Dr. Ed Taylor is the vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. His new memoir is “The Power of the River.”
Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, professor in the College of Education, academic author, scholar, board member of several international and community-based organizations and former college basketball player, will soon add memoirist to his long list of accomplishments. His memoir, “The Power of the River,” will be released by Seattle-based Hinton Publishing on April 21.
Taylor has been part of the University of Washington community since his days as a graduate student more than 30 years ago. In “The Power of the River,” readers learn about his journey from a childhood marked by loss in Lompoc, California, to his rise as an educator, scholar and leader. Along the way, he invites readers into a story grounded in community, shaped by pivotal relationships and sustained by a search for meaning in the face of adversity.
“The Power of the River” is Ed Taylor’s memoir.
In “The Power of the River,” Taylor writes in a way that is self-reflective and personal yet expansive and universal at the same time. It is a story about what it means to belong, to be guided and to grow. Through moments of doubt and determination, from navigating the pressures placed on young Black men in collegiate athletics at Gonzaga University to finding purpose in higher education, Taylor offers readers a deeply human story about becoming. His examination of mentorship, community, education and growth offer points of connection that can open pathways forward.
At a time when higher education is under fire, Taylor’s story demonstrates the purpose and potential universities can have in individuals’ lives and in the lives of our communities.
Several public events are scheduled to celebrate Taylor’s book.
The UW recently earned again the Carnegie Foundation’s designation of being a community-engaged campus. As a longtime leader in community engagement work, Undergraduate Academic Affairs is proud to be an integral part of this recognition. The Community Engagement & Leadership Education (CELE) Center, housed within UAA, is a primary coordinator at the UW for community-engaged learning, partnership development and student civic leadership. The Center’s broad work enabling student involvement in community engagement across campus was pivotal in achieving the Carnegie re-classification.
From the thousands of undergraduate students at the University of Washington, three are selected each year for the prestigious President’s Medalist Award. Kaytlin Rose Vanderhorst, Carilyn Brandt and Luna Crone-Barón are the medalists for 2024–25, selected by a committee for their high GPAs, rigor of classes and number of Honors courses.
University of Washington senior Parker Ritzmann, has been selected as a Schwarzman Scholar, one of the world’s most competitive graduate and fellowship programs. Schwarzman Scholars will pursue a one-year, fully-funded master’s degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Since its founding, the University of Washington’s Robinson Center for Young Scholars has served academically advanced students across the region. Yet for many Auburn School District families, those opportunities remained out of reach. The barrier was never a lack of talent or curiosity. It was access.
For Bella Boulter, serving through Honors meant looking beyond the code to the people behind the UW’s systems. Through her Honors experiential learning internship with the Office of the University Registrar, she examined how technology shapes the student journey — and helped lay the groundwork for a new innovation lab where students can build tools, test ideas and create a more accessible Husky Experience.
The Robinson Center has an outstanding opportunity for a temporary transition school English instructor and educational specialist to join their team.
The instructor will actively support student advising by providing academic coaching, mentorship and guidance as students navigate the transition into college life. They will also collaborate closely with Transition School staff, including fellow instructors and the head of school, to support student development and make informed recommendations regarding advancement to the Early Entrance Program (EEP).
Across Seattle and throughout Washington state, the Community Engagement & Leadership Education (CELE) Center is instrumental in the University of Washington’s community engagement — connecting the UW with neighborhoods, schools and community organizations to address critical social issues. Through authentic, reciprocal partnerships, the CELE Center provides students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to contribute to thriving communities.
The CELE Center’s programs are centered around four focus areas: community-engaged learning, leadership education, pre-K–12 student success and place-based initiatives; examples of programs within the CELE Center include the Dream Project and Riverways Education Partnerships. Since the University received the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification in 2020, the CELE Center has continued to deepen learning, expand opportunity and advance a more just region.
CELE Center programs invest in student leadership and long-term partnerships that strengthen both the University and communities. Below are five stories from this year that CELE Center staff wanted to highlight that show what this work looks like in practice. For more detail and data, be sure to check out the Center’s 2024-25 annual report.
1. Othello-UW Commons and Creators Corner: A hub for community and creativity
At Othello-UW Commons, the CELE Center is growing a student-led, community-fueled space where campus and neighborhood meet. This year, Othello neighborhood resident and student assistant Mia Doan helped organize Creators Corner, a student-led pop-up market that centers and uplifts queer artists and small-business owners of color — giving them a platform to share and sell their work in the Commons, from prints and jewelry to live art at neighborhood events.
“I’ve been going to art markets with my friends ever since high school — it’s our favorite hangout activity, said Doan, now a UW graduate student. “But we’d always have to catch the train up north to go to those markets. The Creators Corner is one way to bring that joyful celebration of creativity to the south end [of Seattle].”
From Creators Corner to the South Seattle Welcome event and other neighborhood gatherings, Othello-UW Commons connects students, residents and businesses across the south end of Seattle. The Commons team met face painter Caroline Tran and photographer Von’Rico O’Neal of Hey Suav Photography at the Othello International Festival, then invited them to the South Seattle Welcome — an event for new UW students from Southeast Seattle that brings together families and neighbors. There, both creators gained exposure and built connections with students, families, community partners and UW staff.
Through its physical space, events and relationships, Othello-UW Commons supports neighborhood businesses while creating a welcoming place for experimentation, collaboration and growth.
Participants share their work in the student-organized Creators Corner at the Othello-UW Commons.
2. CELE K-12 tutors in Seattle Public Schools: Amplifying learning for thousands of students
Through the CELE Center’s K–12 programs, more than 250 UW students served as tutors in Seattle Public Schools this year, partnering with teachers in classrooms across the district. With roughly 30 students in each classroom, that’s an estimated 7,500 K–12 students receiving more individualized support in reading, math and other core subjects.
This long-standing partnership with Seattle Public Schools, recognized this year with a UAA Distinguished Partner Award honoring Ania Beszterda, volunteer services program administrator at SPS, shows what is possible when we invest in sustained relationships. CELE Center tutors don’t just help students grasp content; they build trust, offer encouragement and create more room for teachers to focus on the diverse needs in their classrooms.
For UW students, this work is a powerful form of community-based learning: They gain firsthand insight into educational equity, practice collaborative problem-solving with teachers and contribute to stronger public schools across our region.
CELE Center awards luncheon celebrating Ania Beszterda-Alyson. From left: Andrea Marquez, Jessica Hunnicutt Batten, Maria T. Lee, Ania Beszterda-Alyson, Emma Biscocho Pelletier.
3. Riverways Education Partnerships and CASE: Learning alongside community
Through Riverways Education Partnerships, UW students travel to rural and tribal communities to learn with and from local educators, families and youth. This year’s visits through the three Culture And Science Exchange (CASE) programs invited students to spend time on Yakama, Quileute and Makah lands, listen to community leaders, support youth programs and reflect on what responsible partnership really looks like.
The impact is two-way: Youth meet and learn from college students who genuinely care, while UW students gain a deeper understanding of reciprocity and educational justice. These relationships, built over time, help students recognize their role in supporting, rather than directing, community-driven work.
“These student–community relationships are years in the making. We have UW students who have worked with their partner communities for two, three, even four years,” says Richard Parra, assistant director of Rural and Tribal Partnerships. “Riverways and CASE remind our students that meaningful change comes from showing up consistently, actively listening and supporting what communities are already working toward.”
Middle school students from eastern Washington visited the Kirsten Wind Tunnel on campus as part of Riverways’ Culture And Science Exchange (CASE) program.
4. Leadership education: From the classroom to community impact
At the CELE Center, leadership is not a title, it is a practice rooted in community and civic responsibility. This year, a combined 232 students enrolled in CELE Center leadership courses and the leadership minor, exploring what it means to lead with equity, humility and collaboration in a complex democracy.
At the Spring CELEbration event in May, students in the Husky Leadership Certificate program presented their capstone projects, showing how they applied their learning in community organizations, student groups, public institutions and workplaces. Together, they form an interdisciplinary network of student leaders who carry their practice into every space they inhabit — strengthening civic life across our region.
Through reflection, relationship-building and community-based experiences, CELE Center’s leadership education deepens student learning, broadens access to leadership development and prepares students to engage in the ongoing work of building a more just, democratic society.
“When students are given the space to reflect on their leadership in real community contexts, learning becomes something they carry with them — not just a course requirement, but a responsibility,” said Fran Lo, executive director of the CELE Center. “We see leadership education as preparation for participation in a living democracy, shaped through relationships, humility and sustained engagement. These experiences help students understand not only how to lead, but why their leadership matters beyond the University.”
Nathan Loutsis at the 2024 Spring CELEbration, a showcase of student community engagement and leadership. Loutsis, a Husky Leadership Certificate recipient, began serving on the Kenmore City Council while an undergraduate and is working on his master’s degree in public policy. Photo: Photo by Jayden Becles
5. Dream Project: From near-peer mentoring to educational access leadership
For nearly two decades, the Dream Project has shown what is possible when UW students work alongside high schoolers to expand college access and advance educational equity across our region. What begins as near-peer mentoring often grows into a long-term commitment to supporting students and schools.
Jacob Shapiro is one example. A former Dream Project mentor and student intern, Shapiro continued this work after graduation as an AmeriCorps member supporting college and career readiness tutors in Seattle Public Schools. Today, he works with Seattle Promise, where he recently led a financial aid workshop for Dream Project college and career readiness assistants, bringing his experience full circle.
“My foundational professional experiences at Dream Project laid out the groundwork for my career,” said Jacob Shapiro. “Now, as an outreach specialist for Seattle Promise, I get to turn conversations into possibilities for students just beginning to imagine their futures. I appreciate the opportunities that Dream Project — and CELE as a whole — have offered me.”
Shapiro’s story is one of many. Dream Project alumni can be found in classrooms, nonprofits, youth-serving organizations and public institutions, carrying forward the skills, relationships and justice-centered values they developed at CELE. Together, they form a growing network of educational access leaders strengthening pathways for students across Washington.
Jacob Shapiro led a financial aid workshop for Dream Project college and career readiness assistants.
Looking ahead
Across Seattle and throughout Washington state, the impact of the CELE Center is powered by partnership — including generous donors who believe in students as catalysts for change and in education as a tool to strengthen democracy.
As we look to the year ahead, additional gifts can open doors for more students and expand community-rooted learning and leadership. Alumni, family and friends are leaning in to strengthen the ripple effects of this work across schools, neighborhoods and regions through their philanthropy.
Robinson Center is now seeking temporary summer enrichment assistant instructors.
The Robinson Center is seeking assistant instructors to teach its summer enrichment courses, which offer highly capable students a fast-paced, immersive learning experience. This position is grounded in our core values: honor and sustain the multiplicity of identities that enter the classroom; design and maintain inclusive learning environments that benefit all; and ensure emotional and physical well-being.
Visit the Robinson Center website to learn more about their programs. Interested applicants can apply to Req #0000127270 on the UW Employment site.
The Robinson Center has an outstanding opportunity for temporary summer enrichment lead instructors to join their team.
The Robinson Center is seeking lead instructors to teach its summer enrichment courses, which offer highly capable students a fast-paced, immersive learning experience. This position is grounded in our core values: honor and sustain the multiplicity of identities that enter the classroom; design and maintain inclusive learning environments that benefit all; and ensure emotional and physical well-being.
Visit the Robinson Center website to learn more about their programs. Interested applicants can apply to Req # 0000127236 on the UW Employment site.
