As students returned to campus this fall semester, the university now has the opportunity to be the pipeline for students seeking applied learning. In doing so, WSU can “grow our own” while supporting the campus and students more.
As we have seen overwhelmed individuals and overloaded systems in the past years, we can be the agents of change. So now is the chance to see the transformation we want to see in our community when it comes to diversifying and growing our fields.
Instead of looking at the issues as an external pipeline issue out of our control, I implore that we become the pipeline and fill the gap with our students. Becoming the pipeline on campus creates deeper connections, collisions, and a community for all our students. This will foster a deeper sense of belonging and pride in our university. Thus, truly making WSU a destination for students as well as recent graduates to learn, thrive, belong, and succeed.
Nothing captures being the pipeline and growing our own better than the story of Annette Santiago, a class of 2021 graduate. She came to WSU as an office assistant in 2016, reenrolled in school at WSU, and then completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work.
During her time at WSU, she completed all her clinical trainings at WSU Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Those experiences led to her wanting to continue at CAPS and in the Spring of 2023, she was hired as a mental health counselor at CAPS.
By growing our own, CAPS increased access for students during her training as well as instituted new case management services for students at CAPS.
Clearly, when we invest in our students and staff, we become the pipeline that feeds into us better serving students which can lead students to see themselves as a Shocker forever.
Furthermore, when we connect this applied learning to ongoing campus research, our students will forward the fields that our respective areas support. Our campus can become a one-stop shop for students.
We can decrease the many barriers students face today such as transportation, schedule issues with classes, and the many other student-life challenges.
Additionally, when we create pipelines and have students who come from different disciplines gather together, we create a more diversified learning experience. This cross-pollination of understandings/majors/experiences enrich not just the student experience, but the campus as a whole and strengthens the department where the students are learning.
Finally, this focus on being the pipeline results in your area treating the fish and the water. Everyone in an applied learning experience becomes enriched and by becoming the pipeline, the WSU community and beyond are enhanced.
This lasting impact of becoming the pipeline will lighten our overwhelmed systems and individuals, foster a deeper connection to WSU for all students as well as increase our ability to support our students’ dreams and aspirations.
So remember, when someone responds with pipeline issues, implore them to be the pipeline.
