All In: Student Pathways Forward
This podcast focuses on elevating community college student voices to shape inclusive higher education and workforce development policies, practice and partnerships that create economic mobility.
All In: Student Pathways Forward
Part I Portland Community College (PCC) & Lumina Foundation - PCC Student Shalease Williams and President Mark Mitsui; Lumina Foundation Strategy Director, Kermit Kaleba
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In the latest All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast episode, host Marc Goldberg interviews Portland Community College Career Pathways student Shalease Williams as well as President Mark Mitsui. Shalease speaks passionately about the value of stackable credentials for adult students and lifts up the resources and holistic faculty and staff support that are essential for adult and parenting students. President Mitsui reflects on the interview with Shalease and elaborates on the systemic barriers students face and solutions like Oregon’s statewide Pathways to Opportunity initiative and Career Pathways framework.
This two part episode will also feature additional insights from the Lumina Foundation's Kermit Kaleba, who discusses the organization’s commitment to racial equity and how the foundation is investing in various state and college projects that support adult students to earn quality stackable credentials, increasing college completion and access to good jobs.
The All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast is a part of Oregon’s participation in the National Skills Coalition SkillSPAN network.
Welcome to the All-in Student Pathways Forward Podcast focused on elevating student voices from Oregon community colleges to shape inclusive policies, practice, and partnerships. This is the host, Mark Goldberg, and it's an honor to speak with students across our state who share their community college experiences, offer salient and practical solutions to make colleges more student-centered, and hear from college leaders and policymakers listening in and reacting to the students' recommendations, building on their solutions and calls to action. Today's episode features an interview with Portland Community College Career Pathways graduate Shalise Williams, who learned about the Health Career Certificate Program at the college through a great partnership with Albina Head Start. This is followed up by a conversation with PCC President Mark Meetsui about Shalice's interview and the broader work across Oregon with the Pathways to Opportunity initiative that President Meetsui envisioned and has championed for the past few years. The last interview was with Kermit Kaliba from the Lumina Foundation, an independent private foundation committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. These are such robust and impactful conversations that this episode will actually be split into a part one and part two. So starting today with part one is the full interview with Shalise Williams and half of my discussion with President Mitsui. We'll pick up the rest of my interview with President Mitsui and the full conversation with Kermit Kaliba in part two. Thanks for listening in. I'd like to welcome my featured guest for this podcast episode, Shalise Williams, who's a student at Portland Community College. Welcome to the All-In Student Pathways Forward podcast, Shalise.
SPEAKER_00Thank you.
SPEAKER_02Well, to get us started, I wanted to ask you if you could talk about your background and your journey to Portland Community College as a student.
SPEAKER_00Well, I went to PCC back in the days, more than a few years ago, and took a few classes. I started out at Mount Hood and then I went to PCC and I never really completed anything. I didn't really have a clear understanding about how college was really set up. You know, it was just like I was taking classes all over the place, but they were never adding up to get to my goal, which was to have a degree. When I became a foster parent, I had a kid that went to Albina Head Start. And, you know, they sent in paperwork and different notices. One of the days, when his cubbies, he had some paperwork inviting parents to come to this meeting that was going to help you with college, help you get some kind of certificate to further on your career. I had been a stay-at-home mom for a while. So I was entering back into the workforce. And when I did enter into the workforce, it was, you know, a little bit not really what I wanted. So I needed a little bit more education. So I took them upon their offer. I came and I met some of the career pathways staff and they introduced me and told us the different steps and avenues to achieving our goal. So I took them up on that opportunity. And they said that everyone wasn't guaranteed to get into the spot. So I just, you know, fill it out and wasn't really sure if I was going to be accepted. And when I was, I thought, oh, okay, why not? My kids are going back to school. And why shouldn't I? So that's where I met all the career pathway staff. And I'm here today.
SPEAKER_02That's great. Thank you for sharing that. And we'll talk a little bit more in a bit about the career pathway certificate that you enrolled in and the partnership with Albina Head Start. But just to clarify, it is the health careers certificate that you learned about with that flyer at Albina Head Start. And that's the program that you enrolled in. Cool. So where are you at right now? Are you enrolled in the program?
SPEAKER_00I completed the program in 2020. We started in 2019, right before the pandemic hit. So we had, you know, a regular schooling up until March. And that's when everything started to shut down. And so we didn't get the proper send-off like every other class did. We didn't get the graduation or the party or your family coming to hear about all your goals. But I did complete it.
SPEAKER_02Congratulations.
SPEAKER_00Thank you.
SPEAKER_02And since then, are you working now in healthcare or have you continued your studies?
SPEAKER_00Well, I continued on with my education. I wasn't sure if once I completed the program, if you know the staff would just send us along their way, and they did not. I'm still working with them to this day. I've completed my associate's degree in general studies, and I have a few more credits to get my transfer degree. So they're going to help me transfer to PSU. So that's my goal.
SPEAKER_02So oh, that's fantastic. Congratulations. That's too both the certificate and the associate's degree.
SPEAKER_00Exactly.
SPEAKER_02That's reassuring to hear that the PCC Career Pathways team really guided you through that process.
SPEAKER_00Yes, they did. Oh, yes, tremendously. One of the women that I work with is Heather. And so she's really been heaven sent for me. She didn't just throw me out there and once I completed their program, just left me alone. Now she's continuously helping me with my goal, and we're going to start looking for employment.
SPEAKER_02So that's really great to hear with Heather. And I think we'll talk in a little bit more about how faculty and staff have been most helpful for you. But I want to just come back and ask you what has been your biggest success so far in your experience at the college.
SPEAKER_00So my biggest success is completing the certificate and my degree. That's been a goal of my, a lifelong goal of mine, just to have a degree. You know, when you have kids and they're moving along through school, it's easy to tell them that you need to go to college, but it's better to show them. And so I wanted to show my son that it is possible to, you know, achieve this goal that I've been telling you that you should have. And so that's really one of my biggest force behind just sticking to it and really getting it done.
SPEAKER_02That's awesome. And what incredible modeling for your children. Right. So can you talk about any challenges, Shalise, you've faced in pursuing your education?
SPEAKER_00Well, the challenge is having kids. When you're in school, you know, having to run everyone to school and then be in class on time, and you're not really allowed to miss so many days in the program because it's really hands-on and you really need to be there. So that was one of my biggest challenges, just trying to get everybody into all their places on time. So all of my kids are not at albina. Like I was saying, that I came through Albina via foster parenting. So all of my kids didn't get that six to six. Some of my kids got out of school early, or if they call in sick, or something like that. So that was the biggest challenge.
SPEAKER_02Just that juggling of family responsibilities on top of being in school and all that that requires, both in being in class, but then the the work outside of class, I would imagine.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Oh, that was it was really challenging for me. I had been out of school for a while. So it was easier for me to go through the program because they were more hands-on instead of me just being thrown into a classroom and trying to navigate the system. Like I learned all these different D2Ls and bright space, and I didn't know any of that. And now in colleges, they're requiring you to do these discussions. If I hadn't gone through this program, I would have been like, what do they want from me? So they taught me a lot. They got me prepared for college. I really recommend this as a program that they should be put into high school because a lot of kids coming from out of high school are thrown into the same avenue. How does this work? We didn't learn this in high school. What do you mean? You know?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's a great suggestion. How you were describing that, it sounds like there was also support in just the technology, the tools that the college uses for online or hybrid coursework, which, you know, the vast majority shifted to, if not all, during the pandemic, but even beyond the pandemic for students returning to school like yourself, but also for recent high school graduates and even bringing that into the high school so students can step right in with that foundation when they enroll in community college classes.
SPEAKER_00Exactly.
SPEAKER_02Just want to come back to the realities for a lot of students. So you talked about childcare and family responsibilities. We hear a lot from students that funding college can be a source of stress. And just curious what resources with Portland Community College or outside the college have been most helpful to you in addressing the costs of college?
SPEAKER_00Well, I'm not really sure what it was like pre-pandemic, but during the pandemic, they have like COVID relief funds, and they have these different GER grants and HEER grants for students. Some you have to pay back, some you don't. That really helped with funding for daycare and paying bills and things like that because a lot of us couldn't work. I was in the healthcare system. I had kids, so I had to think about going to work every day, maybe bringing home a deadly disease to my family. And with this program, I was able to have that option. Some people don't have that option, you know, and I was fortunate enough to be able to still sustain my livelihood and continue to go to school and make sure that my family was safe. So I'm not really sure if those fundings are always allocated prior to this, but if it's not, maybe they should be.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yeah. I think those different funds that can help students cover the full cost of attendance, considering childcare and utilities or technology.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_02And then it sounds like the tuition and fees were covered as well.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the tuition and fees for the actual program were covered, and we didn't have to really come out of pocket. I'm further in on my education, so I do have to use some loans, and they still help me with some of my classes and books. Like this term, I've been able to still get funding for my books.
SPEAKER_02Have you been connected with the STEP grant as well?
SPEAKER_00I think that's what this is being paid with. This is STEP grant. I think that's what it's called because I have to fill out an application. Um, I've had so many different grants come through. So sometimes I get it and some terms I don't, but that's only because I'm furthering on my education. So I have to make room for other students as well.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Well, it's great to hear that the college has been able to support you along your educational journey and help address those costs beyond tuition and fees so that you can focus on your studies.
SPEAKER_00The lady that I work with, Heather, she's always sending me different fundings, different services that can help outside of the school program that I didn't know anything about for families, that I can also pass along. Like maybe they might not work for me, but they might work for someone else that I know. So the word of mouth chain has really been great.
SPEAKER_02I think since you brought up Heather again, I I did want to ask you a question if there's been someone on campus or more than one individual, if it's Heather or faculty or others who've helped you navigate the benefits and get you connected to resources. So you've already started to describe that a little bit, but just curious how they were most helpful to you.
SPEAKER_00So in the beginning, we had several staff. We had Heather, we had Lori, we have Michelle. She helps with finding jobs. Heather has been there for me step by step. She's the one who I contact, she's the one who checks on me to make sure that you know everything's going good with my classes. She helps me navigate with who my student advisor is. She's helped me all along the way. Some things that I might have taken longer to try to figure out or, you know, maybe been lost. She's been that middleman to help alleviate some stress. So I'm really appreciative of Heather. She's yeah, A1 in my book in this program.
SPEAKER_02That's awesome.
SPEAKER_00All the staff in hole. I mean, I couldn't say anything bad about any of the staff that I encountered throughout the program. And they were all very helpful. Like some of our teachers were even willing to give us, you know, that extra one-on-one support that you can't always get in a full classroom setting because you're one of maybe a thousand students that that particular teacher sees. And with this particular program, it's more personal. It's more, you know, one-on-one. You feel like when we were in there, we were all like a little family. There's all walks of life, different ages. We had 19-year-olds, we had 50-year-olds, you know, we had people in the middle, we had different nationalities, some people that had just come to America from their home countries. I met people that I probably may not have encountered in my everyday life. I was able to make friends with them, learn about their lives and their cultures. They were able to learn about my life and my culture. So that's what I liked about it too. They didn't just prepare you for college, but they prepared you for the real world. This is who you're going to encounter when you get in the workspace, like all walks of life. So I really appreciated that.
SPEAKER_02And especially in an industry like healthcare, where there are patients who have very different backgrounds, but then also the workforce as well needs to reflect the diversity of the clients or patients that they serve. And it's really nice to hear how you described the cohort together, the power of that family, as you said, of students coming together, learning from one another, and also recognizing that every student with their own unique backgrounds is bringing something to the table. Yes, completely that other students can learn from and the faculty and staff can learn from.
SPEAKER_00And they also helped us with internships. They had job fairs for us as well on the campus. The pandemic cut everything short, but there was a lot of thought into this program as far as how they can make everyone successful. I really appreciated that, the way that they have it set up. They do walk you step by step, making sure that you have little successes along the way. And I appreciate that because a lot of times when you go into college, you're just like, okay, I'm getting into this associate's degree, but then you take all these classes and all these classes, and you're like, when am I going to get this degree? You know, but to have the certificate and then like, oh, okay, I achieved something. And now to get my associate's degree, like, oh, okay, I achieved something else. That means I can continue on. I'm achieving things along the way. It's not just word of mouth, like, oh yeah, you can graduate. Oh, yeah, you can do it. You're actually seeing it. That's what I really appreciate. I think that that's the difference from when I first started college into now, is that I didn't have any little successes along the way. And I got burnt out. And it was like, well, yeah, of course you got burnt out because you were just taking frivolous classes that had no meaning to where you wanted to be. And that's where I needed someone to help me figure out what is your goal? Okay, well, this is how you get to your goal. So I appreciate that.
SPEAKER_02The way you describe that is really powerful. So thank you for capturing that. Here's a certificate that you've completed that can point you to a job and or give you the confidence and motivation potentially to continue on, see the progress like you described, and then keep going.
SPEAKER_00I think that that would cut out a lot of students just pursuing a particular degree to find out that at the end they really didn't want that degree. Taught me that, yes, I like the health care because I wanted to be a nurse. But after going through those things, yes, I want to be in healthcare, but I don't want to be a nurse because I can't handle the bodily functions and all the grid that comes behind that. But I can sit in the office and program all of the information that needs to be distributed throughout the healthcare system, but I just can't be hands-on with it. Because I had pursued receiving my RN. That cut two years out of my life that I would have had to waste it to get to a job and be like, I can't do it, you know.
SPEAKER_02And I would imagine that through the health career certificate program, you may have learned about all these different possibilities of careers in healthcare outside of nursing.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_02That you could pursue.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. I didn't even know that they had all of these certificate programs, like healthcare certificates, administrative certificates, sterilization certificates, all of these are under the healthcare umbrella. I had no clue about them. You know, no one ever told me about it.
SPEAKER_02Well, appreciate you sharing that. I wanted to ask you a little bit more about the health career certificate and that partnership with Albina Head Start. But I'm curious what are the core elements of this innovative program and how has it been most helpful to you as a student? So you've talked some about that, but if there's more you want to fill in about the program itself, the partnership with Albina Head Start, that'd be great.
SPEAKER_00Like I said, the program I came into a via my foster son at the time. You have a certain day and time that you have to be there, just like any college, but we're basically all together. So we go to the same classes together, no other outside students are in our class, and we move from each class to each class together, bonding. And there's also, I guess, tutoring. One of the teachers, there's a class just to help you get more hands-on learning, but as a cohort one-on-one. And we're all learning at the same time, we're all answering questions. No one's too shy to raise their hand or um too afraid because we're a small knit class and everyone's there for the same goal. And so that's what I liked about that. We helped each other. It was like a ladder, you know. If one couldn't get up, we reached down and pull them up. So no one in that class failed. I was on the dean's list, uh, you know, on this program. Yeah, I was on the president's list. I got straight A's. I'm had gotten good grades, but I never made the dean's list and the president's list. So that, you know, I was patting myself on the back. So that was really awesome for me. Yes, you can do it. And a lot of times, depending on your background or your circumstance, you don't always get those achievements or those pats on the back or those encouragements. So to come to this class and everybody from different walks of life are all helping each other, encouraging you. That just made it so much better. I also got my BSL, which is more than just CPR classes. It's the CPR training that paramedics receive. I have kids. So I learned how to resuscitate a child, I learned how to resuscitate an adult using the same materials that a paramedic would use. We learned about ethics, we learned about how to build our resumes, how to build our cover letters, we have mock interviews. I think that this program should be available to everyone, even if you're not financially unstable. I think this program should still be advocated to you. Like myself, the only reason why I was even exposed to the albine ahead start is because I have a foster kid.
SPEAKER_02That's really helpful. And I'm gonna try to summarize a lot of your insights there. Just the accessibility of this type of program for any and all students, regardless of your financial status, if you're a parent, if you're a returning student, a younger student, that this model was really dynamic for you and feeling like it should be available to all students. And some of the aspects of the program were really, as you've described, the cohort.
SPEAKER_00Yes, the cohort.
SPEAKER_02So, really that bonding with other students, supporting one another. And then you also described a unique aspect. I think it's an integrated education and training program where there's an additional instructor who has a review of the content.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, she reviewed. We had this game, it's like A program where we all are connected. The teacher puts in random questions in the class. As a team, we will answer the questions together like a game. It was a fun competition. As we're competing, we're actually learning. Even if they just had that, that would be a great tutoring idea.
SPEAKER_02That's a great suggestion in thinking about ways to loop back on content with other students so that you can learn together in a supportive environment.
SPEAKER_00Yes, exactly.
SPEAKER_02I want to shift us a little bit and talk about realities that a lot of community college students face. So we hear from students that they're reluctant at times to seek help or access the benefits they're eligible for because of concerns that they may be taking those benefits away from another individual who may need them more, or because of the stigma associated with those benefits andor resources. Wanted to ask you, Shelleys, what can we do to reduce the stigma and increase the number of students accessing the benefits and resources they deserve and need?
SPEAKER_00Maybe not just box them into the students who are on SNAP or the students that are in lower income, you know, because that makes them feel needy. No one wants to feel needy or a burden on anyone. Yes, you do want to help the students do need your access, but like I was saying again, not all students that need you are needy. They might be right on the edge, you know, and they feel like, well, I can feed my kid, but I also want to pursue my education, but I might not qualify. So I think a lot of people don't try because they feel like they don't qualify. I would have been one of them. I would have been like, oh no, I don't meet the criteria. But I just tried just to see. I didn't really think that I would get accepted, but I ended up getting accepted. So it's just putting it out there to try and maybe not put in on who should apply, I think that that would open up the doors for more people to come in.
SPEAKER_02It sounds like what you're saying too is instead of creating doors for certain groups, if it's based on income, or maybe they're an English language learner and it's almost like the college just has one big door, and then once you're in, then the college staff and faculty can identify what's what your needs are. Yeah, what your needs are and what resources could help you. So no one has that moment where they're like, oh, this isn't for me.
SPEAKER_00Right. It's like we have these resources if you need them, but you don't have to need them to be here. And I've been telling people all about this program. If it wasn't for COVID, you guys probably would have had so many new applicants because I'm just an advocate for this program. I'm telling everyone within earshot, I went to this program, they helped me, like I'm a graduate.
SPEAKER_02Thank you for doing that.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, you're welcome. Yeah, anytime.
SPEAKER_02So, from your perspective, Shalise, what type of college policies could make it easier for students like yourself who have been juggling parenting and in many cases, work responsibilities and other family responsibilities with your own education?
SPEAKER_00On-site daycare would be great for students. You might have an hour window in between classes where you have to run and go get your kid and take them to wherever they need to be and then come back. And then you're just so worn out, or you're just so focused on, well, where am I going to take my kid? Can I complete this program? Or even an on-site school for kids would be wonderful. They're not supposed to, but some parents are leaving their kids at home and they're so focused on what's going on at home that they really can't focus on what's in front of them. So they're not giving their all or maybe learning their all.
SPEAKER_02I really appreciate your thoughts there and your recommendations. It's such an important issue. So, on a similar note, I wanted to ask you what's the most important thing that educators, career coaches, and others working to help students succeed can do to assist and to help, in particular, working and/or parenting students?
SPEAKER_00I think just being more patient or more aware of life circumstances. I know sometimes teachers have a lot of students and they figure, oh, well, that person might be a slacker. Well, I'm not going to put forth any effort, but it might not be the case. It might be that life is just overwhelming them and you putting more pressure on them could be the breaking point. If you see a student struggling, maybe take the time to shoot them an email or say, Hey, are you okay? Or you haven't turned in this assignment or do you need some help? Personally, that's happened to me. Like life has gotten so overwhelming that some of my assignments had got behind, but it was just an email from the teacher saying, Hey, did you know we had this do or did you know we had that do? And for me, I was like, Oh my God, yes, I just got so overwhelmed. Would you please be willing to accept my words? On work is better than none.
SPEAKER_02Sounds like the most important thing is to just have patience with students and be flexible and caring with students, checking in with them if they missed an assignment.
SPEAKER_00Right, correct. And just being open, it sounds like I know we're all adults, but sometimes need adulting. You know, they need some extra support.
SPEAKER_02I think just flipping this considering students, what advice would you give to other students at Portland Community College and different community colleges from your own experience?
SPEAKER_00Well, what I would say for someone coming freshly out of high school, I would tell them that yes, your end goal is to receive a degree, but there's also little wins along the way that you can also achieve. And they all go toward your end goal. Let's say you want to be an RN. Well, the cohort health program, those credits transfer to your RN program. So you can also see that, hey, I'm working. Okay, I got this certificate. I can do more because two years is a long time when you're a young person. It's a long time when you're not a young person. I think just showing them that there's other paths you can take to get to your end goal. You don't always have to go a straight line and you'll still get there.
SPEAKER_02Thank you for sharing that. And part of what you said too is that those small or little wins along the way also are in line with the larger goal. So it's it's not taking you in a different direction. They're gonna build towards your long-term goal and can help with a credential under your belt with those milestones.
SPEAKER_00Correct. Don't just bring up the degree, also bring up the degree, but also bring up the certificates as well.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they're stepping stones. And I'm thinking back to the BLS certification, which is an industry-recognized certification and how that's beneficial for your future career. But also, you said you brought that back as a parent to know that you have the skills if there was some type of emergency with your own family.
SPEAKER_00And it's recognized if you're actively in the healthcare. I was working in adult foster home. So that class that I took and got credit for also satisfied my requirement for my employment. So two wins, you know?
SPEAKER_02So I wanted to ask you, Shalise, just with this podcast, it really is a way to elevate student voices and hear from students. Do you have any other ideas on how colleges can listen to students better to develop policies and programs that put students in the best position to succeed in in college and beyond?
SPEAKER_00Maybe they can actually get feedback from the people that they're designing it for to hear what are their struggles, besides just a bunch of people maybe well out of college or not in tune to the new age. Just listen to them like you're doing now. So now that I've told you what I had issues with, you can help with the next one. Listening and then implementing the responses, not just listening and yeah, okay, and then continuing on the same way. It's not gonna work.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00It should be student-based, it's community college, it should be community-based.
SPEAKER_02Curious how your experience at Portland Community College through the health career certificate and beyond now, how that experience has been impactful in your life.
SPEAKER_00Oh, I am so thankful for this particular program. I don't even know if I would have continued on my education like I wanted to. I might have still been trying to figure out how the system works without this particular program. It's teaching me how to get my next generation through the college system. It's not just gonna stop with me, it's gonna continue on through my family. And I'm pretty sure it's gonna do the same with others. I know what classes you need and how to find the classes you need for the program and just have a clear concept of what it is that you're trying to get to and how to get there. So I'm so thankful for this. Like I said before, I went in just looking to get a healthcare certificate. I'll have two degrees from PCC and a certificate, all because of the healthcare cohort.
SPEAKER_02That's amazing. Yeah, thank you for sharing so many insights during this conversation. I wanted to just ask you as we wrap up, Shalise, if there's anything else you'd like to share about your experience at PCC for this podcast episode.
SPEAKER_00I'm thankful for getting to meet hopefully lifelong friends from this program. I'm not only gonna come out here with several degrees, but I'm gonna come out of here with a job. No, not even a job, a career. I'm gonna come out of here with a career and a career that I've been trying to pursue for so long, and just not knowing how to get there, and to have them take me by the hand and say, you know, you got this, you can do this, in so many words, and really help me do it because I've done it and I'm continuing on doing it. And I hope to be an advocate for this program once I've finished my schooling. I have a lot of ideas that I think would benefit the gaps between the community and the community colleges. I would love to be that gap in between because I have so much experience through the foster parenting system, not just the children, but the adults. I just want to make sure that it gets out there to the world.
SPEAKER_02I'm just amazed at your own journey, your interest in supporting other students in a similar path, and just your reflections on your experience. You've provided really dynamic recommendations and solutions and perspective. I've learned a ton from you from this conversation. It's really great to hear how positive your experience in the health career certificate at PCC has been and beyond and where you're at now. I just want to thank you for taking the time.
SPEAKER_00Well, yeah, thank you so much, Mark. Uh I appreciate you considering me to even explain my story. You know, I don't really think of myself as anyone interesting, but maybe I'm meant to come here and speak with you as a starter to much more.
SPEAKER_02I just want to express my gratitude to you for carving out the time for this conversation.
SPEAKER_00Thank you so much, Mark. You have a good day.
SPEAKER_02You too. I'd like to welcome my next guest to this episode of the All in Student Pathways Forward, Mark Mitsui, the president of Portland Community College. Welcome, President Mitsui, to the podcast today.
SPEAKER_01Thank you, Mark. It's a pleasure to be here.
SPEAKER_02Thank you for joining me. And I wanted to start by asking you if you could share a bit more about Portland Community College, if there are any listeners that are not familiar with the institution.
SPEAKER_01You bet. So Portland Community College has been around for over 60 years now. We serve a pretty large region, really three counties and parts of two other. And we serve approximately 60,000 credit and non-credit students annually. So we are the largest public higher education institution in the state of Oregon. And we have been really focused on equitable student success and increasing success rates for all students and eliminating disparities, particularly for students from marginalized communities, and increasing access to living wage jobs as well.
SPEAKER_02Thank you for sharing that. I'm always amazed at the reach of Portland Community College in terms of number of students and geography that the college serves in our state.
SPEAKER_01Yes, we say that we serve an area larger than the state of Rhode Island, although Rhode Island is not a large state, but it does point out that we do serve a large geographic area. We just opened a new facility, for example, in Columbia County, the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center. We've got a center in Newburgh, and we've got five other centers and then four campuses spread out throughout the region.
SPEAKER_02That's great. And I'm somewhat familiar with the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center from my time at PCC. So I wanted to ask you if you had the chance to listen to my interview with Portland Community College student Shalise Williams and what your overall reactions were to the discussion I had with her.
SPEAKER_01Well, first of all, I was really impressed by Shalice's powerful honesty and just her genuine, authentic nature, and her willingness to share her experience. It's so valuable to hear firsthand student perspectives about the challenges that our students face and the courage that it takes for students to walk in the door and the strategies that are needed in order to show up and start the journey, let alone finish the journey. Our students always inspire me, inspire us. And Shalise gave another example of why we do what we do and why it's so important to students. So a big thank you to her for engaging and participating in this project.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I was just amazed at where she was at in her journey. She came back to PCC to gain a college certificate in healthcare, and one that I know well because I worked with the Career Pathways team to help stand that up in partnership with Albina Head Start. So interesting to hear that that was her way in, and then just to learn that she now has two associates' degrees in addition to the certificate, and really saw that as her path.
SPEAKER_01You know, a friend and president emeritus of Miami Gate College, Eduardo Padrone, likes to say that talent is universal, but opportunity is not. And Shalise really reminded me of the fact of how talented our students are and how much opportunity is needed in order to fully realize the contributions that students like Shalise have to make, as well as to the incredible potential that students have. And I just think about the systemic barriers that Shalise alluded to, that we still need to move. You know, when she was talking about the benefits and the supports that helped and the important work of Heather and others in the Career Pathways program to help her do that, it really underscores how siloed our support system is. And that's why coaches, navigators are needed because the trails are very confident. There were a lot of barriers that were put in place that have hindered access to benefits, particularly for students in higher education who genuinely need those supports in order to access and complete college. And so I thought actually bravely provided us with the importance of navigation and assistance combined with the persistence of students. But there's a lot of systems work to be done in order to increase access and success for students.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. You've already touched on this a little bit, but I wanted to ask you if there's anything you heard from my conversation with Shalise that highlighted work that PCC is doing well to address students' unmet financial needs.
SPEAKER_01Well, certainly integrating different benefits and supports. And that's important because our student needs are multifaceted. And the reference to the work that Heather is doing on behalf of career pathways. I think she also, both directly and indirectly, understorred the maximal efficiency of a career pathway. And that is these are shorter-term credentials. They are a sequential lockstep in terms of course construction and sequencing. And they're really focused on the practical skills that result in wage progression for the individual student. And then all the credentials are stackable so that students can go in, they can experience the wage increases that come with the training and credentialing, go out, work at that new level at a new job, make more money when they're ready, come back in, and they don't have to start all over. They're gonna pick up where they left off, build on top of that, and go to the next level. That structure with those wraparound supports really reflects the busy, complicated lives of their students. Certainly, money is a resource, but time is also a resource. And our students don't have a lot of time, right? I mean, you're raising a family, you're working, you're going to school, you're commuting. There just isn't enough hours in a day to get everything that needs to be done for everybody. And so the more we can streamline and shorten that pathway to a living wage through education and training, then the better off our students are.
SPEAKER_02With this Career Pathways program, as we've developed others across the state of Oregon and well beyond, what Shalise explained too is that it's an integrated education and training program. So in addition to the holistic navigation support, there was also an additional instructor that provided more academic supports for students with very different backgrounds coming into this program.
SPEAKER_01It's a really good point. She talked about the many different languages that were represented in the classroom and IET or integrated education and training definitely is a proven strategy for helping students to earn credit, develop those living wage skills, and successfully complete programs. This kind of approach and investments in this kind of approach pay off in so many different ways. But you're right about the integrated education and training in the career pathways. We're very proud, and I know Mark, you worked with the Career Pathways program for many years at PCC, and we know that the completion rate overall in our career pathways programs is greater than 90%. And we know that the completion rate for students of color is very close to, if not 90%. So the gap, the disparity in outcomes is either very, very small or it has been eliminated. And that's really important. That not only are students succeeding at a high rate, but everybody's succeeding at a high rate. And accruing the benefits of education and training equitably. And so that approach, the career pathways approach at Portland Community College has been very important and very impactful.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and the Career Pathways team, along with the career technical education and adult education faculty and staff do an outstanding job on the career pathways team in that navigation support as you've described, but even through the years and identifying where there are jobs that require less than an associate's degree that build on the skills that can lead to even better jobs and engaging directly with employers. And I know with the health careers certificate, when we launched that, I remember the first cohort before COVID when we had the first graduation with students and their families, which is always inspiring. And as soon as the students finished that celebration, they walked down a flight of stairs at Southeast Campus, and there were 10 employers in a room ready to interview them or to talk with them about job opportunities. So the connection to employment, as you mentioned earlier, is really solid. And some students may go that route, and others may, like Shalise to say, determine I got this small win, her words, and I'm going to keep going. And then knowing that that career pathways team and others at the college are there to guide them and support them as they continue further in their studies at the college.
SPEAKER_01The wraparound supports through the navigators also helps students to enter into the transfer path and to work toward a baccalaureate degree through the transfer pathway. So it's not an either or, but it's a both and. And Shalise is a great example where she started with a short-term certificate and earned that, discovered greater realm of possibility, and then took the next road that she saw that was open and earned a degree and an associate's degree, and is planning on transferring to Portland State University. It's not an either or when students come to the community college.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, absolutely. We'll pause here and wrap up part one of this All-in Student Pathways Forward podcast episode today. This is the host, Mark Goldberg, again. Thank you for listening in today. And please do tune in for part two as I finish up my conversation with PCC President Mark Mitsui and have a rich discussion with Kermit Khaliba from the Lumina Foundation on their national work supporting equitable outcomes in higher education and workforce development.