More than 460 guests were greeted in the lobby by some of our young TechStart students displaying the robotics and computer animation projects they have been working on this year. Inside the ballroom at the Seattle Sheraton, TAF board president Katherin De Bruyn joined me to invite everyone to help us celebrate not only the 10th anniversary of the Leadership Breakfast, but also TAF's upcoming 15th birthday. It's hard to believe we're coming up on such a huge milestone. You will have more chances to celebrate with us in the coming months.

Watch the first TAF Anniversary Video. 

Local media personality Mimi Gan emceed an inspiring program, that featured TAF students of all ages describing what TAF programs mean to them. First grade TechStart student William Phillips-Nichols (pictured below) was one of the highlights for me. For the last two years, William had been tagging along with his mom while she dropped off his older brother at TechStart. This year, he finally got his chance to join the program.  

Prompted by teacher Toni Anderson, William endeared himself to the crowd by describing what he learned while building his very first robot. Based on the confidence and enthusiasm for learning that William is already showing in TechStart, I know there are great things in his future.

See more pictures from TAF's Leadership Breakfast. 

I was very touched by the stories of two TAF Alumni, My Phan-Ma and Matthew Lyons. I had the distinct pleasure of being their teacher when they were enrolled in our flagship Technical Teens Internship Program (TTIP).

They assured the audience that their support of TAF makes a difference in young people's lives. Matthew attributed his current professional success as an analyst with Deloitte Consulting to the training and internships he received in TAF's original TTIP.  

From the first day I met My she talked about becoming a pharmacist to honor her sister, who died in Viet Nam due to the unavailability of medicine. And guess what? Not only is she a pharmacist, but she's a successful one!

What matters most is that TAF continues to equip students like My, Matthew and William for successful futures. In that respect, the morning ended on a triumphant note. Together, our guests raised over $138,000 to support our programs.  

I am grateful to all of you for joining us in our mission.