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When There's a Why, There's a Way: Introducing our Annual Report

kkuboyama
Nov 23, 20202 min read


The past year has truly put our organization and the services we provide to the test. Our Scholars are underrepresented in all postsecondary pathways. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the barriers our Scholars face in their pursuit of higher education. The pandemic has caused our Scholars to lose jobs that helped their families stay afloat. It has disrupted their educational environments. For some, the pandemic has eliminated the only stable housing our Scholars have access to for 10 months of the year. Though our team mobilized emergency support and increased engagement services, we braced ourselves for a drop in enrollment and persistence that many institutions have seen at the start of the 2020-2021 school year. With 97% of our first-year Scholars returning for the second year, we continue to be amazed by the determination and resilience our Scholars show!


Scholars list their families as their number one motivation for persisting through higher education. With 90% of our Scholars being the first in their families to pursue higher education or graduate from high school, Scholars want to set an example for their younger siblings. With this determination and a little support from our staff, our Scholars are destined to reach every goal they set for themselves.


“Powered by Why” is the theme of our annual report. In this tumultuous year, it has been more important than ever to remember why we do what we do. When we center our Scholars in each decision we make, we can never fail to achieve the mission Merle and Rev. Al set out to accomplish all those years ago. Regardless of whether the obstacle exists in or out of the classroom, we ensure our Scholars are given the support needed to succeed.


We will be sending out our annual report later this month. We look forward to showing you all our Scholars have accomplished over the year!

 
 
 

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 SUPPORT OUR MISSION TODAY!

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

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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