ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Trisha
ABOUT ME
Thank you for wanting to learn more about me! Below is a brief summary of my professional journey beginning with my undergraduate experiences.
WHERE I COME FROM
Thanks for coming to my page! My name is Trisha Beavers and I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. I'm the oldest sister of three and a first generation college graduate. During the midst of a pandemic, I graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in Education Communities and Organizations. My passion is working to serve communities through a social justice and equity based lens. During my senior year of college I got to practice this through my internship as a College and Career Readiness Assistant in the UW Dream Project. This website was created as a capstone portfolio to highlight my internship experience, but now I would like to use it to keep up with my professional journey outside of being a student. I’m excited to share how my story has played out since then!
INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE
The UW Dream Project was created to “support students in navigating complex systems such as the workforce, financial aid, and college admissions.” The “ goal is to empower students with the tools and information to make and enact a plan for their futures”. They have partnered with a variety of schools, both middle and high, in the greater seattle area to promote personal development in students who consider college as their pathway to success.
The work I do is with middle school students. I work closely with the career center at a local middle school to oversee projects long term and short time while also working more closely with AVID students. In my time here I have been working on developing skills in communication, project management, and mentorship. The work I do here will help me become a better educator in the future.
WHAT NOW?
When I graduated, I spent my summer working at a local Boys and Girls Club as a Youth Development Professional. I then spent eight months working for Self Enhancement Inc, where I built robust relationships with students, staff, and colleagues, serving as a member of the foundational team for the program's eastward expansion into schools in Gresham. My time spent with middle school students was particularly unique as we were in the first phases of returning to in-person learning during the pandemic's end.
The team that I am currently apart of had work the more closely tied with my own professional goals. I now work as a College Access Coach at Washington State University to pilot the brand new TRiO Talent Search Grant at Fort Vancouver High School Center for International Studies and McLoughlin Middle School. Being on this team has taught me how much I value working with first-generation and low income students to foster curiosity about a pathway that can seem daunting. My team has been wonderfully supportive of my development as a young professional and I feel confident in my abilities to communicate with internal and external partners, organize and plan large scale events, and serve as a devoted advisor to my caseload.
Through my time in this work I have determined that the next step in my career is to begin academic studies towards earning my master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I will begin my studies at Georgia State University this summer and I look forward to the challenges and milestones this journey will present. I am working towards becoming a licensed therapist because we live in a world where individuals are impacted by systems that they don’t always have control over. To me, becoming a therapist means giving back to my community.