On Monday, September 9th, 

Volunteers traveled from all across Seattle to TAF@Saghalie in Federal Way. This was the commitment a group of professionals made for the school’s senior class. Around this time of the year, seniors embark on their 8-month journey to complete their senior project. The project is a culmination of students’ years in school, centered around their chosen STEM subject.

In past years, seniors were tasked to find a mentor that could match their chosen field. An often daunting task that would sometimes result in unproductive connections, we reconfigured the process. This year, we set up a matchmaking process where volunteer professionals would “speed mentor” all seniors and then students and volunteers would find their best match.

“The results were electric – every single student felt inspired by each professional input received, and supported with each volunteer’s enthusiasm.”

For the United Way Day of Caring on September 13th, we replicated the process. This time, another group of volunteers voyaged from Redmond to the school in Federal Way. Once again, the conversations sparked during rotations was lively, the energy of ideas being stormed into the room was contagious. As volunteers departed, students began planning their next steps, which involve staying in touch with their mentors throughout the process of their project and meeting again with their mentor at their workplace or via video call.

With these connections at renowned companies, as students work on their projects with a professional perspective, and as they present their research, prototypes, and more at the end of the year, we hope this highlight of experience can forge a path for them to discover what they’re passionate about pursuing as they move into college and the professional world. That’s our ultimate goal.

Want to support future innovators, leaders, and creators?

We’re looking for UX/UI designers and people with coding experience (Java, Python, CSS & HTML ) who can help students learn to build websites and apps.

We’re looking for people to share their story of how they stand out.