October 27, 2016
Student draws on her past to inspire the future
Christina Chan, ’16, knows first-hand the adversity surrounding college entrance for many high school students, especially for low-income students like herself. When she entered her junior year at Franklin High School, college loomed before her, looking more and more like an unattainable goal. College application forms and personal essays were complicated requirements that she didn’t know how to complete.
Then Christina decided to apply to College Access Now (CAN), a nonprofit organization that specializes in helping low-income high school students enter college. Four years later, she graduated from the University of Washington with degrees in English and sociology and returned to CAN as a UW community-based intern.
When you were in high school, what challenges stood between you and your dream of attending the University of Washington?
I’m the first generation in my family to attend college. My parents are immigrants from China and didn’t receive any official education past the third grade. Ever since I was a child, they instilled in me the value of education. Attending the University of Washington was my dream, but when it came to actually applying, the process was overwhelming because there were so many things my parents and I didn’t know. All the required forms, like the FAFSA, the essays and preparing for the SATs, everything seemed so daunting. The FAFSA was particularly confusing — I’d never filed a tax report before! The jargon itself was discouraging.
How did you overcome the challenges of applying to the UW?
In my junior year of high school, I reached out to Franklin High School’s chapter of College Access Now. They really broke down the steps for applying to UW and made college look achievable. They helped me draft my personal statement and made sure I used it to show who I truly was. I had good, but average SAT scores, so I really believe it was the personal statement that helped me get into UW.
The experience that I went through as a financially disadvantaged student has influenced how I perceive the world, how I carry myself, and what I want to do in the future. Every opportunity, encounter and experience that I’ve faced is an advantage because I’ve developed resiliency when faced with adversity. This is something that I will instill in my future students; I want to share my experience and inspire them.
How did you return to CAN as their intern?
Because I knew how difficult it could be to apply to college, I wanted to intern at a nonprofit organization focusing on education. In my senior year of university, UW offered community-based internships at nonprofit organizations in Seattle. I found out that CAN was actually one of the nonprofits that would be hosting an internship through UW! The timing was perfect and I was matched to CAN as their intern.
What do you do as an intern at CAN?
I work on the College Services team that specializes in supporting CAN students through college and beyond. We know that the obstacles you face as a low-income individual don’t just go away after graduating college so we wanted to create a support system for the alumni. In fact, we just recently hosted our first ever CAN alumni engagement event. I helped with the outreach and logistics for the event.
You just graduated from the University of Washington. What’s next for you?
My journey is officially coming full circle as I will be serving as an AmeriCorps 11th grade college coach at my alma mater, Franklin High School. As the students’ mentor, or college coach, I’ll be helping students apply to college and teach them how to better utilize their resources.
How does being an alumni of Franklin and CAN make your insight unique as a college coach?
I feel really passionate about coming back to Franklin High School as a college coach because I want to be the students’ support system. Being from South Seattle, I can relate to the issues that many students at Franklin High School experience. It’s one of the most diverse schools in Seattle, and 60-70% of their students qualify for free/reduced lunch. I also come from a low-income family. I’ve been through the system, I’ve been in their shoes. I’ve seen so many people stuck in the same spot because of the role society sees them in. I want to help them break free of these restrictive labels and take a different path. CAN is a great way to do this because they give everyone a chance to work towards a better future.
Interested in learning more about the UW’s community-based internships? Contact the Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center Director, Rachel Vaughn, or 206-685-2705 or visit the website.