A Chance Encounter Changed Leanna's Life

In 2015, Leanna was a sophomore with a simple goal: find a way to give back. When she heard that Communities In Schools® (CIS®) of Tacoma was looking for volunteers for a Stuff the Bus event, it felt like the perfect fit.

Leanna showed up ready to help. At that event, she met Tricia, a site coordinator at Mount Tahoma High School. It seemed like a one-time connection, the kind you make at a volunteer table and never think about again. But the following week, Leanna turned a corner in the school hallway and there was Tricia. In that small, unplanned moment, everything changed.

I showed up to give back. I had no idea I was walking into something that would change the entire direction of my life.

- Leanna, CIS Alumna

Tricia introduced her to what CIS could really be — not just an organization, but a community. And as Leanna listened, something clicked. She needed this. CIS wrapped around her in ways she hadn't known to ask for. Tutoring when school felt overwhelming. Supplies when resources were tight. Internship opportunities that cracked open doors she didn't know existed.

And beyond Leanna herself, CIS showed up for her whole family — jackets for her younger siblings in the winter, holiday baskets, gift cards as college grew closer. They didn't just see Leanna, CIS staff understood the importance of removing barriers for her whole family.

CIS didn't just show up for me. They showed up for my whole family. That's not something you forget.

When it came time to apply to college, it was Tricia who wrote her letter of recommendation. The site coordinator she'd stumbled into in a hallway became one of the most important voices in her future.

Leanna went on to the University of Puget Sound, where she graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in U.S. Politics and Government, with a specialization in Latin American Studies — a degree she'd chosen deliberately, rooted in a deep belief in social justice and a quiet determination to make the world more equitable.

CIS didn't disappear when she crossed that stage. They were there for college and beyond.

After graduation, Leanna was hired as a Community Information Specialist with the Tacoma Public Library, working to expand access to information for the very kinds of communities she'd grown up in. In 2023, she was promoted to Community Information Supervisor, leading staff and serving on the safety committee across library branches.

And soon, she'll step into yet another new role: Neighborhood Services Manager, overseeing two library locations and eleven staff members, helping shape the strategic future of her community.

Everything I do now — my career, my community work — it all traces back to what CIS modeled for me.

Leanna came to CIS wanting to fill a bus with supplies. What she found was something that would fill her life — with support, with connection, and with a clear sense of where she was headed.

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