Amanda Orcutt always dreamed of earning a college degree. But she struggled with the cost and the challenge of working full-time while going to school. Then life came to a crashing halt when she was diagnosed at age 30 with a rare and debilitating physical condition that left her hospitalized for 68 days.
“I promised myself, if I ever get better, I’d go back to school,” Orcutt said.
It took five years of setbacks and recovery before Orcutt realized her dream. This fall she enrolled at Walla Walla Community College, where she is earning credits that will fully transfer to Whitman College.
“I knew I couldn’t apply directly to a university,” said Orcutt, who just turned 35. “I wouldn’t be able to afford it and I’d been out of the classroom for 16 years.”
Orcutt continues to manage chronic pain and receives immunoglobulin therapy every three weeks at the Walla Walla Cancer Center. She credits her parents and her WWCC counselors and advisors, particularly those working within WWCC’s Disability Support Services and TRIO Program, for helping her stay on track.
WWCC support staff arranged for her to have ergonomically correct chairs in class to accommodate her back. Advisors meet with her at least once every quarter to review her class schedule and make sure that her credits will easily transfer. An advisor also helped Orcutt land a spot in the first Warrior Pledge class, a new program that covers the cost of tuition for eligible students.
“I feel like I won the lottery,” she said.
This year nearly one-third of WWCC students – 29% — are earning academic credits they intend to transfer to a four-year college or university. Of those who started at WWCC in 2018 with the intent to transfer, two-thirds – 66% — graduated with an associate degree within four years of starting WWCC and transferred to a four-year college or university.
Under a statewide transfer agreement, students at all Washington community colleges are able to transfer credits to public colleges and universities in the state. WWCC also has additional transfer agreements and partnerships with Lewis-Clark State College, Washington State University, Walla Walla University, Eastern Washington University and Whitman College.
The option of spending the first year or two of college in a community college is attractive to many students and their parents, especially because it is more affordable. Tuition at a public university in Washington State can run more than twice the cost of WWCC and tuition at a private school can be three times as expensive.
When Orcutt completes her education, she hopes to work as a motivational speaker in schools and businesses.
“I’m doing my very best to get an A in every class, so I can get to Whitman,” she said with a smile. “My goal is to get my bachelor’s degree by the time I’m 40.”
To learn more about WWCC transfer credits, as well as a full range of academic transfer and workforce programs, visit wwcc.edu.