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Many of us have been fortunate to have benefitted from the good advice of mentors in our lives – perhaps a supportive parent, relative or teacher. But for some, role models can be absent, not readily apparent or even negative.

Years ago, when living in Green Bay, Wisconsin, I had a chance…

Growing up, Mount Vernon High School counselor Juan Espinoza didn’t see a lot of teachers who looked like him. As a Latino student, he remembers seeing only one Latino teacher — but a lot of Latino custodians.
“At the time, it was the norm,” Espinoza said. “No one was questioning it, so…

Fifth-graders from Washington Elementary School in Mount Vernon spent the day Tuesday not at their desks doing math problems or reading, but at college learning how to sew and design a costume.
It was the fifth annual Compass 2 Campus day at Western Washington University, where students…

In the study room at Greenwood Public Library, Maggie (not her real name) who is 38 and lives in the nearby Cate Apartments, and Carrie Danielson, a 33 year-old Western Washington University graduate, chat and laugh like old friends.

Actually, the women have known…