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Flash Forward Alumni Spotlight: Marana Yazzie

  • Alumni Spotlight
Flash Forward Alumni Spotlight: Marana Yazzie

 

Marana Yazzie
Olympic View, 2002-2007

From 2002-2007, Marana Yazzie attended Olympic View Elementary School, before moving on to other schools in the district. Since she was young, Marana knew office and sedentary work wasn’t for her. Now as an apprentice carpenter, her journey in the trades led her back to her childhood school –  Olympic View, which is being rebuilt as a K-8 school, thanks to voter approval of the phase 2 school construction bond.  

 

FWPS: What are you doing right now? 

Marana: Right now, I’m going through the Carpenters Apprenticeship through the Northwest Carpenters Institute of Washington. It’s a four-year program and most of the training happens on the job except for class at the training center one week every three months. 

FWPS: How did you decide to enter the apprenticeship program? 

Marana: I always knew trades were an option for me. My mother, uncle, and cousins were all union carpenters before me. From watching and learning from my mom at an early age, I knew that just because I am a woman does not mean I can’t get out there and do it. 

FWPS: What type of work do you do? 

Marana: I’m an 8th-period Carpenter apprentice. Right now, I’m learning to do layout with total station, and when I’m not doing that, I’m doing deck work. 

FWPS: How did you end up working on the Olympic View project? 

Marana: At the Carpenters union, we have a dispatch system to look for work. I got a call for a job in Federal Way that turned out to be run by Forma, the general contractor, that was working on the new Lake Grove Elementary School. They called me and asked if I’d like to work with them again on Olympic View, and of course I said ‘yes!” 

FWPS: How did it feel to work on a project at a school you once attended? 

Marana: It felt pretty cool, though a bit weird since the school I knew was gone. But, it's still really cool to be part of a new beginning. 

FWPS: What advice would you give current FWPS high school students? 

Marana: Don’t be afraid to try new things and always ask questions. If you absolutely don’t think college is right for you, maybe try a trade out! 

 

Did you know? 

Federal Way Public School offers many opportunities for scholars to get introduced to trades, including the Federal Way High School Pre-Apprenticeship Program, the automotive course at Decatur High School, and other CTE courses at our comprehensive high schools. View all options in our course catalog: www.fwps.org/CourseCatalog.  

 

To read more alumni stories, visit www.fwps.org/AlumniSpotlight. 

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