BIPOC Students Succeed in Rainier Scholars Program

It was a perfect day for a ribbon-cutting as families and students gathered in the early summer sunshine on June 20 to welcome Rainier Scholars to University Place. Located in the James Center at 1614 S. Mildred St., Suite C, the space waslong sat vacant but has been transformed into a brand new, vibrant learning center dedicated to supporting academic success and leadership among underrepresented students of color.

Rainier Scholars is a comprehensive 12-year program that combines academic enrichment, mental health support, graduate school advising, and leadership and career development. Students begin the program upon transitioning from Year 4 to Year 12.^t up to 5^t and remain with the group until graduation as the next generation of leaders.

The Rainier Scholars Foundation supports mAfrican Americans, African immigrants, Hispanics/Latinos, first-generation Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans face the most barriers to earning a college degree. Approximately 90% of program participants come from families that qualify as low-income and households without a four-year college degree.

Jennifer Ward, MEd, is deputy executive director Rainier Scholars-Tacoma and welcomed everyone in attendance at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“Thank you for being with us in this momentous moment of having this building. When I say ‘us,’ I mean collectively ‘us’ – the Rainier Scholars, the Scholars themselves, their families, our wonderful staff and the community, because we see this as a community space.”

She told those gathered that the priority was for University Place to feel like a space that was fully focused on students.

“We don’t have a ton of offices; we really wanted to make the space as open as possible so that when students come in, they feel like it’s their space,” Ward said. “There’s even a student lounge where they can read books, work on homework… We want it to be a place where you want to be.”

BIPOC vendors and contractors were intentionally involved in the design of the space to ensure that Rainier Scholars would provide opportunities for other Black and Brown people to thrive. Tacoma-based Alpha Sharp Development Partners, Inc. was selected as the general contractor.

Founded in 2017, Alpha Sharp is Property owned by a black person development a company that builds affordable and employee-friendly multi-family apartments. The company built An 11-unit micro-unit apartment building on South Puget Sound Avenue and three more 20-unit apartment buildings in Tacoma. The redevelopments are also part of Alpha Sharp Development partners work similarly to Rainier Scholars.

Tony Talton, Alpha Sharp Development Partners, Inc. The construction manager said the company tries to partner with nonprofits and individuals who share the same mission as the company.

“We are very fortunate and honored to be working with Rainier Scholars. Watching the call center transform from a defunct call center has been an incredibly rewarding experience,” he said.

The ribbon-cutting also marked the welcome of Rainier Scholars’ third cohort of new students, 50 this year, up from 45 students in the first two cohorts. Ruth Hailu is part of the first Rainier Scholar cohort, who will begin their studies at the end of the 4^t class and now I’m going to 7^t degree. She was among the speakers at the ribbon-cutting event.

Tony Talton, construction manager for Alpha Sharp Development Partners, Inc., was on hand to celebrate the ribbon-cutting with Jennifer Ward, deputy executive director of Rainier Scholars-Tacoma.

“My overall experience at Rainier Scholars was good,” Hailu said. “I learned a lot about myself and the cultural world around me. This building aligns with many of the core values ​​of Rainier Scholars, such as community and truth-telling.

“The most important thing for me is that I feel like I can get the support I need in this building, just like all the other Rainier Scholars, and I’m really grateful for that.”

FROM 4^TH FROM GRADING TO GRADUATION

The Rainier Scholars Foundation was founded in 2000 in Seattle and plans to open a branch in Tacoma at First Creek Middle School in 2021, which will continue to operate as an office. Ward is working with other community organizations that are also based at First Creek to identify ways they can work together to support the broader community.

In this year’s third cohort, approximately 150 families began the multi-step application process, and Rainier Scholars worked with them to select 50 students. What Rainier Scholars looks for in its students starts with students who demonstrate motivation, curiosity, and a love of learning. Students who are good community members, can overcome challenges, and demonstrate leadership are ideal candidates for the program.

“We don’t necessarily expect them to love school, but just the learning that can happen anywhere, in or out of school,” Ward said. “I should also say that there are 4^t assessors, so they may not have all of those things or be present at the same time. No one student has all of those things, but those are the things we look for, and students who have a lot of those things or have the potential, that’s what draws us to them.”

A prerequisite for families applying each year is to attend an informational meeting held from early November to mid-to-late January. These meetings are held at various locations throughout Tacoma, with a focus on Eastside and South Tacoma, where the largest number of families of color live. This is good news for families who have students entering fourth grade.^t Evaluate this fall so that interested Rainier Scholars can pursue their interests in November. The application process begins at least early January and ends in February.

Successful student candidates begin their Rainier Scholarships right after their school’s summer break. Their first day this year was July 1. The vast majority come from Tacoma Public Schools, while others attend schools in nearby towns such as Lakewood, University Place, or Spanaway.

The Rainier Scholars Foundation works closely with Tacoma Public Schools and, under an agreement, has access to student progress reports, report cards, test scores, and other such data.

“We track the success of our fellows. We want to recognize that if their test scores are low, maybe we need to strengthen in a certain area to make sure we’re impacting their success on those internal measures,” Ward said.

Each student’s class schedule depends on the class they are in. For the youngest students, 5^t and 6^t grade, is a full-time summer school five days a week for the first three years with classes focusing on math, reading, and writing. Starting at 7^t class, in addition to the academic activities they engage in monthly throughout the school year, on topics related to cultural identity, leadership, and issues of race and class. All students are guided to develop organizational, time management, and responsibility skills, as these are typical of successful students.

After graduating from high school, students receive a Rainier Scholars scholarship that follows them through college. Each student receives an academic coach in year 6.^t grade continues to assist them with needs such as finding materials and tutoring if students require such assistance during their higher education classes.

While there are other higher education options for high school graduates, such as technical schools, vocational schools, and apprenticeships, the Rainier Scholars program aims to provide its students with the opportunity to enroll in four-year colleges and universities without taking on significant debt to do so.

“While we don’t provide direct funding to students (I hope that will change in the future), our college president takes a really active role in providing students with the best financial aid packages possible,” Ward said.

For more information about the Rainier Scholars Program, visit rainierscholars.org.