By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
The Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL), in partnership with Seattle Public Schools (SPS), recently held a College and Career Access Networking event. The event, funded by the Washington Student Achievement Regional Challenge Grant, provided an opportunity for community-based organizations supporting Seattle middle and high school students in the areas of college and career readiness to connect, share highlights of their work, and build community.
“The purpose of the event was to convene community-based organizations who are doing work in Seattle schools to support students in the area of college and career readiness, so there was a sense of building community,” said Dr. Ciera Graham, DEEL K-12 Manager. “We also had a student panel featuring high school students who are being supported by grantees of the Washington Student Achievement Council Regional Challenge Grant.”
The student panel featured four high school students and one college student—all mentored by grantee organizations—who spoke candidly about their experiences and the impact of culturally responsive mentorship. They emphasized the value of seeing professionals who shared their identities and backgrounds, and how those experiences inspired them to pursue higher education.
“This is a grant that recognizes the importance of serving BIPOC historically underserved students,” says Graham. “Those who have not had access to higher education, and I think it’s oftentimes very difficult to find mentors who look like them and share their own sort of cultural experiences and identities. I think that type of mentorship is really key to their success.”
Mentors and event attendees interacted with students to better understand the challenges and barriers they face in school, and to identify areas of improvement, while aiming to more effectively support their [students] college and career aspirations.
“Some of the challenges and barriers I think a few students talked about were that they just wanted more opportunities to get exposure to different types of careers during the school day,” said Graham. “The organizations that supported them all did after-school programs, and I think a lot of the students wanted more opportunities, specifically during their advisory period.”
“They also mentioned that it can be very overwhelming when it comes to choosing what college you want to go to,” continued Graham. “Even though they were kind of overwhelmed by that information, the support that they received was extremely helpful.”
Jill Leahy, SPS Partnership Alignment Manager, said the district has grown more strategic over the years in its approach to supporting college and career readiness. That includes expanding partnerships beyond traditional college access programs to include career-focused organizations.
“A lot of the conversations and work that this group has been doing has been around what work is happening in schools, where do we have room for improvement from a community partner lens, and how can we partner together to do that,” said Leahy. “This year, adding the WASAC group was great to be able to hear from students specifically and hear what additional support resources we need to continue to work on as a district.”
Leahy also noted that SPS is now placing greater emphasis on pathways beyond college, such as internships and other postsecondary options that align with students’ career goals.
“We included more career readiness partners, not just college access partners,” said Leahy. “And so having a focus on internships and also post-secondary opportunities for students that aren’t just college-based, is the evolution.”
Both Leahy and Graham agreed that early and immersive exposure to career and college pathways is critical.
“I would actually say the exposure should start in middle school when students are beginning to really think about their likes and dislikes,” said Graham. “Also, having experiential opportunities like internships and field trips is important because students are getting to observe and try and test things out that can help their career aspirations.”
“As someone who has worked directly with high school students in schools, I think it is super important and so valuable for students,” Leahy said. “We have a lot of opportunity here in Seattle to expose students to different career paths or college opportunities, and it is so great to be able to center that and see how different folks can work together to support that work for our students.”
