Building Identity and Belonging in the Classroom

Finding Your Path

Evergreen High School senior Sophia Tua'ua joins Superintendent Dr. Ivan Duran to share her journey from a Highline kindergartner to a Running Start student preparing to attend the University of Washington. Sophia talks about student leadership, the educators who have supported her and how Highline has helped her find her path toward a future in business.

Choosing Each Other

Glacier Middle School Principal Tamasha Emedi-Frye joins Superintendent Dr. Ivan Duran on this episode of The Promise Podcast. Recorded inside Glacier Middle School, the conversation focuses on belonging, leadership and how schools grow stronger when students and staff choose each other. Listen to the latest episode and hear how Glacier is building community for students every day.

This is My Community

Pat Thompson has deep roots in Highline. She grew up in White Center, attended Highline schools from kindergarten through 12th grade and graduated from Evergreen High School. For the past 25 years, Pat has continued investing in the community she loves through the YES! Foundation of White Center.  In this episode of The Promise Podcast, Pat joins Superintendent Dr. Ivan Duran to talk about what it means to grow up in White Center, watch it change and never stop believing in its young people.

Building Identity and Belonging in the Classroom

At Highline High School, students are learning more than content. They are learning who they are. In this episode, teacher Jesus Torres Munoz sits down with Superintendent Dr. Ivan Duran and shares how he connects culture, identity and rigorous learning, and what he hopes students carry with them after they leave Highline.

Where Learning Comes to Life

As a fifth-grade teacher at Midway Elementary and a parent in the same school, Zach Vaswig sees how connection shapes learning. Students are known by who they are, where they come from and how they learn. In this episode, he joins Superintendent Dr. Ivan Duran from his classroom to share how he builds community, teaches history with honesty and creates a space where students feel seen.