'Excited' and 'happy'

MATTAWA — Getting accepted to college requires a lot of effort, some of it doing scary things. Three students in Wahluke High School’s life skills class didn’t let that stop them - they’re off to college next fall.

“We’re going to (Washington State University) in Pullman,” said Juan Ramos.

“We’re excited,” said Ani Prudente.

“Happy, too,” said Asuzena Cruz.

The three were among 14 students accepted into the Responsibility, Opportunity, Advocacy and Respect (ROAR) program at WSU which, according to the university’s website, is designed to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities train for careers that will help them become self-sufficient. The Wahluke students are looking at health care careers.

“I’m planning to study nursing,” Ramos said.

He wants to work in Tri-Cities, he said. Prudente and Cruz said they also are pursuing studies in health care. Right now both plan to come back to Mattawa and work in one of the medical clinics in town. Their co-instructor Christine Lounsbury said they also have the option to go elsewhere if they choose.

Ramos said the chance to work in healthcare appealed to him.

“I have been to several hospitals, helping people, helping nurses,” he said.

Cruz and Prudente also like the opportunity they get in healthcare.

“We want to help people,” Cruz said. “And our families, too.”

The ROAR program works to provide students with many of the same experiences as other WSU students. They will live in a dorm, they already have seen their schedules and they expect their classwork to keep them busy, they said.

“When we move in they’re going to help us apply for jobs, and get a part-time job,” Ramos said.

The program came to the attention of Lounsbury and co-instructor Betty Aznaran last fall, Lounsbury said. The teachers thought it would be a good opportunity for their seniors.

“Miss Betty took these three down in the fall to see the campus. And they all sort of fell in love with it,” Lounsbury said. “And it seemed so neat.”

But there was a lot of work that went into applying, let alone figuring out how to pay for it.

“We didn’t even worry about that,” Lounsbury said. “We never worried about it, because it seemed too big. We just systematically began to prepare them by filling out (student aid) forms, writing resumes, preparing for the interview process. And the interview process to apply (required the applicants) to sit and interview for several hours.”

After it was over, the process seemed pretty easy, the students said. They were nervous before the interview started, Lounsbury said, but they had put in a lot of preparation and that helped make the process easier.

“Out of the four (Wahluke) students that interviewed, three were accepted,” Lounsbury said.

That was exciting, but then the students had to figure out how to pay for it. The WSU website estimates the cost of the ROAR program at about $33,400 for the first year. Students in the program are not eligible for federal financial aid with the exception of one Pell Grant, Lounsbury said.

“These kids never blinked,” she said. “They never said ‘no, we can’t.’”

So teachers and students worked together to fill out and submit scholarship applications. Their parents were willing to work extra to help pay the expenses, Lounsbury said.

The three students got some scholarships, locally and regionally. But the amounts still fell short.

“Again, the parents said, ‘We’re going to work hard. We’re going to figure it out.’ And then the next day, WSU sent each one of them a letter.”

Each had been awarded scholarships through the university that will allow them to go to school. The students will be moving into the dorm August 9, Ramos said.

“The first time ever any life skills student from Wahluke has gone to college,” Lousbury said. “It’s a big deal.”

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.