Every November, Yakima Valley College participates in the National First-Generation College Celebration. Since the college’s founding in 1928, providing access to higher education has been central to our mission and today approximately 75% of YVC students are first-generation college students. It inspires our work every day to see the determination of students striving to create better lives for themselves, for their families, and for their communities. Students like Lucero Mendez, who grew up in a farmworking family and recently completed a national fellowship advocating for farmworker rights.
At the same time, this celebration highlights the fact that too many people who would like to pursue higher education still face barriers to turning their dreams into a reality. That’s why YVC’s faculty and staff keep an unwavering focus on how our institution can continually innovate and better serve students who are historically underrepresented in higher education.
In this issue of YVC Voice magazine, we explore some of those efforts, including reforms led by math faculty to help more students complete their college-level math requirement within a year of enrollment — a key milestone on the road to successfully completing one’s degree. We also highlight a new initiative that provides YVC Foundation scholarships to students who complete a College & Career Readiness program and transition to college-level courses at YVC. And in another feature story, we highlight recently-signed articulation agreements between YVC and Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences that create streamlined pathways for students to enter critically important healthcare careers here in Central Washington.
These stories and much more are included in our Fall 2024 edition. I encourage you to read the stories of our students, faculty, staff and alumni who are making an impact today and for future generations here in the Yakima Valley and beyond.
Sincerely,
Teresa Rich, PhD
Interim President