Edmonds Community College announced Monday that students Bahareh Rouhijahromi and Hayden Tran have been selected as members of the All-Washington Academic Team.

Phi Theta Kappa — an honor society serving two-year colleges — chooses team members based on their academic achievement and community service. Each member is awarded a scholarship, and a number of public and private four-year colleges offer additional scholarships to those who transfer.

The team is usually honored by the governor and the state’s community college presidents at a ceremony in March. However, Edmonds CC staff said this year’s ceremony was cancelled out of an abundance of caution surrounding COVID-19. 

Hayden Tran came to the U.S. from Vietnam in 2017. A leader on campus, he has served as president of the college’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter and as executive officer for clubs in the student government.

“My life changed forever when I got the invitation to join the college’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter,” Tran said. “The club introduced me to a new family and taught me how to be a leader.”

Tran is currently completing an associate’s degree in business, and he plans to earn his bachelor’s degree in finance. He said he ultimately wants to pursue a career as a financial consultant and budget manager.

Bahareh Rouhijahromi moved to the U.S. in 2016 to escape religious persecution in Iran. She is now pursuing an associate’s degree in business and teaches in a preschool and kindergarten part-time. She plans to transfer to University of Washington Bothell next fall to earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting. According to Rouhijahromi, her goal is to use her money management skills to support charitable organizations.

“Helping and inspiring others to follow their dreams is what invigorates me in life,” she said. “I hope to use my education to aid the most vulnerable members of our society.”