SEATTLE — Even before she started her senior year at Evergreen High School, college was always on Nicole Howard mind.
"It was a high expectation in my family. My mom didn't go to college. She came here so her kids could. I really want to do it for her."
Nicole's plans for life after high school are now clear thanks to the College Success Foundation, a nonprofit that provides support and scholarships in order to inspire underserved, low-income students to finish high-school and graduate college.
"There's a lot of questions, there's a lot of different things that they are required to do to make sure they can get into a school or be considered," says Brian Caylao, a College Prep Advisor at Evergreen High, "We're there to make sure that they're doing exactly what they need to do to make sure that they have that opportunity to attend these schools."
What started out as a scholarship based program, the College Success Foundation now helps steer students from middle school all the way through college navigate the challenges of higher education.
"After school we talk about how to get there, applying for financial aid and applying to those different colleges, writing out our college essays," explains Nicole.
"The thing that really separates our program is that we're available to students. They see that we're here every day. I think that really creates a strong relationship with the students," said Brian.
And Brian should know. He's not just an advisor, he too used the resources the foundation provided back when he was in high school.
"I didn't really have the parents or adults in my life that could answer these questions about this college-going process, and so I joined. I graduated way back in 2005 and ever since then I've seen the program grow and just become as good as it could be."
The College Success Foundation has grown into nine school districts around Washington. To date, they've helped over 9,500 students graduate from college.
If Nicole makes it into WSU to pursue her dream of being a nurse, she hopes to be added to that growing number, "I really didn't think college was an option because I didn't know how to pay for it but he opened up my eyes to a lot of different options."
In turn, Brian says students like Nicole deserve the credit for the hard work, "It just shows that students like Nicole, they're really thinking about what they can do to improve themselves and their families."
