Rainier Scholars Tacoma

06/16/2026

Last week our Seattle and Tacoma teams got together at the Des Moines Beach Park Event Center to reflect on the past year and start planning for next year.

It was a beautiful day to take a moment as a team and reconnect after a busy year and gear up for the summer ☀️

06/10/2026

Tacoma's Executive Director, Jennifer Ward, spent this morning with preschoolers at Jennie Reed, reading books and helping them choose books to take home from the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. We loved sharing the joy of reading and inspiring a lifelong love of learning!

Tacoma Public Schools

06/02/2026

Happy Pride Month Tacoma!

We’re proud to spotlight local events that honor history, celebrate identity, and create space for connection. Scroll through the caption to discover events happening in Pierce Co.

🗓️Pierce County Events Celebrating Pride Month: https://www.piercecountywa.gov/8447/Celebrate-Pride-Month
🗓️June-July – WednesGAYS at the Grand: https://www.grandcinema.com/pride-month/
🗓️June 12 – Q***r StabiliTEA: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/queer-stabilitea-june-12th-730am-900am-tickets-1988863581511
🗓️June 13 - Pride in Fife: https://www.fifewa.gov/608/Pride-in-Fife
🗓️June 20-21: Point Definance Zoo and Aquarium Pride Celebration: https://www.pdza.org/event/pride-celebration/
🗓️July 11 – Tacoma Pride Festival: https://tacomapride.org/
🗓️July 12 - Tacoma Pride Block Party at the Mix

05/27/2026

For many students, the job and internship search can feel unfamiliar and isolating. At Rainier Scholars, we want to do all we can to support students in landing their first professional opportunity. That's the idea behind the Career Development Coach (CDC) Program, now in its second year at Rainier Scholars. The program works by pairing college scholars with professionals in their specific fields of interest.

Designed to go beyond general career advice, our coaches offer something more targeted: individualized, industry-specific support from someone who's been there.

Read the full blog:

For many students, the job and internship search can feel unfamiliar and isolating. At Rainier Scholars, we want to do all we can to support students in landing their first professional opportunity. That’s the idea behind the Career Development Coach (CDC) Program, now in its second year at Rai...

05/25/2026

Tasia Tran (Cohort 14) is a fourth-year film and digital marketing student at Central Washington University (CWU). Like many college freshmen, she lived in a campus dorm and was inspired by the way her Resident Advisors (RA) fostered belonging amongst new students. Now two years into her leadership role as an RA, Tasia has developed a clear philosophy about what it means to support a community of 34 residents on her wing (in a building of 350 students).

Read the full story: https://ow.ly/YvHN50Z2uyk

05/21/2026

Elijah Smith, a senior in high school at Seattle Academy, is inspired by hip-hop culture and designer Virgil Abloh. He has built confidence and creative skills throughout his educational journey at Rainier Scholars and is excited to pursue a degree in fashion design.

During the high school internship placement process, he advocated for a custom graphic design opportunity at Rainier Scholars to help him build his technical skills. As he progressed through high school, Elijah became a leader and has been accepted to one of the country's top fashion programs. He hopes to inspire other young artists to follow their own path.

Read the full blog:

Elijah Smith is a Rainier Scholars (Cohort 26) senior at Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences (SAAS) preparing to study fashion design. Instead of pursuing a traditional STEM pathway, Elijah has charted something different. In doing so, he’s built a blueprint that other arts-oriented scholars can ...

05/15/2026

Rainier Scholars - Tacoma is seeking responsible, highly motivated college or college-bound students to serve as Student Advisors to cohorts 4 and 5. Student Advisors are a key source of support to our youngest students, who will be rising 5th and 6th graders in the summer portion of our program.

Student Advisors provide coaching and mentorship through the academic process and help facilitate the student’s development of meaningful relationships within the Rainier Scholars’ community. This work occurs in both one on one and small group settings.

Find out more and apply: https://rainierscholars.bamboohr.com/careers/147

05/05/2026

FUTURE LEADERS: We're so proud of Rainier Scholars and Tacoma students Darrell M. and Antonio H. for speaking at the annual Rainier Scholars event in Seattle last week. Way to represent!

Rainier Scholars Tacoma

04/29/2026

Scholars meet regularly outside of school to work on math, writing, and literature to ensure they are consistently sharpening their skills in all three subject areas. By the time they are ready to enter high school, scholars would have received over 1,000 extra hours of academic enrichment in preparation for college preparatory pathways.

Take a tour of our program and learn more: https://www.rainierscholars.org/program-tours/

04/24/2026

Thank you to everyone that attended our annual luncheon yesterday!

From the leadership panel’s honest reflections to Isolina's moving story of the community who believed in her, the afternoon was a reminder of what becomes possible when opportunity meets encouragement, and when young people are given space to step into their power.