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 November 15th, Highline College hosted the 16th Annual Black & Brown Male Summit, bringing together more than 200 high school students from across the state. This year’s keynote speakers, Foos in Medicine and Marcus Harden, shared inspiring messages about leadership, identity, and possibility. The summit continues to be an important space for young men of color to connect, feel supported, and see what’s possible for their futures.

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

• WSCAC organized a statewide convening: Advancing Postsecondary Success for Parenting Students, in collaboration with the SBCTC, WA Campus childcare Coalition, and Pierce College. Assoc. Dean Mariela Barriga was invited to participate on a panel for all participants where she highlighted how despite not having a childcare center on campus, Highline College’s robust holistic basic needs services are serving parenting students.
• In collaboration with Education Northwest, the Benefits Hub, and ITS, IR helped to launch a Life in College survey to students that will help us to better understand what our communities are experiencing and what supports actually make a difference for student success. Thanks to IA offering gifts cards to raffle, responses are already well over 300 after just five days.

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

• The Highline Support Center’s biannual event, Let’s Engage, was hosted on October 30th, 2025 with representation from approximately 30 community based organizations and Highline programs, as well as a wide variety of give-aways for students particularly for parenting students such as baby/kids supplies, housewares, and food. This event is coordinated and organized by Support Center departments: Benefits Hub (EDT), Transition Support Center (AA), and Workforce Education Services (SS).
• On November 19th, in collaboration with our Federal Way partners and the Outreach team, we hosted more than 100 students on campus. The visit included a panel featuring Highline faculty, staff, and current students, where guests had the chance to hear about college pathways and campus life. Students also had opportunities to network, ask questions, and begin building connections with the Highline community.

Core Theme 4: CULTURE & CAPACITY, Create capacity for meaningful strategic planning and institutional transformation through intentional development of employees, facilities, and systems that support student success and close equity gaps

• The Q-Center and the Highline Community Pantry have entered into a new collaborative partnership whereby the Q-Center’s Boutique hosts a clothing rack during the Pantry’s open hours once per week. This co-service model brings awareness of both services to students who are accessing the food and also the clothing at other rack locations around campus.
• In collaboration with Academic Affairs, IR is providing administrative support for rebooting Highline’s federally recognized Institutional Research Board (IRB). Renewal documents were submitted ahead of the deadline and the first official kick-off meeting is scheduled for December 4.

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