03/21/2024
This morning, as the Chair of the Board of Trustees, I had the honor to present the welcoming remarks to more than 2,000 students, volunteers, panelists, performers, moderators, and chaperones who attended the Everett Community College’s ‘Students of Color Career Conference.’ What a wonderful opportunity for these youth to be empowered to learn how to embrace these three pillars that were being presented throughout today’s program: self-discovery…the seeking of guidance…commitment to lifelong learning! For 19 years, this conference has been a beacon of opportunity for young people of color, igniting their curiosity about education, training, and future careers by connecting them with professionals throughout the Puget Sound region.
One of the highlights for me was to be an observer of a traditional Native American blessing for the event, as presented by an Elder from the local Tulalip Tribe and his fellow participants from their elementary school. Out of respect for their prayer offering via song and dance, I am not sharing the video with its rhythmic drumming, but here are a few photos that give you a mere glimpse of how special this was for all in attendance!