THE DALLES — Home for winter break, 16 graduates of The Dalles High School (TDHS) and ASPIRE program will return to their alma mater on Dec. 19 to talk about their experiences in college and answer any questions from current high school students. This year's event, the tenth annual iteration, was organized by ASPIRE Program Coordinator Elaine Powrie and Language Arts teacher Mary Jo Commerford. The ASPIRE program at TDHS aims to help high school students through the process of getting into college by pairing them with an ASPIRE mentor.
“We have a lot of first generation college students, and they really need some outside supports,” Commerford explained. She said the school is trying to establish a college-going culture that emphasizes the development of skills and attributes necessary to get high school students into post-secondary education opportunities.
The 16 students on the panel will be representing notable institutions such as Harvard, the U.S. Naval Academy, Brown University, Boston University and several other Pacific Northwest colleges. One of the success stories from The Dalles’ ASPIRE program is Harvard senior Yahir Santillan. In 2021, the Columbia Gorge News profiled Santillan and his journey to one of America’s most prestigious schools. Santillan says he has been a panelist before, including on a national stage, but this one means a little bit more.
“I’ve always known that there is lots of talent and ambition in the students here, so it’s truly rewarding to return and witness all that come to fruition through the amazing accomplishments of my former classmates,” Santillan told Columbia Gorge News.
A 2023 TDHS graduate, Emma Lawson, says she has attended the panel for the last three years and is excited to participate again from a different perspective. A freshman at the University of Oregon, Lawson is studying journalism at the UO’s School of Journalism and Communications (SOJC).
“I think it’s important to return and talk about the college experience at TDHS to let current students know that there are a lot of pathways and possibilities waiting for them if they put the work into their future,” Lawson said. “There’s such a big support system in The Dalles, and they should be made aware of it so they can be helped just as I was to get where they want to be.”
Since ASPIRE has started tracking post-secondary plans of their students, college acceptance rates have increased. ASPIRE uses a platform called Scoir, in which students can do college and career exploration, and the program can track students’ progress as they apply to college. Powrie said they have seen a 9% increase in students pursuing college.
The student panel is closed to the public and meant for students to ask questions and catch up with the panelists.
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