Regarding the Oct. 20 editorial, “Boosting higher ed,” it’s encouraging that Clark College has been increasing its funding for students, especially for “first time, first generation” students. As a graduate of Clark College, and having gone on to higher-level education, I understand how difficult it can be for a beginning student to find funding, more so if the student is one who has no idea of what field to study or is not sure what career path to choose. Not to say that an education past high school will guarantee a steady job, but having a good education definitely increases the chance of success. And when funding is available, more and more high school students are encouraged to pursue a higher education.
For Clark College, it is especially important because 67 percent of the students are first-generation students. It’s extremely shocking to see the dropout rates of high school students, and if this increase in funding will motivate students to continue learning beyond high school, then the program shows success.
Pavel Tsytsyn
Vancouver
