Washington Policy Center awards college scholarships to celebrate the state’s first graduating charter school class
Two students at Seattle’s Summit Sierra High School receive $2500
towards their postsecondary journey
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2019
CONTACT:
Miranda Hawkins (509) 954-2449
SEATTLE- Students Queen Johnson and Alistar Bruback showcase the value of charter schools this week as they were selected for their outstanding achievement and received $2500 from Washington Policy Center as part of their inaugural Summit Sierra Scholarship. Each of these seniors embodies the principles of hard work, good character, integrity, and leadership as they prepare to graduate this month as part of the state’s first charter school graduating class. Their stories are proof that, against difficult odds, the long-held dreams of them and their families are coming true thanks to the work of the new charter schools in our state.
The scholarships were presented to the students at a ceremony on Wednesday, June 5th, which included a panel event featuring three WPC Young Professionals board members and WPC’s president on how to succeed in life after high school. WPC’s board of directors and YP advisory board members have funded the annual scholarship for at least the next four years.
The public school is only four years old – and one of the first in the state that parents picked voluntarily for their children to attend. 98% of Summit Sierra’s graduating students have been accepted to a four-year university or college.
“WPC Young Professionals started volunteering at the school last year and we plan to keep an annual volunteer/scholarship event as a way to support education in the community and highlight the success stories of students attending Summit Sierra and charter schools across the state,” said YP Director, Miranda Hawkins.
For Queen Johnson this scholarship will help her effort to become the first woman in her family to obtain a college degree. For Alistar, who is the first member of his family to attend college, this scholarship means he will no longer have to take out college loans.
“Washington Policy Center is proud to support the students in this way. We are excited about how charter schools are proving to be an effective choice for some students who now are seeing their dreams come true to graduate from high school and attend college,” said WPC President Dann Mead Smith who presented the scholarships at the school’s award ceremony today.
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