Three cheers for TAF!

Many in the ed world already know about the fabulous work of Trish Millines Dziko and the Technology Access Foundation, but it was a great surprise to see Trish’s smiling face in the pages of today’s Seattle Times.

For almost 12 years, Trish has been creating programs to ensure that local students in high-poverty areas have access to technology and are able to succeed in math and science. And since its founding in 1996, the Technology Access Foundation has become an indispensable resource for local public schools.

“Every day I think about how to build on the success of these hard working students. How do we reach more students? How can we have more of an impact?” asks Trish in her latest TAF newsletter. But Trish has already started to see the impact of her work. She writes that recently she heard from three alumni of TAF programs that have landed successfully in college (including the UW, Seattle U and Brown) and are exploring promising careers (at Microsoft, no less!).

“Anywhere else, Dziko would sound like an ad for expensive tutoring,” wrote the Seattle Times. But, in the sink-or-swim world of public schools, she is the proud coach of winners.”

Well said. From her initial vision of technology access for all, to the academic success TAF programs have found today, Trish has a lot to be proud of.