WSU Vancouver student ambassadors collected 269 pens and pencils, 31 notebooks, four backpacks and many more school supplies for Fort Vancouver High School Center for International studies. In an effort to give back to the community and engage with younger students, ambassador Jaason Wilson said the supply drive was a way of being “an ambassador to our community.”
“We made it an effort for this ambassador team to really focus on not only the work we are doing that’s laid out for us, but to try and take it a step beyond,” Wilson added.
The ambassadors filled a barrel with supplies to donate to Fort Vancouver High School after promoting the event on social media for the first few weeks of the fall semester.
Wilson and fellow student ambassadors Cierah Alferness and Lexi Schefter delivered the supplies to the high school on Sept. 14. The WSU Vancouver ambassadors came in contact with Fort through the recruitment and admissions process. Alferness, a senior studying environmental science, hopes to recruit Fort Vancouver High School students to attend WSU Vancouver.
Alferness said she wanted to be involved in the community, and that is what inspired her to take part in the supply drive. She believes that doing projects like this might encourage students to pursue higher education.
“Maybe providing a notebook is going to help a student do better in a class and they will believe, ‘I can go to college too.’ Why not help encourage them,” Alferness said.
The ambassadors believe it is essential to branch out to the community. Some ambassadors said they were inspired by Dr. Sky Wilson, director of the student diversity center, who often says “We don’t have to be a school on a hill.”
According to statistics from U.S. News, Fort Vancouver High School is an economically disadvantaged school where about 73 percent of students receive free or reduced lunch.
After the success of their first drive, the student ambassadors plan to host another supply drive throughout November. Ambassadors encourage students to donate winter clothing for this supply drive.