Lisa Nguyen
SELF TOLD
WCCDA Narrative Series | Sixteen
DEC 2022
Biking by Unsplash
I remember my connection with White Center started in 5th grade at Mount View Elementary with Mr. Mann. I attended Cascade Middle School and then Health Science and Human Services High School. My community involvement began at HS3 on Evergreen Campus. At HS3 I joined a bike club, a program sponsored by YES! of White Center. This ignited my passion for community.
YES! Foundation by Patrick Robinson
Through bike club, I met Pat Thompson and she is the only person to ever convince me to ride my bike from Seattle to Portland, wake up at the crack of dawn to discuss my feelings, to run 5Ks on Saturdays, and now co-host a podcast. YES! has been and still is a huge part of my life. I have seen the magic of community building and it has created important relationships. It is beautiful seeing our youth putting in the work to create a space they deserve and adults fighting alongside them. I believe that being a part of YES! has shaped who I am today, and YES! has inspired my peers and I to come back to our community to encourage others to support our vision.
I love that White Center celebrates our people, our rich cultures, and our spaces. We have interesting conversations, we have the best food, and you can feel the love. Community makes you feel like you belong, and you are safe. White Center constantly encourages us to speak up on matters that are important to us.
WCCDA Community Market 2022 by Jon Carlos
When I joined YES! I did not realize the partnership they had with the White Center Community Development Association (CDA). I would volunteer at the CDA events and did not realize it, and that is because all I knew was, I wanted to help. The power of community is so infectious because all you want to do is help the people around you grow. The CDA has been there when I needed a mentor, they have been there whenever someone needed a space, to sponsor events, and provide a platform for authentic stories.
End of Narrative