News - Local News

POSTED: Wednesday, Apr. 08, 2009

Mentorship program at WWU will show K-12 students the benefits of college

BELLINGHAM - When Cyndie Shepard moved to Bellingham last year with her husband, Western Washington University President Bruce Shepard, she wasn't sure how she would spend her time.

But the decision was quickly made for her: She's replicating a mentorship program that she started in Green Bay, Wis.

Cyndie Shepard was asked by the Higher Education Coordinating Board and the House Subcommittee on Education to create a program based at WWU that pairs college student-mentors with elementary, middle and high school kids.

The yet-to-be-named program is based on the Phuture Phoenix program that Shepard started at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. That program is now in its seventh year.

The WWU program will start with fifth-graders in Whatcom and Skagit counties to show them that college is an attainable goal regardless of their background or financial situation.

"Children start thinking about their future around 10 years old," said Shepard, who works for WWU on a voluntary basis. "But it's not solid and it's not definite, so we can have an impact on what they do."

Just like the Phuture Phoenix program, the WWU program will start each fall with fifth-grade students getting campus tours and seeing what it's like to be a college student. The rest of the school year WWU students will visit the elementary schools and act as role models for the younger students.

As students enter middle and high school, the program becomes more like a "club" and the focus shifts, with the WWU students acting as tutors and helping the pre-college students discover their interests.

The program is for more than just struggling students; academically advanced students are encouraged to join and talk to the college students about their experiences.

"A college student is much closer to their age level," Shepard said. "They can walk the walk, they can talk the talk."

One grade will be added to the program each year as the fifth-graders move toward graduation. The program is voluntary, so students can enter or exit at any time.

The pilot program will start next fall with one school from each of the 10 school districts in Whatcom and Skagit county participating. Other schools and grades will be added later.

From the WWU side, student mentors will enroll in a credited course and learn how to work with younger children and be a mentor. WWU students can take the course multiple times for elective credit, but if they don't have room in their schedule, they can always volunteer their time, as long as they've been trained once, Shepard said.

"It really does as much for the college students as it does for the fifth- through 12th-graders," Shepard said. "What they can do for these kids they will not know until they go out there."

Discussions are under way to bring Bellingham Technical, Whatcom Community, Northwest Indian and Skagit Valley Community colleges in as partners.

Shepard expects the first year of the program to cost about $15,000, with none to come from the state or university. Shepard is raising the money, as she did in Green Bay, and creating an endowment to make the program self-sustaining. By the time the first group of students reaches high school graduation, there could be scholarships available to help them reach their college goals.

"As a nation, we need to look towards youth," Shepard said. "We need a population that is educated."