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From a New Perspective to a New Future

Posted by PCC Foundation

PCC alum Aspyn Erickson reflects on the people who believed in her, the scholarships that helped her continue her education, and the dream she’s still working toward.

When Aspyn Erickson traveled to Spain, she expected to experience a new culture, live with a local family, and explore the world. She didn’t expect the experience to change how she thought about her own future.

As she traveled, conversations with people from other countries made her reflect on the opportunities she had growing up in the United States — and how she wanted to use them.

“I kept thinking, I have access to so much. What am I actually doing with it?” she recalled.

Aspyn had always wanted to help people. She began imagining a future working in Africa to expand access to clean water and food. She didn’t yet know exactly how she would get there, but she knew education was the first step.

At 26, after eight years away from college, Aspyn returned home ready to begin again. Her life was still coming together. She needed to find work, housing, and transportation. But she was certain about one thing: she was ready to go back to school.

Finding her way back

Returning to ����TV meant more than enrolling in classes. It meant reconnecting with people who had supported Aspyn years earlier.

Joshua Meed and Suzanne Hesse, who had helped guide her through Future Connect, were still ����TV. They remembered her and welcomed her back.

And they weren’t the only ones. Aspyn found th����TV was full of people who cared about her success. She met with tutors every week, accessed the Basic Needs Hub for help with essentials, and learned from instructors who encouraged her to pursue her dreams.

One photography professor made such an impression that Aspyn still keeps a notebook filled with memorable words of wisdom from their classes. That encouragement helped her grow as a photographer, and her work has appeared in the college’s PCC Point publication and been featured in galleries.

For Aspyn, these experiences helped make her return to college different. She was working toward a future she believed in, surrounded by people who wanted to see her succeed. 

The breathing room to focus on school

A PCC Foundation scholarship gave Aspyn something important as she took a full course load: room to focus on her education.

She was still concerned about money, but the scholarship eased some of that pressure while she worked part-time in a work-study position.

The scholarship was meaningful not only because it helped cover expenses, but because of what it represented.

“As a first-generation college student, these opportunities changed what I thought was possible for my life,” Aspyn said.

Receiving the scholarship was affirming. It showed her that the hard work she was putting into her education mattered, and that someone she had never met was willing to invest in her future.

That support helped her keep moving toward her goals. In June, Aspyn graduated from PCC with her associate degree — a milestone she is really proud of — and continued her education at Linfield University, where she is studying international business.

A scholarship there covered her tuition, room, and board.

“A full ride!” she said with excitement.

A future still unfolding

Today, Aspyn is continuing to explore what comes next. But her larger goal hasn’t changed. She still hopes to work in Africa to help expand access to clean water and food.

She knows that getting there will take time, learning, and perhaps a few unexpected turns along the way. A lesson from her photography professor has stayed with her: happy accidents are okay. Sometimes the path forward becomes clear only after you take the first step.

For Aspyn, scholarships have helped make those steps possible. They have supported her education, expanded the experiences available to her, and helped her imagine a future she hadn’t always known was within reach.

She knows what it feels like to have someone believe in her future before she could fully imagine it herself.