Prior Meetings
May Meeting Review
Sarah Parnell May 22, 2026
Our speaker, Marla Smith-Nilson leads Water 1st International, a Seattle nonprofit bringing piped-to-home water systems to communities in Honduras, Kenya, and Bangladesh. A civil engineer who never set out to be a leader, she traces her commitment to fairness back to her small hometown of Benson, Arizona—and to a childhood moment in Mexico when she saw young girls carrying water for their families. That early sense of injustice shaped a career… Read More »
Daraja Academy Review
May 14, 2026
On May 25th AAUW Seattle supported an online meting about the Daraja Academy in Kenya and how Bush School Students connect with the girls in Kenya. Nancy Bowman, a teacher at the Bush School in Seattle who values experiential learning and civics, first connected with Daraja in 2022 after hearing a student describe what it’s like to pursue an education as a girl in Kenya. She learned how many girls face barriers—public… Read More »
High School STEM Scholar Recognition
Marianne North April 22, 2026
Proud families clapped as their daughters received recognition for their achievement in STEM fields. The high school juniors received awards for their excellence in science, math or technology. They were nominated by their high school teachers and counselors. AAUW member Tonna Kutner spoke about AAUW and its most recent research on pay equity. Four outstanding women scientists gave presentations about their research, their sometimes erratic paths to earn their degrees, and the… Read More »
From Rocks to Rockets - Learning from an Astronaut
Sarah Parnell March 22, 2026
AAUW Seattle co-sponsored our March program with Seattle Association for Women in Science (AWIS). It was a hybrid meeting and well attended by our branch and AWIS attendees. Dottie Metcalf‑Lindenburger’s path to becoming the 53rd woman in space is a story shaped by curiosity, mentorship, and unexpected pivots. Raised by educator parents—a math‑teacher mother and a science‑teacher father—she grew up inspired by role models like Sally Ride and fueled by a desire to… Read More »
AAUW Grant Recipients - February Program Review
Sarah Parnell February 27, 2026
Alyssa Knight, executive director of the Freedom Education Project of Puget Sound (FEPPS), leads a rigorous college-in-prison program at the Washington Corrections Center for Women that has, since 2012, reshaped the culture of the state’s only women’s prison by bringing accredited AA and BA degrees inside and treating incarcerated students as full members of an academic community. Short video on their program. Built from early GED classes through a partnership with local… Read More »