Bridging the college gap

University of Idaho senior Anthony Plummer remembers what it was like to be a high school student trying to make the decision on where to go to college and how to navigate the admissions process itself.

That’s one of the reasons Plummer, a Moscow High graduate, attended the Returning Students event Monday at the 1912 Center in Moscow.

The event, organized by Palouse Pathways, allows college and high school students to gather for a “speed dating” style discussion, where the high schoolers move from table to table every 15 minutes to ask any questions about college they might have.

“I understand it’s not easy,” said Plummer, who is studying human resources management at UI. “It can be really intimidating. It can be downright frightening sometimes, and so I think having as many opportunities to talk to someone who has been doing the things that you want to do is very powerful.”

Palouse Pathways director Peggy Jenkins said having current students talk to the high school students is valuable because of how college admissions can change. It is also a chance for students to see themselves in college, because many of the college students graduated high school recently.

Palouse Pathways was founded in 2013 by Jenkins and other parents, teachers and community members who wanted to give high school students resources for making the transition from high school to college.

Many of the college students Monday were home from college on their winter break and shared information on admissions, dorm life, campus dining and how much studying you should do for classes. In the past, Jenkins said the college students would stick around after the event ended to help edit essays or just keep talking.

“The benefit isn’t just to the high school (students). I think a lot of the benefit is to the college kids,” Jenkins said.

College students attending Monday were from a variety of schools including Harvard, Portland State and UI. Each had graduated from local high schools and used this event as a way to share what they’ve learned and also to catch up with friends.

Plummer said he has participated in this event a few times and enjoyed sharing what he had learned. He found out about Palouse Pathways when he was a high school sophomore or junior from his second grade teacher — who was Jenkins’ neighbor. He went to a few meetings and talked to Jenkins about what he wanted to do and was hooked.

“In my mind, this is a great way not only to pay it back to Peggy and the staff, but also to pay it forward,” Plummer said.

Sadie Lenssen, a student at Eastern Washington University and a Pullman High School graduate, said she took part in the event because she wanted to represent state schools and to share what she had learned in the past year about attending a smaller, local university.

“The (schools) around here are still really cool,” Lenssen said.

Kali Nelson can be reached at knelson@dnews.com.