Community and technical college students selected for Transforming Lives award
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington State Association of College Trustees (ACT) will honor 34 community and technical college students as 2018 Transforming Lives award winners at a ceremony on Monday, Jan. 22 in Olympia. The annual award recognizes current students and alumni who overcame barriers to their academic goals. From the winners, five students were selected to be keynote speakers and to receive $500 each.
- Theresa (last name withheld), Edmonds Community College
- Vanessa Primer, Highline College
- Josh Daley, Olympic College
- Omar Osman, Seattle Central College
- Tracy Fejeran, Spokane Falls Community College
"Each of these students have incredible stories to tell. They speak to the power of our state's community and technical colleges," said Bridget Piper, ACT president and a trustee for the Community Colleges of Spokane. "We are so proud of the students honored tonight as well as every student and alumni of our colleges."
Other Transforming Lives award winners are:
- Autumn Arnestad, Bates Technical College
- Victor Ramirez, Bellevue College
- Amanda Pennell, Bellingham Technical College
- MaKinZee Rhodes, Big Bend Community College
- LaShanata Sealy, Cascadia College
- Yuki Takayama, Centralia College
- Nicholas Freese, Clark College
- Michael Clarke, Clover Park Technical College
- Jeremy Burnham, Columbia Basin College
- Hajer Al-Faham, Everett Community College
- Amanda Deubert, Grays Harbor College
- Samira Shokati, Green River College
- Dylan Bell, Lake Washington Institute of Technology
- Clinton Howard, Lower Columbia College
- Jeffrey Haley, Peninsula College
- Max Staples, Pierce College Fort Steilacoom
- Erica Myron, Pierce College Puyallup
- Carl Harris, Renton Technical College
- Jorge Lara Alvarado, North Seattle College
- Kaylin Clarke, South Seattle College
- Patricia Barnes, Seattle Vocational Institute
- Robin Oliver, Shoreline Community College
- Valerie McCormack, Skagit Valley College
- Sayda Kong, South Puget Sound Community College
- Rick Clark, Spokane Community College
- Rain Coley, Tacoma Community College
- Citaly Gutierrez-Fuentes, Walla Walla Community College
- Maria Martinez-Alonzo, Wenatchee Valley College
- Nagla Mohamed-Lamin, Whatcom Community College
- Amanda Murphy, Yakima Valley College
Each award winner was nominated by the board of trustees at their college.
The awards portion of the event will begin at 6 p.m. at the Red Lion Inn, 2300 Evergreen Park Drive S.W. in Olympia.
