Engineering Programs with Drew

Transcript

Let’s hear from Drew, a scholarship recipient who’s pursuing a degree in engineering. She’s active in several clubs and participating in a unique program that supports underrepresented populations in STEM programs. Let’s hear how the many programs and services offered at OC are helping Drew thrive in college. Drew, the floor is all yours.

– Thanks, Alex. I came to Olympic College because I heard great things about their engineering program and as a scholarship recipient, I’m receiving funding to help pay for the cost of tuition and housing. I came to OC after being homeless and couch surfing for over a year. I visited the Welcome Center where they helped me get enrolled literally 15 minutes before enrollment closed for the quarter. They got me connected with an apartment in the Residence Hall where I’m roommates with a really cool international student from Japan. Not long after enrolling, I found a program here called MESA, which stands for Math, Engineering, Science and Achievement. MESA helps people from underrepresented populations like women in STEMP. There’s an amazing MESA study center and the program helps pay for books, supplies like calculators, and covers the cost of tickets for engineering conferences. We’re even going to be programming lunar satellites which will orbit the moon, which is insane. Since joining MESA, I’ve met so many other amazing STEM majors. My goal is to earn my associate’s degree here and then transfer to a university to get my bachelor’s in engineering. I’m so grateful to Olympic College for all the resources and support I’ve received since enrolling. I’m also enjoying clubs like the Tabletop Role Playing Club and the Computer Animation Club, which I joined recently. I’m an Alaskan native and a member of the Tlingit tribe. Through online classes at Northwest Indian College, I learned about the high poverty rate among Native Americans. Their communities rely heavily on things like donors to be able to afford dental, medical, scholarships, and food assistance programs. I received a food assistance grant from my tribe to help me pay for groceries while in college. I’m hoping that one day with my degree I can repay the favor to future students of my tribe. Back to you, Alex.

– Drew, thanks for sharing your story with us. Olympic College has so many programs that support its students. Each year, the OC Foundation awards more than $400,000 in scholarships to OC students, including the Promise Scholarship, which guarantees tuition for students from a growing number of area high schools, thanks again.