Peggy Jenkins, Founding Director of Palouse Pathways, Recognized with National College Access Award

Palouse Pathways is excited to announce that our Founding Director, Peggy Jenkins, has been honored with the Inclusion, Access, and Success Award from NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling). Presented at the NACAC Conference 2025 in Columbus, Ohio, this award recognizes her exceptional dedication to expanding opportunities and support for rural students pursuing higher education.

Peggy’s belief in the potential of every student inspired the founding of Palouse Pathways in 2013 - and it continues to guide the organization today. Her leadership has helped make college a reality for hundreds of students across the Palouse region by offering personalized guidance and comprehensive resources for exploring college, career, and financial aid options. 

The following excerpt about Peggy’s impact was published on the NACAC website:

“Peggy Jenkins started her career in Washington D.C. as a clerk for a federal judge before returning home to Hawaii, where she eventually became a partner at a large Honolulu law firm. In 2001 she moved to Deary, Idaho and worked remotely doing legal research and writing. Peggy later moved to Moscow, Idaho where she noticed that local students had fewer college opportunities than the children of her law-firm friends in Honolulu. She headed the Parent Teacher Association at Moscow High School and shared information about FAFSA, scholarships, college admission tests, and more.

In 2013, Peggy founded Palouse Pathways, which now serves 500-700 rural students per year, including 80 Palouse Pathways Scholars, who are a cohort of rural students in grades nine-12 who receive college advising and enrichment and who support one another in their college aspirations. Palouse Pathways is known for innovative programs and for connecting rural schools and students with opportunities like QuestBridge, College Horizons, Stars College Network, and more.

Peggy co-founded NACAC’s Rural and Small Town Special Interest Group (SIG) in 2019. The group quickly grew to more than 2,000 members, including rural counselors and college admission folks. In 2021, Peggy served as co-chair of NACAC’s Rural and Small Town Issues Ad Hoc Committee and is also active in NACAC’s Community Based Organization SIG and PNACAC.

Peggy serves on the Coalition for College’s Counselor Advisory Committee, University of Chicago Access Partners Group, and the Bryn Mawr College President’s Counsel. She previously served on the Common App Advisory Board and the Washington University Counselor Advisory Board. She reviews scholarships for the Gates, Jack Kent Cooke, and Innovia foundations.

She moved to Santa Fe in July 2025, where she continues her part-time legal research and writing and volunteers for one of the college access organizations nearby. She plans to stay involved with Palouse Pathways to ensure that it has a strong and sustainable future.”

Watch the award presentation at the NACAC Conference 2025 here:

Navigating High School to be College Ready: Advice for 9th and 10th Grade Families

The first two years of high school are an adventure, to say the least—exciting, challenging, sometimes nerve-wracking! You’re navigating new classes, new friendships, new responsibilities, and likely some new questions as you start looking ahead to the college admission process. Read on to find a wealth of tips and advice on how you can make the most of 9th and 10th grade. 

What should rising 9th and 10th graders be doing to prepare for college?

Generally speaking, students in grades 9-10 don’t need to stress too much about college. The best advice at this stage is just to take challenging classes and pursue your interests—whether that’s music, arts, sports, clubs, community service, or whatever else lights you up! 

That being said, if one of these applies to you, you may want to start planning for college sooner:

• You have special goals, such as playing college sports or attending a highly selective school.

• You have significantly limited resources and will need a lot of financial aid and other support to navigate your path to college.

• You are really excited and want to start planning now!

But what if I’m not sure I want to go to college?  

It’s ok if you’re not sure yet! Getting ready as if you do plan to go to college will ensure that you have a wide range of options when you graduate. The same skills that make you college ready will also help you stand out to potential employers and other people who can help you reach your goals, whatever they may be.

How can I make the most of 9th and 10th grade? 

Check out this resource page from CollegeXpress, packed with great tips and advice for all kinds of things you can do in your early high school years to set yourself up for success. You’ll find practical ideas for surviving freshman year, getting involved in activities, developing great time management skills, taking your schoolwork seriously, learning about advanced courses, and thinking about the future. Start exploring now!

The Class of 2025 Reflects

Reflections on Transition 

This summer marks a unique time of transition for our graduating Palouse Pathways Scholars—a season of looking back, and looking forward. 

On the one hand, they’re savoring the joy (and relief!) of graduation and looking back on all of their high school memories and accomplishments. On the other hand, they are looking ahead to their fast-approaching departure for college with a combination of excitement, anticipation, and maybe a little nervousness.  

Before they venture off to write the next chapter of their story, our seniors were invited to share their reflections from this unique vantage point: their favorite memory of high school, what they will miss the most, what they’re looking forward to, who they’d like to thank, what advice they would give to the class of 2026, that sort of thing. Here’s what a few of them had to say. 

A.T.

These past few years I’ve grown and learned immensely, in no small part due to those who have helped me along the way. I would like to thank my mom, Dr. Shenghan Xu, for always being there, my friends for supporting me and pushing me to be better, and my teachers (especially Mr. Coulter, Mr. Keogh, Mrs. Currier, Ms. Estep, and Ms. DeMartin) for encouraging me through my journey! I appreciate you all deeply. 

Some advice I would give is to focus on your own path. Everyone is so focused and competitive that it can be easy to be peer-pressured into a path that may not suit you. Don’t be afraid to try new things or pursue what truly makes you happy, even if it deviates from the norm. Your life is yours alone to live. Best of luck and feel free to reach out! I support you in your journey forward, Class of 2026!

M.P.

My advice to the Class of 2026: Make sure you start your college applications early! The summertime is your friend. December was the worst month of my life by far, because I procrastinated writing my essays too much. I'd sit inside for the whole day while my friends were out having fun. 

Even more important, remember that applying to college isn't everything in life. I've had so much fun in the second semester of my senior year, because I've been going out with my friends and doing things that I have more time for now, and I wish that I had set aside time to do that earlier. It'll be your last year with your closest friends; make sure you internalize that.

 I'm going to miss the quiet streets of Pullman. I really wanted to get out of the countryside and move to the city, but looking back, there's a quaint feeling that you can't really get anywhere else. I think that once I actually move in for college, I'm going to realize how much I'll miss this place.

A.F.

I would like to thank my dad, brother, mom, friends, and teachers for being so supportive throughout my time in high school. 

My favorite memory of high school was going on school trips for state competitions like DECA and swim. What I am most looking forward to is warmer weather! What I’ll miss most is my parents.

My advice would be to only apply to schools that you can afford (with financial aid if you qualify) and assume you get no scholarship money, because getting in and then not being able to attend because of cost is tough.

K.D.

I know it’s been said a lot, but don’t forget that high school should be fun. It’s wholly possible to balance fun activities with your friends and family while working hard on your academics and extracurriculars. Finding this balance will help you avoid burnout in the long run. Go touch grass!

Why You Should Consider Harvey Mudd College

Jonathan Holcombe just finished his second year at Harvey Mudd College, a STEM focused school which is part of the Claremont consortium of schools in Southern California. Jonathan attended high school on the west side, but his mom now lives on the Palouse and volunteers for Palouse Pathways. Here’s why Jonathan thinks you should consider HMC.

Harvey Mudd had always been up at the top of my college list, so getting in was an absolute dream come true. Being a STEM-focused liberal arts school, it looked like a unique place to receive a very well-rounded, interdisciplinary education, with requirements and opportunities in many areas of both STEM and in the humanities, social sciences, and arts. The curriculum looked quite challenging, but with how interdisciplinary and in-depth the courses were, I saw it not as a stressful hurdle to overcome, but as an opportunity to rise to my full academic potential.

The fact that Harvey Mudd is part of the Claremont Colleges consortium—five small liberal arts colleges that are spread across just one square mile like little neighborhoods—also seemed to come with so many perks, such as being able to cross-enroll in classes at any of the other colleges and eat at all of the campuses' dining halls! And given that Mudd only has around 900 students, all super STEM-focused, the other four colleges create a lot of opportunities to meet different kinds of people.

When I learned that Harvey Mudd is also part of a successful Division III Track & Field program (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps), that was another huge plus to me. I knew that a D-IIl athletic program would enable me to pursue and prioritize my education at the highest level without having to give up the sport I love. 

I'm happy to say that Mudd has lived up to everything so far! The courses have been amazing, and with such small classes, I have formed some deep and meaningful connections with the professors and faculty here. The food and campus life is great, with a very work-hard/play-hard culture. People take our Honor Code very seriously, so we are granted many privileges (such as take-home exams and 24/7 access to classrooms and their technology to be used however we want!) and everyone acts with respect and integrity. The entire student body of the Claremont Colleges are genuinely some of the nicest people I've met, and I'm amazed that the colleges were somehow able to get so many nice people together in one place. 

Being on the Track & Field team has also been everything I hoped it would be, and I've continued to set new personal records in my events while getting all of the social, physical, and mental health benefits from the athletics and the tight-knit team we have.

I'm so glad that I decided to pick the college that seemed like the best fit for me as an individual (rather than only chasing prestige), and I hope that you all are able to find your own perfect fit, too!