Student Stories

Quincey Christenson

Quincey Christenson 920 1266 College Promise Coalition

”So many people in my nursing program couldn’t go to school without financial aid.“

Quincey Christenson studies nursing at Heritage University. When she was 12, Quincey spent a lot of time in the hospital — time that inspired her to become a nurse. Click play to hear Quincey’s story.

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Kit

Kit 1200 1200 College Promise Coalition

“Education or training after high school is important to me because both can support my future endeavor, give me a good paying job, and most especially, get my family out of poverty.”

Kit is a second-year nursing student at Bates Technical College.

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Colton Reynolds

Colton Reynolds 1202 1266 College Promise Coalition

“Having financial aid sets me up for the future.”

Colton studies aviation at Big Bend Community College with support from financial aid: “Financial aid is a life-saver.” Click play below to hear Colton’s story.

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Richie

Richie 842 850 College Promise Coalition

“You can continue on and change your career path, even at old age.”

Richie grew up in a low-income household and always wanted to pursue higher education. After years in construction, he is now succeeding in the cybersecurity program at Columbia Basin College, thanks to a lot of hard work, financial aid, and other supports. Watch below to hear his story.

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Shelzy Juta

Shelzy Juta 800 748 College Promise Coalition

“The support I received was beyond great. They helped me and guided me to things I’m super interested in.”

Shelzy shares about the supports she’s received through Seattle Promise that have enabled her to succeed at the University of Washington on the path to her college degree. Watch below to hear her story.

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Lillian McNab

Lillian McNab 1098 1030 College Promise Coalition

“Financial aid is what really makes it or breaks it for me so that I can achieve what I want to in life.”

Lillian is a first-year biology and German student at Pacific Lutheran University. Watch the video below to hear her story.

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Emilee

Emilee 720 1081 College Promise Coalition

“A college education is about more than just me and my needs. I want a college degree so that I can support my future family and provide them with experiences/opportunities my parents could never give me. So many people in my nursing program couldn’t go to school without financial aid.”

Emilee is a second-year Gonzaga University student and the first in her family to attend college

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Emma

Emma 1106 1434 College Promise Coalition

“When it’s at the high school, it’s a lot more accessible for people.”

Emma is a Bridgeport High School senior and has always had wanted to go to college and study nursing. Earning college credit during high school via college in is making it easier.

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Micah

Micah 568 610 College Promise Coalition

“Receiving a grant helps me stress less and spend more time working on my education. I currently still work and balancing work to pay off loans and education to advance towards my career goals can be challenging.”

Micah is first-year Biology (Pre-Health) student at Gonzaga University.

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Anjelique

Anjelique 1080 1920 College Promise Coalition

“[Education is] important to me because I wanted to be the first in my family to finally be able to have the chance in going to college and learn and achieve my goals. Also, I wanted to show an example to my younger siblings that anything is possible for you, you just have to put the time and energy into it.”

Anjelique is a first-year nursing student at Big Bend Community College and the first in her family to attend college.

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College Promise Coalition

The College Promise Coalition is a broad-based group advocating for increased higher education access and opportunity for Washington students.

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