“I believe school is the most important thing in the world. All humans should have everything they need. Everyone deserves to go to school and [have] essentials. Together we can achieve that goal.” That’s what Mustafa, one of our 5th-grade students from Brigadoon Elementary said last fall when he and his classmates worked on their human rights projects. His statement is something we believe at TAF, too.

Thankfully, with your support, we’ve been able to make Mustafa’s statement a reality for TAF students and teachers by providing safe and equitable spaces in education. Although this past year has certainly thrown many curveballs, TAF has steadily continued to grow responsibly, ensuring we maintain equitable learning opportunities and environments — even virtually.

While this pandemic has revealed disparaging differences in accessing education for communities of color, TAF wholeheartedly believes that educational equity is achievable with project-based STEM education as the great equalizer. We are fortunate to provide this gift to students within a framework of racial equity and could not do it without the support of our donors and partners.

This past summer, while the nation shut-down due to the ongoing pandemic, we transformed our many summer programs into online experiences and opened the first virtual Jr. Huskies STEM summer camp for incoming 6th-grade students at Washington Middle School, our newest co-managed academy in partnership with Seattle Public Schools. There, a young girl named Isabella learned to code her first website with the help of volunteer software engineers. After presenting her work during the final exhibition to peers and staff, Isabella shared how proud she was to have overcome the challenges of learning something new. “I didn’t know anything about any of this stuff and it was hard to get things to work, but my biggest success was figuring out how to code,” she said. “I’m really proud of that.”

In just 4 weeks, Isabella gained new skills in an area she hadn’t considered and realized the power she holds in her educational journey. At the same time, her Washington Middle School teachers, along with educators from our six other partner schools, attended our five-day virtual Teacher Institute to learn the STEMbyTAF model, an educational framework rooted in equity and project-based learning. This 360-approach to education is crucial and opens the doors to future possibilities for students and teachers alike.

We have the power to help Isabella see the many opportunities before her. It doesn’t matter if she decides to become a software engineer or a politician. What matters is that we, as a community, take our time to invest in her and empower her with all the critical tools, resources, and support she deserves to achieve her personal best. Building an equitable public education system takes all of us. We can do this for Isabella, Mustafa, and the rest of Washington State’s students and teachers, but it requires a collective effort.  

Next year, TAF plans to add another three schools to our STEMbyTAF Network and expand our work with students, teachers, and leaders of color in Eastern Washington. By growing moderately and steadily, we can ensure the integrity of our programs remains authentically intact. Read more about our goals.

Your partnership and support of TAF will help us to effectively play a critical role in the education of 24,000 public school students. Will you help us expand horizons for students like Isabella and Mustafa? Just $30 a month covers a full year of STEMbyTAF education for one student. 

With gratitude,

Trish Millines Dziko
Co-founder and Executive Director, TAF

Join the TAF Catalysts monthly giving club or make a one-time tax-deductible donation.

Explore other ways to give.

Just $30 a month will give students a chance to learn without racial or socioeconomic limits. Your gift today will help eliminate barriers to high-quality public education.