Last October, the 91探花 launched our most ambitious philanthropic campaign to date: Be Boundless 鈥� For Washington, For the World.
In the year since, support聽from our campaign launch sponsors, including Boeing, Microsoft, Starbucks, the Seattle Times, AT&T, Banner Bank and BECU, has enabled聽the UW聽to deepen our service to Washington communities, create opportunities and change futures through programs in the and .
Alternative Spring Break
Every spring break since 2001, dozens of 91探花students have volunteered through聽the 91探花Pipeline Project鈥檚 program, which connects Huskies with educational and service opportunities in rural and tribal communities across the state.
During Alternative Spring Break in 2017, 91探花student costs were covered, programs were expanded and 鈥� for the first time in the program鈥檚 history 鈥� each of the 14 locations was able to host on-site community celebrations to wrap up the week.
鈥淭he community celebration is so important,鈥� says Meaghan Ferrick, the program鈥檚 Neah Bay project facilitator, who鈥檚 working toward her Ph.D. at the聽 91探花College of Education. 鈥淭his is where relationships form.鈥�
Through the lens of a film project, six 91探花student volunteers guided Neah Bay fifth-graders on an exploration of potential careers. At the end of spring break, the community got a behind-the-scenes look at the kids鈥� hard work over a shared dinner. This celebration gave students and their families the opportunity to spend time with the 91探花mentors.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really nice to be able to get to know the people of Neah Bay and show our appreciation to the school and the community for letting us be here,鈥� says Ferrick.
For Neuee Vitalis, whose daughter went through the program, the gratitude goes both ways. 鈥淎s a parent, I really appreciate the 91探花students鈥� coming out and spending their spring break investing in my community and my kids.鈥�
Learn more about Alternative Spring Break service-learning experiences in聽Neah Bay in 2017, and聽.
The Dream Project
The college application process can be daunting: SAT prep, essays, financial aid. But imagine how much more daunting it would be if you were the first in your family to go to college. Who would you look to for help?
For some students in Federal Way, 91探花senior Nicole Collopy is one of those people. Collopy is an intern at Todd Beamer High School, where she recently started her second year as a 91探花Dream Project College & Career Readiness Assistant (CCRA). 鈥淢y students are amazingly funny and bright,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t has been the highlight of my college career.鈥�
The Dream Project 鈥� a program that helps low-income and first-generation students develop their post-high-school plans 鈥斅爌laces CCRAs as paid interns in local schools. The CCRAs work under school counselors to mentor students and lead workshops about pursuing higher education and accessing careers.
鈥淗aving recently navigated this complex process themselves, interns are able to encourage and relate to the students they work with in a different way than professional adults,鈥� says Jessica Hunnicutt Batten, director of the Dream Project. 鈥淭hey also gain experience working in the K-12 system and deepen their critical thinking about college access, mentorship and social justice.鈥�
In 2016-17, the CCRA program received crucial support from campaign launch sponsors that funded 40 interns for an additional six months of in-school service.
鈥淭he most rewarding aspect of the CCRA program is seeing how passionate these interns are about working with and supporting youth,鈥� says Hunnicutt Batten. 鈥淭hey are truly invested in the communities they serve.鈥�
聽about how the Dream Project helped turn Aisha Ali鈥檚 dreams of college into reality.
Math Science Upward Bound
For six weeks each summer, a cohort of students from Seattle鈥檚 Chief Sealth International, Cleveland and Franklin high schools floods the 91探花for the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity鈥檚 program. They are eager to soak up everything they possibly can about science, technology, engineering and math. All the participants are either low-income or first-generation, and 85 percent are both.
鈥淭he amount of exposure these students have to STEM labs, activities, technology, computers and advanced classwork is limited in their high schools,鈥� says the program鈥檚 director, David Wolczyk. So it鈥檚 especially valuable for them to get a crash course at the UW.
During their time on campus, the students interact with dozens of faculty who lead various STEM seminars, and they have the opportunity to gain applicable skills for college and beyond. Thanks to additional support from campaign launch sponsors, students were able to visit the Boeing plant in Everett, meet with engineers and tour the 747, 777 and 787 production lines.
鈥淭his funding transformed our program from one that talks about STEM to one that has our students actually doing STEM,鈥� says Wolczyk. 鈥淭hey really get to see what it鈥檚 going to be like in these careers.鈥�
For students, the experience is life-altering. 鈥淚magine going somewhere every day and being bombarded with knowledge you never had before,鈥� says Souleyman, a junior at Cleveland High. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 anything more productive to do than this in the summer. I learned how to code, I learned how to 3D print, I learned about physics. If you鈥檙e hungry for knowledge, this is where you need to be.鈥�
Multicultural Outreach & Recruitment
For Cristina Gaeta, college can鈥檛 be approached as one-size-fits-all. As director of (MOR) in the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity, she leads the effort to offer college access events that address the needs of low-income, first-generation and historically underrepresented students.
Over the past year, campaign support enabled more than 1,000 students to get involved in MOR programming 鈥� including Shades of Purple, a two-day conference for underrepresented minority rising seniors in high school who are interested in attending the UW.
鈥淐ollege access events like these are important because we聽meet prospective students and their families where they鈥檙e at in their聽understanding of聽the pathway to college,鈥� says Gaeta. One such student was Kaya Warrior,聽who visited聽representing聽Washington’s Lummi Nation聽when she was in high school.
After Warrior participated in Shades of Purple, she knew the 91探花was the place for her. Now she鈥檚 a senior and a MOR student ambassador, working with underrepresented prospective students to help them envision themselves at the 91探花and build a plan for their educational future. 鈥淭his program gives students who weren鈥檛 college-bound beforehand the inspiration and tools they need to be knowledgeable about the application process,鈥� she says.
During Shades of Purple, prospective students learn about life at the University 鈥� as well as how to apply 鈥� from 91探花mentors and role models who cheer them on every step of the way. 鈥淭o work with students through the entire process of essays and applications, then see them get admitted and bring their families with them to our spring conferences, makes it all worth it,鈥� says Warrior.
Undergraduate Community-Based Internships
Paid internships are rare 鈥� and paid public-service internships are even rarer. With funding from campaign launch sponsors, the聽2016-17 Carlson Center聽Undergraduate Community-Based Internships聽supported six new student internships with community-based organizations, totaling more than 1,200 hours of professional experience for students and service work for local partners.
鈥淭his program extends access to internship opportunities in the nonprofit and public sectors to students who are unable to take on an unpaid internship,鈥� says director Rachel Vaughn. 鈥淓ducational stipends allow students of all income levels to access these high-impact experiences, gain professional skills and receive support from trained graduate and community mentors.鈥�
Grace Novacek, a senior majoring in biology, received support for one such internship. She took on the role of investments and partnerships officer at the Prison Scholar Fund, which opens access to higher education, support and mentorship opportunities to incarcerated individuals and helps them integrate back into society.
The hands-on position was a perfect fit: Novacek could make an immediate impact while getting applicable professional experience 鈥斅爄n her future career, she hopes to combat racial inequality in the criminal justice system. 鈥淗earing the students鈥� gratitude for what I see as the bare minimum we can do for those who are incarcerated is both humbling and rewarding,鈥� she says.
鈥淚鈥檝e never had such a strong support system, both in the Prison Scholar Fund and the Carlson Center, that鈥檚 so willing to help me,鈥� says Novacek.聽 鈥淭he Undergraduate Community-Based Internships experience is invaluable.鈥�
Upward Bound
This past summer, 17 graduates from Seattle鈥檚 Cleveland, Franklin and Chief Sealth International high schools chose to cut their summer short: They started college early.
Enrolled in Early Fall Start, these students came to the 91探花in August for a four-week English course that gave them college writing credits 鈥� and much more.
鈥淚 learned about my study habits, how easy it is to make friends in class and how to reduce the chance of getting lost on campus,鈥� says Loleena Tang, who graduated from Franklin High this year. 鈥淚 feel so much more confident to start my freshman year. Early Fall Start helped me understand the 91探花on a deeper level.鈥�
Early Fall Start is just one aspect of the program, housed in the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity, which helps economically disadvantaged and first-generation students prepare for college through tutoring, scholarship applications, career exploration and more. Students like Tang, who began participating in Upward Bound鈥檚 intensive preparatory services when she was a sophomore, have benefited tremendously from the program.
This year, thanks to campaign launch sponsors, Upward Bound聽offered the student cohort a special support class that eased the transition to college.聽It helped them build community, learn college navigation skills and connect with on-campus resources.
鈥淭his careful handoff from one support program to the next is vital for student success,鈥� says Roseann London, Upward Bound鈥檚 interim director. 鈥淎n investment in Upward Bound and Early Fall Start is an investment in the future success of these dedicated students. We can鈥檛 wait to see what they do next in college 鈥� and ultimately in their careers.鈥�
Thank you to our campaign launch sponsors
The 91探花is grateful for the boundless support of our campaign launch sponsors. When you link your passion with your philanthropy, the change you drive in the lives of 91探花students, faculty and staff 鈥斅燼nd those we serve 鈥� is truly transformative.
