In the winter of 2023 & 2024, I decided to join a class that offered something different than many of my other classes. They offered the chance to "Develop a plan to investigate equity and social justice issues through community-engaged project work". Each student did just that, each student had a diverse capstone project they did. 

I knew at the beginning that I wanted to work with non-native English students. However, I had no idea where to start. We were four weeks in and I still was struggling trying to figure things out. Honestly, I was scared because my thoughts went from "Can I do this?" to "Let's save the world". How am I supposed to help a whole community of people?

 I then went to a career panel that the DESJ professors was putting on. I met a women named Arra who is a  "Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Manager at the Center for Human Services in Shoreline; Vice Chair of DEI Commission, City of Lynnwood. Arra is an EvCC and Central Washington University alumna." (EVCC)

Arra connected me with a start-up non-profit called The House of Wisdom where I started to learn more about the community's needs. I also took part in a survey my DESJ class was hosting at Connect Casino Road. It was based on what the parents wanted for their youth but in that survey, you could hear that yes the parents wanted more youth programs but they also wanted more resources for themselves. 

During the end of winter 2024 my plan was starting to form into something bigger.