Student Stories

What’s your name, what school do you attend, and what are you studying?

My name is Keyonee Morris, and I currently attend Whatcom Community College, where I am studying accounting. I plan to graduate with my AA this spring and then continue my education at Western Washington University, where I will keep pursuing my degree in accounting.

What are your career or education goals after college?

After college, my goal is to come and work for my tribe, the Lummi Nation, in the accounting field. I want to use what I’ve learned to support my community financially and help educate others about financial literacy, because I feel like that knowledge isn’t taught enough.

What inspired you to pursue college or training after high school?

What inspired me to go to college after high school was being a first-generation college student. I always knew I wanted to continue my education, so I made a promise to myself to take the necessary steps to make that happen. Knowing I would be the first in my family to attend college motivated me to stay focused and work hard toward my goals.

Have there been any challenges along the way? What helped you overcome them?

Yes, I’ve faced challenges along the way, like being a first-generation college student and learning how to navigate college on my own. Balancing school, work, basketball, and personal responsibilities has also been hard at times. What helped me overcome these challenges was staying focused on my goals, asking for help when I needed it, and remembering that I’m working to create opportunities for myself and my community.

Are there any classes, programs, or people who’ve helped you figure out your path?

My academic advisor at Whatcom Community College has been a big help, and every teacher has always been so supportive when I asked for extra help. My whole community has also encouraged me; they just want to see me succeed. The Writing and Math Center at Whatcom Community College has helped a lot too, and it’s open to all Whatcom students!

You’re a recipient of the Washington College Grant. How did you first hear about it?

I didn’t know about the Washington College Grant at first. I only found out when I received an email from Whatcom Community College about my financial aid awards, and that’s when I learned I was eligible and how much it could help me with college costs.

What was your reaction when you found out you qualified for the WA Grant?

When I found out I qualified for the Washington College Grant, I was really excited and relieved. It made me feel supported and motivated, knowing that I would have help covering my college costs and could focus more on my education without worrying as much about finances.

How has receiving the WA Grant impacted your ability to pursue college or training?

Receiving the Washington College Grant has made it much easier for me to pursue college. It has reduced the financial stress of paying for tuition, which lets me focus more on my classes and my goals. Because of the grant, I felt more comfortable taking on 20 credits to graduate. Taking more credits can cost more, but that was something I didn’t have to worry about. I took a 20-credit quarter in the winter, and now I have one more in the spring.

Has the WA Grant allowed you to make choices you otherwise couldn’t have made?

Yes! Without the Washington College Grant, I don’t think I would have committed to Western Washington University. I know that attending a university will be more costly, but receiving this grant makes me feel supported and confident that I can manage the costs. It will help me a lot in continuing my education.

What would your education journey look like without the WA Grant?

Without the Washington College Grant, my education journey would have been much harder. I would have had to work more hours or take on more loans to afford tuition, which could have made it harder to focus on my classes. I might not have felt able to commit to Western Washington University yet, and I would have had more stress trying to balance school and finances.

What do you wish more students knew about the Washington College Grant or financial aid in general?

I wish more students knew how much support there is out there and how important it is to fill out the FAFSA. I also wish they knew that the Washington College Grant and other financial aid programs are designed to make college more affordable. Many students don’t apply because they think they won’t qualify or don’t understand how it works. Knowing about these resources can take a lot of stress off students and make it easier to focus on learning and reaching their goals.

What advice would you give to other students thinking about applying for financial aid?

I would tell other students to apply for financial aid as early as possible and not to be afraid to ask questions. Even if you’re not sure you’ll qualify, it’s worth applying because programs like the Washington College Grant can make a big difference. Also, take advantage of advisors, resources, and support centers at your school. They can help guide you through the process and make it much easier.

What are you most excited about for your future?

I’m most excited to graduate this spring with my AA and continue my education at Western Washington University. It feels great to reach this milestone and look forward to the next steps in my academic journey.

How do you hope your education will help you make a difference—in your family, community, or field?

I hope my education will help me be a role model to younger kids in my community. Coming from a small tribal school, graduating high school is already a big achievement, and I want them to know that college is possible too. I hope they see that there is a lot of support available and feel encouraged to pursue their own education and goals.

What’s your name, what school do you attend, and what are you studying?

My name is Diego Gonzalez. I am a third-year student at Seattle University, majoring in Criminal Justice and graduating this year!

What are your career or education goals after college?

After getting my bachelor’s degree, I will be applying to law schools as I want to become an attorney and serve my Washington community. I am also interested in eventually obtaining a Ph.D.

What inspired you to pursue college or training after high school?

I think the main thing that inspired me to pursue college right after high school is to improve my quality of life through a degree. Not only does a degree increase my financial opportunities, but it also helps me grow as a whole person as I learn more about ethics, philosophy, religion, history, politics, etc. I would like to believe that I am a lifelong learner.

Have there been any challenges along the way? What helped you overcome them?

I think the biggest challenge in college life for me has been not knowing a lot of things about college. As a first-gen student, I don’t know how to advocate for myself for certain things like scholarships or housing. I was very fortunate that Seattle University has the CLP+ program which introduced me to a lot of useful programs on campus. Also, there are extremely helpful people on and off campus who have supported me and provided me with guidance on issues that I have run into.

Are there any classes, programs, or people who’ve helped you figure out your path?

I think a ton of people from Lake Washington School District helped me figure out that college was for me. Mr. Hayes from Redmond High School was my homeroom teacher and was extremely supportive of me going to college. He told me that I would do good there, which meant a lot because he had a doctorate and had that experience in higher education. People from my high school Latino club, like Judith Mercado, and the Equity department at LWSD, like Pablo and Sergio, also helped. The Hispanic Scholarship Fund’s Youth Leadership Institute also really helped me out and talked more about private universities which I more or less ruled out at the time because of the cost.

You’re a recipient of the Washington College Grant. How did you first hear about it?

I first heard about the Washington College Grant as a senior in high school when I received my financial aid package from Seattle University. I didn’t know that much about it until I became an ICW fellow, and I learned more about its importance.

What was your reaction when you found out you qualified for the WA Grant?

I grew up low-income, so it wasn’t really a surprise to find out that I qualified for the WA Grant, but I was surprised about its existence. I think it is very cool that Washington is investing in low-income students like me. That said, I was a little shocked when I found out there have been cuts to the WA Grant through the Washington State Legislature. As an ICW fellow, I have had the opportunity to advocate against those cuts. While they won’t apply to me since I’m about to graduate, I hope that our legislators can continue to prioritize Washington students, so that they have the opportunities that I now have.

How has receiving the WA Grant impacted your ability to pursue college?

Without the WA Grant, I would probably not be able to go to college. My ability to pursue college is entirely based on finances. I love learning and I do well in school, but that doesn’t matter if I can’t pay tuition every quarter. My family cannot afford to pay for my schooling, so I am very lucky that the WA Grant helps to cover my costs in attending Seattle University.

Has the WA Grant allowed you to make choices you otherwise couldn’t have made?

The WA Grant allows me to be more involved on campus. I am the Student Body President and the Vice President for Circle K International. It also allows me to volunteer off campus through Operation Nightwatch and as a Board Member for El Centro Cultural Mexicano. Because the grant reduces the financial burden of school, it means that instead of working, I can serve my community. It also allows me to keep good grades. I have a 4.0 GPA right now because I don’t have to spend my days or nights working. I can study during the time that others have to work. Both my extracurriculars and grades, which the grant supports, allow me even more opportunities for other scholarships, further reducing the financial cost of obtaining my degree.

What do you wish more students knew about the Washington College Grant or financial aid in general?

I wish more students, especially low-income students, knew about how much financial aid was out there. There are some scholarships that are merit-based, but there are also some where they care more about your struggles and story. I feel that too many students decide not to even think about a degree because of the impossible cost. So, I want them to know that there are people, institutions, and organizations that can and will support them if they want to go to college.

What advice would you give to other students thinking about applying for financial aid?

I would advise students thinking about applying for financial aid to spend some time researching scholarships locally. I think a lot of students think of national scholarships and then they feel like they can’t compete against the thousands of students applying for the same scholarship. I would recommend looking at local businesses, non-profits, etc. for scholarships. Also, ask the colleges you are interested in for resources. They could point you in the direction of scholarships that you are eligible for. Some universities also have “full ride” scholarships. Seattle University, for example, has the Sullivan Scholarship which also has really cool benefits of being a Sullivan Scholar.

What are you most excited about for your future?

I am most excited about going to law school and helping my community as an attorney. I am also excited about giving back to my community through new ways with a bachelor’s degree and a JD.

How do you hope your education will help you make a difference—in your family, community, or field?

I know that my degree will help financially support my family. My degree gives me more economic opportunities that can benefit my entire family. But my education will also help my community. I want to help serve my local Seattle/Washington community as an attorney. I also want to provide pro bono work to support families with financial need like myself.

What’s your name, what school did you attend, and what did you study?

My name is Isabelle Victoria Esposito, and I recently graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA, double majoring in Political Science and Religion.

What are your career or education goals following graduation? (if you’re currently working, please specify what your role is)?

Since graduating in May 2025, I have begun my role as a Medical Coordinator at Peninsula Community Health Services (PCHS) on the Kitsap Peninsula. What I love most about my current job is the versatility of the company. We are a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that was first established in Bremerton during the 1980s, and Bremerton is my hometown! They started out as a community health center with no regard for ability to pay or health insurance status, and many of those principles remain. This means that PCHS was deliberately designed as a type of nonprofit healthcare in which people below the poverty line, those who have faced language barriers and discrimination in their healthcare journey, and those from humble beginnings can obtain the same high-quality healthcare as they would from a private or corporate provider. Also, PCHS reflects my own values: providing services that extend beyond standard healthcare services such as legal representation, food access, housing, transportation, financial assistance, voter registration, health education, youth and adolescent care, long-term and disability care, and substance abuse treatment in addition to medical, dental, behavioral, and pharmacy care. They acknowledge the full scope of what it means to care for one’s health. Working alongside nurses and doctors is preparing me to better understand the current state of our healthcare in the United States. Currently, I am spending most nights after work studying for the LSAT, and I will be applying this fall to a list of law schools across the West Coast for admission in 2027. After obtaining my Juris Doctor (JD), I hope to improve healthcare policy for the State of Washington.

What inspired you to pursue college after high school?

I have grown up in Washington almost all my life, as I am a PNW native, and I went to Olympic High School on the Kitsap Peninsula. Pacific Lutheran University is exactly where I wanted to attend for college because I had a dream, and that dream was to pursue my education and find my purpose through the endless opportunities that would become available to me. I never could have imagined these possibilities if it had not been for PLU specifically. In high school I had a deep dualistic passion for both religion (my faith in God) and U.S. government and politics. It worked out perfectly when I discovered I could double major in both fields, even if I end up pursuing law as my primary career. I am the first in my family to graduate from a nonprofit private liberal arts university, and that is a huge accomplishment for myself and my family.

Have there been any challenges along the way? What helped you overcome them?

Absolutely, there have been challenges. Mostly financial struggles, as PLU is a private school and I always had to work jobs in between summers and breaks and such in order to fight for my education. What helped me the most, and still continues to do so, is the unconditional love and support of my mom. She has been my rock throughout all five years, and my family in general has encouraged me to stay in school and keep working hard. One of the biggest lessons I have learned from that is making the choice to not wait to take good care of myself. It’s important to still prioritize your mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health even while attending higher education. It can be a real struggle, it’s not easy nor perfect, but it is totally possible. Just as my mom says, there are always options. The end of you is when there are no options. Look for the gray in the middle of the black and white. Just because my educational journey was hard did not mean that I had to give it up. I had to work through it, and in the end, I rose to the occasion and became resilient.

Are there any classes, programs, or people who’ve helped you figure out your path?

Absolutely! I cannot credit my hard work to my education without honoring those who have come before me, and have lovingly guided me along this journey. I would like to thank the entire Religion Department at PLU, especially my helpful advisors, mentors, and professors, Dr. Marit Trelstad, Dr. Micah Miller, Dr. Samuel Torvend, and Dr. Agnes Choi, in helping me realize more fully my theological and philosophical passion for religion. The wonderful Political Science Department has been my primary motivators, Dr. Maria Chavez and Dr. Michael Artime, as their phenomenal teaching style and curriculum has also helped me realize my equal passion for the law and litigation. All of these faculty members are personal, passionate, patient, and unwavering in fighting for my education alongside me.

You’re a recipient of the Washington College Grant. How did you first hear about it?

I first heard about the Washington College Grant in my senior year of high school, so in 2019-2020. I heard some other people at my school talking about how they were born and raised here (even though it is not required of you to be born in Washington to be eligible for the grant), and they mentioned this thing called the WA College Grant. I knew nothing about it until I got accepted into PLU and saw on my financial statement that I would be receiving it starting my first year at PLU.

What was your reaction when you found out you qualified for the WA Grant?

I was very grateful. I had no idea it even existed, and when I saw that it was a large amount being added to my tuition and other expenses, I was even more appreciative. This would be the beginnings of my learning about how state government has more of a direct impact on college students.

How has receiving the WA Grant impacted your ability to pursue college? What might your journey have looked like without it?

It has given me more leverage and room to work with in terms of covering a lot of my expenses, so that I didn’t need to work myself to death as much over the summers and breaks. I still had to work and I learned a lot and gained independence and strength from it, but the grant also covered a lot! This made it possible for someone like me to survive and thrive through PLU without burning myself out quickly.

I’m not sure how I would have been able to attend PLU without it. I thank my state legislators for it and urge them to continue prioritizing Washington students so that everyone has access to the opportunities I had.

What do you wish more students knew about the Washington College Grant or financial aid in general?

I cannot stress this enough: I highly encourage younger college students who are new to and just entering college (like I was for the first time) to learn about your state’s priorities. Is it a priority for your state (WA for example) to make it possible for high school graduates to attend colleges and universities that suit your future career goals, set you up for success, and make your family proud? For example, no one in my family had attended a private university, and I knew that although it would be financially difficult for me (a harder path to take), it was still possible. I also learned that the WA College Grant is one example of WA State prioritizing higher education as part of their policy agenda, though changes in funding (as we’ve seen in recent legislative sessions) can affect how students access those opportunities. Definitely learn about your state’s government and what is important to them, because you actually have the power to make a difference by talking with them! You are their constituent, and you have the power to persuade them in their policy goals. It’s one of many amazing ways to use your civic engagement to your advantage.

What advice would you give to other students thinking about applying for financial aid?

Do it! Think of it like this: You are investing in yourself. When you have all the support that you need, financially for school, you are setting yourself up for success to obtain the degree that you want and deserve, and you are more likely to find a job that pays you higher, and you will be able to pay off that investment. And, by utilizing financial aid, you are actively reminding your state of the prioritization of their policy goals: while we students invest in ourselves, the state will continually invest in us too.

What are you most excited about for your future?

I am most excited about using my degrees for further advancement in law school, so that I can participate in the full circle that I believe in: Investing in my own education so that I have something to pour from my cup to invest in other students’ educations someday. I plan on being a donor to PLU.

How do you hope your education will help you make a difference—in your family, community, or field?

I think my education will help me to provide for my future kids on a stable financial level, and I will also be able to give back to my mom like I have always dreamt of. My education will not only fiscally make a difference, but it will intellectually and psychologically add to the world around me.