History

Summer Search Seattle opened in September of 2003 under the leadership of Executive Director, Mia Ellis, and Board Chair, Cecile Delafield. Since then, the program has grown to serve 55 students in 2006 with plans to serve 85 students this year. The Seattle office has a staff of six and an Advisory Board of ten. Students come from the Seattle, Bellevue, Shoreline, Lake Washington and Highline School Districts. The goal is to grow to serve 150 students annually by 2010 with a 12-15 member Advisory Board.

Staff

Mia Ellis, Executive Director
Jennifer Hahn McCoy, College Advisor
Amy Tran Russell, Program Associate
Eliza Arai, Program Associate
Rebecca Sullivan, Program Associate

Mia Ellis, Executive Director
Mia is a northwest native, born and raised in Bellingham, WA. She attended the University of Colorado, in Boulder, and graduated in 1997 with a degree in Interpersonal Communication. During college, Mia attended a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) wilderness course, and her passion for experiential education was born. After college, she worked for NOLS in Wyoming and Alaska, and then for Deer Hill Expeditions, a wilderness leadership program, in Colorado. At Deer Hill, Mia was the Program Manager and a Field Leader and worked with many Summer Search students. Mia joined Summer Search as the Executive Director of the Seattle program in September 2003.

Jennifer Hahn McCoy , College Advisor
Originally from Texas, Jennifer moved to Seattle to go to graduate school at the University of Washington. After earning her master's degree in Education, she worked as a college advisor at Chief Sealth High School in the Seattle Public Schools for six years. She first met Summer Search as a Referral Partner and joined the Seattle staff in March of 2005. Jennifer works with all our students throughout their participation in Summer Search, helping them develop and implement their plans for college. She is also coordinating the small but growing alumni program. Jennifer lives in Maple Valley with her son and husband.

Amy Tran Russell, Program Associate
Amy was born and raised in San Francisco, California, with the exception of two years spent in Texas. She graduated from the University of California Davis with a Bachelor’s degree in History. Immediately after, she attended the University of California Santa Cruz where she earned her Masters degree in Education in conjunction with her teaching certificate. Following eleven years of participation in track and field, Amy has been coaching long and triple jumpers at various programs over the past few years. She comes to us as a former middle school history teacher and is currently mentoring students and leading outreach efforts in Seattle.

Eliza Arai, Program Associate
Eliza grew up in South Seattle and is a proud alumna of Franklin High School. In 2005, she graduated from Whitman College with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a minor in Japanese Language and Literature. Always striving to embrace new challenges and broaden her horizons, she feels extremely fortunate to have had a variety of opportunities to travel and experience different cultures of Asia and South America, including an eye-opening journey to the Philippines during high school, and a professor-led exploration of the Galapagos Islands during college. After spending a year teaching English in Japan with the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, Eliza is now happy to be back in Seattle as a member of the Summer Search team. She is especially excited to meet and connect with students as they begin to explore all the opportunities Summer Search has to offer.

Rebecca Sullivan , Program Associate
Rebecca hails from Vancouver, WA, and recently returned to the Northwest after receiving her Bachelor's Degree in Organizational Leadership and Dance from Chapman University in Orange County, California. Most recently, she has attended Seattle University, earning her Master's Degree in Student Development Administration, a program that reinforced her commitment to making educational attainment accessible to all young students. While at SU, Rebecca worked with New Student and Family Programs, helping coordinate summer orientation and new student orientation. Rebecca continues to enjoy dancing with Chimera Dance Theatre and teaching dance at Garfield Community Center.