List of present and past IGNITE Officers
2023-2024
President: Evelin Rosas
Vice President: Nereida Serrano Mendoza
2022-2023
President: Juana Munoz Silva
Vice President: Evelin Rosas
2021-2022
President: Evelin Severino Rendon
Vice President: Caitlin Pham
2020-2021
President: Natasha Kalombo
Vice President: Millea McMurry
2019-2020
President: Desiree Quenzer
Vice President: Sara Khan
2018-2019
President: Julia Snow
Vice President: Harshetha Mandava
2023-2024 Activities and Events
See the list on the side for the current officers and our past officers.
Here is a list of events IGNITE is a part of this year:
- September 26 – November 2, 2023: Adult Technology Classes
- October 24, 2023: Field Trip to AWS Seattle
2022-2023 Activities and Events
See the list on the side for the current officers and our past officers.
Here is a list of events IGNITE is a part of this year:
- October 10-December 14, 2022, 6-8 pm: Adult Microsoft Classes at the Innovation Center
- November 17, 2022: Field Trip to Microsoft, Redmond
- March 16, 2023: STEM Showcase Night at the Innovation Center
- April 27: IGNITE Gala at the T-Mobile Innovation Center
2021-2022 Activities and Events
Welcome to the new school year!! We are fully in-person, masked up and ready to roll! See the list on the side for the current officers and our past officers.
Here is a list upcoming virtual events.
- Tuesday, November 16, 2021 (12:45 pm – 2.20 pm): Virtual Tour/Workshop with T-Mobile (Exploring 5G technology in real world settings)
- Wednesday, December 8, 2021 (12.30 pm – 2:00 pm): Virtual Android Workshop with Google
- Tuesday, January 25, 2022 (1:00 pm – 2:00 pm): Virtual Panel with Seattle Children’s Hospital
- Tuesday, February 8, 2022 (12.30 pm – 2:00 pm): Virtual Cybersecurity Workshop with CGI and Russell Investments
2020-2021 Activities and Events
Welcome to the new school year which started with remote learning! We started this year’s IGNITE by having live elections to select this year’s President and Vice President. See the list on the side for the current officers and our past officers. It was quite an exciting activity given that this year America is going through Presidential elections and everyone is tuned in to the energy and vibe!
Here is a list of events we have attended this year and some upcoming virtual events:
- Friday, October 30, 3-4:30 pm: IGNITE Workshop with Microsoft on Design Interface
- Tuesday, November 10, 1-2 pm: Panel with Groupon
- Thursday, December 10, 3-4:30 pm: Field Trip with Google
- Wednesday, January 27, 2021, 11 am – 12 pm: IGNITE Panel with Planet Labs
- Wednesday, February 24, 2021, 12:30-2 pm: Engineering Design Challenge: Workshop with Boeing
- Tuesday, March 2, 2021, 3-4 pm: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Wednesday, May 5, 2021, 3-4 pm: Special Presentation by Pixar
What is IGNITE?
- IGNITE is a network of girls and women who dream big dreams
- The women work with technology
- Getting teenage girls interested and passionate about technology is IGNITE’s mission
- IGNITE provides girls with new perspectives of technology
- Firsthand observations
- Hands-on experience with creativity and collaboration in the workplace
- Introduces girls to role models who share their stories
IGNITE at the Innovation Center includes:
- Personal Presentations
- Women in technology and engineering telling their stories to Junior High girls.
- Girls begin to change perceptions of themselves
- Girls get inspired
- Held at the school
- Field Trips
- College Visits
- Conferences
- Hands-on activities
Why IGNITE? Here are some questions answered…
- Only 24% of working women are in STEM fields.
- Why are there fewer girls in technology fields?
- Few technology resources or ineffective use of available resources
- Association of computers with gaming which appeals more to boys
- Perception that computing leads to solitary lifestyle
- Lack of K-12 teachers and counselors who know IT
- Perception of IT work as competitive and not collaborative
- Differences in self-perception about IT abilities
- Lack of female role models
2020 Highlights (Before Covid!)
MANY FACES OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP: February 28, 2020
Central Washington University’s Business Department hosted a Many Faces of Entrepreneurship Tournament and our IGNITE students were invited to participate along with West Valley High School Financial Algebra and Business students. The Many Faces of Entrepreneurship Tournaments are immersive entrepreneurship experiences for students to collaborate, compete, and create new products that are marketable to live customers. Through the intensive product development simulation, students discover design and build their products in real time in competition with other high school students. The day long program involved direct mentorship with local business professionals and CWU college students through the various challenges presented during the event. Lunch was provided!
We travelled to the Yakima Fairgrounds, Pioneer Hall from the start of the day for the entire school day and returned around 2 pm. At the event, students were divided into teams and mixed up with other participating schools, and presented with a challenge that gave them real business experience. Teams assigned various roles to their members and each member had to complete and document various tasks within a given amount of time. The project theme was designing a state of the art pet habitat and teams came up with some cutting edge and adventurous ideas and prototypes. During the development phase, teams marketed their ideas to the judges and potential buyers. It was very exciting to watch students work together and develop business skills. Upon completion, teams presented their products and winners were selected. Students enjoyed this incredible opportunity to understand and experience valuable business skills. West Valley Junior High’s 7th grader, Caitlin Pham was awarded MVP of the Tournament. (Photo below)
ADULT MICROSOFT CLASSES: January 14-March 10, 2020
The IGNITE students led a community education Microsoft class for adult members of our community. We had 32 monolingual adults who needed to enhance their technology skills in order to become more marketable, and our industry-certified student team provided a valuable learning experience for these community members. The interactions between the girls and the adults were exemplary and after the 6 week course, the adults “graduated” with a solid foundation on Microsoft Word skills.
West Valley Junior High IGNITE chapter in the news:
WAETAG 2018 Conference
Leah Stapleton and Hannah Lesniak of our WVJH IGNITE chapter presented with Mrs. Khan at the 2018 Washington Association of Educators of the Talented and Gifted (WAETAG) conference in Bellevue, WA. The topic was “Differentiated Learning Using Technology” and the girls talked about how programs like IGNITE have helped nurtured their interest in STEM careers. It was great to hear the girls’ perspectives and see them present in front of a huge audience of educators.
Here are some photos from the event: WAETAG pics on Twitter
IGNITE Gala 2019
Julia Snow, Harshetha Mandava and Leah Stapleton of WVJH IGNITE chapter were among the few students who spoke about how IGNITE has impacted their lives at the IGNITE Gala in Seattle, WA on May 4, 2019. We also received the Best Practice Award of 2019! It was a huge honor to receive this recognition and we are proud to be associated with such a great organization that provides opportunities and mentorship to girls across the globe.
A very special thank you to the presenting sponsor and 2019 Community Service Award winner, T-Mobile!
Here are some photos from the event: IGNITE Gala 2019
Check out past IGNITE event reports.
Click on the date for the report.
STEM Fairs
2018:
West Valley Junior High IGNITE chapter hosted a STEM Fair on December 6, 2018. Read all about it in the Superintendent’s Blog!
2019:
West Valley Junior High hosted the 2nd Annual STEM Fair on December 12, 2019.
We received some great feedback from parents and families from our 2nd Annual STEM Fair. Our students are excited about STEM and being part of the STEM education revolution!
Wide Hollow students teamed up with Junior High students and showcased some STEM projects, hands on activities and demonstrations. Local aerospace manufacturers, Triumph Actuation Systems set up a booth for students and families with some your nifty demonstrations in the Drone Lab. STEM teachers and students in the Junior High organized professional displays in their classrooms that families and other students enjoyed visiting. IGNITE girls led parent education classes on how to use Skyward and Google Classroom.
