Letter: ‘I urge legislators and other community leaders to keep working together today and in the coming months to ensure more students like me can succeed in education after high school’

Battle Ground resident Jaelyn Sotelo shares her thoughts on the need to expand access to financial aid and other support for students

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com

In an increasingly unstable economy, financial wellness and job security are proving to be more important than ever before. For the next generation of young people, getting a well-paying job after high school can happen in many ways, but research continues to show that a credential after high school more reliably leads to higher lifetime earnings.

I appreciate the efforts of state legislators during the 2022 session to expand access to financial aid and other support for students. These resources make it easier for students like me and my peers to complete education after high school and earn a credential.

As the King Region Coordinator with the Washington Student Engagement Networks, the student arm of the College Promise Coalition, I’ve listened to the experiences of students like me all over Washington who have been faced with making difficult decisions, such as choosing between having food for the week or buying the textbook required for their course. Students who work two and three jobs while attending school full-time and are one emergency expense, illness, or reduced hours away from being behind on rent.

For me, attending college has always been the end goal. Finding myself in a single-parent household at 14 put this future into question. The Washington College Grant has allowed me the opportunity to pursue my undergraduate degree without the fear of student loans or worrying about how I will cover basic necessities. It’s also allowed me to be prepared for when life happens, like when my personal vehicle got broken into on two separate instances, costing me over $1,000 in repairs. But meeting the needs of students in rural communities like ours in the 20th Legislative District demands ongoing attention and action.

We are not done. I urge legislators and other community leaders to keep working together today and in the coming months to ensure more students like me can succeed in education after high school. Our higher education system deserves to be one where every student has the opportunity to better themselves and the future of the next generation.

Jaelyn Sotelo
Battle Ground