We are pleased to announce we have hired two current Scholars to lead our outreach and recruitment efforts for the coming application season. The Scholars are Reece Martin and Anisia Khammala. Given the nature of this school year, all outreach, including presentations to schools, community members, and parents, will occur virtually.
This will be the second year that we hire our own Scholars as temporary contract employees to lead our outreach and recruitment efforts. In previous years, Palmer Scholars staff juggled recruitment work with their other responsibilities such as facilitating Postsecondary Readiness Trainings, onboarding new mentors, and ensuring continuing postsecondary Scholars were on track to graduate. “It just makes sense,” Palmer Scholars Executive Director Jonathan Jackson said. “Who better to help identify the next generation of Palmer Scholars than those who have been in their shoes?” In our first year of contracting Scholars to do outreach and recruitment, our applications rose from 134 to 215!
This part-time position provides our Outreach and Recruitment Specialists the opportunity to develop themselves professionally before they even graduate from their postsecondary program. Outreach and Recruitment Specialists work with our Scholars Engagement Coordinator to perfect their presentation skills and practice professional email etiquette.
The Outreach and Recruitment Specialists will be split into regions. Reece will be serving prospective Scholars from Spanaway Lake High School, Foss High School, Washington High School, Bethel High School, Lakes High School, Harrison Prep, and Puyallup High School. He can best be reached at rmartin@palmerscholars.org. Anisia will be serving prospective Scholars from Franklin Pierce High School, Wilson High School, Stadium High School, Bellarmine Prep, Summit Olympus High School, SAMI, and Mt. Tahoma High School. She can best be reached at akhammala@palmerscholars.org. All other schools and community organizations can direct their inquiries to recruitment@palmerscholars.org.
Applications for Palmer Scholars will close on December 8th. At Palmer Scholars, we are committed to supporting underrepresented Pierce County students of color to overcome the financial, cultural, and social barriers in their pursuit of higher education. If you or someone you know is a current junior from a high school in Pierce County and would like to apply for Palmer Scholars, please contact the Outreach and Recruitment Specialist assigned to your region. If your school is not listed or you would like to schedule a presentation, please email recruitment@palmerscholars.org.