Foundation for Tacoma Students

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of our 2024 Policy Learning Tour! We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the elected officials and community leaders who joined us in witnessing how local initiatives by Franklin Pierce and Bethel School Districts, UW Tacoma, and University of Puget Sound are informing broader education policy. We saw the impact of personalized, culturally-responsive guidance from skilled advisors, who are helping students navigate their postsecondary pathways. These local efforts make a compelling case for statewide solutions, highlighting the crucial link between local and state efforts in driving systemic change. To our partners, attendees, and everyone dedicated to supporting student success: your commitment is paving the way for a Washington where every student can thrive. Let’s keep this momentum going!

Don’t mind the laid back vibe. Sometimes it’s what’s needed to get deep into strategizing solutions for a better tomorrow. Foundation for Tacoma Students #InvestToday #EveryStudent #GoodEarningWage #2030 #TrustCommunity #TrustWomen #70% #WatchUsWork

🎥 We had an incredible experience at the Charting Our Future event by Graduate Tacoma and the Foundation for Tacoma Students! Proud to see the videos we created featured and thrilled to capture memorable moments with our recap video, photos, and 360 Photo Booth. Supporting access to higher education for our Black and Brown students is close to our hearts. Let's inspire and empower them to dream big and build their futures. 🌟 Special thanks to the entire team, especially Tafona Ervin, Ed. D and Shaima Shamdeen for hosting an outstanding event and allowing us to be part of this journey. See you next year! 💯 #ARealGripFilms #ChartingOurFuture #GraduateTacoma #HigherEducation #DiversityInEducation #EmpowerYouth #FutureLeaders #EducationForAll

🌲 ☀️ 🌊 First time traveling to the Pacific Northwest and I walk away inspired and motivated to continue to build collaborations with folks in education who are working hard to uplift and support our young population. 🌆 A few days in Seattle. 👏🏽 A stop into the Foundation for Tacoma Students 2024 Conference titled “Local Focus. Statewide Impact.” where I watched Christian J. Motley moderate a panel discussion. Ended my day listening to the phenomenal Geoffrey Canada from Harlem Children's Zone. Incredible work is happening across the country and I have new ideas I am bringing home to my sweet Kentucky. 📚 👩🏿🎓 ✏️

Ask someone who attended this year’s Charting Our Future summit about our walk out music — I mean, we had a lot of fun. Thanks to Foundation for Tacoma Students for the invite to moderate a conversation with #Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, Dr. Randy Spaulding at Washington State Board of Education, and Paul Francis at Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges about what’s possible with public systems work with communities and each other to ensure students succeed. Congrats to Dr. Tafona Ervin, Ed. D and the entire team for another inspiring, action-oriented convening. #whatworks

This year's Charting Our Future Conference was amazing! I had the unforgettable experience of seeing one of my students on a panel with Senator Yasmin Trudeau, and listening to Geoffrey Canada's keynote was so powerful. I made some new connections, the conference playlist was on-point, and I'm feeling so charged up to do my work! Thank you again to Foundation for Tacoma Students for the opportunity to present, and I sincerely appreciate everyone from Tacoma Community College who came to support me at my session! #ChartingOurFuture #Education #CARA #FoundationForTacomaStudents #OneCommunity #Tacoma #CityofDestiny #TCC

Looking for culturally relevant and best practice tools for your program with young people this summer? This is the spot to be!! See details below!! Shout out to Foundation for Tacoma Students for funding good capacity building efforts for those who support young people!! 👏🏾🙌🏽!! Sign your summer program team up today! #YouthDevelopment #Thisisgoodwork!

Our Senior Director of Community Engagement, Tamar Jackson, moderated the panel discussion: Charting Pathways to Postsecondary Success during the Charting Our Future Conference held by the Foundation for Tacoma Students this week. The panel examined the roles and responsibilities of leaders in higher education and workforce systems in addressing systemic injustices. Discussion centered around how institutions can be proactive in enabling change and being responsive to the demands of equity and social justice through a lens of equity. They also explored actionable strategies for institutions to disrupt traditional systems and practices that perpetuate inequality. Participants in the panel included Johnny Hu, vice president of Instruction at Bates Technical College; Dr. Ivan Harrell, president of Tacoma Community College; and Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange, chancellor of University of Washington Tacoma.

We were delighted to attend the Foundation for Tacoma Students' Charting Our Future conference last week to talk equity in education. Our team shared... ...lessons learned from our High School to Postsecondary program: https://bit.ly/41Zr1rO ...insights on data justice for Native students: https://bit.ly/3vqMP48 Franklin Pierce School District West Sound STEM Network

We love seeing CARA’s work in action all the way in Washington! CARA’s Shalema Henderson recently co-facilitated a session at the Foundation for Tacoma Students’ “Charting Our Future” conference, highlighting our work in the region to replicate CARA's scaled peer-to-peer advising model. The best part of the trip was visiting Tacoma Community College and hearing directly from students, supervisors, and the VP of Student Affairs about the campus' approach in resolving equity issues in who persists through to graduation. Our goal is to create pathways to education equity for ALL students. Thanks to the ECMC Foundation's support and partnership in adapting CARA's model beyond NYC. #CARAImpact #EducationEquity #PeerAdvising #CollegePersistence