By Sarah Ounniyom
We are so lucky to have Kathleen Solomon on our team at FuturesNW and feel honored that she shared her story as a proud student and graduate of Northwest Indian College. Kathleen is currently working at the Lummi Indian Business Council, in addition to volunteering with FuturesNW as an Educational Advocate in the From One to Many Program.
As a fellow member of FuturesNW team, I had the great opportunity to interview Kathleen and gain a better understanding of the resources that helped her navigate college.
Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?
“My name is Kathleen Solomon, enrolled member of the Lummi Nation. My passion has always been assisting others to figure out life dreams. June 2018, I earned a bachelor’s degree in Tribal Governance and Business Management from Northwest Indian College. I had a totally enjoyable learning experience, and this is why I want to help and encourage people of all ages to go to college. I have so much gratitude of the people that helped with resources and teachers who opened my mind to the broader perspective. I am currently an employee at Lummi Indian Business Council and a board member for Education and Housing for Lummi Nation.”
What was your favorite part of Northwest Indian College?
When describing her favorite part of NWIC, Kathleen said, “The location and that it’s a tribal college, so that you get a sense of place from the atmosphere.” Kathleen is a proud alumna of NWIC. “I just want to promote NWIC. I am so happy and proud that I attended there.”
On the Northwest Indian College website they describe campus in the following way, “The Northwest Indian College’s main campus is located at the Lummi Nation, 20 miles south of the Canadian Border. It has six extended sites across Washington state including: Tulalip, Swinomish, Nisqually, Nez Perce, Muckleshoot, and Port Gamble.“
Advice for someone attending higher education or NWIC?
“For me I can only share my own experiences. I was working full time and I was going to school full time, and I was an older student.” Kathleen mentioned that she often felt out of her comfort zone but found nothing but love, support, and connection once she became more involved.
She found a unique opportunity at college to take part in a beading table. “It was around a beading table that I got most of the information. So the students are learning to bead and that’s when we found out about scholarships, you know what I mean?”
“So I think it's just finding a resource, for me it was Kristin Jefferson. She was an instructor and she was the one beading at the time. She knew the ins-and-outs.”
What is the admissions process like for NWIC?
“It was fairly easy, and I know it's open enrollment. It is a tribal college, but anybody can attend. I know if it was just for Lummi tribal members, we wouldn't have enough students to survive. I know that anybody that is interested can attend. It was super easy.”
She had also mentioned the importance of completing your Financial Aid application as a complimentary step to applying to college. In fact, if filling out the Financial Aid application is a daunting process, she recommends connecting either with her or her friends at the Education and Training Center at LIBC for support in completing it.
While “Northwest Indian College primarily focuses on recruiting Native American, Alaska Native, and Canadian First Nations students” it “has an open admissions policy. This means that anyone who has graduated from high school or the equivalent prior to enrollment may be accepted into Northwest Indian College.” http://www.nwic.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Admission-and-Placement-Policy.pdf
In your perspective what are some skills that might be beneficial for higher education?
“Just having an open mind, and you know if someone else has done it, and if you have the drive and the commitment, you can also do it. It will take work, work, work.”
What advice would you give to students applying for Financial Aid?
“Get their parent’s support. You know what I mean? From working, the biggest gap is not getting the parents' financial information from my community. The kids do their part and the parents also have to do that part, or find out a way to work with the experts to see if you're eligible like standing on your own financial income, so that you can qualify for Financial Aid and I don’t know if students really know that. Sometimes, so many things happen in life, there can be divorced parents,” which can make the Financial Aid application a little bit trickier. She mentioned that even simple questions such as “whose income do I use?” can be challenging in completing the application.
Do you have any other advice for students who are attending college or interested?
“Give it a try and for me, even if I didn’t understand, just don’t disappear. Even if you're not 100 percent satisfied with the paperwork, homework that you have done, turn it in because it's all work in progress. Once you turn it in and you have that effort, then that can bring a conversation with you and your instructor. And use tutoring! Use the resources the campus offers. Take advantage of the libraries, everything that can help study groups and make some friends in your class because sometimes studying with other students, the little light turns on.”
Founded in 1973, Northwest Indian College is a public college located in Bellingham, Washington. The NWIC is the only accredited tribal college serving the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
Additional information about NWIC: https://www.nwic.edu/about/
For support from Kathleen you can email her at KatSolo360@gmail.com
Resources: Financial Aid, Scholarships, Applications, Local Colleges