I’m Wes Barbour, a 21 year old graduate of Highline College. I aspire to be an interpreter for either the medical field or the court system, or both. I’m interested in trying to see how the world works, before and after graduating.
Many students have to work two or three jobs part time while going to school. If college is lower or close to free, that would entice people a bit more. Growing up, people say ‘go to school, go to school. Ok, you graduated highschool. Now go into a four year college.’ They do mention technical schools and community colleges, but they don’t really push it out. People are like ‘You can go to UW Seattle, you can go to UW Bothell,’ but they don’t really mention ‘If you want, you can go to Highline, or TCC, or a technical college.’
With living off campus, you have to pay for food, housing, utilities. Financial aid might cover some of it, but paying out of pocket affects students – It’s a thought in the back of your head, like “I hope I don’t miss my payment on my lease’. It’s kind of unfair. People shouldn’t feel stressed. Sometimes when you go into school, you’re stressed about a few things, and paying for housing or food adds more.
If we expand wrap-around services, it could be positive. If one student is using it and is more successful, it could reach and influence other students who might have the same struggles. There’s also the negative of there might not be enough for everyone, or people might take advantage of it, and it could be used poorly, picking and choosing who gets what and how much. I want it to be fair for everyone.
Wessam Barbour, Tacoma