SEATTLE — The cost of data could have cost WGU Washington student Tina Cabais her college degree.
"I was out of data. It's hard to stay focused when you're worried about when are you going to log in, are you going to be able to log in,” said Cabais, who was sharing data with a full house, and running out.
It's a barrier that Katoya Palmer is aware of. This busy WGU grad is senior director of a Seattle YMCA, she coaches the girls swim team at Garfield High School, and she consults on equity issues.
She's seen the need for online access grow during the pandemic.
“The most heard term is the digital divide, where we understand that communities of color, low income communities, immigrant communities, BIPOC communities have less access to technology." Palmer added, “We're seeing internet and technology as a utility more than we’ve ever seen it before.”
She's also seen her alma mater break down that barrier.
“We certainly identified that need early on in the pandemic and dedicated a million dollars to allow individuals who don't have access to the internet to be able to get hotspots, or to help pay the monthly fees for the internet. We call it an Online Access Scholarship and so we are trying to bridge those barriers to the digital equity work,” said Dr. Tonya Drake, Vice President of WGU Washington.
Tina Cabais got one of those scholarships – she was able to do her interview with us via Zoom thanks to the hotspot her scholarship provided. And she says her kids are very excited to see their mom on the path to a college degree in business administration:
“They are my biggest cheerleaders, they believe in me,” smiled Cabais.
Making sure all students have the tools they need to get that degree is one of the reasons for WGU’s motto: We Won’t Rest.
"Certainly, we won't rest until our students are successful,” said Dr. Drake.
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