by Patheresa Wells

When Kaila Davis Nsimbi was choosing a career path, she knew she wanted to work in education, with the specific desire to serve young people like herself. Having attended Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bellevue as a motivated student of color, she wanted to empower other highly capable Black and Brown students “to go through those experiences with more boldness and more certainty” than she did. But to do that, Nsimbi said, students of color must be able to find others around them to lean on through the process, to be examples, and to help them navigate — as Nisimbi calls it — “the landscape of opportunity.”

During her 10 years at the nonprofit Rainier Scholars, Nsimbi has achieved — and continues to achieve — her education equity goals. Rainier Scholars fosters the academic potential and leadership skills of hardworking students of color by providing access to academic preparation, career and leadership development, and comprehensive support. Nsimbi’s commitment to helping students develop the skills they need to be community leaders has taken her on a long path with the organization.