College Toolkit offers valuable new resource for underrepresented populations

Prospective college students in Washington who are on the fence about pursuing a degree have a new online resource to help them figure out if higher education is right for them.

The College Toolkit, which launched last month, provides prospective students — specifically those from underrepresented backgrounds — with valuable information about how to apply to college and pursue financial aid. The website features additional resources for families, along with video portraits of four current college students who share their stories and tips, along with things they wish they knew when making the decision to attend college.

“I thought I could get a job somewhere and work my way up, but a lot of jobs ask for the four-year degree and they need the four-year degree, so I took that and decided, ‘I really need to go to college,’” Central Washington University aviation management major Janae Martinez says. “I need that degree to get to my end goal and where I want to be in life.”

Another first-generation CWU student, Elijah Orozco, explained that he also thought about going straight into the workforce after high school. Following the advice of his family, he decided to take a chance and apply to college. As it turned out, going to Central turned out to be the best decision he could have ever made.

“Be open to new experiences,” says Orozco, an education major. “As long as you have a passion, push toward it.”

The College Toolkit is the end result of a 10-month partnership between the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC), CWU, and Sandbox Inc., a Toronto-based agency that employs a multidisciplinary approach to digital media, technology, and learning.

The pilot project, called “Changing the Narrative,” was introduced in October 2024 with a goal of creating a fresh approach to building awareness about the benefits of earning a college education, particularly among underrepresented populations.

Changing the Narrative was made possible by a $250,000 investment from Lumina Foundation. The project leveraged the three partners’ multidisciplinary expertise to create evidence-informed, interactive digital media tools designed to test news ways of fostering a college-going culture in Washington.

One of the project’s primary objectives was to develop multimedia content like the College Toolkit that is designed to cut through the noise of traditional higher education communications and build trust and rapport with target audiences.

Washington ranks near the bottom nationally (48th) for the percentage of high school graduates who immediately enroll in a higher education institution, despite having one of the most generous financial aid programs in the country. Stakeholders from WSAC, CWU, and Sandbox believe new ways of communicating about postsecondary education can help reverse this trend.

“This project is a model for a different way of reaching out to today’s students — focusing on who they are, what they want, and how we can help them — as we look  to create a college-going culture in Washington,” said Daryl Monear, associate director of research for WSAC. “We know that college remains a strong pathway to economic prosperity for individuals and society at large, but we need to approach our outreach work in different ways if we are going to make sure all students have that opportunity, especially those who continue to be underrepresented.”

In another video interview on the College Toolkit site, CWU law and justice and philosophy double-major Kenan Quill talks about how he had to overcome many life challenges, including homelessness, to get to where he is today.

“Where I’m from, people don’t typically become lawyers, but my mom told me that I needed to do something better,” Quill says.

By completing the FAFSA, the federal government’s financial aid application form, Quill found a path to afford a college education. His experience at Central has unlocked a new level of self-confidence, and now, he’s ready to take on the world.

“I’m going to go to law school and go to graduate school, and then make more money than all of the people who told me I shouldn’t go to school,” he proudly proclaims in the video.

The fourth student interview features education major Lincoln, who at age 29, works full time while attending classes. It hasn’t been easy, but he says going to college has helped set him up for future success that he previously thought was out of reach.

“If I can do this, I can do anything,” Lincoln says. “I’m going to succeed, and you can, too. Like, you can do it. You can. I’m living proof of it.”