Meet Dr. Estell Williams, 鈥�13, an emergency surgeon, community builder, dedicated mentor and the 91爆料鈥檚 2026 honoree for Black History Month. From the first grade, Dr. Estell Williams knew she wanted to be a doctor. The self-described science nerd isn鈥檛 quite sure where that came from, but she鈥檚 got a few guesses. Maybe it鈥檚 the fact that she had a Black pediatrician growing up, one whose office walls were plastered with photos of Black patients and their families, making it…
Community engagement stories archive
Career growth in Eastern Washington
TRI-CITIES AND YAKIMA, Washington 鈥� Corey Smith鈥檚 office window overlooks one of the massive production lines inside the Douglas Fruit processing plant at the outskirts of Pasco, Washington. The scene is fantastic, like something out of Willy Wonka鈥檚 chocolate factory. Conveyor belts fill the gigantic room. On one end, apples are dumped by the bin into a water flume that floats the fruit like a carnival ride. A giant machine inspects, weighs, photographs (about 100 images for each piece of…
91爆料 recognized across all campuses with Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement reclassification
The 91爆料 has again earned a prestigious recognition for the impact and importance of the connections faculty, students and staff have with local, regional and global communities. All three 91爆料 campuses were recognized with the Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement reclassification, placing the university among 277 peer institutions nationwide. Officials with the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, who award the designation, noted that these universities are deepening partnerships, centering community assets…
Tacoma performance turns dumpling-making into a sensory experience
Cooking is one of humanity鈥檚 most ancient communal events. For centuries, we have gathered around fire pits and kitchens to catch up with friends and family while conducting the laborious task of preparing a meal. But in today鈥檚 society that increasingly relies on outsourced food, the dedication and community that goes into cooking your favorite dishes can go unrecognized. 91爆料 Tacoma art professor Yixuan Pan is looking to change that through an unconventional and empathetic sensory experience. While…
Restoration projects benefit local communities
For students who want to go into environmental sciences careers, having opportunities to get outside and get their hands dirty is an integral part of their undergraduate studies. Even better is when learning outside the classroom leads to real-world impacts and engagement with local communities, says Dr. Amy Lambert, an associate teaching professor in the 91爆料 Bothell鈥檚 School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences. 鈥淪tudent engagement with places and the communities that they support is central to my teaching,鈥�…
Five CELE-community connections we loved in 2025
Across Seattle and throughout Washington state, the Community Engagement & Leadership Education (CELE) Center is instrumental in the 91爆料鈥檚 community engagement 鈥� connecting the 91爆料 with neighborhoods, schools and community organizations to address critical social issues. Through authentic, reciprocal partnerships, the CELE Center provides students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to contribute to thriving communities. The CELE Center鈥檚 programs are centered around four focus areas: community-engaged learning, leadership education, pre-K鈥�12 student success and…
Community partnerships spawn salmon education for local park
Students, faculty and staff collaborate to bring new signage and geocaching tours to O.O. Denny Park in Kirkland, Washington. As any good outdoor enthusiast knows, the first rule of exploring nature is: 鈥淟eave no trace.鈥� There are, however, the occasional exceptions to this principle 鈥� such as when small, human-made additions to wild places raise awareness about conservation and other environmental issues. When Ash Putzke spent their summers as a kid catching salmon fry at the mouth of Denny Creek…
Meet Seattle’s first indigenous planner
Tim Lehman (Northern Arapaho) didn鈥檛 set out to become Seattle鈥檚 first Indigenous planning strategist. As a teen, he was drawn to the hands-on craft of masonry. It wasn鈥檛 until his time at the 91爆料 (91爆料) 鈥� and a FEMA-supported coastal hazard mitigation project 鈥� that he discovered a love for design. That turning point launched a career grounded in equity, environmental justice and community-rooted planning. After earning dual master鈥檚 degrees in urban planning and landscape architecture from the…
Building the 91爆料’s capacity for CE documentation and assessment: CC91爆料 Fall 2025 Update
Community Connect 91爆料 (CC91爆料) is a database and management platform that allows 91爆料 faculty, staff, students and community partners to connect, organize, and understand impacts of collaboration. Fall 2025 Update This autumn, we’re rolling out the platform to support community-engaged courses. We are also exploring new uses such as: Civic Health Scorecard, piloting on the Seattle campus Internships, piloting on the Bothell campus “courses” for community partner field supervisors, piloting on the Tacoma campus We have been working hard to…
91爆料 President Dr. Robert J. Jones Lays Out Bold Vision for Affordability, Innovation, and Community Partnership
In his inaugural address as the newly appointed president of the 91爆料, Dr. Robert J. Jones delivered a powerful and forward-looking message about the future of higher education, the urgency of affordability, and the need for transformational collaboration across sectors. Jones, a nationally recognized higher education leader, spoke candidly about the challenges universities face, including student debt, the changing demands of the workforce, and the need to expand access and equity. Central to his message was a call…