Leana’s Educational Dreams

UPDATE: June 13th 2024

I did it y’all!!!! I passed my final ABYC exam this afternoon, and tomorrow I’ll be a graduate of the the Marine Systems program

If you’d like to watch the graduation via Zoom, I have the details below…

Please join us in celebrating the graduation of the 2024 Marine Systems class at The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding!

Graduation Ceremony

Friday, June 14, 2024

2:30 PM Pacific Time

The virtual 'doors' will open at 2:15 PM PT. The Zoom link required to join is below.

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85644808042?pwd=aqloc9VjKabl1Lt8vspvpafynX0ZOv.1

Meeting ID: [phone redacted] 8042

Update-September 29th 2023

WOW!!! Thank you all so much for all of your support and loving words of encouragement throughout this process!! I can not believe y’all helped me reach my goal so swiftly!

Anything that I receive above my goal will be used to help me secure stable housing here in Port Townsend, which is very difficult to procure, and also extremely expensive. It has been a wild ride getting here and there were many moments that I thought it wasn’t going to happen(self doubt is a kicker), but I know with the love and support of my community I know I’ll make it through anything life throws at me!!

Hi my name is Leana, and y'all know me from some different iteration of this crazy life I’ve been so blessed to share with all y’all. Here is a lil snipet of why I’m fundraising.

I have been dreaming of going to this boat school in the PNW for the last decade. I finally found the confidence to jump in, and so I am starting the marine systems program in less than a month at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding!!! I am so excited and so nervous, this is the first real school I’ve been to since dropping out of high school 20 years ago. I applied for scholarships near and far and have been able to cover most of the tuition so far, but I still have a few thousand left to cover for tuition and tools in addition to covering the cost of moving from Arizona to Washington. Here is a lil background of what is driving me in the direction of the marine trades and what I hope to accomplish.

I have always admired tradesmen and women. My grandfather and my dad were Navy SEALs and jacks of all trades, and my uncles had trades of their own as well. A painter, a mason, a pipe fitter and carpenters. They used to travel the country together when they were young and work as a team to rebuild homes after hurricanes or tornadoes swept through. Between all of them, I grew up hearing magnificent tales of travel and adventure on land and sea, near and far. I remember thinking how one day when I grew up I wanted to be just like them. In my family, growing up being socialized as a girl though, I was led away from those masculine spaces I loved to linger. I was told to go help in the kitchen or to take the laundry off the line, or go take care of my baby brother and to 'stop bothering the boys'. Despite this, I grew up to become a tradesperson and a traveler as well, just one that crafted in ovens, orchards and farms instead of lumber mills and shipyards. I am excited to gain valuable skills and attain fulfilling work near the sea. I hope to find a way to incorporate what I learn into empowering young girls to get excited about becoming tradeswomen someday also.

My goals in attending NWSWB marine systems program are to develop an in-demand skill set that would be useful in any avenue of life I encounter. I know that the curriculum taught during the program would have helped me feel safer and feel more assured in many of the jobs I have had in the past and will continue to foster growth and learning moving forward. I anticipate seeing many paths open to me upon learning about marine electrical, diesel engines, solar and control systems amongst all the other things they will teach. I have had this school in my heart for the last near decade and I am excited to dive deeper into the culture surrounding marine trades and find my place in it.

As a child I never thought I could go to school being raised in systems of poverty. So I just worked worked worked and have had some pretty cool experiences but still hover on the poverty line. After all these years of lived experience I now understand that hard work, dedication AND mutual aid is the path towards thriving instead of just surviving. I so thrilled to be with y’all along the journey!

Thank you all so much