August 21, 2003
Talent Search employee pushes colleges — all of them
Esteban Maldonado is a college recruiter. And, although he’s a UW employee, he does not limit his recruitment to encouraging students to become a Husky.
Maldonado works for the Educational Talent Search, a federally funded program administered by the UW’s Office of Minority Affairs. He lives and works in Kennewick, but is relocating to Toppenish next month. And his job is to encourage low-income and potentially first-generation students in the Yakima Valley to pursue higher education anywhere they can, at the UW or anywhere else in the country.
The U.S. Department of Education provides funding for Talent Search, with the goal of getting more students in higher education from the group that is least likely to go to college. Encouraging these students, and their parents, requires a great deal of hands-on care.
Maldonado estimates that he talks with several hundred students over the course of the year. He goes into schools, both middle schools and high schools, and tries to get students fired up about higher education. He helps them through the mysteries of financial aid, scheduling workshops to which students and parents are encouraged to bring both the federal financial aid form and their tax return.
It’s all about increasing a student’s awareness of the options available, he says. “I try to find out about their aspirations and their strengths. I use a computer program that lists virtually every college in the country, that allows me to match students’ interests, and the kind of community in which they wish to live, with higher education opportunities. I help them fill out an information request form, if they need it.”
Maldonado sees his role as providing support to school counseling staffs, which are typically overburdened. “For many of these students, higher education is a vague idea, and they aren’t sure of the process. At an early stage, I try to make them aware of the entrance requirements and the kinds of tests they have to take. But it’s all about options. For example, a student who is interested in teeth can be a dental receptionist, a hygienist, or a dentist. I help them determine how much education they want and how much they might earn, so that they are making informed choices.”
For those students who are “too cool to study,” Maldonado speaks to them from their interests. Fixing up cars? He talks about mechanics programs at community colleges. Interested in music? How about audio production?
One of the biggest barriers is what Maldonado calls the “rural mentality.” Students are isolated and often wary of change. Even going to Yakima Valley Community College, to which all high school graduates in the valley are automatically admitted, is scary for some. Maldonado tries to reassure them, as well as their parents, and to help them connect with support services that exist at all schools to help them succeed.
Maldonado often leads field trips to colleges and universities. He points out that for some, even visiting Columbia Basin College in Pasco, while a relatively short drive from the valley, is a great psychological distance. “Our goal is to demystify college,” he says.
One of the biggest barriers to higher education is money. While there is a great deal of mythology surrounding college costs, some of the concerns are well founded, Maldonado points out. The other major concern is that students are worried they can’t succeed in higher education. Again, Maldonado will discuss their options, including beginning at a two-year school.
“One of the best ways is to bring successful students from the valley back as motivational speakers, who can say ‘If I did it, you can, too.’ “
Maldonado was raised in the valley, in Grandview, and attended the UW. “I know what it’s like. I was the only one from my class to go to the UW. I received great support at the UW, from the Instructional Center, and from individual professors such as Erasmo Gamboa. I know that personal contact makes a huge difference. What I’m trying to do is replicate elements of the support that I had.”
In addition to its programs and staff in the valley, Talent Search also has programs in Skagit and Snohomish counties in western Washington. For more information see the Talent Search Web site at http://depts.washington.edu/talent/ or call 206-616-1948.
