SPIN Student Stories: Say Hello to Addi!

Engineering Her Future: Addison’s Path from SPIN to UW Presidential Scholar

Meet Addison, a SPIN Alumna and University of Washington Presidential Scholar, majoring in industrial engineering and minoring in leadership.   

Addi’s SPIN journey began at just nine years old, when she helped teach Minecraft at a SPIN camp for unhoused youth. She didn’t know it then, but that moment sparked a decade of curiosity, confidence, and leadership.

“My mom just told me to help out,” she laughs. “I didn’t realize at the time that it would shape everything about my future.”

Photo:  Addi with her family after being presented with with Presidential Scholar award from the University of Washington.

She went on to join the second cohort of SPIN Forward (formerly SPIN Girls) and later became a SPIN Fellow. 

“I’ve always been interested in engineering,” Addi shared, “but through SPIN I learned how to take initiative and go after opportunities on my own.” 

Addi interned via SPIN at Adaptive Biotechnologies (see image below), a pivotal experience that revealed her leadership potential.

Photo:  Addi and other SPIN Fellows interning with Adaptive Biotechnologies

“My mentor told me, ‘You should look into a manager-type role because you demonstrate strong leadership skills.’ That conversation completely changed my perspective. It’s why I wrote my college essay about SPIN—and I’m sure it’s part of why I received the Presidential Scholarship at UW.”  

The Presidential Scholarship is a full ride and awarded to only 17 in-state applicants—that’s less than 0.01% of undergrads admitted to the university.  

Today, Addi is studying industrial engineering at UW and interning at Boeing. She also serves as a peer educator, mentoring first-year students. In a full circle moment, she's now helping younger students navigate the gender imbalance in the sciences she experienced growing up: 

“There are only four girls in my class of 25,” she says. “Being part of SPIN helped me believe I belong in this space. Now I get to pass that confidence on to others.”

When asked what SPIN means to her, Addi doesn’t hesitate:

“I would literally credit almost everything that I’m doing right now to SPIN. It was the most impactful thing I was ever a part of. Investing in programs like SPIN is investing in a future where it’s normal for young women to believe in themselves. Programs like this shouldn’t be treated as experiments. They should be the standard.”

For seven years, Addi’s participation in SPIN was made possible because of donors like you. To ensure all young people have access to STEM education, SPIN is committed to keeping our programs free. As federal funding is cut, as well as shifts away from programs that center diversity, equity, and inclusion, we are relying on your generosity to keep SPIN available to all.

As STEM Paths Innovation Network celebrates a decade of sparking curiosity, we’re also looking ahead. The next ten years demand bigger, bolder action to prepare young people like Addi for the future, and we can’t do it without you.