ABOUT US

vision:

A future in which all young people have the equitable access and support needed to achieve their education and career goals.

Mission:

Northwest Education Access provides comprehensive and individualized support to help low-income young people, ages 16-29, build their own path to higher education and beyond.

What we do:

  • Provide personal attention, mentorship, technical assistance, and moral support to low-income young people navigating post-secondary education.

  • Connect low-income young people with information and resources, and support them in creating an individualized plan to meet their higher education goals.

  • Advocate for and with low-income young people, and empower them to develop their own voices as they pursue their higher education.

  • Provide financial resources that help low-income young people access higher education and meet their basic needs while in school.

Why nW education access:

While other college access programs assist students in traditional high schools to transfer directly to higher education, NW Education Access is the only college access organization in Washington State that centers re-engaging out-of-school young people who have encountered significant barriers to completing their high school or college education.

Education Advocates

Education Advocates assist students in creating an individualized postsecondary education plan based on their interests and goals. Students are placed in the driver’s seat and Education Advocates are available to students as support for system navigation, mentoring, and coaching. Education Advocates provide:

  • Flexibility to meet students where they are at

  • In-person support to navigate financial aid and other on-campus resources

  • An open-ended timeline in working toward their goals

  • Low-barrier access to support services

  • Loyalty to the student, and not to any specific college, school or organization

Education Advocate Erra with NWEdA Student Alissa

Our History:

  • Dr. Polly Trout was volunteering to help homeless youth in Seattle’s University District earn GEDs and transition to college, but she found this population encountered a tremendous number of barriers to higher education. Dr. Trout founded Seattle Education Access (SEA) in 2002 as a drop-in center to support homeless and low-income youth to overcome barriers and succeed in college. For the first five years, SEA was an all-volunteer organization.

  • SEA received funding to hire our first full-time, paid Executive Director in 2007.

  • SEA initiated a pilot expansion into South King County to be more accessible to students in areas with high rates of poverty and educational inequity.

  • SEA relocated Education Advocates to partner sites across King County. Today, each Education Advocate is an expert on the educational and social services available in their region. Together, our network of Education Advocates can provide students the opportunity to find the best post-secondary program in King County, and more recently Pierce County, for their unique needs.

  • Seattle Education Access formally changed our name to Northwest Education Access as we had been serving students far beyond Seattle for many years. NW Education Access is continuing its growth into Pierce and Snohomish Counties.