This year, we received 23 applications from colleges and universities around the country. Staff from Think College and AUCD reviewed the applications and used a scoring rubric to select 10 teams to be the Think College Policy Advocates (TCPA):
Arthur Moreira & Felice Botts, College of Alameda, Career to College Program (CA)
Torey Robets & Judith Husband, Lively Technical College, SOAR Program (FL)
Bridget Brown & Jordyn Jensen, University of Illinois Chicago, UIC Co-Op Program (IL)
Nicholas Hadaway & Caroline Jurisich, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana LIFE Program (LA)
Hari Kannan & Amy D'Agati, University of Maryland, TerpsEXCEED Program (MD)
Sophia Whittingham & Rory Carmer, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Project FOCUS (NV)
Liv Baist & Brianna Shults, Syracuse University, InclusiveU (NY)
Kyle Sheaff & Jamie Ray-Leonetti, Temple University, Leadership & Career Studies (PA)
Ruth Bollinger & Chelsea Stinnett, University of South Carolina, CarolinaLIFE (SC)
Evan Henninger & Kelley Wilds, Washington State University, ROAR Program (WA)
Since April, these teams have participated in several calls to get to know each other, learn some basics about policy, understand how to make appointments with their state’s legislators, and get tips on how to tell their stories. Additionally, they met with coaches who will provide support and guidance as they learn about advocacy. To help them prepare further, they had some homework to prepare for the in-person meeting in June.
In early June, 2022, all of the teams and coaches attended a training in Washington, DC (held in conjunction with the National Disability Rights Network annual conference) to continue to prepare to meet with legislators and their staff to discuss disability issues. A highlight of their time in our nation's capitol were visits to Capitol Hill for in-person meetings with their Members to tell them about inclusive postsecondary education and why it’s important.