Alumni News

Over the past six years, Stephanie Gardner has helped lead a sea change in achievement by historically underrepresented students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) majors at the University of Washington. As director for the Pacific Northwest Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation at UW, the College of Education alumna and current doctoral student is opening pathways into STEM fields.

The new edition of the Washington Educational Research Association's journal features four articles authored by alumni and faculty from the University of Washington College of Education.

The fall 2015 edition focuses on topics related to highly capable students, and UW alumni authoring articles were:

From an early age, Jane Lo was fascinated by how people interact in civil society — the way people come together to improve their communities, support fellow citizens in need and assert their rights.

That interest attracted her to teaching and the opportunity to help students understand the complexity of human interactions. After a few years teaching high school social studies in Texas, Lo reached out to Professor Walter Parker at the University of Washington College of Education to dig deeper.

For many young people growing up in marginalized communities, it can be difficult to see futures filled with opportunity.

Nikum Pon (PhD '13) dreams of changing that.

Before his dream came to life, however, Pon had to escape one of the worst tragedies of the 20th century. Born in Cambodia during Pol Pot's rule and a genocide in which more than a million Cambodians died, Pon fled with his family to a refugee camp in Thailand.

At too many schools across the country, parents are left out of the learning equation. Ellie Canter (MEd ’12) is working to change this oversight as director of programs at Turning the Page, a non-profit that is empowering parents in Washington, D.C. to become active and effective participants in their children’s education.

Canter supervises AmeriCorps VISTA members and three partnership coordinators to strengthen relationships between teachers and families.

Timothy Yeomans (EdD '09), superintendent of Puyallup School District and a strong advocate for aspiring school and district-level leaders in Washington state, has received the University Council Educational Administration Excellence in Educational Leadership Award.

A flood of new technologies can change how people learn, live and work nearly overnight. For educators like Elzena McVicar, who teaches elementary English language learners in Seattle Public Schools, it's easy to feel overwhelmed.

"I know that I’m expected to teach 21st century skills to my students, but I only have four computers in my classroom, so I had a big problem of practice," McVicar said.