Page 6 The Skanner August 16, 2017
BACK TO SCHOOL
By Dr. Karin Edwards
W
hen someone
from an under-
represented
background is
considering whether to
attend college, a number
of factors come to bear
on that decision. Am I
prepared for college?
Are there people like me?
Will I feel welcomed and
supported? Will I have
enough time to focus on
my studies? Can I balance
college with all of my oth-
er responsibilities?
And, most importantly,
can I aff ord it?
Fortunately for us here
in Oregon, we have tak-
“
too few students of color
are taking advantage of
this promise.
Of the more than 7,000
Oregonians who re-
ceived Oregon Promise
funds for the 2016-17 aca-
demic year, only 88 were
African American (1.3
percent of the total); 68
were of Native American
descent (1.0 percent); and
277 were Asian Amer-
ican (3.9 percent). All
three of these groups are
represented in Oregon
Promise in smaller pro-
portions than in the gen-
eral population. In fact,
among all communities
of color, only Hispanics
and self-identifi ed mul-
If you qualify for the pro-
gram, sign up, get registered
for classes, and start your
journey into higher educa-
tion. It’s that simple
en steps to ensure that
the answer to that last
question is “yes.” When
Gov. Kate Brown signed
the Oregon Promise into
law in 2015, it eff ectively
removed cost as a barrier
to entry into higher edu-
cation. Any student who
qualifi es for the Oregon
Promise can attend most
in-state community col-
leges tuition-free.
Unfortunately, though,
tiracial people partici-
pated in the program at
rates surpassing their
portion of the general
population.
For a program de-
signed specifi cally to
help people from disad-
vantaged populations,
this is a problem.
There are likely a host
of reasons why more
people of color aren’t
taking advantage of this
PHOTO BY JERRY FOSTER
Too Few Students
of Color Take
Advantage of
Oregon Promise
Black Male Achievement Seeks Mentors
Participants of Black Male Achievement Summer Youth Experience,at a community event hosted by Black Male Achievement Portland
Aug. 12. The group assembled to gather input on how to attract mentors for young Black men and boys.
Over 50 young Black males participated in BMA’s Summer Youth Experience, a collaboration with Worksystems and the Immigrant
and Refugee Community Organization. The program was culturally-specifi c with exercises focusing on building social and emotional
intelligence, and engaging in discussions with professionals on how to navigate the workplace as Black men.
opportunity – too many
for me to address in this
column. But whatever
the reason, the answer is
the same: If you qualify
for the program, sign up,
get registered for classes,
and start your journey
into higher education.
It’s that simple.
Now, you may have
heard that the state Legis-
lature wasn’t able to fully
fund the Oregon Prom-
ise during the recent
legislative session – and
that’s true. The likely re-
sult will be that program
grants won’t be available
to students from wealth-
ier families, but for most
students from tradition-
ally underrepresented
PUTTING PEOPLE
Constructing Hope TO WORK in the
Pre-Apprenticeship Program CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRY
backgrounds, that won’t
be a problem.
You’re eligible for the
Oregon Promise if you
meet the following
criteria:
• Be a recent Oregon
high school graduate
or GED recipient
• Document a 2.5 cumu-
lative high school GPA
or higher; or a GED
score of 145 or higher
on each test
• Plan to attend at least
half-time at an Oregon
community
college
within 6 months of
high school graduation
or GED completion
• Be an Oregon resident
for at least 12 months
prior to attendance
• File a FAFSA or OR-
SAA application and
list at least one Oregon
community college
• Have no more than  90
college credits  com-
pleted or attempted
Taking part in Oregon
Promise is simple. But
it’s one thing to discuss
FREE
Ten weeks of construction training for those
with legal history, minorities and low income,
ages 18 years and older.
WE OFFER:
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503-281-1234 • www.constructinghope.org
attending college in the
abstract, and quite an-
other to connect college
– and the Oregon Prom-
ise -- with a gainful ca-
reer. Take PCC’s Welding
Technology
Program,
based out of the College’s
Swan Island Trades Cen-
ter, for example. In two
years, a student can earn
an Associate of Applied
Science degree in Weld-
ing Technology; and
in less than one year,
a student can attain a
certifi cation in general
welding, fl ux-core arc
welding, gas metal arc
welding, gas tungsten arc
welding, pipe welding, or
shielded metal arc weld-
ing.
Under the Oregon
Promise, all of these out-
comes are available to
qualifi ed students tui-
tion-free. And what does
this mean to a student’s
future? The Oregon Bu-
reau of Labor Statistics
reports that the state is
in the midst of a welding
job boom, with the num-
ber of welder positions
expected to be 15 percent
2018
THE SKANNER
FOUNDATION
SCHOLARSHIPS
APPLICATIONS
ARE OPEN
higher by 2020 than it
was in 2010.
That’s a gainful career.
That’s a living-wage oc-
cupation. That’s an in-
credibly versatile skill
set that someone could
put to work virtually
anywhere. And it doesn’t
stop at welding. PCC has
literally dozens of pro-
grams that can prepare
you for a good career,
or help you on your way
to a bachelor’s degree, a
master’s degree, or even
more.
That’s the Oregon
Promise, and that’s how
PCC can help make it a
reality. I encourage more
students of color to take
advantage of this op-
portunity and take the
State of Oregon up on its
promise.
Dr. Karin Edwards is
president of Portland
Community College’s Cas-
cade Campus. To learn
more about the Oregon
Promise program, visit
www.oregonstudentaid.
gov. To learn more about
PCC, visit www.pcc.edu
Application Deadline:
October 31, 2017
For more information and
to download The Skanner
Foundation scholarship
application, go to
www.theskanner.com/
foundation/scholarship
Scholarships will be awarded
at the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Breakfast on January 15, 2018.
Foundation