| Dear Friends,
I wanted to take a moment to reflect on our annual event held earlier this spring. On March 26th, WABS hosted our annual Showcase of Success: Igniting Futures - and what a night it was! Education, community, and industry partners came together to celebrate what's possible when we unite around a shared purpose: creating real pathways for students, especially those furthest from opportunity. The energy in the room was a powerful reminder of why this work matters.
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To everyone who joined us - thank you. Your presence made the evening what it was. Missed the event or want to relive the highlights? Check out more photos from the night!
Whether or not you were able to join us, you can still be part of the momentum. A gift to WABS helps ensure more students have access to the experiences, connections, and support they need to pursue futures aligned with their strengths, passions, and dreams.
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Every contribution moves us closer to a world where every student has a real shot at the future they deserve. We appreciate your support!
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| Amazon Powers up STEM4Good
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We are grateful for the continued generosity of our partners at Amazon! For the second time this year, a group of Amazon engineers volunteered their time to sort materials and assemble supply kits for STEM4Good, our after-school STEM enrichment program serving students in grades 3–5. In addition to their hands-on help, Amazon also purchased program supplies — ensuring that more young learners have the tools they need to explore, create, and discover.
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STEM4Good engages 2,000+ youth each year in fun, interactive, hands-on STEM activities across our school districts, building student confidence in STEM subjects and developing durable workforce skills such as communication and critical thinking. Partnerships with industry professionals are at the heart of the program, giving students real-world STEM knowledge and insights from mentors who work directly in the field. Since 2005, STEM4Good has reached more than 50,000 students — and with partners like Amazon, that impact keeps growing.
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Engineering Technician Career Pathway
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Over the past two years, WABS and the Boeing Company have partnered to develop the Engineering Technician Career Pathway (ETCP), a program connecting high school students furthest from opportunity with high-demand careers in aerospace and advanced manufacturing. The ETCP focuses on Metrology and Asset Design, two fields projected to be in strong demand for the next 20 years as airplane manufacturing grows in our region. Through Running Start, students can earn a college certificate while still in high school, entering the workforce job-ready upon graduation.
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Many students simply don't know these careers exist. To build awareness, WABS takes students on Career Tours and Career Shadows with industry partners, including Boeing, ATS, and Electroimpact, alongside visits to Edmonds College — reaching 173 students this school year alone. As Boeing's Brennan Dunlap, Chief Engineer of BCA Equipment and Tool Engineering, put it: "This program opens up a new pipeline... We're excited about the first cohort graduating and helping to fill this critical workforce need."
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Earlier this year, WABS, Boeing, and Edmonds College co-hosted an ETCP Career Workshop for students in the Everett and Mukilteo School Districts. More than 19 students are now exploring enrollment in the first cohort at Edmonds College. We are grateful to Boeing for their sustained investment in making aerospace careers more accessible for the next generation of our region's workforce.
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Career Tours: Bringing the Classroom to the Workplace
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Career exploration came to life for 28 Cleveland STEM High School sophomores during a recent visit to DLR Group's Seattle office. Organized through WABS's Career Tours program, the visit gave students interested in engineering, architecture, and design an immersive, hands-on look at what careers in those fields can actually look like.
The day was packed with activity: students took an office tour, heard from professionals during a panel discussion, and tackled two hands-on design challenges. In the Energy House challenge, teams of students used everyday office materials to construct small structures engineered to maintain a stable interior temperature.
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A second activity, the Magnetic Telephone challenge, asked students to sketch a design, swap plans with another team, and build each other's concepts, putting communication and collaboration skills to the test in real time.
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The day wrapped up with student presentations, where groups shared their key takeaways, spotlighted careers that caught their attention, and reflected on what they'd tell friends and family about the experience. Students left energized by the variety of career paths represented at DLR Group and inspired by the idea of bringing their own passions into their future work.
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Career Tours have been actively underway across Washington, with visits expected to impact more than 2,500 high school students before the end of this school year. Through partnerships with 70+ employers like DLR Group, WABS connects students, especially those furthest from opportunity, with the real-world experiences, mentors, and career insights that help them envision and pursue futures aligned with their strengths and interests.
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Natural Leaders Academy in Mukilteo School District |
We believe that when families are empowered, students thrive. This spring, that belief came to life through the Natural Leaders Academy in the Mukilteo School District, where 32 parent and family participants completed the four-week program.
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The Natural Leaders Academy is the foundational leadership experience within WABS' Equitable Family Engagement (EFE) framework. Over eight hours of in-person and virtual evening sessions, families build the knowledge, confidence, and networks needed to navigate the school system and create positive change in their communities. Language access, childcare, and meals are provided to ensure every family can participate fully.
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Each week builds on the last: participants explore community and purpose, learn to navigate their school district, plan for their child's educational journey, and ultimately develop their own leadership projects to bring back to their schools.
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Following this spring's Academy, a group of Mukilteo parents, representing families whose primary languages are Arabic, Russian, Spanish, and English, established a new Natural Leaders program at Harbor Pointe Middle School. Their first initiative: supporting the elementary-to-middle school transition event for incoming 5th graders and their families.
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This school year, WABS has also implemented the Natural Leaders Academy in four other districts: Edmonds, Everett, Kent, and Seattle, growing a movement of 110+ new family leaders across the region. Together, we're building a more connected, equitable, and empowered school community, one family at a time.
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Inspiring the Next Generation in Healthcare
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On March 10th, Alaska Airlines Arena at the University of Washington buzzed with the energy of 644 future healthcare leaders. WABS, alongside the Healthcare Industry Leadership Table (HILT) and UW's Center for Workforce Inclusion & Healthcare System Equity, hosted the annual Sound Careers in Healthcare (SCIH) event - a free, half-day career fair connecting high school students with hands-on exploration across fields like nursing, surgery, mental health, diagnostics, and more.
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This year's event brought together students from 25 high schools across 10 districts, with 75% of attendees identifying as BIPOC, reflecting our deep commitment to reaching students furthest from opportunity. More than 250 volunteers helped make the day possible, guiding students through interactive stations and sharing real pathways into healthcare careers.
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The impact speaks for itself:
- 100% of student attendees had greater awareness of healthcare career options
- 83% said they were more likely to pursue a healthcare career
- 88% left with concrete, actionable next steps
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These aren't just numbers - they're futures taking shape. SCIH is just one example of what's possible when schools, industry, and community invest in students together. Thank you to the 250+ volunteers, organizations, and educators who made this experience possible!
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Welcome to the Board: Jolenta Coleman-Bush
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WABS is thrilled to welcome Jolenta Coleman-Bush as our newest member of the Board of Directors!
Jolenta serves as the Director of Education, Workforce, and AI Skills for the Washington State team at Microsoft Philanthropies, overseeing education partnerships and investments to drive initiatives that enhance educational opportunities and workforce development across the region. With over 20 years of experience in policy and program administration spanning the education and workforce sectors, she brings deep expertise in philanthropy, nonprofit management, and corporate responsibility.
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Before joining Microsoft, Jolenta worked in education policy at the City of Seattle and the League of Education Voters, supporting initiatives in college and career readiness, education funding, and early learning. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master's degree in Education Policy from the University of Washington.
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Jolenta's values align closely with the mission that drives WABS's work. For her, education is fundamentally about potential: “At its best, education is about possibility, helping students recognize their strengths, build confidence, and see how they can meaningfully contribute to our society.” That vision extends to how she thinks about preparing students for their futures. “Preparing students goes beyond academic skills,” she shares. “It's about developing whole individuals with the confidence, personal skills, and experiences needed to make informed decisions and strengthen their sense of belonging and contribution to the community."
It's a vision she sees reflected in WABS’ work. “WABS excites me because it brings education, industry, and community together in practical, equity-centered ways that help students see what's possible.” We are so glad to have Jolenta's expertise, perspective, and passion on our Board.
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One final THANK YOU to all our generous sponsors for the 2026 Showcase of Success: Igniting Futures!
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Washington Alliance for Better Schools
18560 1st Avenue NE
Shoreline, WA 98155 US
EIN: 91-1698851
Nonprofit 501(c)(3)
wabsalliance.org
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