Spent 5 years in Washington's foster care system
Jacob Adams is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Nation but was raised on the Skokomish and Squaxin reservation. He is a senior graduate student in the School of Social Work Advanced Standing Program at the University of Washington, where he also obtained his undergraduate degree in Social Welfare. He has been on the annual Dean’s list since 2012 and has since received multiple scholarships for his outstanding efforts. His primary focus has been exploring social and health determinants of American Indian/Alaskan Natives in relation to higher education access and retention.
During his time at the university, Jacob has served as an active member for many local urban Native organizations in the greater Seattle area, such as Seattle Indian Health Board, Urban Native Educational Alliance, and the Urban Indian Health Institute. In addition to his school and community work, he is an intern for the UW Educational Opportunity program and a Temporary Program Coordinator for McNair and Early Identification programs, which are divisions of the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity. In his free time, Jacob enjoys cooking, yoga, camping, movies, and party planning. He also loves to volunteer and work with animals and meeting new people on a daily basis.