Alaska Airlines helps students in the Pacific Northwest by flying many of them to college tours

Saturday, April 13, 2024

Alaska Airlines collaborated with local organizations to transport over 60 BIPOC high school juniors from Seattle and Portland for a tour of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

In the previous month, we organized a trip for 60 BIPOC students from the Pacific Northwest to visit colleges in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta boasts several HBCUs such as Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta, Morris Brown, and Fort Valley State. Some students extended their tours to include other schools along the East Coast like Tuskegee University, Alabama State, Howard, and others. Since there are no HBCUs in the Northwest, these trips serve as a source of inspiration for students to explore the cultural vibrancy and educational possibilities provided by HBCUs.

During their school visits, students engaged in discussions with admissions counselors, current students, and administrators regarding the significance of college attendance, the admissions procedures, and financial assistance. The organization of these college tours was made feasible thanks to our enduring collaboration with UNCF and Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI).

“The HBCU tour exposes and highlights the opportunities for our young people to strive for higher education. Seeing a version of themselves on these campuses inspires and excites them. Our students come back more focused and believing that they can achieve anything that they put their energy and effort into. Based on financial limitations, SEI absolutely could not do this tour without the support of Alaska Airlines.” – Anthony Deloney, Director of Development at Self Enhancement, Inc. 

“The Alaska airlines sendoff alone was probably the best thing I’ve experienced at SEI, and I’ve been here 27 years.” – Tamra Hickok, Director of Program Innovation at Self Enhancement, Inc. 

For more than 20 years, Alaska Airlines has collaborated closely with UNCF, whose goal is to cultivate a strong, nationally acknowledged group of underrepresented students who go on to become highly skilled college graduates. Alaska Airlines takes pride in its partnership with UNCF, spanning over 18 years, during which it has contributed over 20 million miles for flying students to participate in college tours. Through our CARE Miles program, we encourage our guests to donate miles to UNCF, helping to bolster this important initiative.

SEI and Alaska contribute to advancing Portland’s progress

Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI) stands as a cornerstone within the North Portland community, offering vital academic support and services tailored to Black students and their families. SEI excels in addressing the multifaceted needs of the individuals and families under its care, aiding them in navigating cultural, educational, and financial obstacles. Alaska has been a dedicated advocate of SEI’s annual fundraising efforts for over ten years. However, this year marked a significant turning point as we expanded our support to include SEI’s inaugural HBCU tour.

The SEI HBCU tour encompassed visits to prestigious institutions such as Tuskegee University, Alabama State University, Clark University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Johnson C Smith University, North Carolina A&T University, and Howard University. Discover Janiya’s firsthand account of her journey on the tour and the profound impact each stop had on her path to college!

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