CELE Center in 2024-25

CELE's 2024-25 Review

Summary

Community Engaged Learning

The CELE Center facilitates opportunities that integrate authentic community partnerships with instruction and critical reflection, strengthen communities, enrich the student learning experience and teach civic and social responsibility.  

Community Engaged Courses

Community Engaged Courses (CEC) combine service in the community with structured preparation and reflection opportunities, and address concerns that are identified and articulated by the community.

What partners and students are saying:

 

Undergraduate Community-Based Internships

Undergraduate Community Based Internships (UCBI) connects undergraduates with nonprofit and public sector organizations through a paid internship and mentoring program.

What partners are saying:

 

Leadership Education

Through the study of leadership concepts, hands-on practice and critical reflection, students develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to be contributing members in their communities.   

Minor in Leadership

The Minor in Leadership provides a formalized pathway for students to study and develop competencies for leadership in their professional and public lives.

Student Portfolio Example:

Hanqiu Zhong: 

Husky Leadership Certificate

The Husky Leadership Certificate (HLC) program is designed to facilitate student reflection on their leadership learning and development through mentorship and the creation of a leadership e-portfolio.

Student Portfolio Example: 

 

Elaine Pearl Muodz:

What students are saying:

CELE Fellowships

CELE Fellowships provide support and recognition for student service and leadership.

Democracy Dawgs

Democracy Dawgs is a coalition of students, staff, faculty, community members, and civic leaders who are working to increase student voting rates and build an even stronger culture of civic and democratic engagement at the University of Washington.

Did you know that the University of Washington has one of the highest voter participation rates of any college or university in the nation? Learn more.

Place-based Initiatives

Through sustained and mutually beneficial partnerships, place-based initiatives connect the UW with local and regional communities in the ongoing and collective efforts to advance equity in education, health and economic opportunities.

STEM Alternative Spring Break

Riverways' STEM engagement programs inspire the leadership, learning capacities, and interest in science & engineering among the youth of Washington State. 

In 2025, 40 UW undergraduate mentors worked with 10 partner sites, including Curlew School, Brewster Middle School, Toppenish Middle School, Yakama Nation Tribal School, Campbell Farm Afterschool Program, Forks Elementary, Quileute Tribal School, and Neah Bay schools. The UW teams led lessons on hydrology, rockets, earth science, drones, and coding.  

Take a look at what ASB week looked like here or click on the image below.

Riverways Culture And Science Exchange (CASE)

Riverways’ Culture And Science Exchange (CASE) programs connect UW students with Tribal schools across Washington state in a year-long partnership to provide STEM engagement opportunities to Indigenous students to counteract the minoritization we see in STEM fields.

 

Highlights from this year include:
  • Quileute and Makah high school students explored earth science and geohazard activities
  • Makah high school interns installed a seismometer in their school and raised awareness about tsunami evacuation in their community
  • A Yakama National middle school student team won the NESSP National Student Challenge and earned an all expense paid trip to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida!  
Riverways STEM Short Outreach Events

Through Riverways’ Short Outreach Events program, UW student volunteers facilitate engaging, hands-on STEM activities with partner schools in local, rural and Tribal communities.

Neah Bay: Telling Our Stories

Telling our Stories is a year-long mentorship program that connects Native UW undergraduates with Neah Bay fifth graders, encouraging them to envision their futures.

 

Othello-UW Commons

The Othello-UW Commons is a learning and collaboration space for faculty, staff, students and community partners that builds on the UW's long standing engagement with and commitment to the greater Southeast Seattle communities.

What students and partners are saying:

 

Pre-K-12 Student Success

Through mentoring, tutoring and post-secondary planning, CELE programs partner with schools and communities for education equity.

CELE K-12 Tutors and Mentors

The CELE K-12 Tutors and Mentors program provides opportunities for UW students to mentor, tutor and support K-12 students through post-secondary planning and academic tutoring.

What partners are saying:

Dream Project College and Career Readiness Assistants

Dream Project's College and Career Readiness Assistants (CCRA) is a paid internship program where UW students support traditionally underserved students in navigating barriers to post-secondary education opportunities.

What partners and students are saying:

Work Study Tutors

Work Study Tutors (WST) engage UW students as tutors in Seattle elementary schools, helping address inequities in public education in Washington State.

What students are saying: 

 

Riverways Guides

The Riverways Guides program recruits Native and rural UW students to mentor and guide K-12 students from tribal communities and support partnerships between the UW and community colleges.

What students are saying: