Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Cassandra Nixon is one of two Lincoln County locals taking solely online classes at CCS this term. She anticipates graduating after the quarter.
DAVENPORT – Six-count em'-six Lincoln County residents signed up for winter quarter classes at Community Colleges of Spokane, according to the schools. Just two are taking online classes full time. Total class enrollment at the colleges, which include Spokane Community and Spokane Falls Community colleges, often totals over 25,000, according to the school website.
But, while so few of those attending classes either hybrid, online-only or in-person hail from the vast wheat-filled acreage of Lincoln County, the model works for some, including 36-year-old Cassandra Nixon of Odessa (formerly Davenport).
Nixon, an integrated community services major, said online courses are the only way for her to work toward getting her degree while raising her four children, who range in age from 16 to two.
"I never attended in-person college," Nixon, who expects to graduate after winter quarter after heading back to school at age 34, said. "I don't do well with ridged schedules."
She plans to head to Whitworth for an undergraduate degree in social services, then jump over to Cheney for a master's in counseling from Eastern Washington University.
"I've never set foot on campus...except for meeting my advisor," Nixon said. "I feel really supported. Someone always gets back to me right away."
Census information from 2014 to 2018, the last year made available on the census website, indicates college degrees aren't always the top priority for the rural county, where people often rely on farming or agriculture work to bring home the bacon. That line of work typically doesn't require a Harvard mastermind to achieve.
Just 23.6% of county adults above age 25 have attained bachelor's degrees in that time frame, below the state and national average. However, 91.4% were high school graduates, which is higher than the state and national averages.
But, higher education remains a priority for many, including Nixon, who hopes to use her degree(s) to give back to the county she's found a home in.
"I could help in the jails, schools or hospitals," Nixon said. "I wanted to invest in Lincoln County."
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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