Erika Hernandez and Vernon Glass: Washington legislators have the chance to fix wrong done to low-income college students

By Erika Hernandez and Vernon Glass

In the 2025 Washington legislative session, lawmakers cut financial aid for students attending not-for-profit and independent colleges and universities across the state. These cuts – to the Washington College Grant and College Bound Scholarship – are inequitable, affecting only students attending not-for-profit, independent schools in Washington. While some saw them as a step forward, in reality, the cuts push students like us, attending Whitworth University, backward into financial fright by eliminating up to half of our grant and scholarship aid from the state.

The students most affected by these cuts are students who come from low-income backgrounds, students of color, women and students who are the first generation in their families to attend college – subsets that rely heavily on this financial aid. When I am around my peers at Whitworth and the question of “Why did you decide to come to Whitworth?” comes up, one reason we always talk about is that, after accounting for financial aid, Whitworth provides a great value considering the quality of education we receive. Some students share in these conversations that without aid like the Washington College Grant and College Bound Scholarship, they would have decided not to pursue a college education.

The Washington College Grant and College Bound Scholarship motivate and empower us to go beyond our own expectations and allow us to not only leave college with a degree but also contribute to our communities and society overall. During the 2026 session, legislators have the opportunity to correct these inequitable cuts from 2025 by passing Senate Bill 5828.

This bill, sponsored by leaders from both the Democratic and Republican parties, will undo, restore and reconstruct the unfair cuts for eligible Washington College Grant and College Bound Scholarship recipients who, like us, attend independent, not-for-profit institutions across the state.

As student representatives of Whitworth University, we write this letter to help our legislators and the public understand how vital it is that lawmakers keep the promises they made to residents when creating the Washington College Grant and College Bound Scholarship. Keeping that promise not only gives us the opportunity to become leaders but also gives us the greatest gift of all: the opportunity to learn. We must preserve educational support for students at all colleges, not just those the Legislature chooses for us.

It is crucial for legislators to reverse these inequitable cuts and to shrink the financial barriers that low-income and underrepresented families face when considering how to pay for college. Voting for SB 5828 will signal lawmakers’ support for students who rely on this funding, while ensuring a ready future supply of talented employees who contribute to the strength and vitality of their communities.

By supporting SB 5828, legislators can turn students’ dreams of a college education into reality, especially for those like us, who – without the Washington College Grant and College Bound Scholarship – may be unable to continue our education and complete our college degrees.

Please call or email your state legislators and encourage them to vote yes on SB 5828. Because empowering our communities starts with empowering the minds of our current and future students.

Erika Hernandez, of Prosser, Washington, and Vernon Glass, of Spokane, are both members of the class of 2028 at Whitworth University.