RAINIER SCHOLARS OPENING HORIZONS

LISTENING TO staff members of the Rainier Scholars program and their counterparts at Lakeside, one thing about the partnership becomes abundantly clear: They walk side by side to ensure that their students succeed.

Rainier Scholars is a nonprofit organization that supports students who face the greatest number of barriers to achieving a college degree. The program has been connecting students (referred to as “Rainier Scholars”) with Lakeside since the organization’s founding in 2000. Over the past decade, this school has become one of the program’s largest educational partners. This year’s cohort of 48 — between Upper and Middle schools — marked the highest number ever of Rainier Scholars at Lakeside. The scholars participating in the program not only change the trajectory of their lives, but inspire people around them to be bold and to strive for excellence.

The partnership is not unlike those that Rainier Scholars has with other private and public schools. The school and the program work together to advise and coach their students, help them stay on track, reduce the number of potential cracks they might fall through, and share feedback and strategies for what the scholars need to succeed. What makes the Lakeside partnership different is the scale of that support. The number of Rainier Scholars attending Lakeside has grown so much that the school has a dedicated Rainier Scholars liaison, Latasia Lanier ’90. Lanier holds regular meetings with academic counselors at Rainier Scholars, conducts summer surveys of incoming scholars, oversees midyear check-ins with students, shares teacher comments, helps foster a sense of community, facilitates financial aid conversations with scholar families, and serves as general support, point person, and cheerleader.

With the backing of both Lakeside and Rainier Scholars, students receive support from multiple entities that want to see them succeed. Afrah Eltom ’13, says, “Rainier Scholars meant a lot to me growing up. Especially being the eldest in my immigrant family, there were a lot of things I simply didn’t know about, regarding education and life in general. Rainier Scholars provided opportunities and resources that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise. I didn’t even know schools like Lakeside existed. It was difficult at times, especially at a young age. Getting that extra support was invaluable.”

Lanier says one thing Rainier Scholars has provided Lakeside is the opportunity for more dynamic students to attend the school. “The program has really expanded who we think of as our school community,” she says, “along with what kinds of supports we’re providing, what types of stories we can share, and how we relay connections with other organizations in our community and other neighborhoods of Seattle.”

This partnership has helped Lakeside open its horizons. Current Rainier Scholars board member Bernie Noe was the head of school at Lakeside for 23 years before he retired at the end of last year. During his time as head, he points out, Lakeside became a far more diverse place. He says, “When I came to the school, the student body was 24% students of color. When I left, it was around 65% or 66%.”

The number of students receiving financial aid has risen significantly alongside the student mix. The increase in Rainier Scholars at Lakeside during Noe’s time is partly a result of Lakeside’s efforts and partly because the Rainier Scholars program provides information to underrepresented families about the value of independent schools. A key part is sharing information about Lakeside’s extraordinary financial aid program, which has the capacity to provide all students with what they need for an equitable education and the chance to participate fully in Lakeside life, from attending dances to buying yearbooks, from taking Global Service Learning trips to traveling with teams and clubs to far-off competitions.

Ultimately, it’s the Rainier Scholars themselves — and the world they graduate into — who benefit from the partnership.

— Makayla Miles