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OLYMPIA – AV���� proudly announces a generous $1 million gift from an anonymous alumni donor. This significant contribution, to be given over the next five years, will directly support student success by funding scholarships and vital student services.

Throughout the 2024-25 academic year, the funds will be provided to the college’s Basic Needs Center and for scholarships for students of AV���� Tacoma and the Native Pathways Program. The donor selected these three initiatives to help reduce barriers to graduation and support students who are making a positive impact in their communities.

���������������’s Basic Needs Center facilitates access to necessities such as housing, food, clothing, and hygiene products, and community resources at no cost to students. The Basic Needs Center also helps students connect to regional community resources through tailored referrals and advocacy.

Located in the historic Hilltop neighborhood, AV���� Tacoma has helped Tacoma residents acquire the skills and confidence to take their places as leaders in the region. Longtime Tacoma resident and AV���� faculty member Dr. Maxine Mimms founded the Tacoma program in her home in the Hilltop in 1972. The program was formally established at 12th and MLK in 1982. AV���� Tacoma offers a dynamic and inclusive learning environment that celebrates diversity, innovation, and community engagement.

In ���������������’s Native Pathways Program, students expand their knowledge by examining Indigenous and Western thought and practices through an Indigenous lens. Using a cohort model of learning, the program uses works written or created by Indigenous authors and scholars, engages in place-based learning that tells the stories of the land, and structures lessons centered on Indigenous cultural knowledge.

“We are incredibly grateful for this gift, which will have a lasting impact on our students and the broader community,” said Dr. John Carmichael, AV���� President. “These funds allow the college to address immediate student needs and help remove barriers to higher education, proving once again that AV���� is for everyone.”

This gift is part of AV����’s Foundation’s ongoing efforts to empower students and support innovative, community-based education.

AV���� announced they have been selected as an education partner for , providing Amazon’s hourly employees' access to undergraduate degrees. 

“AV���� is excited to become a part of Amazon’s career choice program,” said AV����'s President John Carmichael. “This program removes barriers to education and provides pre-paid tuition for Amazon employees to learn new skills for career success. Providing a pathway for expanding an employee’s educational path is an amazing investment.”

AV���� is a place dedicated to empowerment, collaboration, creative problem solving and making unlikely connections that change the way we see the world. It is a place flexible enough to adapt to society’s challenges and prepares people to confidently meet their futures. The college offers unique programs and schedules for adult learners as well as internships, individual learning contracts, the Professional and Continuing Education Program and a new Early Childhood Education program at the Tacoma campus.

Amazon’s Career Choice program is an educational benefit that empowers employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere. The program meets individual learners where they are on their education journey through a variety of education and upskilling opportunities including pre-paid college tuition, industry certifications designed to lead to in-demand jobs, and foundational skills such as English language proficiency, high school diplomas, and GEDs. In the U.S., the company is investing $1.2 billion to upskill more than 300,000 employees by 2025 to help move them into higher-paying, in-demand jobs. 

Amazon’s Career Choice program has a rigorous selection process for third-party partner educators, choosing partners focused on helping employees through their education programs, assisting them with job placements, and offering education that leads to career success. 

“We’re looking forward to AV���� coming on board as an education partner for Career Choice, adding to the hundreds of best-in-class offerings available to our employees,” said Tammy Thieman, Global Program Lead of Amazon’s Career Choice program. “We’re committed to empowering our employees by providing them access to the education and training they need to grow their careers, whether that’s with us or elsewhere. We have intentionally created a partner network of third-party educators and employers committed to providing excellent education, job placement resources, and continuous improvements to the experience. Today, over 130,000 Amazon employees around the world have participated in Career Choice and we’ve seen first-hand how it can transform their lives.” 

For more information on ���������������’s partnership with Amazon’s Career Choice, visit 
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