Donate now to support Western Success Scholars!
Western Success Scholars (WSS) was established in 2019 to support students who were in the foster care system or experienced homelessness without support of a parent. The number of WWU students connected to WSS continues to rise. In the past 4 years, WSS has seen a 240% increase in the number of Western students connected to our program. In addition to our steep growth, the program has much to celebrate:
- In 2024, Western Success Scholars was awarded the Beacon Award for Excellence in Student Achievement and Success from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) for demonstrating “distinctive, measurable, and replicable innovations that have resulted in student achievement and success at the institutional or programmatic level.”
- The retention range of students served by WSS ranges in the upper 80th to lower 90th percentile. In addition, 9 out of 10 WSS students are in good academic standing, and the cumulative GPA on average is 3.0 or better.
- Since 2019, there have been 67 WSS graduates. This spring, we will celebrate an additional 27 WSS graduates!
Western Success Scholars serves this growing number of students by providing holistic support, promoting academic success, and fostering a strong sense of community and belonging. Our home base is in Western’s new Basic Needs Hub in the Viking Union 4th floor where all students are welcome, heard, and valued. WSS hosts a variety of community events, including quarterly dinners at local restaurants, skills-based sessions such as budgeting workshops, and peer mentoring that connects first-year students with experienced peers. We also organize awareness events, such as Foster Care Awareness Month, to build visibility and support. Together, these initiatives create meaningful connections and a supportive environment for WSS students who often face steep financial challenges.
According to the statewide Student Experience Survey, these populations of students have the highest rates of basic needs insecurities. And across the state, the funding that supports Western Success Scholars has not kept up with the demand of the program growth. For next academic year, this will result in a 60% reduction in the amount for the WSS scholarship for students.
Your donations help close the funding gap and help ensure these students’ needs are met so they are well positioned for success!
See where your dollars can provide support:
- A $10 donation covers the purchase of a pack of new notebooks.
- A $40 donation covers the purchase of a welcome bag of needed school supplies for a new WSS student.
- A $64 donation covers the purchasing cost of a graduation gown, tassel, and cap for a WSS graduate.
- A $100 donation provides a grocery gift card for emergency food supplies.
- A $230 donation provides a refurbished laptop.
- A $500+ donation addresses basic transportation needs such as an emergency car repair or driving lessons.
- A $1000 donation helps with additional deposit costs for WSS students to pay in lieu of having a co-signer.
- A $2200 donation funds a WSS student to complete a summer career development internship program to earn a stipend while completing a typically unpaid internship.
Western Success Scholars is truly a life-changing program! Hear from alumni who reflect on the significant impact WSS had on their ability to persist at Western and see a taste of some of the community building events within WSS:
Some of the 2024 WSS graduates “Being connected to the WSS program played a pivotal role in my ability to graduate from Western. While navigating housing insecurity, health challenges, and the life-changing experience of having a baby, I often struggled with imposter syndrome and questioned whether I belonged in higher education at all. With the support of the WSS team, however, I was able to find financial aid resources, secure an internship in my field, and access general campus support throughout my pregnancy and after my son was born. Having a dedicated community that believed in me made all the difference. I found that being a part of the WSS community gave me the stability and encouragement I needed to keep moving forward and ultimately earn my degree.”
WSS Graduate, majoring in Marine and Costal Science
WSS Hike with the Outdoor Center
“WSS, the passport scholarship, and associated resources were the only reason I was able to graduate college. I was an unaccompanied homeless youth (UHY). Every little bit helped: the groceries, the kitchen kit, and of course the short-term emergency housing, which was my calm in the storm to regain stability. Without any of these things, I could have run out of money, dropped out of college out of necessity, and ended up back couch surfing or on the streets. Even further, the financial support gave me more mobility to thrive in college, maintaining a 4.0. It allowed me to engage with research and with my community, and when the time came, it all helped to support me in my dream of being accepted to medical school. I've been accepted to a top 10 university in the country as a result, where I'll attend this fall. Now I'll be able to help kids like me do the same, mentoring them, teaching them, and caring for them. It is quite literally all possible because someone made policy recognizing that kids like me exist. I'm eternally grateful. I feel like all I needed, and kids like me need, is one singular chance to try to make this work and we will.”
WSS Graduate, majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience
WSS students at a quarterly welcome dinner
“Being a part of the Western Success Scholars community and support network and also receiving the Passport to Careers Scholarship are one of the reasons I was able to graduate, despite barriers, numerous challenges along the way, including the COVID pandemic. Not only was I able to succeed as a student, I thrived with a community of students with similar experiences—a community I had never experienced before. I am very grateful for the program and see it as a necessity for a community that often falls through the cracks.”
WSS Graduate, majoring in Human Services and Sociology
