Student Washington Education Association -SWEA

Hello future educators!

Do you plan to student teach in 2026 or 2027? Are you a student studying to become an educator? Interested in continuing to grow your university Student WEA chapter?

Check one thing off your to-do list and sign up for 2026-27 Student WEA, Aspiring Educators of Washington membership here:
https://www.washingtonea.org/educators/student-wea/

The Student WEA chapter at Edmonds Community College continues to grow and do great things on campus!

The Student WEA chapter at Seattle Pacific University continues to grow and do great things on campus!

For millions of students and working families, the rising cost of higher education is putting opportunity further out of reach. Pell Grants are how millions of Americans go to college. More than 7 million students rely on Pell each year to make higher education possible, yet the program faces a funding shortfall just as students need it most. Instead of investing in college affordability, the President, billionaires, and big corporate interests are attacking higher education and blocking the opportunities that Pell Grants make possible for working-class students and families.

Register here: https://emergency-campaign-to-support-higher-education.solidarity.tech/raise-hell-for-pell

The Student WEA chapter at Washington State University - Vancouver continues to grow and do great things on campus!

The Student WEA chapter at Western Washington University - Everett continues to grow and do great things on campus!

The Student WEA chapter at Eastern Washington University continues to grow and do great things on campus!

Greetings aspiring educators! I hope you are enjoying your summer break. I know for me a break is typically a time to go out and do more, losing all meaning to a break. Go figure!

To kick off summer, I attended the National Education Association (NEA) Aspiring Educator Conference in Denver. Over three days, I connected with fellow students from across the country and attended trainings. Then I was off to participate in the NEA Representative Assembly as a delegate. Representing Washington’s aspiring educators to help guide the direction of our future is a weight I carry proudly.

Now, at the end of my summer union travels, I pass on to you the parts that stick with me. From the outgoing teacher of the year challenging us to “ever aspire” instead of “don’t give up” or the incoming teacher of the year who said “go to bed, and don’t stay up late trying to be a Pinterest teacher. Kids need someone who’s there and ready.” Or perhaps the advice I most needed to hear, “you have to save a piece of yourself, because you can’t save everyone.”

As you prepare for the fall, I offer you this challenge from our outgoing WEA President Larry Delaney, what are you going to do to leave education better than you found it?

Ashley Waltrip
SWEA Vice President

The Student WEA chapter at Saint Martin’s University continues to grow and do great things on campus!