K’Leia Wilson began working as a tour guide for the University of Washington Bothell’s Office of Admissions as a first-year student. Showing prospective students around campus, she shared her best advice for college success: Raise your hand in class. Ask questions about topics that spark your curiosity. Take advantage of the small class sizes on the Bothell campus — where you’re never just a number in the room.
That practice of taking up space, she said, is especially critical for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students who may not readily see themselves in their teachers prior to college. As a tour guide, Wilson added, she talked to many high school students who resonated with her experiences as a Black student, including the barriers she faced.
“UW Bothell is a space to help you become the person you are,” she told them, “and to make your voice just a little bit louder.”
Discovering the words, finding her voice
As one of a small percentage of Black and brown students in the Marysville School District growing up, Wilson said she didn’t thrive in high school. “I struggled with not seeing any staff who looked like me,” she said. “I often felt undervalued throughout my experience as a student.”
That changed at UW Bothell, where she found encouragement, community and validation. “I learned that learning can be enjoyable,” she said. “I heard, ‘You’re important. You’re a leader. Experiences you are describing are not crazy. Trust yourself.’”
Wilson also learned the terms to describe experiences she’d had all her life. Institutionalized racism. Micro- and macro-aggressions. Imposter syndrome. In Race & Culture in the Classroom, a course taught by Dr. Maurice Dolberry, lecturer in the School of Educational Studies, she also encountered groundbreaking works of feminist writers such as Audre Lord, Gloria Anzaldúa and bell hooks. “They gave me the words,” she said.
Her admissions job also helped Wilson find her voice and her passion for representing marginalized voices. “It strengthened my confidence and professionalism,” she said.
Through her studies and work, Wilson nurtured on-campus friendships and a greater sense of belonging to the UW Bothell community. And as a commuter student, she noted, these were initially elusive.
Providing a safe space to grow
After graduating with a double major in Community Psychology and Educational Studies in 2017, Wilson went on to earn an education specialist degree in school psychology at Seattle University. Today, the lessons she gleaned remain a touchstone in her work as a school counselor.
“I use them every day,” she said. “Interrupting racism in the schools doesn’t get any easier, but the confidence is still there.”
At Meridian Park Elementary, the Shoreline School District’s largest grade school, Wilson strives to build a caring school climate to increase feelings of success and an overall sense of belonging for marginalized students. Her caseload, she said, feels over full at 600 students who are aged five to 11.
“They need to see that people care,” she said, “that there are ways to develop individuality and autonomy — to feel your feelings and build that capacity.”
Her efforts to support young learners have not gone unnoticed. Last fall, the Washington State Association of School Psychologists honored Wilson with its award for best practices in mental health services, citing her service to students and her skill in providing a safe, non-judgmental space for students as well as staff to grow.
Creating practical opportunities with impact
Wilson traces a direct line between her UW Bothell experience and her career in school psychology. As an undergraduate, she relished community-based learning opportunities that took her “out of the student bubble” to work alongside professionals serving clients of all ages and backgrounds.
Her first foray was volunteering at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Marysville. While groups protested outside, she sat with people in the waiting room, helping them to register to vote. The clashing realities made a big impact. “It was disheartening but motivating,” she recalled.
Through a Consultation and Collaboration class — taught by Dr. Wayne Au, now dean of the School of Educational Studies — she also served as a mentor in the Mukilteo School District to six students, all Black boys, for whom she acted as a supportive sounding board. “They don’t see a lot of other BIPOC leaders,” she said. “We could connect right away about how they felt about themselves and how others saw them.”
Kara Adams, director of community engagement and strategic partnerships at UW Bothell, recalls Wilson’s commitment to building deep, reciprocal partnerships on campus and beyond. She points out that Wilson enrolled in four community-based learning courses; most students take only one or two.
“Each partner organization raved about K’Leia’s work,” Adams said, “her ability to take initiative, ask inquisitive questions, connect with staff and youth, and take leadership.”
“Each partner organization raved about K’Leia’s work — her ability to take initiative, ask inquisitive questions, connect with staff and youth, and take leadership.”
Kara Adams, director of community engagement and strategic partnerships
Leaning into community
After earning her certification as a mental health counselor, Wilson opened her own practice last year. Through Mood Check Therapy, she works with children one-to-one, offering uninterrupted time to focus on their needs. Unlike a school setting, she said, she now does not worry that she’ll be interrupted by a knock at her door while supporting a crying child.
She sees patients one evening a week and plans to expand her caseload in the fall.
Yet even with her professional success, multiple degrees and the recognition of her peers, Wilson still finds it challenging to be a Black educator, noting that research validates the impact of race on the profession and the higher risk of burnout that results.
“It never goes away,” she said. “All you can do is lean into the community — be kind to yourself, ask for a break when you need it.”
And community, she said, is something that UW Bothell does very well.
