McKinstry is Awarded “Distinguished Education Partner of the Year” by the Washington Alliance for Better Schools

SEATTLE, WA — McKinstry has been awarded “Distinguished Education Partner of the Year” by the Washington Alliance for Better Schools, a collaborative of school districts and industry leaders that leverages resources, talent and intellectual capital to help students graduate career and college ready. Through a generous gift from the McKinstry Charitable Foundation, McKinstry joined forces with WABS to support their Family STEM Night initiative, an endeavor aimed at improving equity and access to career-connected STEM learning opportunities for BIPOC, refugee and immigrant students as well as their families.

The Family STEM nights occurred at 24 schools across the Seattle region this semester and allowed students and families to connect with McKinstry professionals and have fun creating a STEM project together. Over the duration of the program, 44 McKinstry volunteers attended Family STEM Nights and engaged with 175 families and 650+ students! This partnership not only creates an opportunity for McKinstry employees to make a positive difference in their communities, but it sparks innovation for students and helps them build pathways toward potential STEM careers. Overall, Family STEM Nights provide an interactive way for students and their families to learn alongside industry professionals.

McKinstry employees on their experiences at Family STEM Night:

“I didn’t know how much I would have to offer, but I personally felt fulfilled by the experience. I might have got more out of it than they did. It was a joyful experience to watch the kids get excited and to watch their wheels turn while they worked on their projects” — Sharon Osborne, account manager, Service WW. 
“I didn’t grow up with many after-school programs to find new ways of learning, so I thought contributing back to something I didn’t have would make the world a little bit of a better place.” — Austin Baranska, senior business development representative, Service WW. 
“I chose to participate because I’d like to be that person that helps young kids realize they have a passion for STEM topics just like what happened to me when I was their age.” — Evin Rogers, senior construction project engineer, New Construction Mechanical WW. 
“I liked the opportunity to work with the kids and help them work through the engineering process. It was fun to watch them have an idea, implement it, and then fix it if it did not work when they tested it. It was rewarding to see them go through that.” — Andreas Passas, project engineer II, Engineering and Design
“I liked actually being helpful to the kids! It’s fun to just supervise, but it’s more fun to feel like you are participating in their design with a project challenging enough that they actually need you.” — Bunji McLeod, project engineer II, Engineering and Design

For more information on Family STEM nights, please visit https://wabsalliance.org