By Lacey Desserault

As a soon-to-be elementary school teacher, Washington State University Tri-Cities student Jackie Gama knew she wanted to integrate her culture with her teaching experience. When she was presented with an opportunity to complete her student teaching requirement abroad, she knew she could accomplish just that.

Gama is student teaching English as a second language at an International Baccalaureate (IB) school in Yucatan, Mexico, where all students are required to learn how to speak, read, and write in both Spanish and English. She first learned about student teaching abroad programs from her professor, Eric Johnson. ��He is one of the coordinators of the program and assisted her in arranging the three-month long experience in Mexico.

“One reason I was interested in student teaching abroad was to get to know my culture better,” said Gama. “I am Mexican American, with my father being from Mexico, and I have not been to Mexico in a little over a decade. I wanted to be immersed in Mexican culture and improve my Spanish.”

While Gama is in Yucatan, she is simultaneously teaching elementary level classes and taking university courses. On the weekends she has the flexibility to explore the region and learn more about the community where she is living, allowing her to become fully immersed in the experience.

“This program has influenced me to continue conducting research on how I am able to successfully teach concepts in a new language to multilingual learners,” she said. “It has also inspired my personal goals to not be limited to what I am comfortable with or what is familiar to me. It has shown me to be a risk-taker and to take opportunities that may be out of my comfort zone, as those are the experiences that I am going to learn best from. This is my first time being away from my family on my own, and it was nerve-wracking in the beginning. But now that I am here and am completing my internship experience, I would without a doubt do it again.”

Gama is in her final year of studying elementary education at ���سԹ�. She will graduate with endorsements in bilingual education and English Language Learners (ELL). “I am a first-generation student, and this experience has been eye-opening for me in realizing the opportunities that are out there. I am thankful for the support that I have had not only from my family but also from my advisor and the community that I am living with in Yucatan.”

When asked what advice she has for fellow or future students Gama said study abroad internships are an amazing opportunity. “I say take the chance if you are given the opportunity.”

By Lacey Desserault

Registration for the Washington State University Tri-Cities Fall Education Summit is now open. The summit, sponsored by STCU, takes place on Oct. 14 and will feature keynote speaker Jerad Koepp (Wukchumni), 2022 Washington state teacher of the year.

The event will take place from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on the ���سԹ� campus in Collaboration Hall, 2780 Crimson Way, Richland. Doors will open at 8:45 a.m. Lunch will be provided.

As a Native Student Program Specialist, Koepp (Wukchumni) supports over 230 Native American students from over 50 tribes, nations, bands, and villages, offering cultural and academic support and training to colleagues. His work in developing North Thurston school district policies that support the education and culture of Native students has been impactful in his most recent project implementing required training for educators and administrators on equity and government-to-government relations.

“The College of Education on the Tri-Cities campus is excited to host its fifth annual Education Summit made possible by generous support from STCU,” said Judy Morrison, ���سԹ� academic director of education. “This year we will have sessions on STEM Education, Education Leadership, and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) Issues. Our keynote speaker, Jerad Koepp, will present a talk and participate in a panel focused on increasing equity in education.”

The summit is open to administrators and teachers and will cover a variety of issues and perspectives in K-12 education over multiple sessions. Participants will have the opportunity to earn up to six clock hours.

The event costs $15 and covers the sessions, lunch, and the six clock hours. Registration is required by Monday, Oct. 9. Spots fill fast, so early registration is encouraged.

For questions about the event, visit or contact Niamh O’Leary by calling (509) 372-7394, or emailing niamh.oleary@wsu.edu.

Seven high school seniors from the Kennewick School District (KSD) signed commitment letters to attend Washington State University (WSU) Tri-Cities to earn their teaching degree while also working part-time for the Kennewick School District as substitute paraeducators. ��The Teaching Bridge program is the first program of its kind in the state that focuses on a partnership between a school district and a 4-year university to provide a career-connected learning pathway from high school to college for students interested in careers in education.

“The Kennewick School District and ���سԹ� began working together over a year ago to make this program happen,” said Doug Christensen, associate superintendent of human resources for the Kennewick School District. “It has been very exciting to see the Teaching Bridge program take shape.”

“We are very excited about this partnership with Kennewick School District and are looking forward to extending the Teaching Bridge program to other school districts in our area,” said Judy Morrison, professor and academic director for the ���سԹ� College of Education.

The first students to enroll in the program come from three Kennewick high schools. The students from Kennewick High School are Nerissa Grimm, Seth Keller, and Lizzandra Ramirez. Lilly Johanson, Haley Nelson and Alvaro Rodriguez Jr., are from Southridge High School and Eva Arroyo is from Kamiakin High School.

Haley Nelson, a senior at Southridge High School, is very excited to be in the Teaching Bridge program. “The best part about this is the real-life experience I get before having to decide what I want to do. I can’t wait to be in a school as a para getting the experience.”

Officials and staff from both institutions, as well as students’ family and friends attended the ceremony.

Sandra Haynes, chancellor at ���سԹ� welcomed the students to the university and complimented them on taking this important step toward their teaching career.

“Any day that I get to welcome students to the ���سԹ� family is a great day,” she said. “Congratulations to each of you for taking this step and pushing yourselves to grow into a profession for which, no doubt, you have a great deal of passion.”

“I want to congratulate and recognize these students who will become the next generation of amazing educators,” stated Traci Pierce, superintendent of Kennewick School District. “Their stories exemplify our goal for our students to graduate well prepared from high school and ready for success in WSU’s Teaching Bridge Program. We can’t wait for them to return this fall to work with us.”

Teaching Bridge provides the next step in a career development pathway by eliminating the two-year gap between high school graduation and entering the teacher preparation program in the ���سԹ� College of Education. Students who participate in the program will:

• Have support during the college application and financial aid process.
• Gain early admission to ���سԹ�.
• Participate in paid cooperative internships in local school districts.
• Learn as a cohort.
• Access mentorship opportunities.
• Get a jump start on teaching careers.

At the end of the two-year program, students are prepared to apply to the ���سԹ� Bachelor of Arts in Education program to complete the requirements for Washington State certification in Elementary Education and an add-on endorsement in Special Education, English Language Learners, or Bilingual Education.

The partnership between ���سԹ� and KSD allows participants to work 10-18 hours per week as paid part-time or substitute paraeducators while attending college classes full-time. Over the course of the program, students will spend approximately 600 hours at the employer site and complete 60 semester credit hours of undergraduate level coursework at ���سԹ�.

Teaching Bridge is a Career Launch program featured through Career Connect Washington, a statewide, multi-sector approach to career connected learning that prepares students for high-demand, high wage jobs.

Jim Kindle, regional career connected learning coordinator with Education Services District 123 collaborated with ���سԹ� and KSD by providing technical support and resources from Career Connect Washington.

“With the shortage of educators, the partnerships within this program will begin to close the gap to educator shortages and create a robust talent pipeline for the Kennewick School District,” said Kindle.

“This coming fall Kennewick seniors from all three comprehensive high schools will begin their journey to becoming teachers. These students will get a great education at ���سԹ� while also gaining valuable classroom experience working as substitute para-educators in classrooms across our district. I look forward to watching these students advance through the Teaching Bridge program on their way to becoming future Kennewick teachers,” said Christensen.

Information about the Teaching Bridge program is available on the ���سԹ� website or by contacting Danica Garcia, program coordinator at (509) 372-3766.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Registration for the Washington State University Tri-Cities Education Summit that features a keynote presentation by Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Chris Reykdal, is now open. The event is sponsored by STCU.

The summit will take place on the ���سԹ� campus in Collaboration Hall from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 15, and provides local educators and administrators with the opportunity to earn six clock hours and choose sessions of their choice in the following subject areas:

• STEM education
• Leadership
• Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (I.D.E.A.)

The cost is $15 for the day, which includes a full lunch, the sessions and six clock hours. Registration is required.

Reykdal, who has led the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) since 2017, has centered OSPI’s work on equity, supporting the whole child and providing excellent customer service and transparency to school districts, the Legislature, news media and community members. Reykdal’s presentation will focus on bilingual education in the state of Washington. Reykdal graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor’s degree and a teaching certificate. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

“We have a great schedule planned for teachers, principals and others in education that is geared toward student success, innovative teaching strategies and generally, how to better reach students through educational techniques,” said Judy Morrison, ���سԹ� academic director of education.

Individuals can register by visiting . Spots at the summit go fast, so individuals are encouraged to sign up early. Registration closes Monday, Oct. 10. For additional information contact Niamh O’Leary by calling (509) 372-7394 or emailing niamh.oleary@wsu.edu.

For directions to the conference location, enter the street address 2770 Crimson Way, Richland, 99354 into your mobile GPS app.

For more information on degrees in education from ���سԹ� and the ���سԹ� College of Education, visit .

MEDIA CONTACT(S)

Leslie Streeter, Office of Marketing and Communication, (509) 372-7333,��leslie.streeter@wsu.edu

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Several Washington State University faculty are the recipients of a $1.4 million grant from the to refine and expand an assessment that helps address truancy in K-12 schools.

The program, also known as WARNS, uses evidence-driven procedures to track and improve interventions with students. The program was developed in 2008 to assess students on a scale of six needs that have been linked to truancy, delinquency and/or dropping out of school: aggression-defiance, depression-anxiety, substance abuse, peer deviance, family environment and school engagement. More than 100 schools in Washington state and across the nation are now using the tool.

Paul Strand, ���سԹ� professor of psychology, Brian French, Berry Family Distinguished professor and director of WSU’s and , Nick Lovrich, WSU Regents professor emeritus, and Bruce Austin, research associate in educational psychology and the LPRC, have worked since 2014 to evaluate and refine WARNS. With the grant, the group is also adding the following members to their team to help refine the tool: Chad Gotch and Marcus Poppen, both WSU assistant professors in education, and Mary Roduta Roberts, an associate professor of occupational therapy at the University of Alberta.

French said what makes the program so successful is its ability to hone-in on issues that lead to truancy early in a student’s educational path. Schools can develop a plan for how to address those issues and increase the student’s likelihood of being successful. He said what was made especially clear amid the COVID-19 pandemic is the need to get information to counselors regarding student issues at home and other external factors that prevent students’ current and future success.

“This grant will also allow us more space to examine its success,” French said. “We will also be looking into specific implications of the WARNS – how it is used and the success when it is in use. We want to look at the implications and gather data to know how those conversations are helping and specific instances of how that is happening. Then, we can continue to build from that information.”

Updating the assessment

Strand said the new grant will allow the team to update the instrument in a few ways. He said a variety of new issues have arisen that have impacted school attendance and performance in recent years. Examples, he said, include the prevalence of vaping and social media use.

Additionally, the team aims to improve the middle school version of the instrument to tailor it further for issues that pertain to that specific age demographic.

“The grant allows us to explore the context of student situations and how to refine WARNS to reflect that context,” Strand said.

Identifying issues early to reduce truancy, drop-out rates

French said more than 10,000 assessments have been given through the program.

“To me, that represents 10,000 productive conversations that have occurred with kids,” he said. “We can look at the large numbers to help us do that, but each of those individual conversations are helping make a difference in the lives of thousands of kids each year.”

Strand said schools use the data from the assessment to develop and implement a plan for at-risk students through school community truancy boards to help prevent and/or correct student behavior.

“With the pandemic, we have seen that many counselors are struggling to stay connected and invested in kids,” he said. “But what we have seen with WARNS is that it has helped schools stay connected and invested in kids. The pandemic wasn’t something we could have envisioned, but it is a tool that has helped.”

For more information about WARNS, including how to implement it for individual schools or school districts, visit��

 

Media contacts:

• Paul Strand, ���سԹ� professor of psychology, pstrand@wsu.edu
• Brian French, WSU Pullman Berry Family Distinguished professor and director of WSU’s Learning and Performance Research Center and Psychometric Laboratory, frenchb@wsu.edu
• Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� director of marketing and communication, 509-372-7333 (office), 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu
• Brandon Chapman, WSU College of Education public relations/communications manager, 509-335-6850, b.chapman@wsu.edu

By C. Brandon Chapman, College of Education

Yuliya Ardasheva, a faculty member at Washington State University Tri‑Cities, has received one of two��national Mid‑Career Awards from the American Educational Research Association’s Second Language Research Special Interest Group.

Ardasheva is an associate professor within the College of Education, where she focuses her research on English/Bilingual learners’ language and academic development. The awards committee were impressed with Ardasheva’s “robust and coherent research portfolio.”

It’s research that, for Ardasheva, hits close to home. She said she came to the United States at 27��years old, “not speaking a single word of English,” having already earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in her native language.��She planned on earning her Ph.D. in the United��States.

“I originally got interested in second language development because I have an understanding what individual students of different ages may need to build on their strengths and what they may need to capitalize on what they already know in their native languages,” she said.

This line of research began with Ardasheva’s dissertation and her first externally funded project as a postdoctoral student at the University of Louisville. Her role was to develop literacy supports at a portable planetarium for middle and high school students, all part of a Newcomer Academy in Louisville. They spoke 25��primary languages and most of them were refugees from war or conflict zones. As a result, most had interrupted schooling.

“The Academy students only had one year to gain enough English language and content knowledge to integrate the following year into regular education schools, where the majority of teachers typically have no language support preparation,” Ardasheva said.

Her focus was on developing pre- and post-instructional literacy activities aligned with the planetarium experiences. This was to improve students’ science vocabulary knowledge, learning strategy use, oral and reading comprehension. Ultimately, this would allow for building science background knowledge and science concept elaboration.

Since, Ardasheva has published 38��peer-reviewed articles and six book chapters on this and other topics and presented her work at more than 70��national and international conferences.

While the committee cited Ardasheva’s endeavors to advance the field as “evident in (her) prolific and high‑quality publications” and having made a “significant contribution,” Ardasheva herself said the teacher learning and development area of her research is still shaping up.

This work is, in part, supported by a current $2.3��million U.S.��Department of Education professional development grant, as well as a recently completed Samuel��H. and Patricia��W. Smith Teaching and Learning Endowment Grant.

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri-Cities recognized five female leaders as Women of Distinction for their contributions to the campus and regional Tri-Cities community as part of a ceremony that was held virtually this month.

These individuals exhibit exceptional leadership in their discipline or area of expertise, serve as role models and mentors to other women, advocate for positive social change and demonstrate a commitment to the missions of ���سԹ�.

“Each year, we receive so many incredible nominations for female leaders that have made tremendous impacts on their regional community, as well as for ���سԹ� students and the campus,” said Jaime Heppler, ���سԹ� senior director of development and chair of the ���سԹ� Women of Distinction committee. “This year, we were thrilled to honor five individuals whose leadership transcends their day-to-day work. These are difference-makers in every sense of the word.”

For more information about the ���سԹ� Women of Distinction program, visit tricities.wsu.edu/women-of-distinction.

Sandra Haynes | Chancellor of ���سԹ�
Woman of Distinction Legacy Award

Sandra Haynes��is the��seventh��chancellor of ���سԹ���and��brings��more than��20 years of successful, high-level administrative experience, stemming from leadership��at both a doctoral granting university��with��very high research activities (R1)��and a��regional comprehensive institution��offering bachelor’s��and master’s��degrees. She holds a faculty appointment as professor in the department of psychology.��As��a first-generation student,��she��recognizes the transformative power of higher education and its ability to be a true equalizer for individuals, regardless of life circumstance.��As part of her three years at ���سԹ�, she oversaw the opening of the campus MOSAIC Center for Student Inclusion and is actively overseeing the construction of the new ���سԹ� academic building that opens this June and renovation of the campus library to become a learning commons featuring a wide range of student support services.

 

 

Lindsay Lightner | Education Ph.D. student, coordinator for ���سԹ� College of Education
Woman of Distinction

Through her position as a coordinator for the ���سԹ� College of Education, Lindsay Lightner helps school districts alleviate teacher shortages in hard-to-staff subjects,��such as special education and bilingual education, by helping paraprofessionals become certified teachers.��She advises paraprofessionals in an alternative route program through ���سԹ� and coordinates a National Science Foundation grant regarding socio-environmental science investigations in-partnership with K-12 schools in the region.��In her free time, she works with Girl Scouts, volunteers for K-12 robotics, serves as part of the library board and many other opportunities. She is known as an upstanding educator that is dedicated to sharing her love of learning and exploring.��Lindsay is also a doctoral student in mathematics and science education at ���سԹ�.

 

 

Janet Peters | ���سԹ� scholarly associate professor of psychology and director of instructional excellence and innovation
Woman of Distinction

Janet Peters serves as a scholarly associate professor of psychology and director of instructional excellence and innovation at ���سԹ�. She is continuously recognized for utilizing innovative and engaging teaching strategies in the classroom and often goes above and beyond to ensure her students’ success. She actively incorporates service learning into her classroom environment where students craft real-world solutions to regional issues in partnership with nonprofit organizations. In research, she focuses on student, employee and faculty engagement, innovative instruction and high-engagement pedagogy, student leadership development and student attitudes toward statistics. She also provides professional development in innovative teaching and classroom tools for her fellow ���سԹ� faculty. In addition to the ���سԹ� Women of Distinction award, Peters has been published and recognized as a WSU Outstanding Teaching Award Recipient, LIFT Faculty Fellow, AVID instructor and as a Center for Civic Engagement Faculty Fellow, to name a few.

 

Gabriela Ramirez | ���سԹ� psychology alumna, Spanish teacher at Tri-Cities Prep
Woman of Distinction

Gabriela Ramirez is a graduate of the psychology program at ���سԹ� and currently serves as a Spanish teacher at Tri-Cities Prep Catholic High School. As a ���سԹ� student, she was active in bringing her Latino culture to the forefront, serving through the MEChA and the Dreamers’ Club, which advocates for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students regionally. Through her role as a teacher, she continues to raise awareness about various cultures and communities. She brings innovative strategies into the virtual environment as part of her courses, using videos and other virtual experiences to connect the Spanish language to the real-world environment. She also learned from a young age that her greatest passion in life is dance. In 2017, Gabriela and a friend started their own dance organization, Ballet Folklórico ‘Cielo de México.’ Their mission is to keep Mexican traditions alive through dance and bring people from the community closer together. The group has since grown to 40 individuals.

 

Mikaela Thepvongsa | ���سԹ� nursing student, WSU Pullman psychology alumna
Woman of Distinction

Mikaela Thepvongsa is currently pursuing a bachelor’s of science in nursing from ���سԹ� after earning a bachelor’s in psychology from WSU Pullman. In addition to taking on a rigorous course of study, she serves as president of Crimson Scrubs, the nursing student service organization, and with the Disabled Students and Allies Club of ���سԹ�, where she is the liaison officer to the WSU system from ���سԹ�. Additionally, Thepvongsa serves as a WWAMI Area Health Education Center scholar. In this role, she works in an interprofessional capacity to assist with health literacy and language and engages in additional classes and volunteer work. As a deaf student, Mikaela uses her own experiences to continually advocate for individuals with disabilities. Additionally, she has served at hospitals, Safe Harbor’s My Friend’s Place, food banks and churches. In 2019, she participated in a service trip to Mexico with Loma Linda University graduates to help at a dental clinic in poverty-stricken areas.

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri-Cities will host several presentations on potential solutions for the school-to-prison pipeline, as well as barriers for individuals’ successful reentry into society from prison, as part of its latest “Community Classroom” series that begins this month.

Presenters will provide perspectives and strategies for how communities can proactively change statistics and create pathways for successful rehabilitation. Attendees will be invited to explore the current state of affairs in the regional Tri-Cities area and investigate opportunities for stronger partnerships for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated members, locally.

“This series provides a great opportunity for individuals to examine issues that pertain to incarcerated people and youth that are at greater risk for entering prison,” said Anna Plemons, ���سԹ� assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Attendees will hear from and have the opportunity to converse with formerly incarcerated people, researchers, counselors and more.”

The presentations are free and open to the public. They will be presented online via Zoom. For more information, visit tricities.wsu.edu/community-classroom.

Cultivating the prison-to-college pipeline: A conversation with Noel Vest on addiction recovery, post-secondary education and prison reentry��

Wednesday, Feb. 10 | 4 p.m.

Noel Vest, a formerly incarcerated scholar and ���سԹ� alumnus, will discuss principles and strategies for building a pathway out of incarceration and into higher education with moderator Anna Plemons, ���سԹ� assistant vice chancellor of academic affairs. Drawing on his expertise as a post-doctoral research fellow in the Systems Neuroscience and Pain Lab at Stanford, Vest will speak to the ways addiction and recovery impact reentry.

The role of the community in disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline��

Thursday, March 25 | 4 p.m.

This panel will discuss the role of the community and schools, in particular, in��reducing the number of individuals entering the prison system. Speaking from respective areas of expertise, the moderated panel will discuss the possibilities and challenges of this work, as well as share ideas about how communities can come together to support members most vulnerable to incarceration.

Panelists:

• Ericka Walters – Founder and CEO of Launching Legacies
• Harry B. Grant, Jr. – Registered drug and alcohol counselor
• Emmanuel “Manny” Garcia – Middle school/high school counselor for the Soap Lake School District

An inside look at Washington state prison rehabilitative programs and the role of community advocacy in program success��

Wednesday, April 21 | 4 p.m.

Join this panel discussion on the affordances of rehabilitative programs for incarcerated people. Each��panelist will present on programs they oversaw or currently work with, as well as the role of the community in advocating for and providing resources and opportunities within local and state facilities.

Speakers:

• Stephen Sinclair – Secretary of the Washington State Department of Corrections
• Robert Jackson – Superintendent of the Washington State Penitentiary
• Carol Hinds – Family advocate

 

Media contacts:

Kristine Cody, coordinator for the ���سԹ� MOSAIC Center for Student Inclusion, 509-372-7600, kristine.cody@wsu.edu

Anna Plemons, ���سԹ� assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs, 509-372-7267, aplemons@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu

New agreement helps students save on costs

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Columbia Basin College and Washington State University Tri-Cities signed a new agreement on Monday, Nov. 16, that creates a seamless pathway for students to complete their first two years at CBC and transfer to ���سԹ�, which saves students costs.

Students significantly save on costs, as students in the program do not pay for the transfer application to attend ���سԹ�, do not pay for the cost of their transcripts to transfer, and tuition is also frozen from their first semester enrolled at ���سԹ�. In other words, if tuition rates increase anytime while enrolled at ���سԹ�, students continue to pay the tuition rate from their first semester at ���سԹ�.

Students also benefit from one-on-one support throughout their educational journey from both CBC and ���سԹ� from their first term in the program. They work directly with academic advisors from both institutions to solidify complete programs of study. This helps to ensure that students complete their degree programs on-time and reduce the likelihood of taking courses unnecessarily that won’t directly transfer.

Close partnership a win for all students

���سԹ� Chancellor Sandra Haynes said she is excited to sign a new agreement with CBC, as it helps reduce the complications and cost to students who wish to first attend a community college and then transfer to a four-year university.

“Our two institutions work together to create seamless pathways so that students can get the most out of their educational experience and graduate on-track,��on-time and career-ready,” she said. “With ���سԹ� serving freshman, transfer, first-generation, low-income and non-traditional students, we are opening more doors to meet students where they are,��today.”

Woods said CBC is also excited to strengthen its partnership with ���سԹ�.

“Many of CBC’s graduates choose to become Cougs, while staying right here in the Tri-Cities,” she said. “This agreement smooths that transition. Whether a student chooses to pursue a four-year degree at CBC, ���سԹ�, or any other institution, we are committed to helping each student find their best path forward.”

Students see direct benefits

Dawn Hughes, a current ���سԹ� education student and alumna of Columbia Basin College, said transferring from CBC to ���سԹ� provided a great local and affordable option that was a best fit for both her and her family.

“I moved to Tri-Cities in 2006 and was raising a family,” she said. “When I decided to go back to school, it fit our budget and our busy schedule. It was also convenient because I could take classes in-person, locally.”

Hughes said she received tremendous support from both her instructors at CBC and ���سԹ�. When she started school, her sister was diagnosed with cancer. She served as her sister’s bone marrow transplant and was going to have to miss some school.

“My professors were so supportive through that,” she said. “Professors from both programs are that way. They want you to succeed.”

Apply to Bridges

Applications are open now for the Bridges Program. For more information and to apply, visit tricities.wsu.edu/bridges. To qualify for the Bridges Program, students must apply in their first year at CBC and complete the “Declaration of Intent” form. Have questions or want to meet with someone about your options? Email tricities.bridges@wsu.edu.

For more information about CBC, visit . For more information about ���سԹ�, visit tricities.wsu.edu.

By Maegan Murray, WSU��Tri‑Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri‑Cities will now offer in-state tuition rates to students in Umatilla County,��Oregon, through a new program called the “I‑82��Advantage.”

“With our proximity to��Oregon, just across the Columbia River, it only makes sense to provide greater access to an excellent university education in such close proximity,” WSU��Tri‑Cities Chancellor Sandra��Haynes��said. “This program applies to all prospective students who reside in Umatilla County.”

The program will save residents from Umatilla County thousands in tuition costs. By paying in‑state rates, tuition will cost $11,144 per year, compared to the $26,087 that an out-of-state student would pay for non‑resident tuition.

Those interested in attending WSU��Tri‑Cities for spring��2021 are encouraged to apply by Nov.��15. Individuals interested in attending WSU��Tri‑Cities in fall��2021 are encouraged apply by Jan.��31.

Applications can be completed online at��.��After completing the application for admission, prospective students from Umatilla County should complete the WSU��Tri‑Cities I‑82��Advantage application to qualify for in‑state tuition rates.��Apply for the I‑82��Advantage program at��.

Students applying to WSU��Tri‑Cities should also make sure to complete the WSU��Tri‑Cities scholarship application by Jan.��31 at��.

For more information about the I‑82��Advantage program, visit��tricities.wsu.edu/admissions/i82advantage.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this cost-saving option for local students in Umatilla County,��Oregon,”��Haynes said. “We continually try to identify ways where we can meet students where they are. The COVID‑19 pandemic presents additional financial challenges for many local families. We do not want it to prevent students from achieving their dream of attending college that will help in setting them up for success for their future.”

WSU��Tri‑Cities will also continue to offer what is known as the Border��Bill program. The State of Washington’s Border��Bill allows��Oregon residents��who live in specified counties, or who have recently moved to Washington from those counties, to attend WSU��Tri‑Cities��part‑time (8��credits or less per��semester) and pay resident tuition rates. The specific Oregon counties whose residents are eligible for this benefit are: Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Gilliam, Hood��River, Morrow, Multnomah, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco and Washington. The application to apply for that program is located at��tricities.wsu.edu/finaid/tuition-waivers.

For those with concerns about COVID‑19 and returning for any in‑person learning, all WSU��Tri‑Cities classrooms are now equipped to offer virtual instruction, regardless of whether a class is offered in‑person or virtually.

ACT and SAT��scores are also not being used as a factor for admissions decisions through spring semester��2022.

For more information about WSU��Tri‑Cities, visit��.

 

Media contacts:��

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� assistant director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617 (cell),��maegan_murray@wsu.edu