The third-ranking official in the U.S. Department of Education assured Highline students and parents on June 6 that "college is possible for all Americans."

Speaking at a town hall meeting at the Tyee High complex in SeaTac, Under Secretary Sara Martinez Tucker said students should not be shut out of higher education because they attended a bad high school or do not have enough money for college.

Tucker outlined several steps to help students attend college.

Students must have positive role models and adults must make sure they know they believe in them, according to Tucker.

"Too many kids get too many negative messages from those they love," she declared.

High schools should also provide rigorous courses, Tucker added.

Students should receive earlier notification of what financial resources are available and it should be easier for students to apply for the aid, she said.

Tucker said she finds it interesting that a bank loan application may be only one page while the Federal Application for Student Aid (FASA) may be up to 10 pages.

"Clearly, the (college financial aid) system is broken," Tucker noted. "Simplification is the first step."

She said when she first attended college, she was not aware of grants and loans available so ended up working three jobs at the same time.

Asked by a student how to prevent individuals from dropping out of college, Tucker cited reasons why freshmen do not continue on in their sophomore year.

They included graduating from a high school that did not prepare students for college classes, not having an adequate support group and encountering problems with financial aid.

Another student asked Tucker what she would say if he said he didn't want to attend college.

"I would ask you. 'What kind of a life do you want?'" she replied.

There is about a $500,000 difference in lifetime earnings between high school and college graduates, Tucker noted. Pay raises do not keep up with inflation for those who only completed high school.

The federal education official said Highline students will benefit in future jobs because they already work with various ethnic groups.

"You don't know how fortunate you are to live in a diverse community," she noted.

The meeting was the second of five regional meeting held around the country by the federal Education Department to highlight the recently released report commissioned by Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, "A Test of Leadership" Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education."

The report called for expanding accessibility, affordability and accountability of higher education for all Americans.

As under secretary, Tucker oversees programs related to postsecondary education, vocational and adult education and federal student aid.

Before joining the department last year, Tucker was CEO and president of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

She was named Hispanic of the Year in 2006 by Hispanic magazine and, in 2005 Time magazine selected her as one of the 25 most influential Hispanics in the United States.