Area Report for Board of Trustees

The Equity, Diversity, and Transformation (EDT) Division is charged with embedding equity in everything we do at Highline College. Below are updates of the ongoing work.

Core Theme 1: ACCESS, Reduce Barriers and close equity gaps to access for all community members

• On January 23, the Black Student Advocacy Team (BSAT), led by Dr. Erich Elwin, convened. Comprised of stakeholders from across the campus, this group will meet monthly to analyze Black student success data and advocate for strategic initiatives that enhance outcomes. The team will explore current and emerging best practices to support Black students academically, socially, and emotionally, while also collaborating on initiatives aimed at closing opportunity gaps and fostering excellence.
• Our Student Housing & Retention program (SHoRe) & WISH (While in School Housing) saw the highest number of students reporting experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. Program Manager, Saido Alinur, reports 71 students she supported in the fall quarter who are experiencing homelessness. She met with 141 total students seeking housing. The programs, SHoRe and WISH, continue to show high levels of retention and completion however the demand for affordable student housing is beyond rates we’ve seen prior and beyond what we are currently able to support.
• MTS (Moving to Serve) group hosted a documentary viewing, Unseen, in partnership with the Inter-Cultural Center.
  • As a blind, undocumented immigrant, Pedro faces uncertainty to obtain his college degree, become a social worker, and support his family. Through experimental cinematography and sound, unseen reimagines the accessibility of cinema, while exploring the intersections of immigration, disability, and mental health.

Core Theme 2: STUDENT LEARNING, Increase educational success, collaborate to improve

• Institutional Research attended the Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities faculty division meetings to provide a walk-through of the Pass Rates dashboard, which shows disaggregated course outcomes.  Faculty were also given guidance on using the My Pass Rates dashboard to examine their own pass rates at the instructor level.
• The Highline Community Pantry partnered with two Student Services departments for student programming. Nou Lee, Director of WES & Cindy Arias with the Inter Cultural Center partnered with Pantry Manager Matthew Svilar to provide a Cooking Demonstration, “Nou Lee’s Famous Fried Rice” which included a vegan version. The Pantry will continue to expand from food access to food justice goals by providing more programming such as the cooking demo series. “I love Hmong representation in cooking and appreciate the inclusivity to the recipes!!!! She was so great 🙂 ” – student participant. As students followed along Nou’s demo they filled out their own recipe cards to take home. There was no food left!

Core Theme 3: COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, Create a more inclusive working environment and a more valued, visible relationship with communities we serve

• The WISH program (While In School Housing) connects eligible Highline College students experiencing homelessness with a time-limited Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, in partnership with the King County Housing Authority. This year, the KCHA invited WISH program staff to Washington D.C. for the Housing Is Summit hosted by the Council for Large Public Housing Authorities. Mariela Barriga, Assoc. Dean of Innovation Transformation & Student Support and Saido Alinur, Student Housing & Retention (SHoRe) will be in attendance as workshop presenters/panelists to share this innovative and transformative program on the national stage.
• Jeannette Rankin Foundation visits Highline College on 2/18. Rankin foundation entered into a partnership with the Highline College Foundation and provides $2,5000 of unrestricted scholarships to women/two spirit/non-binary students 35y/o+ who are in the WISH program.

Core Theme 4: CULTURE & CAPACITY: Promote a campus culture which fosters equity and inclusivity supporting employee growth and development, and institutional capacity for transformation

Juntos, hosted a Winter 2025 Orientation to welcome new students into the program and strengthen connections within our growing community. This orientation provided an opportunity for incoming students to learn more about Juntos, our commitment to Latinx student success, and the resources available to support their academic journey. Through engaging activities and shared experiences, new students had the chance to connect with current Juntos participants, hear about their experiences, and begin building a strong support network.

To kick off the new year, The Cultural Learning Communities hosted an inspiring Vision Board Workshop, providing students with a space to set their intentions and visualize their goals for 2025. Grounded in personal growth and empowerment, the workshop incorporated two SAVERS activities from The Miracle Morning for College Students—Affirmations and Visualizations—to encourage students to shape their mindset and manifest success.

Report submitted by Vice President of Equity, Diversity and Transformation, Dra. Maribel Jimenéz