Why is the group of students that you chose to research important?

The rates of low-income students we have here in the Puget Sound are not only vast, but continue to grow. Therefore we need to be able to help students realize their potential academically and provide them with the correct resources as well as plenty of opportunities for them succeed in the future.

Provide a brief history of the educational organization that you have researched along with the purpose of the organization?

Northwest Education Access is a non-profit organization that provides mentorship, various resources, and advocacy for low-income students in the Pacific Northwest, currently supporting over 1,000 students. The Northwest Education Access stems from The Seattle Education Access organization founded in 2002  by Dr. Polly Trout. It was originally all volunteer work to support the low-income / homeless youth in Seattle. By 2011, they were able to expand to South King County to be more accessible as that area contains a high rates of academic inequality as well as poverty. By 2020, they changed the name of the organization to Northwest Education Access as they expanded their support outside of Seattle. 

Whom do they serve?

This Seattle based non- profit organization serves low-income students from the age of 16 up until 29. The website states that many of the students they help out tend to be a part of the LGBTQIA + community as well as BIPOC based on how they identify.

What programs do they offer?

Their main focus is college preparation. They undoubtedly help and care for students with intake, career exploration, technical support, as well as tutoring and testing. The NEA constantly being supportive gives them the chance to Explore many career opportunities by setting up a proper academic plan and sticking by their side until they complete it. They also offer a post-secondary program in which students may be eligible to sign up for the Northwest Education Access scholarship. Through this post-secondary program they will continue to have unlimited access to mentors and tutors as well.

What could they do better?

Something I do really appreciate about the website itself is its inclusivity and how welcoming it is to an audience. something that I do think they could possibly work on it is providing more than just college preparation, but possibly branch out into the realm of jobs within trades. Many students need help getting through secondary school, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they want to attend a college or university. 

 Was information about the organization accessible? Red flags?

The website itself was very well organized and had subcategories within the main points at the top of the website making it quite easy and convenient to access. There were no clear red flags within the organization’s social media platforms or website.