Points of Pride: Summer 2024
Many interesting, inspiring, and noteworthy things happen across Seattle Colleges every day. We’ve collected some (but certainly not all) of these stories. Add these to our growing list of points of pride.
“Grow your own” ECE spotlight: North Seattle College
The National Early Care and Education Workforce Center created a spotlight video about North Seattle College’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) program. To grow the area’s early care and education workforce, North Seattle College offers coursework in Spanish, Arabic, Somali, and Mandarin. More than 350 students are currently in the language immersion program, and 25 have graduated with their AAS degree. “We haven't had to advertise our program,” says faculty member Ninderjit Gill. “Zero recruiting because our students feel safe, and they feel like they belong and so they're telling other friends, family members, and teachers.”
Visit the Early Childhood Education webpage to learn more.
Oui, oui – a North Seattle College alum at the Olympics
Onetime North Seattle College student Aaron Small is quickly getting accustomed to a new body of water — the Stade Nautique de Vaires-sur-Marne. Ordinarily you’d find him and his paddling partner, Jonas Ecker, on Seattle’s Green Lake. This summer both he and Ecker are representing the U.S. in the two-man 500m Canoe Sprint at the Paris Olympics. With a seventh-place finish in the 2022 World Championships and relentless training in the time since, the two are medal contenders. Small completed the demanding EMT/Paramedic certificate program at North Seattle College and will soon complete a bachelor's degree in oceanography at the University of Washington. (Above photo of Aaron Small courtesy of Phonak.)
Learn more in this feature story on North Seattle College’s News Center website.
Seattle Olympian Aaron Small hopes to raise awareness for athletes with hearing aids. (Feature on King5 News website)
A day in the life of a Seattle Maritime Academy student
Seattle Maritime Academy prepares graduates for careers in the maritime industry and its sub-sectors. The Academy received a nearly $1 million grant from the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development to recruit more women and people of color into the maritime industry. Part of that grant went to the production of a set of videos detailing the program and perspectives of some of the students enrolled there. Note: these videos were produced with Seattle Central alum Cameron Karsten’s Subconscious Productions.
View the full playlist of videos featuring perspectives from three different Maritime Academy students.
Visit the Seattle Maritime Academy website to learn more.
A heartfelt reminder of our potential impact on students
It’s important to remember the potential every one of us has to affect our students’ experience during their time at Seattle Colleges. Each year, Seattle Central invites graduates to write a surprise letter to a faculty or staff member who had an impact on their life inside the classroom and outside. This year’s video features Edwyna and Denise, Megan and Kellen, and Katie and Helena.
Jerome Price: “Representation matters in the wine industry”
A recent graduate of South Seattle College and its Northwest Wine Academy, Jerome Price is on his way to his goal of helping transform and diversify the wine industry. He arrived at South with little money and no place to stay but remained determined to overcome every obstacle in his path. And that he did — even earning the prestigious McKinney Scholarship, showcased in the video above where he shares his story in his own words.
Learn more in this feature story on South Seattle College’s News Center website.
South’s Yosef Birri earns competitive transfer scholarship
Recent South Seattle College graduate Yosef Birri earned the very competitive Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, which offers awardees up to $55,000 per year to help pay for their final two years of undergraduate study after transferring to a four-year university. Birri is one of only 60 awardees from an application pool of nearly 1,700 community college students from over 380 different colleges. He will be transferring to the University of Washington to study informatics.
Learn more in this feature story on South Seattle College’s News Center website.
One more round of celebration for our Class of 2024
We’d like to offer one more round of cheers for our Class of 2024. It takes the work of many across our colleges to put together our shared commencement ceremony each year. And each year we celebrate another group of graduates who go on to do great things in our community, region, and world. Watch the highlight video above and our student speakers’ addresses below. Each one has a wonderful story of accomplishment to share. We are so very proud.
Student Speaker Owen Heit, South Seattle College
Student Speaker Jorge Matancillas, North Seattle College
Student Speaker Brian Arreola, Seattle Central College
Published Friday, August 9, 2024