I wanted to use my story to help other students realize that they aren’t alone,” she says. “I know how someone with suicidal thoughts feels. Students pay more attention when it’s a peer speaking rather than an adult.” 

Kellie served as the club’s co-president her freshman and sophomore years. She and fellow club members wrote inspirational chalk messages on the school’s walkways and opened doors for and greeted students when they arrived at school to help them feel welcome and connected. 

But what Kellie enjoyed most about being involved in the club was speaking to more than 50 classes and leading discussions about youth suicide, mental illness, stressors, helpful hotlines and how students could find extra support when they needed it. “Presenting helped me deal with my own mental health problems and my trials and tribulations,” she says. “It was powerful and rewarding.” 

Kellie was invited to participate in a KATU News town hall on youth mental health along with other teen volunteers with youth mental health programs. She had her turn on the air answering students’ questions. 

During her junior year, Kellie became a full-time Running Start student. She joined Phi Theta Kappa and volunteered for service projects including distributing Thanksgiving meals to more than 100 Clark students in need. 

In the fall Langston plans to continue her studies at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. If the campus isn’t open for face-to-face instruction due to COVID-19 restrictions, she says she likely will stay home in Washougal and take her courses online. She plans to pursue a degree in education or perhaps business entrepreneurship. 

“My dream job is to be a writer and a public speaker,” Kellie says.  “I hope to inspire youth to overcome their own obstacles.” 

About the All-Washington Academic Team 

In all, 65 students from Washington’s community and technical colleges were named to this year’s All-Washington Academic Team. Traditionally, students are honored at a reception at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia in late March, but this year, the COVID-19 outbreak canceled the event.  

The All-Washington Academic Team is a program of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year college. It recognizes academic achievers in the state’s community and technical colleges who have demonstrated a commitment to scholastic achievement and service to their college and community. To qualify for the team, students must participate in PTK and fulfill other competitive criteria.

Each All-Washington Academic member receives a Phi Theta Kappa medallion and a $250 scholarship from KeyBank. The top-qualifying students also will receive scholarships from Washington State Employees Credit Union and the Washington State Association of College Trustees. Additionally, students who choose to attend Washington State four-year colleges and universities are eligible to receive additional scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $12,000. 

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

This year’s recipient of the Community College President’s Award in Honor of Val Ogden is Evans Kaame, a student who has been through much and traveled far to pursue his educational dreams.

About Evans Kaame

Evans Kaame was born and raised in a small community in northwestern Kenya. After his father died, the family was thrown into hardship and poverty. “I watched my younger siblings crying as my mom left early in the morning and came home at 9 p.m.,” he recalled. “We didn’t know if we were going to eat at night or not.” 

When Kaame was in his early teens, he decided to leave home and live on the streets to ease the burden on his mother and siblings. “The street was a new life with so many barriers … but because tragedies happen in life, I had to do this,” he said. “I had no other option. I fought cold nights in the street … being on drugs and breaking into people’s homes. I had to survive. I had no choice.” 

In 2009, the course of Kaame’s life changed once again, when a charity called New Hope Children entered him into its program providing housing and education to street children. At New Hope, Kaame’s academic potential became realized. He graduated from high school in 2016 at the top of his class. However, his challenges were not yet over: He could not afford to enroll in college in Kenya. 

New Hope’s founder, Rachael Swanson, lives in Vancouver and graduated from Clark College. She encouraged Kaame to apply to Clark, and in 2018, after securing a student visa and scholarship funding from Clark College Foundation, Kaame enrolled at Clark as an international student. 

Kaame has thrived at Clark College. This past academic year, he has served as student government president. He has run on the college’s track-and-field and cross-country teams. He has volunteered with multiple local organizations, as well as at Clark College’s Penguin Pantry and as a Peer Mentor for international students. And he has earned a Grade Point Average of more than 3.9 while doing so. 

After graduating from Clark College with his transfer Associate in Arts degree, Kaame intends to continue his studies, focusing on business administration, political science, and comparative religious studies. He hopes to one day create a global initiative focused on leadership and management. 

About the Community College President’s Award

The Community College President’s Award in honor of Val Ogden is given each year to a student who has completed their studies at Clark College and is transferring to Washington State University Vancouver. They receive full tuition and fees for two years while they finish their bachelor’s degree at WSU Vancouver. The award is traditionally announced during that year’s Commencement ceremony.