Category: Student/Staff Spotlight
October 14th, 2025 by Cat Chiappa
Susan Henderson, Class of 1975
Susan Henderson’s story is one of quiet courage, global adventure, and deep gratitude. A self-described introvert, she never imagined her life would take her across continents, into classrooms, and back to Shoreline.
Susan’s connection to Shoreline and Shoreline Community College runs deep. In the late 1960s, her mother made the decision to pursue a nursing degree at Shoreline to support her two children. Within two years, her mother had earned her credentials and begun a long and impactful career in healthcare, working as a nurse until her retirement and continuing to volunteer at the same hospital into her seventies. “I think Shoreline, and my mom, of course, gave me wings that I’m not sure I knew I had the confidence to use. And then life just kept happening. My life turned out bigger than I thought it would.”
Susan’s own academic journey began with a transformative summer abroad program led by Shoreline Professor Amy Mates, a brilliant and witty English literature instructor from England. “Amy had a wonderful vibrancy about her and a magical way of teaching,” Susan recalled.
That summer trip to Ireland and London changed the trajectory of her life. Among the 20 students was Hiroko, an international student from Japan, who would become a lifelong friend and a key influence in Susan’s life. After a memorable lunch hosted by Professor Mates, Hiroko and Amy sat Susan down and said, “You should be a teacher.” Susan thought that she was too shy but they both said, “You’re meant to do this.” That moment planted the seed.
After getting her bachelor’s degree, Susan moved to Japan and got a job teaching English, thanks to Hiroko’s connections. She quickly discovered a love for education and cultural exchange. “Japan was a gentle, kind place to begin my teaching career,” she said. “I always learned a lot from my students. I was a baby teacher. There was so much I didn’t know. I always hoped they learned half as much from me as I learned from them, about teaching and about life.”
Susan returned to the U.S. after a couple of years to earn her master’s degree in teaching. After graduating, she returned to Japan for another year before spending 26 years teaching ESL, primarily at Edmonds College. Her career was marked by dedication, curiosity, and a deep respect for her students from around the world.
Now retired and living near where Professor Mates once lived, Susan feels a meaningful connection to her past and she continues to volunteer with students.
After attending Shoreline’s 60th Anniversary Open House, Susan felt energized by reconnecting with the campus and the people. Motivated to give back, she established an endowed scholarship in honor of Professor Amy Mates, whose mentorship and belief in her potential planted the seed for a lifelong career in education. “Of all my higher education experiences, Shoreline had the biggest impact on my life. I will be forever grateful.”
Susan’s story is a testament to the power of education, mentorship, and the ripple effect of compassion and encouragement. As she puts it: “Shoreline is the epitome of what a community college should be. For me it was eye-opening, heart-opening and life-changing.”
Posted in Student/Staff Spotlight
May 30th, 2023 by pio@shoreline.edu
Press Release
(Shoreline, Wash., May 30, 2023)– Shoreline Community College (Shoreline)
For Shoreline Community College (SCC), the word community isn’t just part of the College’s name, it’s a passion. Last month on April 29, 2023, three Shoreline automotive students and Amber Avery-Graff, Tenure-Track Automotive Instructor, worked together alongside members of SCC’s Security Team and the Shoreline Police Department at the Catalytic Converter Marketing Event to engrave over 50 catalytic converters for the community. Last summer Shoreline staged the first event which was students only, then expanded in the fall to include SCC faculty and staff. Both were incredibly well received, which led to last month’s event which was open to all interested members within the greater Shoreline community.
Catalytic converters contain precious metals. It takes less than 90 seconds for thieves to roll under a vehicle, cut the pipes on either side, and leave with the converter. “A catalytic converter is typically over one thousand dollars to replace, so that’s a huge expense,” says Avery-Graff. By engraving the last eight digits of a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) onto the converter, it can be traced back to its original vehicle which makes it much more difficult to sell.
For the event, community members pre-registered and were greeted by Gregory Cranson, Acting Director of Safety and Security at SCC, members of Shoreline’s Security Team, and members of the Shoreline Police Department. From there Shoreline automotive students Trevor Buehler, Christian Mariano, and Felipe Tores along with Avery-Graff worked together to take the cars back to the automotive building and spray paint each converter with bright paint, so that even at night it is obvious to anyone who sees it that the converter has been marked. This process acts as a deterrent to help keep the catalytic converter from being stolen and can also be a way for police to locate victims of this type of theft so they can press charges.
Like a well-oiled machine, Avery-Graff and her students were able to move each car through the process in roughly ten minutes. “Students are in school 4 days a week 8 hours a day, so for students to come in and volunteer their time on a day off is pretty amazing,” says Avery-Graff.
The community response to the event was extremely enthusiastic, with many members already voicing their excitement for the next event, eager to encourage their neighbors and spouses to attend. President of Shoreline Community College, Dr. Jack Kahn had this to say about the event. “Shoreline Community College is extremely pleased to work directly with the city on projects that will benefit our community. Chief Park and her team have been extremely collaborative, and we are so excited that this event had such a positive impact and look forward to many other events with the city.”
Posted in Announcements, Events, Student/Staff Spotlight
January 25th, 2023 by pio@shoreline.edu
Polson Pirates Baseball player Dawson Dumont announced on Jan. 19 that he will head to Washington next year to play college ball. Dumont committed to play for Shoreline Community College just north of Seattle. We look forward to seeing Dumont’s senior year with the Pirates this spring.
Posted in Announcements, Athletics, Student/Staff Spotlight
January 24th, 2023 by pio@shoreline.edu
Former Shoreline Community College (Shoreline) student Zubeir Abdi was one of the 31 community and technical college students honored by the Washington State Association of Trustees (ACT) Monday night at the annual Transforming Lives awards ceremony, a highly prestigious state system-wide recognition.
(L-R: Trustee Tom lux, Student Zubeir Abdi, Trustee Rebecca Chan)
Posted in Announcements, Events, Student/Staff Spotlight
January 19th, 2023 by pio@shoreline.edu
Scott Geer who has performed in the Jazz Ensemble and has been involved with the drama productions at SCC has been awarded Best Sound & Music at the LGBTQ+ Los Angeles Film Festival for his original composition, “Waltz Noire” which was used in a student-produced short film. We produced, arranged, and recorded the song using student musicians last spring quarter. So happy for Scott Geer and Azure Kwok!
Posted in Announcements, Arts & Entertainment, Student/Staff Spotlight
December 15th, 2022 by pio@shoreline.edu
One of our students, Jasmine Contreras-Lewis, has been hired as a full-time reporter at Lynnwood Today. It’s a testament to Jasmine‘s talent and her hard work and ability that has shown on the pages of The Ebbtide, while attending Shoreline Community College!
Posted in Announcements, Student/Staff Spotlight
