Meet the 2026 All-Washington Academic Team
Four Clark students have been recognized for their excellence and stories of determination
The All-Washington Academic Team, a program run by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), honors the accomplished scholars throughout our state. The chosen students not only demonstrate excellence but reflect the diversity of our state as well as the inspiring stories of determination that define our Community College system.
Recognized scholars become eligible for scholarship programs at a variety of our state’s four-year universities. Each school offers a different program; you can see more details at the All-Washington website.
The following scholars will be honored at the All-Washington Ceremony held annually at the South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC). The ceremony will be livestreamed on Thursday, April 23, on the SPSCC YouTube channel. The livestream will begin at 12:30 p.m. and will run for approximately one hour.
Samantha Hansen
Samantha Hansen wasn’t quite sure about her life path. She knew she loved baking—some of her favorite memories are learning how to bake from her mom. She also knew she loved engaging her community and mentoring others. She’s volunteered at a theatre program for youth, and as a mentor in her church for teens.
She wanted to dip her toes into baking in a professional environment to see if that could be a career for her. Clark College was close to home and affordable, which empowered her sign up for the Professional Baking and Pastry Arts program. She wasn’t certain it would be the answer, but she ended up loving it. “So many of the staff are very helpful in listening to the students' dreams and ideas of where they want to go and what they want to do, and being willing to actually put in the footwork to help them.”
Slowly, a dream that combined her two passions came together: one day, she hopes to open her own bakery that could also serve as a welcoming community space. She also wants to start a program offering discounts on pastries for those with lower incomes. She said, “I love… traditional home comfort baked goods, because that really speaks to people's souls, and I love the idea that food is a way to people's souls, and it fills them up. And that's what I really ultimately like to do.”
Samantha has one more year in the program, during which she’ll select an externship at a local bakery, which could turn into her first full-time bakery job.
Lindsey Quiroz
Lindsey Quiroz comes from a long line of Native American healers with Juaneño, San Juan Capistrano, and Sioux heritage. She has also been around hospitals most of her life. Her older brother passed away from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma when she was young. Her daughter suffered from a congenital heart defect at birth, and Lindsey learned how to use her feeding tube and monitors at home. Her parents were both hospitalized with COVID.
She remembers asking the nurse caring for her parents about their ventilator settings and blood gases. The nurse asked, “Are you in the medical field?” When Lindsey said no, the nurse said, “Then you wouldn’t understand.”
Lindsey decided to change that. She’s a single mom of two children, but took on the challenge of enrolling at Clark to start her pathway into the medical field. As a displaced homemaker, she qualified for WES and FAFSA funding to earn her A.A. She said, “If I would have had to pay for it out of pocket, I probably wouldn’t have done it… I felt like I was handed this golden key to go to school… It felt like this is the way to provide a better life for my kids and hopefully to instill in them too that they can go to school.”
She plans to eventually become a nurse practitioner with her own clinic serving nondominant populations, or, possibly, a neurosurgeon. “If I did the neurosurgery route, I would love to be a Native American woman who is in that field. There's hardly any. It is so underrepresented.”
In June, Lindsey will be graduating with her A.A. and plans to transfer to the University of Washington to study nursing.
Noah Shular
Noah Shular is American, but grew up in Tanzania, where his parents conducted humanitarian
work for the first part of his life. Kiswahili was his first language, which he still
speaks with his parents. He has memories of transformative experiences working with
the local communities there.
After moving back to the States, Noah knew that he wanted to follow in his parents’ footsteps and pursue humanitarian work via law. He said, “Growing up with that mindset… cemented the idea that what I should be striving towards is not only opening opportunities for myself, but providing the same to others, and I think law is a pathway that can do that.”
His grandmother, Brenda Shular, worked at Clark for many years, and his father attended Running Start, so it was a natural choice for him to enroll in the program. But he didn’t realize how much it would influence him until he started.
“After coming to Clark…the switch flipped like immediately. Not only did I find a community where I could feel welcome, but also one that I felt like I was motivated to excel in.” He was able to challenge himself academically, meet other ambitious students, work a student job, and take as many college-level history classes as he wanted. He also enjoyed meeting the wide variety of people who attend Clark. “I didn't feel like my growth and my limits were determined by… the very rigid structure that exists in the public school system here.”
He wants to one day make a difference by reforming international law to better protect the vulnerable. But by watching his parents, he knows that change comes from many thousands of people playing a small part in a larger goal. He said his goal is, “Just being able to do my small part that someday might be able to proliferate into a larger change.”
In June, Noah will graduate with his high school diploma and his A.A. He plans to transfer to the University of Washington to study pre-law and possibly pursue a law degree in the Netherlands.
April Warnock
When her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, April was a teenager. She became
her mother’s caretaker and spent a lot of time in hospitals. While others found hospitals
scary, April was fascinated. She was also grateful for how the healthcare workers
treated her family in a difficult situation.
April’s mother supported her in earning her high school degree, despite the challenge of balancing school with caregiving. April wasn’t ready for college right away. She became a loving single mom to two boys, and she worked in restaurants and bars, fostering her love for talking with community members and making their day.
At 45, April decided to make a change. Inspired by those hospital workers who helped her family when her mother had cancer, and driven by her love for helping others, she chose to pursue nursing.
She was nervous about being older than her classmates, but found a welcoming environment where students from all walks of life treated each other as peers.
“You're never too old to learn, and you're certainly never too old to work in healthcare… it’s just been an incredible journey, and I hope that more people are open-minded to trying it when you're older. Like your life doesn't have to end when you're older.”
April will graduate in June with her A.A., and plans to attend the nursing program at Clark College. She wants to work in emergency medicine and become an advocate for victims of sexual assault.
About Phi Theta Kappa & History of All-WA
Phi Theta Kappa, the International Honor Society for Two Year Colleges, introduced the All-USA Academic Team to recognize and honor two-year college students for their scholastic achievement and community and college service.
In 1994, state-level academic teams were introduced as a way to provide scholarships and scholastic recognition to Phi Theta Kappa members, while promoting excellence at two-year colleges. Students nominated to the All-USA Academic Team are automatically named to their state team.
In 1996, Washington launched its state program. A steering committee comprised of community and technical college presidents, Phi Theta Kappa representatives, public information officers from two-year colleges and representatives from the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges put together the first recognition ceremony in the Governor’s Mansion. The ceremony honored 44 students representing 24 community and technical colleges.
Today, the All-Washington Academic Team includes students representing the 34 community and technical colleges in Washington state. The program has become the showcase for Washington’s community and technical colleges because it honors the academic high achievers: those who have demonstrated a commitment to success in the classroom and in the communities in which they live. This recognition demonstrates the state’s commitment to scholarship and community service on the part of those attending the state’s public community and technical colleges.
Learn more about:
Clark's Phi Theta Kappa Student Honor Society
Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley
Story by Carly Rae Zent, Digital Media Specialist, Communications and Marketing