Student Stories

Ariana Westbrook

Jumpstart: Early Education

As a result of my service with Jumpstart, I have confidence in the methods I use when I work with children.

Why did you join Jumpstart?

I joined Jumpstart because of my love for children and interest in teaching. I knew this program would give me the experience I needed to become an effective teacher, but I wasn’t expecting to be introduced to the vast possibilities of potential careers within the education system. Jumpstart trains its corps members for successful careers in child psychology, social services, early childhood curriculum development, and teaching. The program not only trained me for those potential career choices, but it also gave me the field experience needed to get a true feel of what it means to be a childcare provider and advocate.

Throughout my service I formed great friendships, networks, and strong leadership skills. The support of the staff and consistent communication between the management and team leaders allowed me to strengthen my leadership skills phenomenally. I gained a better knowledge of what it means to work with children in developmentally appropriate ways and then I put that knowledge to use in the classroom. Also, because Jumpstart is a community based program I was able to connect with members of the Seattle area outside of the university community, which has helped me to relate to those that I would like to continue working with.

I’m now working as an instructional assistant through City Year, where I work with a group of energetic and talented third graders who both challenge and bring me great joy on a daily basis. Part of my job consists of me creating academic interventions, as well as creating age appropriate activities for young children. As a result of my service with Jumpstart, I have confidence in the methods I use when I work with children. I believe that the combination of the consistent guidance and quality of leadership that the site managers displayed has not only prepared for a career in education, but it has also given me the skills needed to be a successful young adult.

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Abigail

Riverways Rural & Tribal Programs

I think many students come into the university with these grandiose goals to change the world, sometimes forgetting about the small human-to-human relationships that these large changes need to be rooted in.

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Alisa Torres

Jumpstart: Early Education

My involvement with the Jumpstart program has truly shown me what it really means to serve others altruistically in our communities.

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Alyson McGregor

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Ann Margaret

Riverways Rural & Tribal Programs

The needs of these communities are often neglected in science, so I hope to do something in the future where I can advocate for communities that are close to the land, and be able to bridge the gap between social and environment needs.

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Ashley

Riverways Rural & Tribal Programs

I have made it my personal/professional goal to support others in sharing their stories as a form of personal empowerment.

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Auston Jimmicum

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Chad

Riverways Rural & Tribal Programs

Particularly, it highlighted the reciprocal nature of learning and growth gained when mixing two very different communities.

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Christine Young

Jumpstart: Early Education

I went into UW thinking I had wanted to become a Pharmacist but when I volunteered as a Jumpstart member, I knew teaching was my passion. After I graduated, I was hired as a teacher at the site I had volunteered at.

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Dawn

Riverways Rural & Tribal Programs

ASB allowed children to have a voice, adults to hear those voices and lend resources, and communities to show each other what their homes and journeys were all about.

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Easiea’s STEM Riverway

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Feben Gebremichael

Ellis Civic Fellowship

As part of the fellowship, I worked with a number of different organizations. First I explored local food banks, then a brief internship with Ventures, a non-profit that helps equip people with the tools they need to start their own businesses, then with the Dream Project.

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Geetika

CELE K-12 Tutor or Mentor

I was initially going back and forth between major and career options, but being a tutor has helped me find a home in the School of Social Work.

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Gloria Johnston

Jumpstart: Early Education

Eight years later, I am still close friends with my fellow teammates.

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Heaven Tesfamariam

Ellis Civic Fellowship

The Ellis Fellowship had an impact on my post-graduation plans because of the service component, which made me more involved in my community–especially the Eritrean Community Center. One of my biggest commitments with them has been mentoring YPFDJ (Young People Stand for Democracy and Justice).

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Jillian

CELE K-12 Tutor or Mentor

I love the one-on-one work with students, and strongly believe in the value of mentoring young children.

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Joy Levine

Ellis Civic Fellowship

Twelve thousand of our neighbors are currently experiencing homelessness and countless more live with unstable housing due to high rents. My Ellis Fellowship service commitments with Mary’s Place, Pike Market Senior Center, and ROOTS Young Adult Shelter gave me a passion for affordable housing policy and bringing down barriers to housing for our at-risk neighbors.

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Kaylen

CELE K-12 Tutor or Mentor

Being a tutor has definitely opened my eyes to see how important it is to be a consistent person in these kids’ lives.

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Kiss’Shonna Curtis

Ellis Civic Fellowship

I’d like to be active in being a part of the change for Seattle’s homeless population and advocating for more mental health resources.

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Monika

Riverways Rural & Tribal Programs

Experiential learning gets you to begin to connect theories of social life with performances and social action, and is rooted in the human-to-human connections you get when you are embedded in a community.

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Nancy Huizar

Ellis Civic Fellowship

As a young woman of color, I researched and have experienced how historically and in present-day communities, People of Color have been intentionally kept out of decision-making on important environmental issues.

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Neah Bay: Telling Our Stories

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Shruti

Riverways Rural & Tribal Programs

My experience gives me hope for the future, because I know that there are people out there, such as the ones at CELE who are trying to elevate under-privileged communities and their youth and bringing us closer to equity in not just education but all aspects of society.

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Steven Rowe

Ellis Civic Fellowship

As a fellow, I participated as a Union Gospel Mission front desk assistant, a youth tutor for the Seattle public library (Delridge branch), a Somali Community Services tutor, and a Juvenile Detention Center activity facilitator.

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Tehya Widmann

Jumpstart: Early Education

I joined Jumpstart because I wanted to keep working with children even though I was pursuing a non-education major.

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Vy Tran

Ellis Civic Fellowship

The majority of my time was spent organizing events, working on the curriculum, and getting more mentors onboard. We were also placed in special storytelling and community classes together, which were pretty amazing…some of the most interesting topics I’ve ever been presented with in college.

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