Student Success

News about how Clark supports our students–and how our student thrive with that support.

More aid for students in crisis

laptop computer open, screen shows a $ sign, backpack next to computer

Thanks to increased funding and a streamlined system, Clark College students have expanded access to emergency grants      The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic downturn have caused many financial challenges for Clark College students. Some have lost jobs, while others have found themselves facing steep medical bills. With schools closed for months, many students…

Free bus passes for students

C-TRAN bus driving past Clark College campus sign

Clark College partners with C-TRAN to support students      Starting March 1, Clark College students will no longer have to pay for the C-TRAN bus pass called “BackPASS,” thanks to an interlocal agreement between C-TRAN and Clark College.  “We are grateful to our partners at C-TRAN in our shared efforts to provide for students and…

Unlocking education for the incarcerated

man seen from back, carrying multiple clear backpacks filled with folders, at a chain-link gate

How do you do distance learning in a place with no Internet? You go old-school.      A surge in COVID-19 cases paused Clark College’s programs at Larch Corrections Center in early January. The minimum-security prison had its first positive COVID-19 test in late December. Only a week later, 218 of those incarcerated —about 70 percent of the prison’s residency—had tested positive for COVID.  An…

Clark College removes application fee

main campus

Decision goes into effect with spring term registration, expanding access to higher education      Clark College has taken an exciting new step to expand access to higher education. Beginning with registration for the 2021 spring term, the college is removing its admission application fee, making it free for almost all prospective students to apply. (The one exception…

College and quarantine … with kids

Jessica Bull at her computer with her toddler son on her back

How parent students are coping–and how Clark College helps      Being a college student during the COVID-19 pandemic can be tricky enough, but it becomes exponentially more challenging when you’re also taking care of young children whose school or child care facility has been closed or moved online. About a quarter of Clark College…

Veterans Resource Center  receives grant

Silouhette of two soldiers saluting the U.S. flag

Student veterans get additional support through $450,000 in federal funding       The Veterans Resource Center at Clark College received a $449,460 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish a Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success (CEVSS) over three years. Clark is one of only two community colleges in the state to receive the grant. Focused on…

Student Parent Profile: Monserrat Soriano

“This is not the way it’s supposed to happen, but that’s all we got.”      Monserrat Soriano is a full-time Clark College student on track to complete the Administrative Assistant and Management program in Spring 2021. She’s also a single mom to daughter, Melody, 7, in first grade at Martin Luther King Elementary; and son, Emmett, 4, who attends…

New faces joining health care workforce

Candi Smith in scrubs and mask

Clark College’s Medical Assisting program joins with WorkSource Washington to prepare students for careers      Twenty-three Clark College students who earned their degree in Medical Assistant celebrated their achievement with family and friends during a virtual Pinning ceremony on January 20.   For student Candi Clark, the Pinning ceremony was the culmination of longtime family support and inspiration. As…

Penguins feeding Penguins

culinary faculty and student holding up food to be distributed curbside

Since the global pandemic began, Penguin Pantry—the college’s on-campus food bank for students—has doubled the amount of food it distributes monthly. It typically has distributed one box of shelf-stable food and a loaf of bread donated by community partners. Now Clark College is partnering with its own instructional programs to increase the food support it…

For welding, an almost seamless transition

student welding metal

Studying safely is easier when face masks are part of your basic lab gear       When COVID-19 switched Clark College’s spring quarter classes from on-campus to online learning, Welding Technologies students were ahead of the curve—and therefore were not as affected as other programs with hands-on labs. Instructor John Kuhn already had pivoted to the hybrid model…

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