By Flynn Espe

What do electronic quilts, fake sculpted dishes, and dried citrus fruits representing fractional math problems have in common? They’re all among the classroom-created works featured in a new Washington State University Tri-Cities art exhibit, one that explores an innovative teaching approach blending creative expression with traditional science and math curriculum — often referred to as STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) education.

The exhibit, “Art(Math + Science) = Creative Intersections,â€� opened April 15 at the Art Center gallery in the Consolidated Information Center. It showcases works by ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ education majors and local middle school students.

Yichien Cooper, assistant professor of teaching and learning for the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ College of Education, Sport, and Human Sciences and the exhibit’s lead curator, has incorporated STEAM practices into her teaching and research for more than a decade. She also .

With the exhibit, supported by the WSU Fall 2025 Arts & Humanities Process Grant, Cooper hopes to demonstrate how creativity and critical inquiry can help students connect more deeply with science-based subjects — and sometimes reconsider topics they may have written off.

“We all bump into students who are hesitant to embrace art because they don’t think they are good at art, or students who are hesitant about math because math just doesn’t speak to them,� Cooper said.

Many of the pieces originated from Cooper’s “Integrating Fine Arts into K-8 Curriculum� course, where students complete a series of reflective art projects grounded in research and data. In one displayed assignment on food and consumption, students researched a dish, recreated it in sculptured form using homemade dough, and designed a nutrition label based on their findings, with a breakdown of ingredients and a short description.

The description for a piece titled “Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Lettuce Turn Over a New Leaf,� by students Allie Ledezma and Taylor West, touts the benefits of using locally grown ingredients, which reduces carbon emissions resulting from long-distance transport. Another piece, titled “Killer Dog: The Dawg That Bites Back� by students Scotty Hunt and Ryan Jundt, recasts the traditional hot dog in vivid and unsettling form. Their description highlights several unsavory nutrition details, including a well-known study linking hot dog consumption to shortened lifespan.

“Each dish tells some sort of environmental awareness story that the student maybe never thought about before,� Cooper said. “And that’s what art is about. Art is making you think.�

Cooper is joined in the exhibit by colleagues Tyler Hansen, assistant professor of teaching and learning, and Ethan Smith, assistant professor of mathematics — both of whom incorporate elements of STEAM education into their teaching.

For his portion of the exhibit, Hansen included an electronic textile quilt created in his “Science Teaching Methods� course. For that project, each student contributed a square representing a significant moment or life experience. In addition to felt designs, students incorporated colored blinking lights, hand coded to a microcontroller device.

“In order to make any of this work, you have to know how circuits work and how to make a complete circuit,� Hansen said. “We used conductive thread, so it actually carries a current to all of these lights.�

Smith, meanwhile, showcased a classroom project in which he prompted students to rethink basic math concepts using pattern block cutouts, giving them creative license to create new shapes and visual imagery from a “budget� of 12 triangle pieces.

“If a triangle is worth one and you have 12 dollars, or units, to spend, can you make a shape that’s worth $12 overall?� Smith said. “You see lots of different ideas and explanations of their strategies. Some students like to start with just the big hexagon and get six out of the way. Others want to have lots of little shapes.�

Like his faculty colleagues, Smith said he hopes to inspire future teachers to find similar ways of injecting creativity into their K-12 classrooms.

“I think there are a lot of great teachers out there who are doing this,� Smith said.

Destiny Kuespert, a former student of both Cooper and Smith who graduated from ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ with her elementary education degree last December, is one teacher who’s taking those lessons and ideas to heart. She contributed to the exhibit with a display of pieces made by sixth grade students at Richland’s Carmichael Middle School, where she taught during her practicum experience last fall. Those pieces were previously featured in two separate STEAM exhibitions at the and Richland Public Library.

For her classroom project, Kuespert’s students applied beads, dried fruits, and other crafting items to canvas as visual representations of fractional division. Kuespert said the students were free to decide the complexity of the math problem they wanted to solve, as long as they used one of two mathematical models to do it. Students who picked the number line method used sticks, strings, and beads, whereas students who chose the area or shape model used dried fruits to represent whole and fractional numbers. They also had to show their work in written form and reflect on their three-day project experience.

“You can read from some of their reflections how they felt. Some of them were saying, ‘This made me happy. I love doing art and math. Writing it out helped me understand it more,’â€� Kuespert said. “There were some that expressed, ‘I don’t like doing art,’ which is fine too. I was excited just to read all of their opinions.â€�

While traditional math and science curriculum exists for a reason, Cooper and her colleagues see art as an equally valid teaching method that can help preserve a student’s sense of wonder and curiosity.

“When I think back to early elementary school and math, I remember that being fun, joyful — creative activities. When I think towards middle and high school, math becomes more abstract. It becomes more pencil and paper,� Smith said. “I appreciated a lot of aspects of that, which makes sense where I ended up. But there’s no reason why that joy can’t sustain itself all the way through school.�

Kuespert echoed similar thoughts in describing the motivations behind her art-infused teaching projects.

“I wanted them to feel interested, because you see the worksheet so many times, it’s not interesting at all. You’re just thinking, ‘How fast can I get through it?’� Kuespert said. “I wanted them to see everything and feel intrigued. I think that’s the base of learning is you first have to be curious.�

Visitors to the exhibit can contribute to the gallery space as well through a series of self-guided creative math activities, also designed by the four collaborators and set up at multiple stations. The exhibit will be on display through the rest of 2026.

By Lacey Desserault

As a soon-to-be elementary school teacher, Washington State University Tri-Cities student Jackie Gama knew she wanted to integrate her culture with her teaching experience. When she was presented with an opportunity to complete her student teaching requirement abroad, she knew she could accomplish just that.

Gama is student teaching English as a second language at an International Baccalaureate (IB) school in Yucatan, Mexico, where all students are required to learn how to speak, read, and write in both Spanish and English. She first learned about student teaching abroad programs from her professor, Eric Johnson. ÌýHe is one of the coordinators of the program and assisted her in arranging the three-month long experience in Mexico.

“One reason I was interested in student teaching abroad was to get to know my culture better,� said Gama. “I am Mexican American, with my father being from Mexico, and I have not been to Mexico in a little over a decade. I wanted to be immersed in Mexican culture and improve my Spanish.�

While Gama is in Yucatan, she is simultaneously teaching elementary level classes and taking university courses. On the weekends she has the flexibility to explore the region and learn more about the community where she is living, allowing her to become fully immersed in the experience.

“This program has influenced me to continue conducting research on how I am able to successfully teach concepts in a new language to multilingual learners,� she said. “It has also inspired my personal goals to not be limited to what I am comfortable with or what is familiar to me. It has shown me to be a risk-taker and to take opportunities that may be out of my comfort zone, as those are the experiences that I am going to learn best from. This is my first time being away from my family on my own, and it was nerve-wracking in the beginning. But now that I am here and am completing my internship experience, I would without a doubt do it again.�

Gama is in her final year of studying elementary education at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡. She will graduate with endorsements in bilingual education and English Language Learners (ELL). “I am a first-generation student, and this experience has been eye-opening for me in realizing the opportunities that are out there. I am thankful for the support that I have had not only from my family but also from my advisor and the community that I am living with in Yucatan.â€�

When asked what advice she has for fellow or future students Gama said study abroad internships are an amazing opportunity. “I say take the chance if you are given the opportunity.�

By Lacey Desserault

Registration for the Washington State University Tri-Cities Fall Education Summit is now open. The summit, sponsored by STCU, takes place on Oct. 14 and will feature keynote speaker Jerad Koepp (Wukchumni), 2022 Washington state teacher of the year.

The event will take place from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ campus in Collaboration Hall, 2780 Crimson Way, Richland. Doors will open at 8:45 a.m. Lunch will be provided.

As a Native Student Program Specialist, Koepp (Wukchumni) supports over 230 Native American students from over 50 tribes, nations, bands, and villages, offering cultural and academic support and training to colleagues. His work in developing North Thurston school district policies that support the education and culture of Native students has been impactful in his most recent project implementing required training for educators and administrators on equity and government-to-government relations.

“The College of Education on the Tri-Cities campus is excited to host its fifth annual Education Summit made possible by generous support from STCU,â€� said Judy Morrison, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ academic director of education. “This year we will have sessions on STEM Education, Education Leadership, and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) Issues. Our keynote speaker, Jerad Koepp, will present a talk and participate in a panel focused on increasing equity in education.â€�

The summit is open to administrators and teachers and will cover a variety of issues and perspectives in K-12 education over multiple sessions. Participants will have the opportunity to earn up to six clock hours.

The event costs $15 and covers the sessions, lunch, and the six clock hours. Registration is required by Monday, Oct. 9. Spots fill fast, so early registration is encouraged.

For questions about the event, visit or contact Niamh O’Leary by calling (509) 372-7394, or emailing niamh.oleary@wsu.edu.

Seven high school seniors from the Kennewick School District (KSD) signed commitment letters to attend Washington State University (WSU) Tri-Cities to earn their teaching degree while also working part-time for the Kennewick School District as substitute paraeducators. ÌýThe Teaching Bridge program is the first program of its kind in the state that focuses on a partnership between a school district and a 4-year university to provide a career-connected learning pathway from high school to college for students interested in careers in education.

“The Kennewick School District and ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ began working together over a year ago to make this program happen,â€� said Doug Christensen, associate superintendent of human resources for the Kennewick School District. “It has been very exciting to see the Teaching Bridge program take shape.â€�

“We are very excited about this partnership with Kennewick School District and are looking forward to extending the Teaching Bridge program to other school districts in our area,â€� said Judy Morrison, professor and academic director for the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ College of Education.

The first students to enroll in the program come from three Kennewick high schools. The students from Kennewick High School are Nerissa Grimm, Seth Keller, and Lizzandra Ramirez. Lilly Johanson, Haley Nelson and Alvaro Rodriguez Jr., are from Southridge High School and Eva Arroyo is from Kamiakin High School.

Haley Nelson, a senior at Southridge High School, is very excited to be in the Teaching Bridge program. “The best part about this is the real-life experience I get before having to decide what I want to do. I can’t wait to be in a school as a para getting the experience.�

Officials and staff from both institutions, as well as students’ family and friends attended the ceremony.

Sandra Haynes, chancellor at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ welcomed the students to the university and complimented them on taking this important step toward their teaching career.

“Any day that I get to welcome students to the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ family is a great day,â€� she said. “Congratulations to each of you for taking this step and pushing yourselves to grow into a profession for which, no doubt, you have a great deal of passion.â€�

“I want to congratulate and recognize these students who will become the next generation of amazing educators,� stated Traci Pierce, superintendent of Kennewick School District. “Their stories exemplify our goal for our students to graduate well prepared from high school and ready for success in WSU’s Teaching Bridge Program. We can’t wait for them to return this fall to work with us.�

Teaching Bridge provides the next step in a career development pathway by eliminating the two-year gap between high school graduation and entering the teacher preparation program in the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ College of Education. Students who participate in the program will:

• Have support during the college application and financial aid process.
• Gain early admission to ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡.
• Participate in paid cooperative internships in local school districts.
• Learn as a cohort.
• Access mentorship opportunities.
• Get a jump start on teaching careers.

At the end of the two-year program, students are prepared to apply to the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Bachelor of Arts in Education program to complete the requirements for Washington State certification in Elementary Education and an add-on endorsement in Special Education, English Language Learners, or Bilingual Education.

The partnership between ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ and KSD allows participants to work 10-18 hours per week as paid part-time or substitute paraeducators while attending college classes full-time. Over the course of the program, students will spend approximately 600 hours at the employer site and complete 60 semester credit hours of undergraduate level coursework at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡.

Teaching Bridge is a Career Launch program featured through Career Connect Washington, a statewide, multi-sector approach to career connected learning that prepares students for high-demand, high wage jobs.

Jim Kindle, regional career connected learning coordinator with Education Services District 123 collaborated with ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ and KSD by providing technical support and resources from Career Connect Washington.

“With the shortage of educators, the partnerships within this program will begin to close the gap to educator shortages and create a robust talent pipeline for the Kennewick School District,� said Kindle.

“This coming fall Kennewick seniors from all three comprehensive high schools will begin their journey to becoming teachers. These students will get a great education at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ while also gaining valuable classroom experience working as substitute para-educators in classrooms across our district. I look forward to watching these students advance through the Teaching Bridge program on their way to becoming future Kennewick teachers,â€� said Christensen.

Information about the Teaching Bridge program is available on the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ website or by contacting Danica Garcia, program coordinator at (509) 372-3766.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Registration for the Washington State University Tri-Cities Education Summit that features a keynote presentation by Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Chris Reykdal, is now open. The event is sponsored by STCU.

The summit will take place on the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ campus in Collaboration Hall from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 15, and provides local educators and administrators with the opportunity to earn six clock hours and choose sessions of their choice in the following subject areas:

• STEM education
• Leadership
• Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (I.D.E.A.)

The cost is $15 for the day, which includes a full lunch, the sessions and six clock hours. Registration is required.

Reykdal, who has led the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) since 2017, has centered OSPI’s work on equity, supporting the whole child and providing excellent customer service and transparency to school districts, the Legislature, news media and community members. Reykdal’s presentation will focus on bilingual education in the state of Washington. Reykdal graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor’s degree and a teaching certificate. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

“We have a great schedule planned for teachers, principals and others in education that is geared toward student success, innovative teaching strategies and generally, how to better reach students through educational techniques,â€� said Judy Morrison, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ academic director of education.

Individuals can register by visiting . Spots at the summit go fast, so individuals are encouraged to sign up early. Registration closes Monday, Oct. 10. For additional information contact Niamh O’Leary by calling (509) 372-7394 or emailing niamh.oleary@wsu.edu.

For directions to the conference location, enter the street address 2770 Crimson Way, Richland, 99354 into your mobile GPS app.

For more information on degrees in education from ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ and the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ College of Education, visit .

MEDIA CONTACT(S)

Leslie Streeter, Office of Marketing and Communication, (509) 372-7333,Ìýleslie.streeter@wsu.edu

By Maegan Murray, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡

RICHLAND, Wash. – Several Washington State University faculty are the recipients of a $1.4 million grant from the to refine and expand an assessment that helps address truancy in K-12 schools.

The program, also known as WARNS, uses evidence-driven procedures to track and improve interventions with students. The program was developed in 2008 to assess students on a scale of six needs that have been linked to truancy, delinquency and/or dropping out of school: aggression-defiance, depression-anxiety, substance abuse, peer deviance, family environment and school engagement. More than 100 schools in Washington state and across the nation are now using the tool.

Paul Strand, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ professor of psychology, Brian French, Berry Family Distinguished professor and director of WSU’s and , Nick Lovrich, WSU Regents professor emeritus, and Bruce Austin, research associate in educational psychology and the LPRC, have worked since 2014 to evaluate and refine WARNS. With the grant, the group is also adding the following members to their team to help refine the tool: Chad Gotch and Marcus Poppen, both WSU assistant professors in education, and Mary Roduta Roberts, an associate professor of occupational therapy at the University of Alberta.

French said what makes the program so successful is its ability to hone-in on issues that lead to truancy early in a student’s educational path. Schools can develop a plan for how to address those issues and increase the student’s likelihood of being successful. He said what was made especially clear amid the COVID-19 pandemic is the need to get information to counselors regarding student issues at home and other external factors that prevent students’ current and future success.

“This grant will also allow us more space to examine its success,� French said. “We will also be looking into specific implications of the WARNS – how it is used and the success when it is in use. We want to look at the implications and gather data to know how those conversations are helping and specific instances of how that is happening. Then, we can continue to build from that information.�

Updating the assessment

Strand said the new grant will allow the team to update the instrument in a few ways. He said a variety of new issues have arisen that have impacted school attendance and performance in recent years. Examples, he said, include the prevalence of vaping and social media use.

Additionally, the team aims to improve the middle school version of the instrument to tailor it further for issues that pertain to that specific age demographic.

“The grant allows us to explore the context of student situations and how to refine WARNS to reflect that context,� Strand said.

Identifying issues early to reduce truancy, drop-out rates

French said more than 10,000 assessments have been given through the program.

“To me, that represents 10,000 productive conversations that have occurred with kids,� he said. “We can look at the large numbers to help us do that, but each of those individual conversations are helping make a difference in the lives of thousands of kids each year.�

Strand said schools use the data from the assessment to develop and implement a plan for at-risk students through school community truancy boards to help prevent and/or correct student behavior.

“With the pandemic, we have seen that many counselors are struggling to stay connected and invested in kids,� he said. “But what we have seen with WARNS is that it has helped schools stay connected and invested in kids. The pandemic wasn’t something we could have envisioned, but it is a tool that has helped.�

For more information about WARNS, including how to implement it for individual schools or school districts, visitÌý

 

Media contacts:

• Paul Strand, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ professor of psychology, pstrand@wsu.edu
• Brian French, WSU Pullman Berry Family Distinguished professor and director of WSU’s Learning and Performance Research Center and Psychometric Laboratory, frenchb@wsu.edu
• Maegan Murray, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ director of marketing and communication, 509-372-7333 (office), 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu
• Brandon Chapman, WSU College of Education public relations/communications manager, 509-335-6850, b.chapman@wsu.edu

By C. Brandon Chapman, College of Education

Yuliya Ardasheva, a faculty member at Washington State University Tri‑Cities, has received one of twoÌýnational Mid‑Career Awards from the American Educational Research Association’s Second Language Research Special Interest Group.

Ardasheva is an associate professor within the College of Education, where she focuses her research on English/Bilingual learners’ language and academic development. The awards committee were impressed with Ardasheva’s “robust and coherent research portfolio.�

It’s research that, for Ardasheva, hits close to home. She said she came to the United States at 27Ìýyears old, “not speaking a single word of English,â€� having already earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in her native language.ÌýShe planned on earning her Ph.D. in the UnitedÌýStates.

“I originally got interested in second language development because I have an understanding what individual students of different ages may need to build on their strengths and what they may need to capitalize on what they already know in their native languages,� she said.

This line of research began with Ardasheva’s dissertation and her first externally funded project as a postdoctoral student at the University of Louisville. Her role was to develop literacy supports at a portable planetarium for middle and high school students, all part of a Newcomer Academy in Louisville. They spoke 25Ìýprimary languages and most of them were refugees from war or conflict zones. As a result, most had interrupted schooling.

“The Academy students only had one year to gain enough English language and content knowledge to integrate the following year into regular education schools, where the majority of teachers typically have no language support preparation,� Ardasheva said.

Her focus was on developing pre- and post-instructional literacy activities aligned with the planetarium experiences. This was to improve students’ science vocabulary knowledge, learning strategy use, oral and reading comprehension. Ultimately, this would allow for building science background knowledge and science concept elaboration.

Since, Ardasheva has published 38Ìýpeer-reviewed articles and six book chapters on this and other topics and presented her work at more than 70Ìýnational and international conferences.

While the committee cited Ardasheva’s endeavors to advance the field as “evident in (her) prolific and high‑quality publications� and having made a “significant contribution,� Ardasheva herself said the teacher learning and development area of her research is still shaping up.

This work is, in part, supported by a current $2.3Ìýmillion U.S.ÌýDepartment of Education professional development grant, as well as a recently completed SamuelÌýH. and PatriciaÌýW. Smith Teaching and Learning Endowment Grant.

By Maegan Murray, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri-Cities recognized five female leaders as Women of Distinction for their contributions to the campus and regional Tri-Cities community as part of a ceremony that was held virtually this month.

These individuals exhibit exceptional leadership in their discipline or area of expertise, serve as role models and mentors to other women, advocate for positive social change and demonstrate a commitment to the missions of ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡.

“Each year, we receive so many incredible nominations for female leaders that have made tremendous impacts on their regional community, as well as for ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ students and the campus,â€� said Jaime Heppler, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ senior director of development and chair of the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Women of Distinction committee. “This year, we were thrilled to honor five individuals whose leadership transcends their day-to-day work. These are difference-makers in every sense of the word.â€�

For more information about the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Women of Distinction program, visit tricities.wsu.edu/women-of-distinction.

Sandra Haynes | Chancellor of ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡
Woman of Distinction Legacy Award

Sandra HaynesÌýis theÌýseventhÌýchancellor of ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ÌýandÌýbringsÌýmore thanÌý20 years of successful, high-level administrative experience, stemming from leadershipÌýat both a doctoral granting universityÌýwithÌývery high research activities (R1)Ìýand aÌýregional comprehensive institutionÌýoffering bachelor’sÌýand master’sÌýdegrees. She holds a faculty appointment as professor in the department of psychology.ÌýAsÌýa first-generation student,ÌýsheÌýrecognizes the transformative power of higher education and its ability to be a true equalizer for individuals, regardless of life circumstance.ÌýAs part of her three years at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡, she oversaw the opening of the campus MOSAIC Center for Student Inclusion and is actively overseeing the construction of the new ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ academic building that opens this June and renovation of the campus library to become a learning commons featuring a wide range of student support services.

 

 

Lindsay Lightner | Education Ph.D. student, coordinator for ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ College of Education
Woman of Distinction

Through her position as a coordinator for the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ College of Education, Lindsay Lightner helps school districts alleviate teacher shortages in hard-to-staff subjects,Ìýsuch as special education and bilingual education, by helping paraprofessionals become certified teachers.ÌýShe advises paraprofessionals in an alternative route program through ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ and coordinates a National Science Foundation grant regarding socio-environmental science investigations in-partnership with K-12 schools in the region.ÌýIn her free time, she works with Girl Scouts, volunteers for K-12 robotics, serves as part of the library board and many other opportunities. She is known as an upstanding educator that is dedicated to sharing her love of learning and exploring.ÌýLindsay is also a doctoral student in mathematics and science education at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡.

 

 

Janet Peters | ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ scholarly associate professor of psychology and director of instructional excellence and innovation
Woman of Distinction

Janet Peters serves as a scholarly associate professor of psychology and director of instructional excellence and innovation at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡. She is continuously recognized for utilizing innovative and engaging teaching strategies in the classroom and often goes above and beyond to ensure her students’ success. She actively incorporates service learning into her classroom environment where students craft real-world solutions to regional issues in partnership with nonprofit organizations. In research, she focuses on student, employee and faculty engagement, innovative instruction and high-engagement pedagogy, student leadership development and student attitudes toward statistics. She also provides professional development in innovative teaching and classroom tools for her fellow ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ faculty. In addition to the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Women of Distinction award, Peters has been published and recognized as a WSU Outstanding Teaching Award Recipient, LIFT Faculty Fellow, AVID instructor and as a Center for Civic Engagement Faculty Fellow, to name a few.

 

Gabriela Ramirez | ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ psychology alumna, Spanish teacher at Tri-Cities Prep
Woman of Distinction

Gabriela Ramirez is a graduate of the psychology program at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ and currently serves as a Spanish teacher at Tri-Cities Prep Catholic High School. As a ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ student, she was active in bringing her Latino culture to the forefront, serving through the MEChA and the Dreamers’ Club, which advocates for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students regionally. Through her role as a teacher, she continues to raise awareness about various cultures and communities. She brings innovative strategies into the virtual environment as part of her courses, using videos and other virtual experiences to connect the Spanish language to the real-world environment. She also learned from a young age that her greatest passion in life is dance. In 2017, Gabriela and a friend started their own dance organization, Ballet Folklórico ‘Cielo de México.’ Their mission is to keep Mexican traditions alive through dance and bring people from the community closer together. The group has since grown to 40 individuals.

 

Mikaela Thepvongsa | ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ nursing student, WSU Pullman psychology alumna
Woman of Distinction

Mikaela Thepvongsa is currently pursuing a bachelor’s of science in nursing from ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ after earning a bachelor’s in psychology from WSU Pullman. In addition to taking on a rigorous course of study, she serves as president of Crimson Scrubs, the nursing student service organization, and with the Disabled Students and Allies Club of ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡, where she is the liaison officer to the WSU system from ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡. Additionally, Thepvongsa serves as a WWAMI Area Health Education Center scholar. In this role, she works in an interprofessional capacity to assist with health literacy and language and engages in additional classes and volunteer work. As a deaf student, Mikaela uses her own experiences to continually advocate for individuals with disabilities. Additionally, she has served at hospitals, Safe Harbor’s My Friend’s Place, food banks and churches. In 2019, she participated in a service trip to Mexico with Loma Linda University graduates to help at a dental clinic in poverty-stricken areas.

By Maegan Murray, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri-Cities will host several presentations on potential solutions for the school-to-prison pipeline, as well as barriers for individuals’ successful reentry into society from prison, as part of its latest “Community Classroomâ€� series that begins this month.

Presenters will provide perspectives and strategies for how communities can proactively change statistics and create pathways for successful rehabilitation. Attendees will be invited to explore the current state of affairs in the regional Tri-Cities area and investigate opportunities for stronger partnerships for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated members, locally.

“This series provides a great opportunity for individuals to examine issues that pertain to incarcerated people and youth that are at greater risk for entering prison,â€� said Anna Plemons, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Attendees will hear from and have the opportunity to converse with formerly incarcerated people, researchers, counselors and more.â€�

The presentations are free and open to the public. They will be presented online via Zoom. For more information, visit tricities.wsu.edu/community-classroom.

Cultivating the prison-to-college pipeline: A conversation with Noel Vest on addiction recovery, post-secondary education and prison reentryÌý

Wednesday, Feb. 10 | 4 p.m.

Noel Vest, a formerly incarcerated scholar and ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ alumnus, will discuss principles and strategies for building a pathway out of incarceration and into higher education with moderator Anna Plemons, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ assistant vice chancellor of academic affairs. Drawing on his expertise as a post-doctoral research fellow in the Systems Neuroscience and Pain Lab at Stanford, Vest will speak to the ways addiction and recovery impact reentry.

The role of the community in disrupting the school-to-prison pipelineÌý

Thursday, March 25 | 4 p.m.

This panel will discuss the role of the community and schools, in particular, inÌýreducing the number of individuals entering the prison system. Speaking from respective areas of expertise, the moderated panel will discuss the possibilities and challenges of this work, as well as share ideas about how communities can come together to support members most vulnerable to incarceration.

Panelists:

• Ericka Walters – Founder and CEO of Launching Legacies
• Harry B. Grant, Jr. – Registered drug and alcohol counselor
• Emmanuel “Mannyâ€� Garcia – Middle school/high school counselor for the Soap Lake School District

An inside look at Washington state prison rehabilitative programs and the role of community advocacy in program successÌý

Wednesday, April 21 | 4 p.m.

Join this panel discussion on the affordances of rehabilitative programs for incarcerated people. EachÌýpanelist will present on programs they oversaw or currently work with, as well as the role of the community in advocating for and providing resources and opportunities within local and state facilities.

Speakers:

• Stephen Sinclair – Secretary of the Washington State Department of Corrections
• Robert Jackson – Superintendent of the Washington State Penitentiary
• Carol Hinds – Family advocate

 

Media contacts:

Kristine Cody, coordinator for the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ MOSAIC Center for Student Inclusion, 509-372-7600, kristine.cody@wsu.edu

Anna Plemons, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs, 509-372-7267, aplemons@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu

New agreement helps students save on costs

By Maegan Murray, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡

RICHLAND, Wash. – Columbia Basin College and Washington State University Tri-Cities signed a new agreement on Monday, Nov. 16, that creates a seamless pathway for students to complete their first two years at CBC and transfer to ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡, which saves students costs.

Students significantly save on costs, as students in the program do not pay for the transfer application to attend ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡, do not pay for the cost of their transcripts to transfer, and tuition is also frozen from their first semester enrolled at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡. In other words, if tuition rates increase anytime while enrolled at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡, students continue to pay the tuition rate from their first semester at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡.

Students also benefit from one-on-one support throughout their educational journey from both CBC and ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ from their first term in the program. They work directly with academic advisors from both institutions to solidify complete programs of study. This helps to ensure that students complete their degree programs on-time and reduce the likelihood of taking courses unnecessarily that won’t directly transfer.

Close partnership a win for all students

ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Chancellor Sandra Haynes said she is excited to sign a new agreement with CBC, as it helps reduce the complications and cost to students who wish to first attend a community college and then transfer to a four-year university.

“Our two institutions work together to create seamless pathways so that students can get the most out of their educational experience and graduate on-track,Ìýon-time and career-ready,â€� she said. “With ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ serving freshman, transfer, first-generation, low-income and non-traditional students, we are opening more doors to meet students where they are,Ìýtoday.â€�

Woods said CBC is also excited to strengthen its partnership with ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡.

“Many of CBC’s graduates choose to become Cougs, while staying right here in the Tri-Cities,â€� she said. “This agreement smooths that transition. Whether a student chooses to pursue a four-year degree at CBC, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡, or any other institution, we are committed to helping each student find their best path forward.â€�

Students see direct benefits

Dawn Hughes, a current ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ education student and alumna of Columbia Basin College, said transferring from CBC to ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ provided a great local and affordable option that was a best fit for both her and her family.

“I moved to Tri-Cities in 2006 and was raising a family,� she said. “When I decided to go back to school, it fit our budget and our busy schedule. It was also convenient because I could take classes in-person, locally.�

Hughes said she received tremendous support from both her instructors at CBC and ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡. When she started school, her sister was diagnosed with cancer. She served as her sister’s bone marrow transplant and was going to have to miss some school.

“My professors were so supportive through that,� she said. “Professors from both programs are that way. They want you to succeed.�

Apply to Bridges

Applications are open now for the Bridges Program. For more information and to apply, visit tricities.wsu.edu/bridges. To qualify for the Bridges Program, students must apply in their first year at CBC and complete the “Declaration of Intent� form. Have questions or want to meet with someone about your options? Email tricities.bridges@wsu.edu.

For more information about CBC, visit . For more information about ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡, visit tricities.wsu.edu.