Throughout the Spotlight Series, we highlight residents and staff to learn about their experiences at College Housing Northwest.
Jorda Harlow
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
MAJOR(S) – MARKETING
MINOR(S) – COMMUNITY & SOCIOLOGY
RESIDENT AMBASSADOR
College Housing Northwest is changing lives. I say that in the present tense because I would not be attending Portland State University and about to be the first person in my family to graduate with a Bachelor’s of Science if it weren’t for this organization. I moved to Portland amid the pandemic. With so many variables, I was scared of the next step. Although I had budgeted for school, rent, groceries, and car insurance, the only item I could actually “budge” was the grocery cost. At that point, to attend school, I was choosing to have a roof over my head or food in my stomach. I felt stuck. Campus housing costs were going to be impossible. Most apartments I looked at were over $1,200. When a friend recommended CHNW, saying that CHNW made higher education possible, I was skeptical—until I logged onto their website to see that CHNW not only offered housing 15% below market, they also had job opportunities, were close to campus, with a grocery store nearby, and if groceries were not affordable, a community food pantry was accessible to all residents. I am an over-prepared, over-thinker who has never rented or lived on her own before. The leasing agents were helpful and educational. Eventually, I would apply to be a Resident Ambassador, go through the application and interview process, and be hired. This position gave me the opportunity to work on job skills, to network, and to give back to my community. I am proud to work with an organization that puts students first, holds true to its values, and understands the social issues we are all currently living through.