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Palmer Cares Supports Rising Freshmen for Momentous First Year


In 2018, Palmer Scholars piloted the Palmer Cares program, a two-pronged effort to ensure our Scholars feel supported in their postsecondary journey regardless of how far away from Pierce County they may move. While many Scholars are studying from home this semester as a result of COVID-19, we still found ways to get them started on the right foot.


When the program began, Palmer Cares was intended to fill the need many rising postsecondary freshmen experienced as they headed off for school. For many Scholars, their first day on campus was riddled with feelings of otherness and isolation as they unpacked their hand-me-down bedding while their peers unloaded carts full of brand new, brand name dorm accessories. “It was my first day on campus and I already felt like I didn’t belong,” 2014 high school graduate Jesse said in a speech he gave at our graduation celebration in 2018. That year, Palmer Cares care packages were filled with bed sets, linens, a pillow, school supplies, and other dorm room necessities.


After settling into their first term at their new school, we surveyed our Class of 2018 about their Palmer Cares package. While there was a resounding appreciation for the package, some Scholars noted that though the bedding we chose was nice, it didn’t really reflect their style. We recognized then that a big part of the move-in experience is actually going to buy your dorm accessories. The next year, we provided basic school supplies as well as a $150 gift card for Scholars to go with their mentors and/or guardians to make their own purchases. We were happy to see that this small change in programming gave our Scholars a bigger sense of autonomy in the early days of their newfound adulthood.


The class of 2020 has a first-year experience like no other. With most all of our Scholars studying from their homes in Pierce County, our Palmer Cares packages are responsive to the needs that have arisen. In addition to a backpack and basic school supplies, we also provided each rising freshman with a laptop to help them keep up with their online classes.


Beginning the postsecondary journey is scary for many first-generation students. Through our Palmer Cares program, we are ensuring our Scholars are equipped with the support and tools to thrive.

 
 
 

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Palmer Scholars acknowledges that our work is carried out on, and our office space is located within, occupied Coast Salish land, specifically that of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. We pay respect to Coast Salish Elders past and present and extend that respect to their descendants and to all Indigenous peoples. To acknowledge this land is to recognize its longer history and our place in that history; it is to recognize these lands and waters and their significance for the peoples who lived and continue to live in this region, whose practices and spiritualties were and are tied to the land and the water, and whose lives continue to enrich and develop in relationship to the land, waters, and other inhabitants today.

 

We also pause to recognize and acknowledge the labor upon which our country, state, and institutions are built.

We remember that our country is built on the labor of enslaved people who were kidnapped and brought to the U.S. from the African continent and recognize the continued contribution of their survivors. We also acknowledge all immigrant labor, including voluntary, involuntary, trafficked, forced, and undocumented peoples who contributed to the building of the country and continue to serve within our labor force. We acknowledge all unpaid care-giving labor.

 

To the people who contributed this immeasurable work and their descendants, we acknowledge our/their indelible mark on the spaces in which we operate today. It is our collective responsibility to critically interrogate these histories, to repair harm, and to honor, protect, and sustain this land.

Physical Address - 

4500 Steilacoom Blvd SW BLDG 16

Lakewood WA 98499-4004

Phone -

Tricia Speid (CEO) (253) 617-5676

Mailing Address - 

PO Box 7119, Tacoma, WA 98417

Email - info@palmerscholars.org

To contact someone directly visit our staff page here: Our Team

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