Published November 25 2020
Public ceremony to feature King County Library System Executive Director
The City of Bellevue invites the public to join 40 Bellevue Essentials graduates, their families and friends for an inspiring evening on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 7 p.m. The ceremony will feature keynote speaker Lisa Rosenblum, Executive Director of the King County Library System (KCLS).
Bellevue Essentials is a nine-week civic engagement program for emerging leaders in the community. Due to COVID-19, this year’s class experienced their Bellevue Essentials learning through interactive Zoom presentations and activities. The graduation ceremony will take place via Zoom as well.
The KCLS story during COVID-19 is one of resilience and adaptability. Despite the pandemic, KCLS has remained focused on addressing the needs of our diverse communities by offering a wide range of programming and resources in multiple languages, supporting social-justice initiatives, partnering with nonprofit organizations and other public agencies to expand access to resources for underrepresented communities, and continuing to advocate on a local and national level for digital equity.
Rosenblum will also speak about the ever-evolving role of libraries, her career path through city government directing libraries in highly diverse communities and her personal experience with civic engagement and equitable services. Welcoming comments will be provided by Mayor Lynne Robinson, who will be joined by class speaker Riha Vaidya, representing the 2020 graduating class, and Brian Ugai, Bellevue Essentials Alumni president.
The graduation event is open to the community and provides an opportunity to learn more about Bellevue Essentials. Applications for the next Bellevue Essentials course will be available in May 2021.
To RSVP for the graduation and to receive the Zoom link, or for information on future participation in the Bellevue Essentials program, please contact Julie Ellenhorn at 425-452-5372 or jellenhorn@bellevuewa.gov.
Note: Photo is Lisa Rosenblum, courtesy King County Library System