STEM Signing Day: Students shine at Seahawks training facility
Fifty Washington high school seniors celebrated for STEM commitment with Boeing, Partnership for Learning, and the Seattle Seahawks.
Washington State high school seniors pose with Seahawks mascot, Blitz, after being honored at the 2025 WA STEM Signing Day, presented by Boeing and held at the Seahawks VMAC training facility.
From a young age, high school senior Parnika Singh was captivated by the mechanics of the world around her. “I was fascinated by how things moved, how they connected, and how they worked together,” Singh explained. “When I joined my school’s rocketry club, that hands-on experience sparked my love for aerospace engineering and ignited a dream: to develop advanced propulsion systems that could one day take us to distant stars.”
High school senior Parnika Singh poses with her letter of intent to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology.
This year, at Washington STEM Signing Day presented by Boeing, in collaboration with Partnership for Learning and the Seattle Seahawks, Boeing honored Singh and 49 other high school seniors from across the state who are pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) higher education in the fall.
The big picture: Just like college signing days for athletes, the next STEM leaders signed a letter of intent to pursue a two- or four-year credential in a STEM field. The students were chosen based on their accomplishments and involvement in STEM education. Each student received a gift bag with swag items and a $200 gift card to help with supplies and books.”
Seahawks player Dareke Young, an engineering physics major, offers words of encouragement to the students at STEM Signing Day.
Held at the Seattle Seahawks Virginia Mason Athletic Center (VMAC) training facility, over 110 people attended in support of the young scholars, including local elected officials and Seahawks player Dareke Young. Young spoke at the event and shared, “the advice I would give my younger self is to ask questions. I’m a quiet person by nature, but in order to get good at something, you have to ask questions and address challenges head on, even if it takes you out of your comfort zone.”
Doug Ackerman, vice president of Quality for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, also attended, sharing his personal STEM journey with the students.
Doug Ackerman, vice president of Quality for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, addresses the STEM Signing Day audience.
“My love for STEM started when I was five years old, when my parents took me to view TWA’s first 747 when it was on its American tour in Pittsburgh. Soon after that memory, I watched the Apollo 17 mission launch to the moon. Many years later, when I started as an intern at Boeing, I recall standing under the nose of a 747, feeling unbelievably excited to start my career. My advice to you all today is to remember that not every day will be easy, some of them will be quite hard. But if you stay relentlessly and passionately curious, you will never stagnate.”
The event was filled with positivity and encouragement, with leaders and students attesting to the importance of hard work, curiosity and grit.
As for Singh, she’s pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology, with a focus on aerospace. Boeing’s STEM Signing Day provided Singh a valued boost of confidence as she enters the next chapter.
“STEM isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about being inquisitive, resilient, and willing to try, fail, and try again. It’s amazing to be recognized by Boeing for something I care about and to be part of a group chasing big goals.”
Meet 4 more STEM Signing Day stars
Name: Alberto Barragan
High school: AC Davis High School (Yakima)
Signing with: University of Washington (Seattle)
Career ambition: Mechanical Engineering + Aerospace Engineering
Alberto says: “Growing up, I became fascinated with aviation and aerospace. Watching planes take off and land fascinated me. I’d dream about how pilots controlled them, how engineers built them, and how so many parts came together to make something that seemed impossible, fly.”
Name: Christian Fairall
High school: Pierce County Skill Center (Puyallup)
Signing with: Clover Park Technical College
Career ambition: Computer Science/Cybersecurity
Christian says: “As a young child, I struggled with reading, writing, and grammar due to dyslexia. School was frustrating, and I often felt overlooked. Everything changed when I joined my school’s new robotics and computer science program. It was the first time I connected with learning, where creativity and logic came together.”
Name: Mackenzie Olesen
High school: Gig Harbor High School (Gig Harbor)
Signing with: Eastern Washington University
Career ambition: Biochemistry
Mackenzie says: “Forensics is a field of science that has been rapidly evolving for centuries, but even more so in the past few decades. There will always be the need and the opportunity for someone to create something new and revolutionary for forensic scientists. I hope to use my skills to help the world evolve and move forward. I think the best way to do that is through hard work and pure reasoning.”
Name: Shreya Karthik
High school: Henry M. Jackson High School (Everett)
Signing with: Brown University
Career ambition: Neuroscience and environmental science
Shreya says: “If you believe STEM might be the right path for you, challenge and believe in yourself, and take that next step. It may seem daunting, but at its core, STEM is about exploring without limits, paving new and unconventional paths, and, most importantly, integrating your personality and goals into science, technology, engineering, and math to make the world a better place.”
