Alumni Feature: Mak
Nicole here, your Grassroots Engagement Organizer! I hope you’re enjoying the holidays and end of year celebrations. I’m so excited to share a very special alumni story of one our superstar alums, Makeda Moorman Leahemariam, or as we know her at the Bus, Mak!
Mak is a First-gen student who graduated this year with a BA in Psychology with a minor in Health Studies from the University of Washington. She was also recognized as part of the Husky 100 Class of 2025.
“My path has been anything but linear. Being born and raised in Seattle, I have witnessed its transitions, cultural changes and shifting political landscape. My mother is an Ethiopian refugee from Sudan and my father is a mixed African man from Virginia. I come from multiple identities, have siblings that practice different religions, claim sexual and gender identities that differ from my own and it's through these lived experiences which has made me deeply aware of people's struggles– my organizing reflects the mixture of my family.”
Mak’s organizing journey started when she was in middle school giving her the structure and experience to continue as a young leader all the way up into high school.
During this time Mak took part in protests, rallies and interned at the Seattle Public Library. It wasn’t until we met her at North Seattle Community College in 2018 where we were tabling neighbors.
She struck up a conversation with us, planting the seeds of engagement and the rest is history coming back to the Bus in 2024.
2024 Bus Bash, picture of the 2024 Summer Fellows running the welcome table, (left to right): Mak Leahemariam, Emma Turnbull, Ayla Nye, Zyaira Webb, Isabella Le, and Howl Hall
“The WA Bus was a charger for my battery. Through the Bus I learned how to build programming, and bring ideas that are community centered. I was a part of the Program and Education committee during my time as a fellow we worked on Candidate Survivor which was a creative and engaging way that made politics fun, accessible and authentic. We also worked on the yearbook that captured the entirety of our two month program, stories and energy we did that summer.
Being in the classroom was engaging and being the oldest in the program I thought I already knew certain topics and ideas, but the people in the program brought invaluable experiences and insights. I was doing stuff I normally wouldn't like canvassing, door knocking and phone banking– personally I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't with the WA Bus. My favorite memory during the summer was when me and Isabella flagged down the ice truck during a canvass.” 🍦
The Washington Bus staff and fellows posing at the end of 2024 Candidate Survivor hosted at Madame Lou's at the Crocodile.
After graduating from the Summer Fellowship, Mak continued to stay involved with us.
She would go on to serve on our 2025 Youth Endorsement Council alongside other young people spending 6–8 weeks, getting to know local candidates, researching and scoring them, and helping decide who would best fight for the future.
Mak would also go on to found The Cinderella Project Seattle, a volunteer- and donation-driven community initiative launched in the beginning of 2025 in the Greater Seattle Area.
September 2025, Mak talking to attendees at the first, “Cinderella Day,” hosted at the Beacon Hill Seattle Public Library
“My time at the WA Bus directly shaped the Cinderella Project. My ultimate goal by 2026 for the Cinderella Project is to establish this initiative into a 501c3 organization with a permanent location in Seattle. I want to grow into something bigger. I saw the behind the scenes work it takes to run an organization like the WA Bus, and with that experience I want to continue building long-term systems for my community, something I’ve been doing since 2021 with Mak's Community Center.
I'm inspired by the community, from artists like Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix, to the strong people I looked up to such as Nikkita Oliver, a non-binary activist who I’ve been following since 14 years old getting the chance to meet them at 17. Elders, and mentors from the city I grew up in is what inspires me to organize. I don't think about the corporations, I think of resources and music that turned Seattle into a community.”
Other than being a passionate and stellar organizer, Mak is the the author of 3 poetry books. You’ll find Mak at Hagosa's House in West Seattle, a Black woman-owned café where Mak’s third poetry book, “then again, maybe I won’t,” is featured. Writing about, “a year’s worth of rediscovery, triumphs, fallouts, and burnouts.”
Mak’s advice to young people looking to get involved is, “Your time is now, don't wait. Start small and local and don't wait until you feel ready. Leadership is about consistency and showing up. The world needs a leader like you.“
(Mak graduating from the 2024 Summer Fellowship Program (left to right): Cinthia-Illan Vazquez, Edgar Espino, Mak Leahemariam, Tai Yang-Abreu, and Bailey Medilo)
Mak inspires us at the WA Bus everyday with her commitment to community, resilience, and leadership. Seeing Mak grow over the years as an organizer is why we do the work we do at the Bus.
