Portland Community College is considering dropping my beloved calligraphy class next semester.

My name is Rhianna Free Atwood. I am a neurodivergent student with multiple learning disabilities, and I am speaking up because this course is one of the clearest examples of what student success, for me, looks like in real life.

The 59 year lineage of calligraphy classes given at PCC is not just an art class, it is a retention anchor. It creates the kind of structure, focus, and motivation that keeps students showing up and staying enrolled. In a time when education is competing with burnout, instability, and overload, this class is one of the rare spaces where students, speaking for myself, are genuinely engaged, even online.

The teaching is the reason. Cora Pearl is an extremely precise instructor, and that precision shows up not only in the craft, but in her thoughtful and considerate care for students’ well being. She teaches with intention. She builds a real container where people feel safe enough to focus, try, and grow. She also weaves a mental wellness element into the learning in a way I have never seen in school. It is not random. It is part of what makes students able to persevere.

Calligraphy is a lineage based craft. It is learned through demonstration, feedback, and disciplined practice passed from teacher to student. Cora carries the echoes of the calligraphers who trained her, and she transmits that skill with clarity and care. That lineage matters because the knowledge lives in the hand and in the eye, not just on a page. This is not something PCC can replace with generic content or self study.

This course also supports practical pathways. Calligraphy is the foundation of visual communication. Graphic design, branding, publishing, and marketing all depend on understanding letterforms and typography. Cutting calligraphy weakens a real skill building pipeline.

And access matters. Classes like this help disabled students stay connected to education. This is not a minor issue. Students with disabilities persist at lower rates, which is exactly why accessible and engaging courses are essential to retention and completion.

This class is not struggling. It is full of engaged students, even online. When I tell people PCC offers calligraphy, they ask how to sign up. That level of participation is rare in college and PCC should protect it.

Please keep calligraphy at PCC.