This month, thousands of Washington high school students will commemorate years of effort as they proudly cross graduation stages. We applaud their hard work, the obstacles they overcame, and the aspirations they have for our collective future.

Opportunities after high school in Washington are promising. We have an economy home to many of the world’s most innovative companies. The Tri-Cities are among Washington’s fastest-growing cities, with job growth in technology manufacturing, agriculture, health care and clean energy.

The question is, are our students ready for those jobs?

The state will add about 400,000 new jobs in the next five years. Seventy percent of those jobs will require post-high school education. According to the Mid-Columbia STEM Network, 83% of the region’s high-demand, family-sustaining wage jobs will require a postsecondary degree or credential. In March, a new report revealed how the pandemic impacted higher education enrollment.

It was worse than we thought.   

Just 50% of Washington’s 2021 high school graduates enrolled in a two- or four-year college within a year of graduation. That’s nearly a 10% drop in enrollment since 2019. And Washington’s enrollment rate was already much lower than the national higher education enrollment average of 63%. 

If most of the jobs in our state require post-high school education, why aren’t students going to college?   

A study from the Washington Roundtable and Kinetic West found three main reasons: high cost, the stress of applying and uncertainty about what to study. These barriers are stacked highest against students of color, first-generation college students, low income and rural students.

What can we do to help? As a statewide scholarship organization dedicated to building pathways into high-demand trade, STEM and health care careers, we know the barriers are real. Many students and partners across Eastern Washington tell us so. We also know we can do better to close the knowledge gap concerning the resources and support that will break down those barriers.

Tuition assistance

Washington has one of the most robust financial aid systems in the United States, supporting students through programs like the Washington College Grant, College Bound and others. The Washington College Grant, for example, will provide enough aid to cover college or career training tuition for families earning $64,500. And state programs like ours, the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS), go beyond money for tuition to cover costs such as housing and food.

Complex process

The complicated college application and financial aid processes also keep students away. The forms are complex and require personal and financial information. That’s why the state Legislature invested in expanding outreach staff in high schools and on campuses who can help families navigate the process, understand eligibility and connect qualifying students to programs like ours and many others.

Yet less than half of our state’s students have completed federal and state financial aid paperwork, known as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA), by the end of May.

Most school districts in the Tri-Cities are seeing similar completion rates, apart from the Pasco School District at just 40%. That means most Washington students are automatically disqualified from thousands in guaranteed money for college.

What to study?

The last barrier is knowing what to study. It’s understandable teens aren’t sure what they want to do. For many, the high cost of college and the uncertainty of what to do at a time when student debt is constantly in the news seems too risky. Plus, increases in minimum wage can make a steady paycheck feel like a more secure route than investing in higher education.

Washington needs students on a path to education after high school. We need students to understand that most careers require some education after high school. And we need to help students understand that not all programs of study have the same job prospects.

Every program WSOS supports leads to jobs that are hiring and earn a living-wage. Our scholars earn two and three times what their entire family made within five years of completing their credentials.

Our communities need to hear that a bachelor’s degree isn’t the only path to family-sustaining wages. WSOS supports programs like apprenticeships, certificates and associate degrees.

Public-private partnership

WSOS is a public-private partnership unlike any in the U.S.: bipartisan leadership and local legislative champions such as Reps. Alex Ybarra and Matt Boehnke are instrumental to our success. The state matches every dollar we raise because they know our model works, and our future depends on having enough skilled workers to power our economy.  

This spring, we selected 66 students from Benton and Franklin counties for our bachelor’s degree program, totaling more than $1.4 million in scholarship support. By July, we will select another cohort of community and technical college recipients who will receive $1,500 per quarter, every quarter, until graduation.

WA applicants needed

But we need more Eastern Washington applicants.

We are excited to partner with organizations such as TC Futures, the Benton-Franklin Workforce Development Council and area high schools because students and families need to hear about WSOS from someone they trust to believe they should apply.

Our $22,500 bachelor’s degree scholarship supports public and private college students from Walla Walla University to Washington State University.

Our Career & Technical Scholarship supports 77 programs at Columbia Basin College, 66 from Yakima Valley College, and 82 at Big Bend Community College.

Programs range from agricultural and aerospace, to nursing and accounting. Students will receive thousands of dollars they will never pay back to become a welder, a plumber, an engineer or a computer scientist. 

The college system can be overwhelming, so we offer comprehensive support to students, guiding them through the process and empowering them to pursue rewarding careers in high-demand fields that can bring stability to their lives.

We invite Eastern Washington to join us in spreading the word about WSOS, our state’s financial aid and the jobs that will propel our economy into a prosperous future. Invite us to be a part of the conversation so that we can be a resource that connects the students of the Tri-Cities to the region’s most promising jobs.

Discover more at waopportunityscholarship.org and be a part of transforming lives through education.

Javania Cross Polenska is the interim executive director for Washington State Opportunity Scholarship.