Palmer Scholars Legacy Application Opens; 3 Scholars Lead Recruitment Efforts

We are pleased to announce we have hired one current Scholar and two recent alums to lead our outreach and recruitment efforts for the coming application season. The Scholars are Reece Martin, Michelle Rogers, and Vilma Alvarado Garcia. Given the ongoing concerns around COVID-19, all outreach, including presentations to schools, community members, and parents, will occur virtually.

This will be the third year that we hire our own Scholars to lead our outreach and recruitment efforts. In previous years, Palmer Scholars staff juggled recruitment work with their other responsibilities such as facilitating Postsecondary Readiness Trainings, onboarding new mentors, and ensuring continuing postsecondary Scholars were on track to graduate. “It just makes sense,” Palmer Scholars Executive Director Jonathan Jackson said. “Who better to help identify the next generation of Palmer Scholars than those who have been in their shoes?” Despite the challenges that COVID-19 brought to the outreach and recruitment process, Palmer Scholars received 134 applications during the 2020-2021 school year.

This part-time position provides our Outreach and Recruitment Specialists the opportunity to gain paid professional experience before they even graduate from their postsecondary program. Outreach and Recruitment Specialists work with our Scholar Engagement Coordinator to perfect their presentation skills and practice professional email etiquette.

The Outreach and Recruitment Specialists will be split into regions. Reece will be serving prospective Scholars from SAMI, Foss High School, Wilson High School, Stadium High School, Bellarmine Prep, Summit Olympus High School, and Puyallup High School. He can best be reached at rmartin@palmerscholars.org. Michelle will be serving prospective Scholars from Franklin Pierce High School, Dr. Dolores Silas High School, Stadium High School, Bethel High School, Summit Olympus High School, SAMI, and Mt. Tahoma High School. She can best be reached at mrogers@palmerscholars.org. Vilma will be serving prospective Scholars from Lincoln High School, SOTA,s Chief Leschi High School, Willie Stewart Academy, Oakland Alternative School, Clover Park High School, and Fife High School. She can best be reached at valvarado@palmerscholars.org. All other schools and community organizations can direct their inquiries to recruitment@palmerscholars.org.

The application for our next class of Palmer Scholars will close on November 17th. At Palmer Scholars, we are committed to supporting underrepresented Pierce County students of color to overcome the financial, cultural, and social barriers in their pursuit of higher education. If you or someone you know is a current junior from a high school in Pierce County and would like to apply for Palmer Scholars, please contact the Outreach and Recruitment Specialist assigned to your region. If your school is not listed or you would like to schedule a presentation, please email recruitment@palmerscholars.org.