Student Stories
Shruti
STEM Alternative Spring Break
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.
Which community did you volunteer at, and what did you work on while you were there?
My introduction to Alternative Spring Break (ASB) was 5 years ago, when I volunteered at La Push. This year I was volunteering at Granger High School, in the Yakima Valley. At Granger, my team worked on exposing the students to the engineering design cycle (ideation, design, test and iterate) by having them build, test and race mouse-trap cars while pretending that the cars were Mars rovers.
How has being a part of ASB impacted your goals and dreams for the future?
When I did ASB for the first time in 2013, it actually led me to make a field change from Biology to Engineering (strangely). But doing the STEM ASB has been an inspiring experience for me because of the amazing people I got to work with like my team of UW students, people at [Riverways] and the wonderful students at Granger. My experience gives me hope for the future, because I know that there are people out there, such as the ones at [Riverways] 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.
What is a favorite memory you have during your time with ASB?
Learn more about this opportunityMy favorite memory is the car ride back to Campbell Farm with my team where everyone is tired from the day at school, but feeling really satisfied and proud of what we had achieved throughout the day even if things didn’t go as planned. During that time we would also share memorable/funny interactions with the students at school and contemplate the day’s work.
More Stories
Alisa Torres
My involvement with the Jumpstart program has truly shown me what it really means to serve others altruistically in our communities.
Ann Margaret
STEM Alternative Spring Break
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.
Ariana Westbrook
As a result of my service with Jumpstart, I have confidence in the methods I use when I work with children.
Chad
Riverways Opportunities for UW Students
Particularly, it highlighted the reciprocal nature of learning and growth gained when mixing two very different communities.
Christine Young
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.
Dawn
Riverways Opportunities for UW Students
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tehya Widmann
I joined Jumpstart because I wanted to keep working with children even though I was pursuing a non-education major.
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.