Inquiry for Justice at Portland State bridges gap for historically excluded students

Inquiry for Justice students learn about food justice from farmers at Black Futures Farm

Over the course of two weeks in August, 32 students from Multnomah County participated in Portland State's Inquiry for Justice program, living on campus and learning about justice through place-based learning at sites including the historic Vanport site, the Black Futures Farm, the South Park Blocks and the Albina district.

The Inquiry for Justice program, now in its third year, serves as a running start for historically excluded students in the Portland area to begin to do college-level work and prepare for their participation in dual credit courses, (including Senior Inquiry which brings PSU's interdisciplinary curriculum to about 600 students at six high schools across four districts in the Portland metro area), during their senior year of high school.

Sarah Dougher, assistant professor in University Studies, and Senior Inquiry Director Sonja Taylor, developed the program as an onramp for the Senior Inquiry program. Funding from the Teagle Foundation's Knowledge for Freedom program allows PSU to actively recruit students who may not consider dual-credit courses or who are on a college-going trajectory.

"We want to connect with students who don't self-select into dual-credit or college-credit courses," Dougher said. "We believe that everyone in public education, whether at a high school or at our university, deserves a strong, interdisciplinary humanities curriculum."

Last year, PSU partnered with the Multnomah Education Service District to double the size of the program bringing in students from alternative schools across the county, including Rosemary Anderson POIC, Helensview and Alliance.

From right: Grace Schuh, Christine Migani and Abisse Dinka (2023 students and 2024 classroom mentors) celebrate graduation with the 2024 Inquiry for Justice students.

This year, Inquiry for Justice also partnered with the Holistic Wellness Initiative, which gave students the opportunity to learn about food justice in a hands-on environment. The Holistic Wellness Initiative is the grant-funded project of former Senior Inquiry student Nichole Champion. Champion now attends Lewis & Clark College.

Even though Inquiry for Justice is in its infancy, success is already evident. For example, of the 34 students who participated last summer, 18 are either starting at PSU in the fall or planning to transfer to PSU after completing their associate degree at a neighboring community college.

"As a student, this experience brought me more out of my comfort zone," said Grace Schuh, who participated in Inquiry for Justice last year and returned this year as a classroom mentor. "The impact of the program gave me more confidence in pursuing higher education and knowing that I am able to be more independent than I thought and keep up with discussions and readings given throughout the program."

Schuh will start at Portland Community College in the fall studying Radiography.

Jenny Gomez Garcia graduated in June with a bachelor of art degree, with a double major in Sociology and Chicanx/Latinx Studies. Come fall term, she's starting in PSU's Postsecondary Adult and Continuing Education (PACE) Master's program. Gomez Garcia was a mentor for Inquiry for Justice when the program first started in 2022.

"Gomez Garcia is an example of the leadership opportunities being built through Senior Inquiry and our partnership programs," Taylor said, emphasizing the program's mentor component as essential to students' success.

Gomez Garcia said her three-year experience was inspiring.

"This program has allowed me to meet new students and witness their growth throughout the school year," Gomez Garcia said. "I have also gained more experience in college readiness and college exposure for incoming students. As a residential mentor, it has been a pleasure to take students on mini-field trips around downtown, have movie nights, and facilitate numerous activities."

Dougher and Taylor agree that the confidence and leadership shared by Schuh and Gomez Garcia demonstrate a measure of the success of the Inquiry for Justice program.

"Working in this program has been transformational for me as an educator," Taylor said. "The last three years have impacted my approach to teaching and curriculum development. We are building strong pathways for local students to come to PSU, which is important both for our university, but more importantly for the mobility of students and their families in our community."