Washington Alliance for Better Schools

That's a wrap on an incredible school year of Career Tours! 🚌✨

A huge thank you to our 42 schools, 12 districts, and 74 community partners — because of YOU, thousands of students got to explore real careers and college pathways this year.

You're helping shape the future of our region and we are so grateful. Have an amazing summer! ☀️🚀

We're hiring! 👉 https://wabsalliance.org/about/careers

Do you love working on behalf of kids, energizing volunteers, and keeping complex projects running like clockwork? This is the role for you.

As Project Manager II, you'll personally own the planning and ex*****on of WABS's after-school elementary STEM program — a 4-week experience reaching 2,500 students in grades 3–5 across 50+ schools and 12 districts statewide. You'll help bring real-world STEM careers to life through hands-on problem solving, facilitated by 200+ trained industry volunteers you recruit and inspire to share their own career journeys.

Read on and apply by June 29th - applications received by June 22 will receive priority consideration!

Over 600 Seattle Public Schools students wrapped up an incredible year of Career Tours — 26 in total — exploring careers across a variety of organizations in the greater Seattle area.

Rounding out the year, students visited 10 additional partners: Pacific Marine Expo, Amazon, YMCA of Greater Seattle, Seattle Central College, King County Metro Transit, DLR Group, Seattle Symphony, Seattle Theatre Group, Woodland Park Zoo, Port of Seattle's Fishermen's Terminal.

From the arts to architecture, transit to tech, wildlife to maritime, every stop offered a genuine look at what it means to build a career in this city.

It has been such a rewarding year. Thank you to every partner who welcomed our students and helped them see what is possible right in their own community.

We are so excited to welcome Federal Way Public Schools to Career Tours — and their first semester did not disappoint!

Students kicked off four career exploration events this semester, visiting Odessa Brown Children's Clinic to learn about healthcare and try out physical therapy activities, walking the production floor at Boeing in Washington where real planes come to life, and learning about the careers that keep public transportation running with Pierce Transit and Sound Transit.

At every stop, companies opened their doors and shared honest conversations about the jobs available and the pathways to get there.

Thank you to our hosts for giving our students such a memorable first year!

From biotech labs to clean energy research to greenhouse horticulture — Edmonds School District high school students had a career exploration journey this winter and spring that covered a lot of ground!

Across three Career Tours, students visited the Allen Institute for a look at careers in biotechnology, the UW Clean Energy Institute and Washington Clean Energy Testbeds to explore the future of natural resources, and Smith Gardens and Edmonds College to dig into the world of horticulture. At each stop they toured, connected with professionals, and got hands-on with the work.

It has been another great year with Edmonds School District! Thank you to all of our partners for continuing to open your doors and inspire students.

What a way to wrap up the school year! Renton School District high school students finished out their Career Tours with a visit to Microsoft and it did not disappoint.

The day kicked off with real conversations with Microsoft employees about their career journeys and the wide range of roles that make up a company like Microsoft. Students then dove into an AI activity, testing their ability to spot deepfakes and tell bots apart from real humans. And to top it all off, they got to tour the Halo Xbox Museum.

Career exploration and the Halo Museum in one day? Not a bad way to end the year.

Thank you to Microsoft for welcoming our Renton students and giving them such an engaging look at careers in tech!

Lab coats. Firefighter gear. Aerospace up close. A peek behind the curtain of a high-end restaurant. Northshore School District students had quite a year of Career Tours!

Across four tours, students got genuinely hands-on in some really different worlds. At the Allen Institute they suited up in PPE for a real DNA lab. On one packed aerospace day, they visited both Electroimpact — watching machines repair actual plane parts — and Washington Aerospace Training & Research Center (WATR) to explore what it takes to build a career in aerospace. At Bothell Fire Department they tried on firefighter gear and learned what the job really looks like. And at Ascend Hospitality Group they got the inside scoop on running a high-end restaurant.

Thank you to Allen Institute, Electroimpact, WATR, Ascend Hospitality, and Bothell Fire for welcoming our students and making each experience so meaningful!

Aerospace engineers. Firefighters. Radio broadcasters. Mukilteo School District high schoolers got a look at all of it this spring across six Career Tours!

Students visited South County Fire, Aviation Technical Services, Edmonds College, Perteet Inc., Electroimpact, WSU Pullman Everett, KEXP and Ground Zero Radio, touring facilities, connecting with employees, and getting hands-on at every stop. Along the way they also learned about the educational pathways that can lead to these careers — not just the jobs themselves.

Thank you to all of our wonderful hosts for making this spring's tours so memorable!

This spring, over 130 Kent School District high school students got an inside look at careers in public service, hospitality, construction, behavioral health, and healthcare — all right here in their community.

Students visited Kent Parks, Recreation & Community Services, DoubleTree Suites By Hilton, Seattle Airport/Southcenter, Simpson Strong-Tie, Kent YMCA, Highline College, Puget Sound Fire, and Providence health system PACE Renton. At every stop, they went behind the scenes, heard from employees about their career paths, and got hands-on with the work.

Thank you to all of our wonderful hosts — we could not do this without partners like you!

Some students stepped into a DJ booth. Others got behind the scenes at a zoo. A few explored the future of clean energy. This semester, Lake Washington School District high schoolers proved that career exploration can take you just about anywhere!

Across six Career Tours, students visited KEXP and Ground Zero Radio at The Vera Project, where they learned about media and broadcasting opportunities they could pursue before graduation. Environmental science students headed to Woodland Park Zoo to learn about the Zoo Doo composting program and what conservation really looks like day to day. A group toured Bothell Fire Department to explore the many roles within a fire department.

Students with an eye for hospitality visited Willows Lodge to discover the business and marketing side of running a hotel. And another group visited the UW Clean Energy Institute and Washington Clean Energy Testbeds to hear about innovative ways to use natural resources.

Thank you to all of our industry partners for opening your doors and showing our students just how many possibilities lie ahead!