Cheers to the Class of 2024

It’s graduation season! We’re celebrating our interns and fellows—past and present—and their exciting education milestones.

A woman in a cap and gown stands in front of a rose garden, smiling at the camera — *Jasmin joined us as a Policy and Advocacy Intern in September 2023.*

Keeping our advocacy work on track

During the 2024 legislative session, Washington STEM tracked and reviewed over 170 bills – and that takes a ton of organization. Luckily we had Jasmin Randhawa, our Policy and Advocacy Intern, to keep things running smoothly.

Policy Director Jayme Shoun says: “Jasmin has helped us advocate, track, synthesize, and create long-lasting impact in our policy work. So much of what we use in coordination, organization, and information sharing comes from her.”

Last month, Jasmin completed her Master’s in International Studies from the University of Washington.

*Susan joined us as a Community Partner Fellow from September 2022 to June 2024.*

Forging the path to data justice

During their time as a University of Washington College of Education Community Partner Fellow, Susan Hou joined Native education leaders from across the state to explore how Maximum Representation – a set of practices that recognize every aspect of a student’s racial or tribal background in data collection, analysis, and reporting – could be adopted and implemented to improve education in our state.

Impact Director Min Hwangbo says: “Susan is a magnet for people. Their warmth helped schools and families open up to the possibility of using Maximum Representation to increase access to and partnerships around Native education.”

This past year, Susan moved into PhD candidate (PhC) status at the University of Washington College of Education and earned a prestigious fellowship in Taiwan. There, they will be finishing their dissertation with an Indigenous community in their home city. (And enjoying some $1 boba!)

Henedina Tavares in purple graduation garb on the steps of Suzzallo library on University of Washington campus — *Henedina joined our team as a Community Partner Fellow in 2020. She contributed to the Dual Credit Equity project.*

Engaging families across the state

As a former University of Washington College of Education Community Partner Fellow, Henedina Tavares met with immigrant families across the state to understand how high school students and their parents think about postsecondary education. Her work informed our Dual Credit Equity Project, which led to Washington STEM’s High School to Postsecondary Collaborative, which now engages 40+ schools and 11,000+ students across the state. How’s that for a domino effect?

“Our High School to Postsecondary work would not be the same without Henedina’s lasting impact and joyous partnership,” says K-12 Senior Program Officer Tana Peterman. “In her dissertation and subsequent work, she continues to model authentic community engagement toward new futures. Anyone involved in research-practice partnerships can learn from her work!”

Dr. Tavares defended her dissertation in June, earning her PhD from the University of Washington College of Education.

Woman in a white dress and graduation stole holds a graduation cap. — *Jada joined is as an intern consultant in 2023. She has informed the development of an Early STEAM Collective in the Puget Sound region.*

Bringing equity to early learning

As an intern consultant at Washington STEM, Jada Holliday spent the last year working with Black and Native communities across the central Puget Sound. The goal? To help bring STEAM-focused early learning to King and Pierce Counties.

In addition, Jada’s research on the State of the Black Child is shaping the future of our organization as we create our next Strategic Plan.

Senior Program Officer Soleil Boyd says: “Jada’s work was rooted in her own experiences and was driven by her graduate focus on Black joy and liberation in education. Her expertise and research are invaluable and will guide our plans for increasing access to high quality early learning and early math identity.”

In June, Jada completed her Master’s in Education: Leadership & Policy from the University of Washington College of Education.

Making data more accessible

Woman in a cowboy hat sits on a horse. — *Lana was our very first Community Partner Fellow. From 2018 to 2021, she helped us develop data tools and resources.*

From 2018 to 2021, Lana Huizar joined Washington STEM as a Community Partner Fellow from the University of Washington College of Education. During that time, she helped develop some of our most popular data tools and reports, including the Credential Opportunity by Region and Industry (CORI) tool, STEM by the Numbers, and the State of the Children reports.

Chief Impact Offer Jenée Myers Twitchell says, “Lana was our first fellow and she helped us learn and do so much! She helped ensure that data was accessible and useful to practitioners, teachers, and leaders in every region of the state. That continues to be part of our secret sauce–she had such a hand in our growth and direction as an organization.”

Lana has gone on to work with school districts in Washington and Colorado, leading on equity, mental health, and community partnerships. And on top of all that? She will be completing her PhD in School Psychology from the University of Washington this fall. Yeehaw!

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