Mary Jo Leonardson, seattle referral partner

"Because I am so impressed with Summer Search it’s easy to promote it."

Evergreen High School counselor, Mary Jo Leonardson, is the recipient of the Second Annual Summer Search Where Change Begins Award to an Outstanding Educator. Since her student Alma invited her to the Spring Event in May 2004, Mary Jo has been a dedicated supporter of our program, and an advocate for her students.

Over the past three years, Mary Jo has done an incredible job of growing the Summer Search community at Evergreen High. In 2006, Mary Jo tripled the number of students at her school. Today, due to her investment of time and energy, there are a total of six Summer Searchers from Evergreen!

Mary Jo has also been a huge advocate for Summer Search among the Evergreen faculty, connecting over 15 teachers with the program. According to Mary Jo, "because I am so impressed with Summer Search it's easy for me to promote it."

Part of what drives Mary Jo to continue referring students is the growth that she sees in Summer Searchers, and the long-term investment that the program gives. In summation, Mary Jo says, “Where Change Begins is very obvious about what Summer Search is doing in student's lives. It's not just a quick shot in the arm; it's the ongoing three-year commitment that enables Summer Search to have such a significant and lasting impact.”