“College is giving me the bright future I thought I could never have. There are so many new opportunities and I have met the most incredible people. This is the happiest I have been in a long time, and I know that if I had stayed in Nome, I would have come up to a dead end. I never could have made it without the help of the transition program.”

EJ Rochon, a 20-year-old freshman attending Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado never thought college could be in the picture for “somebody like her.” She wasn’t ready to jump into college like some of her classmates. After a couple years went by, EJ wasn’t sure what the future was going to look like. But a single encouraging text in 2021 from Kawerak Transition Program Coordinator Jessica Farley letting EJ know she had less than 30 days to apply for scholarships, led her to the Higher Education office the next day. EJ found herself applying for school and the College Transition Program (CTP)…two days later she was accepted into both the College Transition Program and the school of her choice! Rochon decided there was no backing out now.

Excitement built as EJ discovered there were four other students from Nome that planned to attend ‘the Fort’ aka Fort Lewis College. Some students also planned on going to the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS), University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), Alaska Christian College (ACC), and Alaska Pacific University (APU). The college transition program made sure all of 14 students were connected through weekly webinars. The webinars covered information on financial aid, how to thrive academically, housing & campus safety, social/emotional health, and cultural connectedness. Participants also spent a couple hours a week on the Essential Educations Online Program that teaches about college essentials and budgeting.

Students who completed all the webinars for the program were gifted a new ASUS Laptop, a REI the North Face Borealis Laptop backpack, school supplies and a $500 stipend. Their airfare was also paid to their place of school and back for winter break thanks to NSEDC. Not to mention the ultra-essential pizza party the day before leaving for college.

Travel Adventure

“It takes an arm and a leg to get to Durango. It’s kind of why I love it. You’re in a small remote town and it almost feels like home!”

The Fort Lewis students, Jessica, her husband Chugie and three parents left Nome on the morning flight out and a few hours later were on their next flight to Seattle. They stayed the night in Seattle and woke up at the crack of dawn to fly to Albuquerque, NM. From Albuquerque they drove SIX hours in 100-degree weather. They were eskimo popsicles! Jake and Theresa Kenick were two of the parents who accompanied this group to drop off their daughter Molly Kenick. They hauled all the totes and suitcases in a truck all the way from Albuquerque to Durango. It was a day before student check in so when they finally arrived in Durango, they stayed the night at another hotel.

“We all had different check in times, but Jessica did her thing to make sure we could go right in the morning. I have two roommates and there is only one single bed so Jess and I got up at 7 am before everybody else and rushed to check me in so I could get the single bed,” EJ laughed. Moving in was easier than expected for EJ. Having a vehicle drive her through check-in and get to the school was pretty clutch. “If we needed anything, Jessica was there to help. We all felt really supported,” reflected EJ.

EJ has fallen in love with Fort Lewis College. Attending campus events, like JAWS in the water (watching the movie JAWS while in a pool) and drag bingo were some highlights. Jewels Iyapana (also from Nome and participated in the program) and EJ figured out the bus system together to easily get to where they need to go. Before the College Transition Program, EJ didn’t know Jewels very well, but now Jewels is one of her best friends! All the Nome students are in touch with each other checking in and making sure everybody feels supported. “It’s like we have our own little community within the community.”

When we asked EJ for final comments she made sure to thank the CTP staff. “This program changed my life for the better. I was in an unhealthy relationship and depressed but leaving for college gave me a new start. If you’re thinking about using this program, don’t think, just do! But go when you are ready! If I went right out of high school I would have dropped out.

The College Transition Program is open to all Bering Strait region tribal members who are incoming college freshman who have graduated high school within the last two years and are attending a college or university away from home for the first time. The College Transition Program (CTP) guides new college students through what to expect during their first year of attending an in-person university/college. To learn more about the college transition program visit our website at kawerak.org/he. The application for 2022 is due by May 15!