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 with dependent children were scrambling to pay for child care.  

That’s where Clark College’s emergency grants program comes in—and, starting in spring term, it’s about to start helping even more students than before. 

Soon after the college moved to remote operations in spring 2020, it set up a one-stop clearinghouse to manage all the different sources of emergency funding available to students experiencing a financial crisis. These sources include community organizations, Clark College Foundation, state funding—and the largest source of all, federal funding distributed through the 2020 CARES Act. 

By December, however, that CARES funding—about $2.6 million dollars—was almost exhausted. 

“We averaged awarding around $96,000 a week over the last three terms,” said Sheri Terjeson, who manages the Emergency Grants program. “Our students have faced incredible challenges paying for basic needs like rent and food, not to mention school supplies and health care.” 

By December, Terjeson and the rest of the Emergency Grants Committee were desperately trying to figure out how to stretch out the few remaining grant funds to help students in the coming winter term. Fortunately, just before the new year began, Congress passed the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), providing additional funding for students. 

“That funding really came just in the nick of time,” said Terjeson. “We all breathed a sigh of relief when we heard the news—and then started running full-speed to get that funding ready for our students as quickly as possible.” 

In winter term alone, the college disbursed more than $635,000 in emergency grants to 668 students. Now, however, with the CRRSAA and the funds in President Biden’s COVID relief package that was signed into law in March, the college expects to award approximately $1.1 million to students in need during spring term 2021. 

Unfortunately, that federal funding excluded certain kinds of students from eligibility, including Dreamer (DACA and/or undocumented) students. But the Washington State Legislature also recently approved new funding for emergency grants to students, including Dreamers. The grants can be applied for through the same Emergency Grant Application as is used for all other emergency funds. 

“Really, our message to students is that, if they are worried that financial hardship is going to derail their educations, they should fill out the Emergency Grant Application, and let us see if there’s a funding source that matches up with them,” said Terjeson. “There are a lot of different sources of funding—from the government, from generous donors through the Clark College Foundation, from funding sources dedicated to supporting a particular subset of students like veterans or students of color—and we will do our best to find a source that can be used for that particular student’s case.” 

“What we don’t want is for students to stop their educational journeys because of a financial crisis,” added Dr. Michele Cruse, Interim Vice President of Student Affairs. “Once students drop out of college, it can be very difficult for them to come back. We know that a college education can have life-changing benefits for students, their families, and their communities. That is why we are working so hard to keep our students supported during these challenging times.” 

And now, thanks to this increased funding from multiple sources, the college will be able to help more students than ever. 

If you are a student experiencing financial hardship, please visit our Emergency Grants page to learn how to apply for emergency assistance. 

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 improve accessibility,” said Dr. Karin Edwards, Clark College President. “Together we have removed one more barrier to help improve student retention and success.” 

The new benefit applies to all enrolled students. Students need to have their Clark College ID card in order to receive the bus pass sticker. Both can be obtained through the Clark College Bookstore.  

While many students are taking classes remotely and online during the pandemic, the bus pass allows them unlimited transportation on the C-TRAN’s local service area. “Many of our students rely on public transportation to get to and from work, home and school,” said Josiah Joner, Associated Students of Clark College President. “A bus pass is essential and now it’s available to everyone regardless of ability to pay.” 

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 immediate shutdown meant Clark College programs came to a halt. The classroom building was closed. All face-to-face classes were canceled. 

“With COVID restrictions, everybody in the education field propelled forward into new methods with online learning, but corrections education took a few steps backward,” said Hanan Al-Zubaidy, Clark’s Director of Education at Larch Corrections.

For security reasons, Larch residents do not have access to the internet, so online education is not an option. 

Al-Zubaidy said, “With our classroom closed, we had to figure out a new way.”

As it turned out, the new way was an old way. 

Making a game plan 

“We came up with a game plan for getting coursework materials to students until they can return to the classroom,” Al-Zubaidy said.

She and Clark instructors —Justin Allen, Lauren Zavrel, Steven Smith and Ron Powers—stepped up to provide educational care packages to those who are enrolled in Clark programs at Larch. They filled backpacks with textbooks, packets of assignments and reading materials, paper, pens and pencils—everything students need to do their work.  

They distributed the backpacks with books at the beginning of the quarter. Students work on their Clark projects in their living units and return their completed work in a collection box. Assignments are collected weekly. The assignments are critical to keeping students engaged so they can get back on track once classrooms are open again. 

Adapting during COVID 

Clark College offers business, GED, and High School Plus (a high school credit-recovery program) courses at Larch Corrections Center. While the classroom facility is closed, students cannot take the GED test, but they can work on recovering high school credits.  

Typically, 175 Larch students are enrolled at Clark per quarter, but with COVID social distancing restrictions and rapid releases shortly after the pandemic began, only 68 students are enrolled winter quarter. 

Al-Zubaidy, the instructors and staff are working remotely from their homes, but they drive to Larch twice a week to drop off packets of course assignments for students. Located in the remote Cascade foothills in the far east of Clark County, Larch Corrections center is 22 miles—about a 40-minute drive–from Clark College’s main campus.

Sometimes instructors and staff go into the living units to drop off the material. If there are many COVID cases, they dress in PPE or the corrections staff distributes the educational material to students. Due to the number of active COVID cases, when students’ completed papers are picked up, Al-Zubaidy sprays papers with a cleaning solution and leaves them in the classroom for two days before instructors can handle them. 

During the COVID lockdown, students who have questions about a particular assignment can message their instructors via an offline messaging system called a kiosk, which Al-Zubaidy described as like a computer, but without internet access. Students also can request tutoring help from a trained tutor if one is living on their floor. (The residents are confined to their own floor.) These paid tutors are also residents at Larch. Some tutors also are Clark students.  

Al-Zubaidy said, “We wish we could have a tutor on every single floor, because they are in the units with our students when we can’t be there during COVID.”  

She spoke about the Larch students having to adapt to frequent changes in their housing units during the pandemic and dealing with additional stress from not knowing what is expected of them.   

“Our students have been very patient. To help reduce their stress, we’ve been flexible with assignment due dates. It’s important we do what we can do to ease some of that frustration.” 

Looking toward the future 

Al-Zubaidy was the re-entry navigator at Larch before becoming the program director in September. The Clark team at Larch does significant reentry work to prepare students for continuing their education after they are released. They set students up with meetings with colleges across the state. During the lockdown, Al-Zubaidy has been dropping off FAFSA forms and college applications for students.  

Because there is no guidebook for running educational programs in a prison during a global pandemic, Al-Zubaidy, the Clark faculty and staff have had to problem-solve each time a new roadblock arises. The deans and directors of all corrections facilities across the state meet weekly via Zoom to share ideas and best practices in corrections education during the pandemic.

Al-Zubaidy said, “It’s helpful to be able to bounce ideas off other directors and ask: ‘What did you do in this situation? What worked for you?’ This group makes me feel supported for all that’s going on.” 

This was the first backpack drop for Clark students at Larch Corrections Center, but it won’t be the last. Al-Zubaidy said although it was a lot of work for her team to put together backpacks and folders with student materials and to distribute packets throughout the quarter, it was important to do.  

She said, “Students were yelling through their windows asking us if we were finally bringing their assignments. One student saw our basic skills instructor through the window and began asking how he could turn in his homework and if he could get more assignments to work on while in lockdown. Providing our students with material keeps them on track in their programs, gives them something to do to fill their time, and provides a sense of normalcy during these challenging times.” 

Al-Zubaidy’s team isn’t done innovating: Clark College is expanding  its educational offerings at Larch to include a degree program in Supervisory Management.  

Armetta Burney, Interim Dean of WPTE & STEM, said, “I appreciate our faculty and staff’s leadership and the extraordinary commitment they have demonstrated to support our students at Larch. They have come up with creative solutions.  They are deeply invested in our students at Larch.”

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 is International Students, who use a separate admissions process to apply to the college that requires special handling of their F-1 visa status.) 

Previously the college charged a $25 application fee to most prospective students. While this is significantly less than the application fees for most universities and private colleges, it still could prove to be a barrier for some of the college’s students. Approximately 40 percent of Clark College students qualify as low-income. 

“This has been a complex project that was months in the making, especially given the college’s current budget challenges, but I am so proud of our staff for staying focused on serving our students by removing barriers that discourage students from taking the next step,” said Dr. Michele Cruse, Interim Vice President of Student Affairs. “Clark College is committed to being an open-enrollment institution, and this one more big step toward being truly open to everyone in our community.” 

“We don’t want students to have to choose between gas money and the admissions fee,” said Josiah Joner, Associated Students of Clark College President. “Money’s tight. We need to make it easier for students to get started.” 

The change goes into effect for students applying for spring term, registration for which began on February 9 for most students.

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 students have dependent children. Many of these parent students have found themselves trying to manage their own studies while also serving as teacher’s aide for their children.

Clark 24/7 interviewed some of these parent students to find out how they are coping. We also spoke with Michele Volk, director of the college’s Child and Family Studies child care center, which has remained open during the pandemic to serve parent students and their families. Their responses, edited for clarity and brevity, are in the links below.

Note: These interviews were conducted in late 2020, when public schools in the region were still operating remotely. In the time since, some schools have partially re-opened.

Child and Family Studies Q&A

• Michele Volk: Child care during COVID

Parent student profiles

• Jessica Bull: “Take extra care to reassure them.”
• Samantha Golden: “You can’t be 100 percent all the time.”
• Moses Kimeli: “Eventually, it’s getting easier.”
• Monserrat Soriano: “This is not the way it’s supposed to happen, but that’s all we got.”  

 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 supporting veteran student success, the Center will provide a single point of contact to coordinate comprehensive, individualized support services that address the academic, financial, physical, and social needs of Clark College’s 600 student-veterans.  

Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Michele Cruse said, “We are grateful to receive grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education to support our Veterans Resource Center. This grant comes at a critical time when the needs of our military-connected students continue to outpace our available resources. This grant will allow our Veterans Resource Center to expand its offerings.” 

To better support student veterans, Clark College will establish a cross-departmental team with representatives from every office that works with student veterans, including Admissions, Financial Aid, the Counseling and Health Center, and Career Services—to name just a few. 

Additionally, the grant will pay for a full-time student success coach; half of a full-time program coordinator position; a part-time tutoring position; outreach and recruitment activities; disability accommodations such as Live Scribe pens; and essentials including housing and food supports for student veterans. 

Associate Director of Veterans Services Dave Daly said, “Because of this grant, the Center will now have the ability to help today’s warriors not only to transition from the service, but also to be more successful in staying in school and completing their path in higher education. Our goal is for our student veterans to bring their deeper, world perspective not only to Clark College, but also as graduates who are productive, insightful members of the greater community.”

U.S. Senator Patty Murray announced the grant award from the U.S. Department of Education and called it a vital investment in Washington state’s veterans. 

Senator Murray said, “I’m glad to see this federal award going towards helping veterans in Washington state as they pursue an education and I appreciate Clark College’s efforts to help those who have served our country. As a proud partner of our state’s veterans and educators, I will continue working to ensure they have the resources they need to succeed and thrive.” 

Senator Murray is the incoming chair of the Senate education committee, serves on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and is a steadfast advocate for veterans and their families. 

About Clark College 

Founded in 1933, Clark College provides residents of Southwest Washington with affordable, high-quality academic and technical education. It is a public community college offering more than 100 degree and certificate programs, including bachelor’s and associate degrees; professional certificates; high school diplomas and GED preparation; and non-credit community and continuing education. Clark serves a wide range of students including high school students, displaced workers, veterans, parents, non-native English speakers, and mature learners. Approximately three-quarters of its students are in the first generation of their families to attend college.  

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 the college’s Child and Family Studies child care program. During the COVID-19 pandemic, both kids have attended CFS so that Soriano can study at home. Soriano and her children live with her mother, uncle and brother, but none can help with childcare. 

This story is part of a series of interviews with Clark College student parents about how they are balancing school, life, and work, during quarantine.

Q: How has CFS helped you focus on your schoolwork? 

MS: After my daughter completes two hours of online school via Zoom each day, I take both kids to the childcare center at Clark. Then I come home and do my schoolwork. I’m grateful that the state has paid for childcare during COVID. Fall quarter was the first quarter I’ve had childcare, because my daughter’s previous childcare center shut down during COVID. 

Q: How are your children coping with doing remote school at home? 

MS: When we pick up my daughter’s school work packets at King Elementary, she doesn’t understand why she can’t be in school with her teacher and other kids. She asked me why she is in daycare instead of school.  

Q: What are some challenges you’ve faced during COVID? 

MS: I’m a first-generation college student. Sometimes it feels like I’m breaking through walls. When I’m working at home, my family sees me struggling. My mom wants to help with the kids, but she’s working two jobs. We all need compassion right now. And grace! When I’m home with my kids, I want to distract myself. I’ve been sober for almost a year. My testimony is of struggle. Clark needs students like me. I am resilient. 

Before COVID, my degree was part of a teach-out program [a process in which a program that is being discontinued teaches the students who are part-way through the degree program]. Then because of COVID, our labs were removed. It adds so much anxiety and pressure. It’s been hard to stay motivated. With COVID, I can’t plan. I don’t know what my next step is. Sometimes I feel that I can’t make it. I come into the childcare center crying. I leave crying. That’s how I’m coping. I’m going week by week with the kids.  

Q: What’s one particularly challenging story of taking remote classes while juggling parenting?  

MS: Last quarter I thought I was going to give up. When I was taking my final via Zoom, my three-year old burst in and shouted, “I have to poop, Mom!” My instructor heard him and gave me more time to complete my final. This is not the way it’s supposed to happen, but that’s all we got. We have to keep going. We have to keep our sanity.  

Q: How are you coping? 

MS: I attend Zoom counseling workshops with other parents, so I don’t feel like I’m not alone. I learned to give myself some slack. Be gentle with myself as a parent. It’s OK to cry in front of my children sometimes. This is not normal times. I’m trying to relax when I can, but I don’t even know what that looks like.  

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 a teen, Clark attended the Pinning ceremony for her mother, Rhonda Hansen-Boyle, who earned her nursing degree at Clark College and now works at the Veterans Administration Medical Center. 

During the virtual ceremony, Clark was surrounded by her supportive family—her mother, father and sister—to celebrate her graduation. She says her family’s support was instrumental to her success as she navigated life’s obstacles—including a global pandemic—to earn her degree. 

“I’ve always had a calling to help people,” she said. “Once I told my mother I wanted to go into the medical field, my mom was 100 percent behind me.” 

Medical assistants are in demand. Many will join the healthcare workforce in the coming weeks. The Vancouver Clinic hired 19 of the 23 students. 

In addition to her supportive family, Clark is thankful for the help and guidance she received from WorkSource, which has partnered with Clark College to help students succeed.  

WorkSource uses federal funding through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and provides critical support and services to workers who want to develop the necessary skills for a good job in high-demand fields such as health care services. Available services include tuition assistance, book allowances, uniforms, supplies, and career counseling. 

The program is open to a wide variety of adults including those who have been laid off, displaced, or who are under-employed. Low-income adults and veterans also are eligible.  

“Our goal is to get people back to work in high-demand occupations that provide stable and meaningful employment to benefit their families and the community,” said Karin LaValla, WorkSource Health Care Liaison. “By partnering with Clark College, we can integrate our services, working together to provide those wrap-around supports to help students succeed.” 

LaValla and her team work directly with Dr. Sarah Kuzera, Director of the Medical Assisting Program at Clark College. They attend the orientation for new students and explain their program. In this year’s class, nearly half of the students were eligible for WorkSource services. 

“They receive help with tuition, books, transportation, childcare, financial and job coaching,” said Kuzera. “This has been a stressful year for our students. We’re grateful to have WorkSource at our side as active partners helping our students succeed.”

“WorkSource has been so helpful—a combination coach and fairy godmother,” said Candi Clark. “When I needed help with tuition, supplies—even scrubs—they were there for me. It’s made all the difference in being able to complete my studies.” 

WorkSource also helps students find externships and employment. The federal program provides employers up to 50 percent wage reimbursement for a student’s first 30 to 60 days on the job. Candi Clark has already interned at Vancouver Clinic doing patient care and is eager to complete her testing and get to work.  

Certified Medical Assistants are in high demand right now, in part because of the pandemic. Medical assistants work directly with physicians and patients in both the clinical and administrative settings. They maintain the daily workflow of a medical office.  

“Our graduates are in high demand,” said Kuzera. “Our program is growing.”

The next class, called a cohort, begins spring term; the first day of classes is April 5. Interested students can learn more on the college’s Medical Assisting page.

During the Pinning ceremony—a tradition in many health care programs—the graduates celebrated one another via Zoom. “It’s harder to do basic things, like draw blood, during a pandemic,” said Candi Clark. “But we figured it out and we can be proud of ourselves that we didn’t give up.”  

Clark’s story came full circle during the Pinning ceremony, when her mother attached the pin to her daughter’s shirt. In the family photo taken immediately after the pinning, Clark proudly wears her pin. Her smiling mother is reaching out to touch her daughter’s shoulder. 

“This is so exciting for me and my family,” Clark said. “It’s been a long road to get here. I can’t wait to get to work. Healthcare is kind of the family business. We gravitate to the helping professions. It’s where we can make a difference.” 

For students interested in learning more about WorkSource Washington and its educational training opportunities for job-seekers can visit WorkSource’s website.

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 provides to students.

In October, Clark’s Cuisine and Professional Baking programs began donating food made in their lab classes to Penguin Pantry. This new partnership is a win-win for everyone. Students and their families are receiving nutritious, from-scratch meals. Culinary students are getting hands-on experience at a time when the pandemic has closed the campus restaurant, food service, and bakery.

“We’re giving it away, since we still need the practice and our restaurant is still closed,” said Daryl Oest, Culinary support technician.

In the inaugural partnership event on October 27, Penguin Pantry distributed 108 food boxes to Clark students and their families during a seamless curbside pickup system in the Red Lot 3 roundabout. Each box contained a breakfast, lunch, and lasagna dinner.

Cuisine faculty member Robert Earl Frederick and his first-year students baked pans and pans of lasagna to provide 120 meals. Professional Baking department head Alison Dolder and baking students baked full-size pies. Additionally, students received a large box of nonperishable food and a loaf of bread.

Michael Scheidt, 20, a first-year cuisine student, maneuvered a wheeled cart laden with brown paper grocery bags containing a breakfast, lunch and dinner toward the curb outside Penguin Union Building.

“It feels really good to give back to the community,” he said. “We’ve all had hard times.”

During remote operations, Penguin Pantry has set aside one day a month to distribute food boxes. Students sign up in advance to secure a time slot to pick up the food in the parking lot. Those with dietary restrictions can request vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, or pescatarian items.

A student who drove up to the curb was assisted by Sharon Toliver, Security & Safety Services; Samantha Lelo, Student Life Program Support Supervisor; and Lauren Boys, ASCC Civics and Sustainability Director. They checked the student’s name against a list and loaded food into the trunk. Sarah Gruhler, Director of Student Life, supervised the distribution and ensured all ran smoothly.

Afterward Gruhler said, “The distribution went very smoothly. The students were so excited about the additional food. We’ve already had 22 returning students sign up for November’s distribution.”

Frederick added, “We are all looking forward to continuing this partnership in the long run.”

And in fact, while October’s distribution event was impressive, it was just a dress rehearsal for the big event: Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving dinner

November’s Penguin Pantry curbside distribution during Thanksgiving week will be a full, cooked Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings.

“We have plans for Thanksgiving to make sure our students are well taken care of during this tough time,” said Oest.

Frederick anticipates roasting 20 turkeys to prepare 150 Thanksgiving meals for students and their families. Dolder says baking students will contribute pies—not only tradition pumpkin, but also apple, marionberry, cherry, and pecan—as well as dinner rolls and a morning treat.

Dolder estimates it will take her baking students two weeks of class hours to make individual pies to feed 150 people. The job will be broken down into smaller tasks: making and freezing the dough, making the pie filling, rolling out pie crusts, and shaping them into disposable pie tins. Eventually, the pies will be assembled, baked, and then frozen again. When students pick up their Thanksgiving food boxes, their pies—and the entire cooked Thanksgiving dinner—will be frozen.

“It’s easier for us to serve frozen pies,” Dolder says. “And we have a ton of freezer space.”

Frederick adds, “It’s safer to distribute frozen food.”

With COVID, a greater need

Last spring, COVID prevented the on-campus Penguin Pantry from opening for walk-in visitors. Beginning in May, the Penguin Pantry began a monthly curbside food distribution following COVID safety protocols. In May, the pantry distributed 1,125 pounds of food to 165 people in 40 households.

As the pandemic has continued and many students and their families have lost their jobs in the subsequent recession, the number of students requesting food assistance continues to grow steadily. In September the pantry distributed 2,500 pounds to 305 students and their families. That’s more than double the amount from May.

As a partner with Clark County Food Bank, Penguin Pantry must carefully track its numbers and report them to the food bank.

The college has reached out to students to make sure students know about this resource—sharing information about it in online classes, on social media, and through a new text-message service the college has invested in.

“We’ve definitely seen an increase in the number of students requesting food,” says Gruhler. “Since we’ve been able to text students, there’s greater awareness of Penguin Pantry.”

Culinary school during COVID

Cuisine and baking students have continued their studies during the pandemic. They are able to meet in the kitchens for in-person lab classes using face coverings, social distancing, and daily temperature checks–all of which is becoming part of their career preparation. Their industry is changing rapidly because of COVID-19 restrictions.

“The industry will change,” said Oest. “We can’t see the crystal ball yet but whether it’s startups, more corporate food service, smaller restaurants, there will be food services moving forward. There will still be the need. These students have learned best safe practices for the post-COVID workplace.”

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 of classes (part online and part in-person) via an online Canvas shell during summer 2019. At the time, it was a good way for students to complete the bookwork portion of their course. During COVID, it has allowed students to not fall too far behind, because they’d already been working online. 

“We were pretty fortunate to have gotten started a year before with hybrid,” says Kuhn. “It gave students an opportunity to study more in depth at home. We got a little deeper into theory, the bookwork, utilizing more YouTube welding videos. It proved effectively that they understood the information.” 

Because safety is paramount, students in the Welding 102 introductory class must pass a welding safety test with 100 percent. In the past, some students had to retake the test in order to pass. Hybrid learning increased students’ understanding of the material and translated into a higher percentage of students who didn’t have to take the test a second time. 

Welding students returned to campus labs in mid-June to complete their spring quarter practical welding assignments. Because Welding is a year-round program, the students returned for hands-on welding labs during summer quarter, too.  

A program made for social distancing 

Even before COVID, welding students already were wearing personal protective equipment and were socially distanced. Students suit up for every lab class: heavy, flame-retardant coat; steel-toed work boots with a metal plate added to protect feet; leather gloves; goggles; and a welding helmet with built-in face shield. Students work in individual welding booths, far removed from other students. 

We visited the welding lab as six first-year students were finishing their class project: a flange, a small version of the pressure vessel built by second-year students. Pressure vessels are used to store and transfer liquids and gases under high pressure. Welding on pressure vessels must be exact and meet rigorous standards to withstand working conditions. 

All the students we spoke with were eager to enter their chosen field. The outlook is promising: The number of welding jobs in Washington is projected to grow about 3 percent from 2019-2029, about average for all occupations, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the Vancouver-Portland metro area, the average wage for a welder is $23.98 per hour or $49,887 annually. That’s about $8,000 higher than the median wage nationally.

Student story: Jessica Pellham

Jessica Pellham, 26, had no welding experience—and even lacked any experience with tools—when she started the Welding program in fall 2019.  

“I kind of started out as a baby,” Pellham laughs. “I wanted to get into a trade. I tried machining. It wasn’t my thing. Then I watched my fiancé’s grandpa welding.” 

It intrigued her. She tried welding, and she discovered she had an aptitude for it. 

Pellham says, “It’s hard, physical work, but for me, it’s so worth it to do something I love to do.”  

“She has excelled fantastically,” says Kuhn. 

Pellham works fulltime at a packing warehouse and goes to Clark fulltime, too. When her cohort began, she was one of three women. Now, a year later, she’s the only woman left in her cohort, but there are more women in the second-year cohort. 

“I’m hoping to see more women in trades,” she says. “We can do it, too.” 

Pellham’s eventual goal is to be hired on a union or government job.  

She adds, “I’d love to weld on submarines or ships.” 

Student Story: Jeff White

At 60, Jeff White of Washougal is the oldest student in the cohort. Two years ago, he was laid off from his job as a boiler operator at Georgia Pacific in Camas, a job he’d held for 30 years. White qualified for the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program, a federal program to retrain displaced workers due to overseas competition. The program has paid for all his college expenses. He is living on unemployment while he attends Clark. 

White’s goal is a job in construction welding. He is a fourth-generation Washougal resident, and hopes he does not have to move to find work after he completes the program. 

Student story: Ben Barton

Ben Barton, 29, has worked in restaurants since he was 16. A year ago, when he was working as a server at La Bottega in Uptown Village, he was considering making a career change when a co-worker told him about Clark’s welding program.  

“I was ready to do something that was stable,” Barton says.  

He researched the welding program and applied in summer 2019, but the fall cohort was full. There was so much interest that a second section was opened beginning winter 2020. He started the welding program full-time in January while he continued working at the restaurant 30 hours a week. Then COVID-19 closed restaurants in March, and he was laid off. To make up for the lost income, he applied for unemployment benefits.  

“I’m thankful for unemployment,” Barton says. “I’m going to school to further myself so hopefully I’ll never have to be on unemployment again. Financially I’ve been okay. Obviously, you cut back your spending and you end up making your own meals again. Groceries are cheaper than eating out. My girlfriend and I are both in the restaurant industry and are good cooks.” 

During spring quarter no hands-on labs were offered at Clark. Students kept up with their online bookwork, but they could not get into the labs to practice what they were learning. 

“I was really thankful that Clark opened our shop back up for us,” he says. “The welders out there working in the industry are still working during COVID. I was at a stalemate. In limbo. I couldn’t work. I couldn’t do my welding [studies] to further my career.”  

“I was one of the few COVID affected positively,” Barton says. “I was juggling school and working. Now I can focus on school.” 

Visit www.clark.edu/cc/welding to learn more about the Welding Technologies program.