09/25/2024
I was honored to receive my 5-year service recognition from Green River College at our college’s opening day. When I think back to all the miles I’ve driven from the north end of Shoreline to Auburn, Enumclaw, and Kent — and yes, even through the pandemic — it amazes me that these five years have flown by so quickly.
What keeps me going isn’t just the work, but the incredible community and my amazing team. What makes a team great? Let me tell you about mine. Raisa Gulchuk has been with the Washington Environmental Training Center for 20 years, Betsy William has served in Enumclaw for two decades, Anicah Anderson has been at Kent Campus for 10 years, and Pam Dally has dedicated nearly 25 years to the Auburn Center. Taryn Hornsby, small business center advisor, who left banking industry as an executive leader and joined the college to give back to the community. These are people whose passion for serving students and our local business owners hasn’t faded over time. They continue to seek the best for our students, faculty, staff, and the broader community, year after year.
I’m humbled by my 5 years and incredibly excited to keep building programs and pathways for our community. It’s often said that it’s hard to retain people of color in higher education, and there are evidence to back it up. However, when I look at my team and many adjunct and full time faculty and staff who have been with the college for 25 to 35 years, something must have been done right.
As one of my colleagues beautifully put it, “I am here for so many years because it’s not just work. It’s self-support. We have to make money for ourselves. It’s a family. This is my 2nd home. We help each other, and we solve problems together. We know we are doing great things. We make sure everyone who comes here gets the best we can offer!” That quote really resonates with me because it’s how I felt during my 13 years as an adjunct, and that was why I stayed even though I knew there wouldn’t be a full time position. At the end of the day, it’s all about feeling like we are supported and we’re part of something bigger and meaningful — like we’re making a difference together.
