RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� In light of COVID-19 and limitations for public gatherings, Washington State University Tri-Cities has made the difficult decision to further postpone the spring 2020 commencement ceremony to spring 2021.

The commencement ceremony was initially rescheduled from May 9, 2020, to Aug. 15, 2020. As Benton and Franklin counties are still in Phase 1 of the governor鈥檚 鈥淪afe Start鈥� plan, large gatherings (more than 50) will likely not be possible in time for the previously rescheduled date.

The rescheduled ceremony for spring 2020 graduates will operate separately from the commencement ceremony for spring 2021 graduates. In other words, two ceremonies will be held 鈥� one for spring 2020 graduates and another for spring 2021 graduates. The time of both ceremonies is yet to be determined.

鈥淎s commencement is an important celebration for both students and their families and friends, we wanted to hold this special occasion for our graduates, even a year late,鈥� 黑料社 Tri-Cities Chancellor Sandra Haynes said in an email to spring 2020 graduates. 鈥淭his is a day for you to celebrate the monumental accomplishment of earning your degree and a great next step in your personal and professional lives.鈥�

More information will be shared throughout the year. For now, spring 2020 graduates should fill out the听.

In the meantime, check out the virtual profiles of spring 2020 graduates and watch the virtual celebration for graduates:

By Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� Veronica Romero had plans to walk with her peers at the Washington State University Tri-Cities commencement this spring. But like many others, those plans are postponed.

Like thousands of college students across the country, she also transitioned to online learning and had to forego the in-person classroom experiences that she enjoys as a future teacher.

But she didn鈥檛 let those things phase her. Have there been challenges? Sure. Does she miss the face-to-face interactions with her professors and peers? Definitely. But with the challenges, she said, have come many opportunities.

Growing knowledge of educational technology

As a future teacher, Romero has used the time to become a full-time teacher a bit earlier than planned. The young single mom of two is teaching her own kids at home while completing the rest of her classes online, a time that she truly cherishes. And she has used the move to online learning to brush up on educational tools and technology that are sure to be the future of K-12 education, or at least important components.

鈥淚t has been a bit of a difficult transition because the 黑料社 Tri-Cities education program is normally really hands-on, people-focused and student centered,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut with the transition to distance learning, we are also encouraged to rely on our own technology and use that technology for good.鈥�

As educational technology is a growing field, she said the switch to online learning has helped educate her and her peers on what many teachers will use in the future. She said they rely on different platforms for learning, including videos, interactive media and collaborating more on Zoom breakout sessions.

鈥淚t has been hard stepping away from student-centered, hands-on learning, but it鈥檚 also been an opportunity to grow our knowledge in these ed tech tools and resources,鈥� she said.

Why education?

Romero said her fifth-grade teacher Jean Kilian and high school leadership teacher Dave Martinez originally inspired her to go into a career in education. Once she began her job as a paraeducator, she was further inspired by MaryBeth Zins, a teacher she worked with that made the classroom 鈥渕agical鈥� for students.

鈥淚 thought, 鈥榃ow, I want to do that,’ 鈥� she said.

She started looking at education programs and found 黑料社 Tri-Cities to be a good fit. She initially started out in the alternate route program, which provides paraeducators the opportunity to combine their proven classroom experiences with courses where they earn a bachelor鈥檚 in education with an English language learning or special education endorsement in two years.

While she loved the program, she missed the immersive full-time student experience. So she transitioned out of the alternate route program and into the traditional education bachelor鈥檚 program at 黑料社 Tri-Cities, pursuing her bachelor鈥檚 with an endorsement in English language learning.

鈥淚t was difficult because I had to step away from being a provider first and from evening classes to being a full-time student, but it was the best decision for me as a teacher and as a student,鈥� she said. 鈥淢uch more room for making connections.鈥�

Romero said she particularly enjoys the focus that the 黑料社 Tri-Cities College of Education and her professors place on diversity, cultural awareness and teaching with cultural relevancy.

鈥淲hen I was going through school, there wasn鈥檛 as much awareness about Spanish-speaking students and there was a gap because there wasn鈥檛 really culturally-relevant teaching,鈥� she said. 鈥満诹仙玮�檚 education program really focuses on whole student-driven education and the diversity in our communities, especially in central and eastern Washington and making it equitable. They are really forward thinking. There is a focus on research and bridging those gaps that we now know exist.鈥�

Parent-teacher

Since the transition to online instruction this spring, Romero has enjoyed bringing those practices into her home when teaching her kids full-time while completing her semester online. She said she regularly utilizes strategies and practices with her kids that she is currently learning about through her classes.

鈥淚t鈥檚 cool because while my daughter works on her homework, I get to share what I鈥檓 learning as a teacher first-hand,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y daughter is also really into social issues, even at 10 years old. I get to bring home my class material from my political science class and share that with her. It鈥檚 been really fun and she really enjoys it.鈥�

Romero鈥檚 kids have also noticed a difference in learning styles and have grown to have a new respect for their regular public school teachers. She said her kids see the day-to-day prep that goes into preparing for lessons and observes her teaching strategies in action.

鈥淭hey have a different appreciation for their teachers,鈥� she said.

Future is bright

Romero now has one semester left before finishing her education degree, but said she can鈥檛 wait to begin her life as a full-time teacher locally in either her hometown of Sunnyside or somewhere else regionally in the mid-Columbia area in Washington state.

鈥淚 currently substitute teach in Sunnyside and I have a really great connection with the community that we serve, but I鈥檓 also open to serving the community wherever there is a need,鈥� she said.

Romero said she plans to put the culturally-relevant teaching practices she has gained through the 黑料社 Tri-Cities College of Education to good use. She plans to use the leadership skills she gained through 黑料社 for preparing the region鈥檚 future leaders as a teacher. Additionally, she plans to pursue her master鈥檚 degree in education.

鈥淚 have always wanted to be a Coug,鈥� she said. 鈥淐ougs lead the way, and that is what I will take away from 黑料社 as a whole 鈥� it鈥檚 that 黑料社 culture of leading. Specifically what I have taken from the education program, is what it is to be a leader and continue innovating in the way that we teach, the way that we communicate and the way that we connect and collaborate. You should strive to be a positive agent for change in society, and especially in the education system as a teacher.鈥�

Romero was one of several thousand graduating students from 黑料社 across the state to participate in the first-ever 黑料社 systemwide graduation celebration.

 

Media contacts:

Veronica Romero, 黑料社 Tri-Cities education student and graduating senior, veronica.romero@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities public relations/communication coordinator, 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu

By Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� Arthur Baranovskiy was in seventh grade when he broke his arm, an event that would serve as a catalyst for connecting him to his future career.

Instead of participating in physical education class with the rest of his peers, he participated in drafting classes, which led him to an interest in engineering. At , in addition to the hands-on STEM opportunities and training he received related to engineering, he pursued an internship with in Kennewick, which solidified that engineering was the perfect career path for him.

鈥淭he internship was pivotal because it confirmed my passion for engineering, and specifically, electrical engineering,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat I didn鈥檛 know at the time was that it would lead to a future business helping other students. It would lead me to a future passion.鈥�

At , Baranovskiy was able to combine what he was learning in his coursework in electrical engineering and other applicable courses with practical experience at the through three different internships. In pursuing these experiences, he realized there are a range of options and paths for students to take, but that they may not be obvious or well-known to students.

As a result, he decided to start his own company this year to help educate students about how they can best prepare for careers in engineering and related fields while still studying to be an engineer, himself 鈥� a company called .

While he still plans to pursue a full career in electrical engineering after graduating this week at the 黑料社 Tri-Cities commencement ceremony, his company will serve as a positive outlet for him to help the next generation of engineers.

鈥淚 want to help students to reach the same conclusion as early as I did and prepare them with the extra tools to be successful,鈥� he said.

Preparing future engineers

Through AYB Drafting, Baranovskiy said he provides students with in-depth training and connections to a range of tools including AutoCAD and other technical software, content areas not taught in the classroom that are applicable to specific engineering paths, soft skills like interview and resume prep and others that would make them an ideal candidate for their desired engineering job or company. He also plans to work with current employees to provide them with training in a range of technical areas.

In addition, he works with companies to pair them with students for internships that meet ideal specifications.

He went through program to develop the company. 黑料社鈥檚 I-Corps is an eight-week program that engages faculty, students, staff and community entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into successful business products.

With his business partner Keith Warner, the duo has obtained their business licenses and established necessary legal requirements to begin working with local companies as a training and staffing firm. He said they are in the process of meeting with companies each week to pitch the opportunity locally in the Tri-Cities and have spent the past few months recruiting students for the opportunity, which they have narrowed to a pool to begin training.

鈥淭hrough this program, we want it to be very exclusive and reward only the most passionate and motivated students,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e take students who really care about engineering and give them the chance to prove it and really use their passion. This eases the transition and learning curve for when students head into their first engineering job. It鈥檚 also a perfect fit for the Tri-Cities where we have so many engineering needs.鈥�

After graduating this spring and while pursuing his master鈥檚 in electrical engineering from 黑料社 Tri-Cities, Baranovskiy will drive head-first into his new business while continuing his work full-time in the development and research of advanced batteries with a team at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

鈥淢y plan is to continue at PNNL full-time and put all of my effort into my career and battery research, and to also develop the business on the side,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he business model allows for easy scaling and suspension. We welcome conversations with local companies to really get the ball moving.鈥�

Using his own foundation to help the future听

Baranovskiy said it was his experience at Delta High School, 黑料社 Tri-Cities, previous internship at Meier Architecture Engineering and current internship at PNNL that really gave him the fortitude to launch the company.

Through his academic experience at 黑料社 Tri-Cities, Baranovskiy had the opportunity to partake in a range of hands-on engineering projects while learning valuable engineering theory and practical skill.

For his senior design capstone project in electrical engineering at 黑料社 Tri-Cities this year, Baranovskiy and four other engineering students designed a solar panel system and associated power supports that could easily be installed in a remote community in Uganda known as the Kagoma Gate Village. The group designed the project to provide stable power during the day and for at least three hours of power at night for a classroom and office space in the village. The project figured perfectly into his work at PNNL.

At PNNL, he is completing an internship developing batteries for future vehicles and grid applications, and formerly completed two internships with facilities and a team researching countering weapons of mass destruction where he did a significant amount of drafting.

鈥淭hrough these opportunities, I have developed an in-depth knowledge of the different types of programs specifically to the field of engineering in which I鈥檓 working,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have also learned how to best conduct myself in a range of situations, as well as present projects effectively to my superiors. It has been essential experience that I believe has given me a leg up for my future as an engineer.鈥�

Baranovskiy said he looks forward to using his own experiences to grow the potential for other future engineers.

鈥淚 want to use what I鈥檝e learned in my own career path, in addition to what I鈥檝e spent months researching and gathering as part of my new company, to prepare and connect other passionate students to want the same things,鈥� he said. 鈥淩elevant job experience is vitally important to your future success as an engineer. I would like to help connect more students to these experiences.鈥�

For more information on AYB Drafting, visit .

 

Interested in a career in engineering? Visit tricities.wsu.edu/engineering. The 黑料社 Tri-Cities admissions application is open now at .