2025 Passport to Careers Conference Recap
Practitioners and supportive adults from across the state gathered in Seattle for the 2025 Passport to Careers State Conference, May 6-7. Nearly 150 attendees spent two days in empowering workshops, hearing from young adults with lived foster care and unaccompanied homelessness experience, and connecting with one another to problem-solve, share ideas, laugh, and foster community.
The conference theme was “community as a catalyst,” and that idea showed up throughout the event as speakers and panelists spoke about the power of the Passport community.
Keynote speaker Jessica Griffiths, director of Palmers Scholars, spoke about the doors that opened for her through the Passport to Careers program. Jessica was introduced to the program by her social worker, which helped her become the first person in her family in three generations to graduate high school. She went on to join the Cement Masons Union Local 528, and later became a staffer at ANEW, helping others break into the trades. Jessica took custody of her 14-year-old niece, Cicelia, in 2020, and has watched her thrive in the Passport to Apprenticeship program. “That funding wasn’t just money—it was an opportunity, a lifeline, and a chance for Cicelia to break the cycle that so many in our family had been stuck in for so long.”
Jessica reminded attendees that their work changes lives and their connection to the larger WPN community can spark change. “It’s this community that is the true engine of transformation,” she said. “It takes a collective effort to fuel the dreams of those who sometimes feel like their dreams are out of reach.”
Finding yourself in your community
An oft-repeated theme of the conference was the powerful impact that a single supportive adult can have on a young person experiencing foster care or unaccompanied homelessness. Nearly every speaker mentioned a social worker, college coach, or advocate who believed in them when no one else did – and they emphasized the vast ripple effect of that belief.
“Your faith in us, eventually becomes our faith in ourselves,” said lived experience panelist Miriam Mboya. “When you’re in foster care, you can sometimes fail to see the greatness inside of you, but having someone see the light in you when you can’t helps you take the next step, even when you don’t believe you can.”
Panelist Zay Hassan used to feel a lot of shame tied up with their homelessness experience, but finding community helped them realize they didn’t need to hide that part of themselves. “Having at least one person there to hold my hand and support me meant the world to me,” they said. “Instead of feeling so much shame and hiding my story, I realized I needed to do the opposite: my voice deserved to be heard.”
Passport alumni speaker Daniel Lugo highlighted his time in the UW Champions Program, which supports alumni of foster care. “I didn’t feel like I was wearing a mask,” he said. “I met other students who made me feel like I belonged. Champions was truly the first place where I felt comfortable being me.”
Programs like Passport offer young adults so much more than financial assistance, Daniel added. “It’s opportunity and stability. It’s healing, validation, empowerment, but most importantly, it’s community.”
The power of showing up
One theme that emerged in this year’s practitioner panel was the power of showing up. “Consistency is the strategy,” said Colleen Montoya Barbano from Seattle University. “Showing up when you say you will builds trust.”
Multiple panelists noted that attending graduation and big life events is hugely impactful – but so is celebrating the smaller things like getting a driver’s license or acing a math test. “Celebrate everything you can,” said Lower Columbia College’s Ariana Muro.
Meraf Geberehiwot, from UW Tacoma, emphasized the need for community partnerships. “We have to get creative with our resource gathering,” he said. “We all have blind spots in our areas of expertise and care gaps in our services, and that’s why conferences like this and making these connections is so important.”
Yokiko Hayashi-Saguil, director of government relations and advocacy at College Success Foundation, gave the closing speech, again echoing the impact of showing up for our students. “College becomes a possibility when one single adult expresses support,” she said, adding that “I’m only here because I’m standing on the shoulders of the many people who have helped me.”
She also acknowledged the challenging road in front of us. “The years ahead are going to be hard,” she said. “We can’t navigate hard times alone. Our network, our community, is what lifts us up and carries us through.”
In addition to all our speakers and panelists, a huge thank you to emcee Jolynn Kenney of MENTOR Washington, who led several energizing networking and community-building activities and kept us moving throughout the day.
Overall, the conference was a great opportunity for us all to gather together and build connections, spark ideas, and learn from one another. Thank you to everyone who joined us and we hope to see you at a future WPN event!
Check out more photos of the event below!
