I still consider myself a recent graduate, but as I look at the calendar I see that graduation was a few years ago! I am a proud CHID major who completed minors in Diversity and Education, Learning and Society in 2011.
After completing my Bachelor's degree I applied and enrolled into the UW Master's in Education Policy (MEP) program. This was an intensive one year program that offered a structured curriculum in policy design and implementation, applied quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as a foundational grounding in education finance and the politics of policy making.
After finishing my Master's degree I began working at an inspirational non-profit called Rainier Scholars (RS). RS is an 11 year academic enrichment program (6th grade-college graduation) which serves students of color from low income and first generation backgrounds. As an Academic Counselor & College Internship Associate I managed a caseload of 40 college students who attended colleges all around the United States providing academic and social-emotional support. One of my fondest memories was when I had the opportunity to visit my college freshmen who enrolled in colleges in the state of New York! I also assisted in cultivating 5 new summer internship opportunities for our scholars in the field of education and nonprofit.
As of February 2014 I have returned to the University of Washington as the Program Manager for an incredible program called Young Executives of Color (YEOC). Founded in 2006 is a nine month college pipeline program that brings 160+ students from public and private high schools throughout Washington State to the UW campus one Saturday every month for engaging and interactive business sessions and opportunities. YEOC encompasses a strong supportive community that includes 15 Foster School of Business undergraduate student mentors, Ernst and Young professionals and many more community partners that serve as exemplary role models for our students.
This new position allows me to oversee program management from multiple angles including program funding, corporate engagement, curriculum design, leadership development and college persistence. My favorite part about working in student affairs is seeing greatness just before it blooms.