Kiwanis Club of Snohomish honors students

Snohomish School District Students of the Quarter were recognized by the Kiwanis Club of Snohomish for their outstanding accomplishments by their teachers and staff at a recent breakfast.

Centennial Middle School: Emma Fontenot and Austin Kramer

Valley View Middle School: Jillian Wyvel and Kiera Kennedy

AIM High School: Devin Palm and Jessica Guerrero

Glacier Peak High School: Jayden Moon, Jamie Stout, Sarah Baker and Christina Argue

Snohomish High School: Ella Gallatin, Madison Marshall, Logan Lindemann, Jake McNeil and August Gorton

Volunteer service award

Marysville resident Ron Wagner received one of 16 awards for Volunteer Service given by the Governor’s office. He was recognized for the category “Public Safety” for his volunteer work with the Marysville Police Department.

Wagner has volunteered since 2011 and has logged 2,941 hours. He is the supervisor of the Marysville Volunteer Patrol, which works at citywide events.

EvCC Foundation breakfast raises $135,000 to support student scholarships

Everett Community College Foundation raised $135,000 to support student scholarships and college programs.

More than 450 people attended the breakfast, which featured keynote speaker Washington state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal. EvCC counselor Gina Myers and mechanical engineering student Raymond Haug also spoke about how donors helped students.

“I chose EvCC, but they chose me back. I have received the Foundation scholarship for the last two years, been employed as a tutor, volunteered with different clubs and been invited to the local Phi Theta Kappa chapter and the Honors program here on campus. I came here only hoping to receive a degree, in the process I was welcomed into an amazing community,” Haug said.

At the breakfast, EvCC President David Beyer awarded the President’s Community Partner award to United Way of Snohomish County. It was accepted by Allison Warren-Barbour, president and CEO of United Way of Snohomish County.

The EvCC Foundation gave the Feather Star award to Alexander Printing, Bogard Engineers, Coastal Community Bank, Directors Mortgage and Washington Trust Bank.

EdCC gala raises $355,000

More than 350 guests gathered at the Grand Hyatt Seattle Hotel on April 13 for the Edmonds Community College Foundation Gala.

The gala raised $355,000 was for students through scholarships, emergency funding in times of crisis, and investment in impactful programs and projects.

“We couldn’t ask for a better night of support from our community,” said Brad Thomas, executive director of the Foundation. “Between our guests’ generosity and powerful stories from students and alumni – it was a night dedicated to transforming lives.”

The evening was hosted by Master of Ceremonies Kevin Joyce.

The 2019 Distinguished Alumni award was given to Kristina Ann Madden, a 2012 graduate of EdCC. She is described by nominator, EdCC Learning Support Center Director Jeremiah Roland as having the “grit and determination that so many of our students possess. It is clear she will not let any roadblock hold her back.”

Despite the challenge of attending school as a working mother of three, Madden excelled at EdCC. She worked as a tutor, was instrumental in opening a lactation room on campus, was awarded a prestigious scholarship twice, and was the 2012 EdCC Commencement Student Speaker. Madden earned an associate’s degree in pre-nursing from EdCC and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from University of Washington.

During her time at UW, Madden led a diversity awareness group, mentored first-generation college students, ran a nursing camp, and spent time in Guatemala learning medical Spanish and volunteering in clinics. She is a registered nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Multicare Tacoma General Hospital and pursuing her doctorate of nursing practice from Creighton University.

The evening included two alumni spotlights for the academic and career achievements of Chester Curtis and Kaitlin Ferguson.

Curtis graduated from EdCC in 2013 with an associate’s degree in energy management and a certificate in project management and was the recipient of the 2014 Transforming Lives award from the Trustees Association of Community and Technical Colleges.

Ferguson graduated in 2019 from EdCC with an associate’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering. She is a Washington State University-Everett Student Ambassador, president of the Society of Women Engineers (WSU Everett chapter), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers chapter secretary, and a Boeing Scholar.

Ferguson is a recipient of the national Society of Women Engineers 2019 Rising Star award and plans to graduate this month from WSU-Everett with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

The Student Spotlight winner was EdCC student Mustapha Samateh, who shared his story of overcoming adversity when he came to the U.S. as a student seeking political asylum from The Gambia.

Samateh was a legislative intern to the Washington Community and Technical College Student Association, representing 370,000 community college students to the Legislature in Olympia, and is involved in the American Student Association of Community Colleges where he advocates for access to education.