Learning with Leaders: Real-World Career Exploration for Students in Whatcom and Skagit Counties

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When high school students step out of the classroom and into hands-on learning experiences with real professionals, powerful things can happen.

This year, FuturesNW, a Ready Washington (Ready WA) coalition member, co-coordinated three Learning with Leaders Career Explore events designed to do just that: connect students across Whatcom and Skagit Counties with in-demand, high-wage career paths through immersive, experience-based workshops. Each event brought students face-to-face with faculty, industry experts, and community resources to help them explore their interests and shape their plans for the future.

A Three-Part Series of Opportunity

Skagit Valley College (SVC) – November 13, 2024

At Skagit Valley College, 176 students from 14 local schools gathered for a day of hands-on learning and connection. From fire science to dental therapy to computer science with a Microsoft engineer, students got a taste of what’s possible across multiple career pathways.

“My favorite part was definitely the hands-on learning and simulations part of learning for both of the workshops. Hands-on work is so important for everyone I think and being able to do that really helped me enjoy my time here.”
– Student Participant

Workshops covered healthcare, automotive, advanced manufacturing, human services, IT, and more.

In addition to exploring potential careers through workshops, students also learned how to take the next steps; they had the opportunity to learn about financial aid resources and explore more than 500 SVC foundation scholarships, totaling over $1.1 million in available funding, all accessible through a single application.

Bellingham Technical College (BTC) – February 26, 2025

BTC’s event drew 123 students from 12 schools, offering 11 workshops in fields ranging from machining and nursing to mechatronics and information technology. Not only did students build circuits, run simulations, and practice clinical skills, but they also got hands-on help applying for financial aid and community college programs.

“They gave me a better understanding of what the job would be like and made me feel very inspired. I really want to involve myself with the Diesel Technology course.”
– LWL Participant

The event included lunch, a resource fair, and engaging bingo game that helped students connect with community partners. After the event, students’ “Hope Scores,” a measure of their future confidence and direction, increased by an average of 4.2 points.

Megan Wingo, Executive Director of Operations at FuturesNW, explained why this matters: “A key component of our program evaluation is the Science of Hope framework. Nearly 2,000 published studies about hope indicate that hope is “the most predictive indicator of well-being in a person’s life.” Research has shown that higher Hope Scores correlate with increased academic persistence, enrollment, and completion rates. By analyzing pre- and post-event surveys that include the Hope Scale, we can determine whether students have developed a clearer sense of career pathways, increased motivation, and a stronger belief in their ability to succeed. Even a one-point Hope Score increase is statistically significant.”

Whatcom Community College (WCC) – May 2, 2025

The final event of the year brought together students and educators for a vibrant day of learning at Whatcom Community College (WCC), and Ready WA was thrilled to be there.

Nine engaging workshops were offered, each co-led by a WCC instructor and an industry partner:

  • Accounting & Finance
  • Business
  • CIS/Cybersecurity
  • Criminal Justice
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Medical Assisting
  • Nursing
  • Physical Therapist Assistant
  • Visual Communications

With around 20 students per workshop, participants dove into practical activities and insightful conversations. Workshops included simulations, seeing an actual server room, and medical training exercises. Students also had time during lunch to explore booths from local colleges, programs, and employers, earning bingo stamps and building connections.

Luke attended both the Criminal Justice and Cybersecurity workshops and found value in each. The Criminal Justice workshop “further reinforced my passion in wanting to help others in a psychology-like setting or a law sort of setting,” he said, adding that the Cybersecurity workshop was “hands-on” and “really cool” and allowed him to see the inner workings of the profession.

For Ariel, the Medical Assisting workshop deepened her drive to pursue a healthcare career: “[The event] made me even more excited to join the medical team and ready to go to college. The hands-on experience was fun and […] made it more interesting. It helped me understand how much I truly want to help people and save lives,” she said.

A Shared Commitment to Student Success

Across all three Learning with Leaders events, FuturesNW, BTC, SVC, and WCC created spaces where students could see themselves in meaningful, skilled careers and take practical steps toward making those futures a reality.

Ready WA was proud to have participated in the final event and to celebrate the collaboration and care that went into every workshop and student interaction. We also join FuturesNW in thanking North Sound ACH, the lead sponsor for this year’s Learning with Leaders series. Their generous support helped make these powerful learning moments possible.

Whether students left feeling more focused on a dream or newly curious about a pathway they hadn’t considered, each Learning with Leaders experience was a spark for exploration and a reminder that their futures hold endless possibilities.