Achieve students at Highline say that the program has helped them in many ways.

“I meet with my Achieve adviser once a week. She is really nice and it’s fun to talk with her. She helps me with planning my classes and with any other questions that I have about clubs at school, social things, and more.” said Cameron Rawlings, the president of the Cooking Club at Highline, and an Achieve student working to get a food and beverage certificate. 

Achieve is a program at Highline that provides support and multiple services for students with various challenges. 

“Being an Achieve student is really fun. The other students in the program are nice,” Rawlings said. “We talk about real life topics to help us get ready for the future. The teachers and advisers are nice and supportive. They help us get the work done, plan our classes, and are always available to answer any questions.”

“Achieve is a program for students with disabilities that includes credit and non-credit classes, intensive advising, involvement in campus life, community-based internships, and assistance with job placement,” said Julie Pollard, the director of Accessibility Resources. “Achieve students each have access to a support team to assist them with meeting their academic and career goals.”

In Achieve, students have advisers and peer navigators who can help students navigate class and campus life.

Peer navigators are student workers who support Achieve students because they have shown success in their ability to navigate the campus community.

“Students also work with a career specialist and employment consultant to explore careers, participate in work-based learning experiences and get jobs,” said Pollard.

“The program was an awesome experience to go through,” said Ben Stanton, an Achieve student who is interested in the Taking Flight certificate (airlines and airports) at Highline.  

“The support from Achieve has been helpful, and I am starting to build more confidence in myself moving forward in life,” Stanton said.

At Achieve, Pollard said they want to revise their curriculum structure and how they advise students with their courses, and to better help students transition and continue at Highline on campus, in their classrooms and in their careers.

“Not all students get into the program because it is a competitive entry program. We don’t charge our students for all of the intensive support that we provide, so we can only enroll about 50 students in order to serve everybody well,” said Pollard. “Admission to Achieve is by application only and we are accepting applications now.” 

The Achieve team is available to schedule more information sessions or tours, please contact achieve@highline.edu if you are interested.

The applications are due April 15 at 5 p.m. To submit an application please visit https://achieve.highline.edu/for-students/application-deadlines/ 

To find more information about Achieve please visit https://achieve.highline.edu/