Creating connection in the Beaverton community

In many ways, Beaverton is the home of In4All. We were founded by employees of Tektronix and other technology innovators located here in 1983. Our office has been here for most of our history. And our business-school partnerships have radiated out from Beaverton into many of the west side communities.

Today, we have eight business partners serving seven schools and impacting more than 800 students in Beaverton. Two of our partners – IBM and Vernier Software & Technology – are in their ninth year of programming! They are joined by Acumed, Black & Veatch, Digimarc, Nike, OnPoint Community Credit Union, and PGE.

All our business and education partners are part of the Beaverton Community Impact Circle where community leaders, educators, volunteers, and parents work together to impact students who have been historically underserved. In just this century, communities of color have grown significantly in Beaverton, adding diversity and strength to our area. Yet many Black and brown families have difficulty connecting to their community within the Beaverton School District boundaries.

“We have really big employers in Beaverton that are bringing so much diversity to Washington County and the state, but a lot of Black people come here and feel isolated. They can’t find themselves in the community,” said Veronica Jones, co-founder of the Beaverton Black Parents Union. “We are trying to close that gap of isolation by finding out what people are experiencing in the schools and the community and then connecting them with each other.”

“Part of the problem is there is a lack of Black institutions on the west side. All of them are in Portland,” added BBPU co-founder Desiree Williams-Rajee. “That is why our organization is creating opportunities to celebrate Black community in place – the place we call home – where people can be seen together and feel joy.”

In Beaverton schools, Black students are also working to create community by forming Black Student Unions (BSUs) where they can talk about issues and create culturally specific activities. It gives them a way to bring student issues to the attention of the administration so they can find ways to work together on them.

“It’s hard being a student of color especially in a predominantly white state. The issues we face are always going to be different and our institutions in Oregon are not built to work with people who look like us,” said Laya Rajee, member of the Southridge High School BSU. “Having culturally specific clubs and groups that create these opportunities is super important because that’s where we get the support to reach the same level as the other students around us.”

The In4All Possibilities event in October featured a panel discussion with Laya and three other members of Beaverton BSUs who talked about their efforts to build community here. Students are organizing Black history events, recording podcasts, highlighting Black student achievement, and organizing community events to help Black students connect. They are also keenly interested in connecting with the business world.

“Our Black Student Unions are consistently requesting to connect with Black professionals who can speak to different career paths and show them what’s possible and how to get there,” said Desiree. “This presents an important opportunity for companies to invest in Beaverton as a place where their employees of color want to stay and feel like they belong.”

The needs of the Black and other communities of color are central to the In4All mission. By mobilizing the Beaverton community, we are positively impacting students who have been historically underserved by connecting them with leaders who look like them or can reinforce that their goals are reachable.

“Business involvement can be powerful,” said Susan Elliott, a Beaverton parent and a teacher at Rosemary Anderson High School in Portland. “The connection to the outside world makes the classroom lessons real and helps build pride and confidence. Students need to hear that people think they are smart and capable. The validation piece is huge.”

We are thankful to all the business volunteers, teachers, community members and others who are dedicated to students in Beaverton. Thank you for your continued commitment to impacting our youth!