Washington State Opportunity Scholarship

Meet Opportunity Scholar Elianna! "Receiving this education will help me reach my goal of becoming a registered nurse. I am looking forward to the many career opportunities that are available in the nursing field and getting my bachelor’s degree will help me attain that goal. My experience with WSOS has been very positive. The application process and communication have been very clear. The continued support from WSOS has been helpful and encouraging. For example, I was able to attend two different nursing career panels that were informative. I appreciated the opportunity to meet and learn from staff from two local health care facilities. Another helpful and memorable part of being an Opportunity Scholar outside of the scholarship dollars has been the support I have received from my Scholar Leads. During my first year of school, I had a Scholar Lead who was a nursing major at a nearby university and I enjoyed meeting with her a few times throughout the year and being able to ask her questions both about nursing and about my scholarship when they arose."

Meet Opportunity Scholar XueYing: "My undergraduate degree in Public Health-Global Health has been fundamental to achieving my goal of being a Physician Assistant serving under-resourced and minority populations. Taking classes within the five core public health disciplines has equipped me with the knowledge and skills needed to address disparities in health and health care. Receiving the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship provided me with the opportunity to dream big. The scholarship helped alleviate some of the stress of paying for my undergraduate degree, which allowed me to be ambitious enough to pursue graduate school. I am immensely grateful for the scholarship. WSOS was a fundamental part of my college career that I am thankful for. I would urge everyone who is qualified to apply to WSOS because of all the amazing and extensive resources that WSOS has provided for me, among many other students."

Happy three-year work anniversary to our development operations maestro, Lauren Pack! "Lauren is an exceptionally organized and planful project manager. She is collaborative, intentional, and a valuable member of the Development team. We appreciate her sense of humor and the fun personality she brings, making our work environment both productive and enjoyable. Thank you for choosing WSOS, Lauren!" — Camille Reynaud, Managing Director of Advancement

Meet Opportunity Scholar Joey: "I am a mechanical engineer working in the tech field designing high-speed test fixtures. I've always wanted to be an engineer and receiving the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship helped relieve the financial stress and burden of college so I can focus on what truly matters: my education. Receiving the WSOS meant a lot because I was able to not take out student loans and truly focus on just my school work instead of working long work hours. I was able to work part-time while attending school due to my scholarships. I had a great experience with WSOS since they were always able to support me financially and through different workshops/programs throughout college. I felt like I always had a support system to help me when needed."

The BECU Foundation has been a dedicated corporate investor in WSOS for five years! What aspects of WSOS interest BECU the most? "The BECU Foundation values the variety of fields and pathways that WSOS supports. Supporting more than one educational path recognizes the various ways of learning and succeeding in life. The level of resources provided to students makes it possible to achieve high-quality work, and it fosters the self-confidence needed to complete their educational journey. The Foundation and WSOS are aligned in reducing the root causes of inequity." Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gEJNk6Dg

Meet Opportunity Scholar Alex! "Receiving my education is helping me reach my goals because it is a significant step in my desire to eventually obtain my professional civil engineering license. Personally, receiving the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship motivated me and reassured me that I could succeed, because it showed me that there were other people out there that believed in me and were willing to support me in my education. I found the Skills that Shine Mentorship Program very helpful because I was able to speak to young professionals in a comfortable setting and gather their advice on interviews, internships, networking, etc. "

Meet Opportunity Scholar Jasmine! "Receiving my education goes hand in hand with my goals, I cannot have one without the other. I'm heading towards a career as a dental hygienist and I need all the required schooling for that. I'm starting with my prerequisites and will be working towards that goal nonstop for the next few years. I chose dental hygiene because of the wonderful experiences I've always had in my dental offices, but I was nervous about going back to school after all this time. I applied to many scholarships but had heard nothing back. When I got the letter that I was a recipient of the WSOS, I cried. It came at a time when I needed a win and getting that letter, seeing that I was chosen, and that this program believed in me and what I was trying to do, was exactly what I'd needed at that exact moment. It's hard to put into words what the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship means to me, but the most succinct word would be: hope. It meant hope to me."

Meet Opportunity Scholar Priscila ⬇️ "As a current Scholar who is majoring in Public Health with a specialization in Population Health, my dream and goals have always consisted of helping others and the community I grew up in. Education has always been the foundation to my goals, pursuing a degree was one step closer to going back to my community in order to overturn the quality of life and to overall help make it a better place with all of the skills and knowledge I gained. Receiving the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship motivated me to keep going; I am a first-generation Hispanic college student. I have always dreamed of attending a university and making my parents proud, they are agriculture field workers and they work so hard for me to live comfortably while I am here in college. Receiving this scholarship helped alleviate not only me but my parents as well and I look forward to the day I receive my bachelors degree."

Today is Dena Parmer's second work anniversary at WSOS! Dena is an incredible addition to the WSOS team! "Dena embodies a spirit of service. She cares deeply about creating a preferred workplace culture at WSOS – even when her tasks are invisible and thankless, she is committed to excellence with the goal of improving staff’s experience. Happy anniversary, Dena! We appreciate all that you do to make our jobs smooth and fun." — Kimber Connors, Executive Director

Help us deliver inspiring and impactful events that build our community! We're #hiring an Events and Communications Officer! Learn more about the role on our website: https://lnkd.in/gs8r24Cz