Eagles on the Hill

For the first time since 2019, the Associated Students of Eastern Washington University (ASEWU) sent a delegation of student leaders—including ASEWU’s president, vice president, senators and the EWU student trustee—to advocate for university priorities with Washington state lawmakers in Olympia.

During the daylong event, eight student lobbyists met with the state senator and two representatives from the 6th Legislative District, as well as lawmakers from their home districts, to urge continued support for programs vital to students — most notably the Washington College Grant.

The grant, one of the most generous in the nation, provides financial support and other vital assets to low- and middle-income Washington residents who seek higher education and other types of post-secondary school training. Of the ASEWU students who went to Olympia, six were themselves recipients of the Washington College Grant.

Gabriel Blackwell, Eastern’s advisor for student government and publications, said the students did a fantastic job of presenting themselves and representing EWU’s interests with the Washington state lawmakers.

“They went [to Olympia] to say, ‘I am at Eastern because of this grant,’” Blackwell said. A majority of the student leaders in ASEWU are first-generation college students, many of whom would not have had the opportunity to attend EWU, let alone lobby in the state’s capital, without the financial support of the Washington College Grant, he added.

Blackwell hopes to make the ASEWU student visits an annual “Eagles on the Hill” event. He emphasized that it’s crucial to get in lawmakers’ ears and tell them our stories.

The lobby day event was a success, he continued, thanks in large part to the help of EWU alumna and legislative liaison, Danielle “Dani” Nelson.

“Danielle did a fantastic job reaching out to legislators and arranging all of these meetings,” Blackwell said.

ASEWU’s vice president, Johnny Curtis, a senior vocal performance and music education student, noted that he observed many similarities between ASEWU’s operations and legislative committees at the capitol. This made everything he’d learned and worked toward as an Eagle student representative feel more applicable and less theoretical, he said.

“Through ASEWU, I’ve learned how to navigate governance structures, communicate professionally and collaborate across differences. The way our student government mirrors real legislative processes made the transition into that environment feel both exciting and familiar.”

Curtis added that the most impactful aspect of lobbying in Olympia was learning how the legislature actually functions behind the scenes, including the working of committees, how bills move, and the role of relationships and conversations in enacting state-wide change.

“What will stick with me longest is knowing that we helped get our foot in the door so future Eastern students will have stronger relationships with legislators and more consistent representation in Olympia,” said Curtis, whose experience as ASEWU’s vice president inspired him to pursue a master’s degree in public administration following graduation. “We didn’t just represent EWU, we grew together as leaders.”

Kira Urbina, ASEWU’s president, echoed Curtis’ sentiment. “Over 40 percent of students here at Eastern are first generation, and it’s important for us to have a voice.” Urbina, a junior, said the event allowed ASEWU students to tell their own stories and show lawmakers firsthand how receiving the Washington College Grant has provided crucial assistance for their educational journeys.

Urbina’s involvement in multiple groups on campus, including Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority and ASEWU, have inspired her to combine her passions for advocacy and healthcare following graduation.

Urbina hopes to become a nurse practitioner with her own non-profit organization dedicated to supplying healthcare to in-need areas around the world and funding research for ethnomedicine and biomedicine studies.

ASEWU meets on Mondays at 10 a.m. in room 207 of the PUB. For more information about ASEWU or getting involved, contact Gabe Blackwell at gblackwell@ewu.edu or contact Kira Urbina, the ASEWU Student President, at asewupresident@ewu.edu.