I Am St. Vincent: Clover Park Technical College

St. Vincent de Paul & Clover Park Technical College Partnership Continues to Support Hispanic Community

Since spring of 2023, St. Vincent de Paul’s Hispanic & Immigrant Support Program (formerly Centro Rendu) has worked in partnership with Clover Park Technical College (CPTC) to provide ESL (English as a second language) and bi-lingual high school completion courses. These classes, led by CLPT instructors and taught in our Community Resource Center (CRC), are geared towards Hispanic and immigrant teens and adults.

Jenna Pollock, Dean of the Transitional Studies department at CPTC, oversees the ESL & High School Completion Program, and our primary partner with CPTC. According to Pollock, the number of people in Pierce County without a high school diploma is staggering.

The education data published by the county supports this. In 2023, 7.29% of the adult residents in Pierce County hadn’t completed high school. In terms of real numbers, that translates to approximately 50,943 adult residents. That proportion is even higher in populations without fluency in English.

Unfortunately, the lack of a high school diploma restricts job opportunities, correlates with higher rates of unemployment, and frequently results in lower-paying jobs. It also means limited access to higher education. This narrows potential job options and can inhibit long-term career growth and overall earning potential.

CPTC offers ESL and High School Completion courses individually. However, Pollock notes that combining them often yields better long-term results. That’s why SVdP offers ESL and bilingual high school completion courses together, under one roof at the CRC. Both English proficiency and a high school diploma are crucial to improving lives.

Why does this work matter?

Pollock said, “there are lots of families in our community that deserve the chance to be financially stable and successful for themselves and their children.” Pollock further stated, “the Hispanic and immigrant community is experiencing a great deal of fear, regardless of their immigration and documentation status. It’s important to support them right now.”

We couldn’t agree more.

St Vincent de Paul of Tacoma, Pierce County is proud to partner with Clover Park Technical College to provide this critical support to our neighbors in need, without regard to race, religion, or orientation.

Clover Park Technical College provides ESL and High School Completion courses on an open-enrollment basis for $25 per quarter. However, for those who cannot afford the tuition, this can be waived. Courses are held in person at the Clover Park Technical College campus in Lakewood, online, or off-site at partner locations in the community.