When Sehome High School AP Chemistry teacher Amy Hankinson submitted a grant request to take her students to the University of Washington, she hoped to create an experience that would bring science to life. Thanks to a generous donor, that vision became a reality.
The destination? UW’s Chemistry Department, where former Sehome student Soren is now pursuing his PhD in chemistry. Soren had reconnected with Amy the year before, offering to visit her classroom and speak about his research on gold nanoparticles. This year, he extended the invitation: bring the students down to Seattle to see the lab for themselves.
In May, nearly 50 juniors and seniors packed onto a school bus with only one empty seat. Despite a late start due to transportation issues, the trip unfolded into what Amy described as “a real academic experience.”
Soren and his fellow graduate students organized the entire visit. “He had eight of his grad student buddies do mini talks about their research,” Amy said. “Then they put us all in lab coats and toured us around the chemistry building.” The UW team even secured funding on their end to provide lunch. “It felt like a real academic conference. You could really see what it was like to continue on in science.”
For many of the students, it was their first time visiting a campus as large and prestigious as UW. A few of the seniors attending will be enrolling there next year, and some of the juniors have now set their sights there. Many attending hadn’t previously considered a future in science and were able to see it in a new light.
“I brought my TA who isn’t interested in science at all, she’s just super organized and keeps the class running,” Amy shared. “During the event, she was paired with a grad student who had dropped out of college for awhile, played football, took chemistry classes as a dare from a friend, and now he’s in a PhD program. The messaging was awesome. It helped her see that you don’t have to be some stereotypical ‘science kid’ to end up there.”
Amy takes pride in making AP Chemistry accessible to a wide range of students. “There are kids in my class who, in different circumstances, might not have been encouraged to take AP Chem. But I’m open about it. If you want to try, try. Even if you only grow a little, that’s worth it.”
The visit made an impression. “They were definitely talking about it afterward. I think they felt valued—showing up, getting lunch, hearing from people who took time out of their day to talk to them.”
To thank Soren and the UW team, the students sent a framed photo, Science Olympiad stickers, and a handwritten thank-you card. “It felt like such a Bellingham full-circle moment,” Amy said. “The student who organized the trip on our end grew up in the same neighborhood as Soren. They knew each other as kids.”
For Amy, these moments of connection are one of the best parts of teaching. “I didn’t expect to love this job as much as I do. But now, I have [former] students I can text if I need something, and they say, ‘Yeah, okay, what do you need?’ That’s what makes it special.”
To the donor who made this experience possible: thank you. You didn’t just fund a field trip. You helped open doors, expand minds, and show students what’s possible.
