On Saturday, November 17, 2018, 20 Karen high school students attended a conference put on the by South East Asia Education Coalition (SEAeD) at the University of Washington. Most of the 200 students attending this event were high school students. We learned that most South East Asian ethnic groups don’t have their own country, and many of them have experienced war or persecution which resulted in their families coming to the US as refugees. Students were encouraged to take pride in their culture and to find people in their communities who could help them achieve their goals.
At the Family Learning Center we are committed to helping these aspiring students achieve their goals, and we are doing it with help from our partners. Money from Soroptimists International of Pasco-Kennewick and from United Way of Benton & Franklin Counties helped pay for our trip.
Committed volunteers also meet weekly with students to help them overcome the language barrier and grow their academic skills. Together we hope to see more and more of these students go on to higher education. You can join us in this work by becoming an academic mentor. We’d love to hear from you.
