Empowering Youth Tacoma 2024: Celebrating Student Success & Community Impact

As she vibrantly welcomed more than 300 guests to Empowering Youth Tacoma, CSF-Tacoma board member and luncheon emcee Jiquanda Nelson’s energy filled the room and kicked off the event! She shared her connection to the mission as a first-generation college graduate.

“CSF students often come from low-income families and are the first in their family to attend college,” explained Jiquanda. “We’ve come together this afternoon to support CSF’s mission to provide our students with support and services to ensure they finish high school, graduate from college and succeed in life.”

CSF-Tacoma’s Executive Director Senait Habte discussed the impact CSF and its close partners have had on Tacoma and its young people for more than two decades.

“Earlier this year, it was announced with much-deserved fanfare that Tacoma’s high school graduation rate was over 91 percent! Wow!,” exclaimed Senait. “This outcome would not have been realized without Tacoma’s strong commitment to educational equity. We are beyond proud to have been in community with Tacoma for over 20 years.”

Senait gratefully acknowledged CSF’s partners and staff who work day in and day out with CSF Scholars to provide opportunities like college visits and career exploration activities and to overcome barriers like navigating financial aid, specifically the new FAFSA, which became quite an obstacle for the students and families we support.

“College Success Foundation ensures Tacoma’s young scholars have a path forward after high school, so they can access and succeed in college. In the last year, we’ve walked alongside 5,000 Tacoma students on their educational journey.”

Senait also touched on the CSF support system that awaits CSF Scholars when they get to college: “Our College Services program has supported students who are finding their sense of place and belonging at college, advocating for themselves, managing budgets, deciding on majors and choosing careers, and starting their professional networks.”

Midway through the program, CSF Scholars from all five comprehensive Tacoma high schools took the stage to announce where they plan to attend college in the fall. CSF Scholars from local colleges and universities also took part in the festivities. Jiquanda invited audience members to build a receiving line tunnel for the students to dance through in celebration. The students were met with pom poms, smiles and cheers from CSF alumni and staff. It was pure jubilation!

Next, CSF alum Makala Broussard delivered her CSF alumni speaker keynote remarks. A graduate of Tacoma’s Lincoln High School and Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., Makala shared her educational journey with the audience, including how she started at a university and ended up graduating from a college. She touched on the importance of staying the course—even if you go off course, the value of networking (it’s not what you know, but who you know), and being OK with not having everything figured out at an early age.

Makala reminisced, “CSF opened the doors to a lot of opportunities that students like me would not have been able to do on my own. Looking back, I realize that I did not understand the impact this would have on me and my decision on what I would do after high school. I always knew I wanted to go to college, but like most students with my background, we just didn’t know how we were going to get there. CSF created the roadmap to get us there.”

Makala and her husband Patrick, also a CSF alum, were joined by her family. They caught up with her CSF advisor, Robert Jones, who continues to support students at Lincoln High School after nearly 20 years of service. Makala and Patrick were also able to reconnect with CSF’s alumni services manager, Angie Winkle, who supported them as they launched their careers after college and kept them connected to the CSF network. Today, Makala is a senior project director at Ipsos, a market research company.

“Without CSF, its donors, partners, staff and of course my mother and husband, I could honestly say that I would not be in the position I’m in today,” reflects Makala. “I’m so grateful to have been a part of the program for this long!”

It was a truly wonderful afternoon of connecting with CSF’s mission and CSF supporters and partners all in one room. Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing everyone next May for Empowering Youth Tacoma 2025!

Didn’t have a chance to attend the event? Join us now! You can help us reach our goal of $135,000 to support our programs in Tacoma.

We are proud to support the following local businesses for the Empowering Youth Tacoma event: Georgio’s Catering, Shikorina Bakeshop & Cafe, Royal Entertainment AV, and Lisa Monet Photography.