Annette M. Allen’s legacy as a devoted teacher and passionate Coug lives on through the scholarship bearing her name, transforming the lives of future educators across Washington.
If you were to spend enough time with Annette M. Allen, the subject of the importance and influence of higher education might surface. At Washington State University, Annette discovered a white-hot passion for teaching, graduating in 1989 with a BA in education en route to a career of 25-plus years as a teacher in the Central Kitsap School District within the state of Washington.
And if the subject of the importance and influence of elementary education were to surface, Annette might reach for a cherished refrain.
“If there were no first-grade teachers,” Annette said, “there would be no doctors.”
One of each emerged from the Allen family out of Bremerton: Curtis, Pamela, and their five children (Stephanie, Suzanne, Annette, Paul, and Angela).
The first-grade teacher, Annette, worked as a substitute teacher for two years before taking on her own classroom of second-graders at Clear Creek Elementary School in the Central Kitsap School District. She then transferred to Cottonwood Elementary School, where she taught first grade for 22 years. By all accounts, “Miss Allen” was devoted to every student. Her classrooms were revered by colleagues for their consistent structure and exceptional instruction. Fellow teachers even referred to Annette as the “child whisperer,” a testament to her signature kind-but-firm approach.
The doctor, Suzanne, moved to Boise in 1999 to join the Family Practice Residency of Idaho (now Full Circle Health, Family Medicine Residency, Boise). She has been there more than 25 years, seeing patients and teaching.
“I love teaching,” said Suzanne. It runs in the family.
The only one among five siblings not to attend WSU, Suzanne opted for the road less traveled by enrolling at (gasp) the University of Washington. Despite attending rival universities, there was no sibling rivalry between Annette and Suzanne. Quite the contrary.
So, when Annette received a diagnosis in 2017 of metastatic melanoma (a form of skin cancer) along with a grim prognosis, Suzanne provided not only medical advice, but also a shoulder on which to cry. Suzanne also came up with a plan to honor Annette’s life as an extraordinary educator and fervent Coug fan—one who held season tickets for football, one who took cutouts of Butch on vacations for photographs, and one who audibly despaired at missing out on the first WSU license plate ever issued (she eventually nabbed No. 22).
“Because of my work with UW School of Medicine, I do a lot of advancement and philanthropy work,” Suzanne said. “When we learned of Annette’s cancer, I proposed to our family an endowed scholarship in her name. A scholarship at WSU in elementary education, which Annette helped develop before she died.”
Not long after Annette passed on Jan. 12, 2018, the Annette M. Allen Endowed Scholarship was established.
Its goal is simple: to support WSU students wishing to follow in Annette’s footsteps toward a meaningful career as an educator. Its means: a scholarship in WSU’s College of Education to a senior from the state of Washington who is majoring in elementary education. Its impact: transformative and statewide.
Take Lexi Brantner of Palouse, who graduated from WSU Pullman in 2024 with a degree in elementary education and an endorsement in special education. Lexi credits the Allen Scholarship with helping her land a job at Kamiak Elementary School in the Pullman school district as a Special Education Teacher.
“Just not having to worry about the financial burden of college and related stress is always helpful and nice,” said Lexi, who worked as a student teacher—a requirement for seniors—in kindergarten at Kamiak. “I’m really passionate about special education. I’m certified K-5, and I teach students with more severe disabilities, such as down syndrome and autism, as well as students with communication needs.”
Added Lexi, whose mother is a WSU alum (’96, Elem. Ed. and Busi.): “Sometimes these kids don’t get the support they need. Scholarships lead ultimately to that support; it’s very cool that the Allen Scholarship allows that to happen.”
Then there’s Ellee Nichols of Vancouver, who is a senior majoring in elementary education at WSU Vancouver. Slated to graduate in the spring of 2025, Ellee is an Allen Scholarship recipient who is student teaching at Lakeshore Elementary School in the Vancouver School District.
“The Allen Scholarship has helped me not to worry about tuition—and loans can be tricky and scary,” said Ellee, who is considering a master’s degree in literacy education. “It’s nice not to worry about expenses such as food, clothes, rent, and gas while working as a student teacher in a classroom of 23 students—three with special needs—and also working as a dance teacher at two different studios.”
Curiously, like Lexi, Ellee’s mother is a WSU alum (’02, Mech. Eng.).
And then there’s Alyssa Smith of Kennewick, who is a senior majoring in elementary education with an endorsement in middle-level mathematics at WSU Tri-Cities. This semester, Alyssa is working as a student teacher at Desert Hills Middle School in Kennewick.
“It has been an incredible experience so far, as this is the middle school I went to myself,” said Alyssa, whose mother (get this!) is a WSU alum (’98, Nursing). “It’s almost surreal to be back, but this time as a teacher instead of student, alongside the same teachers who inspired me to become an educator. I teach sixth- and seventh-grade honors math students, and I love every minute of it. Middle schoolers may have a notorious reputation, but they are some of the silliest, coolest, and sweetest students you could ever have. I am eagerly anticipating graduation and the start of my career working with our local middle schools.”
Much like Lexi and Ellee, Alyssa is grateful for the doors opened and the connections made via the Allen Scholarship.
“It’s been such a blessing to receive this scholarship,” said Alyssa. “Knowing that the financial burden of paying for this year has been relieved allows me to focus on my studies, instead of trying to pick up enough hours at work. It also helps mentally to know that my efforts are being recognized and rewarded; it motivates me to keep putting forth maximum effort knowing it does not go unnoticed.
“We all know college is expensive, which can be a barrier for most. Scholarships are a way of chipping away at that barrier so all who want to attend college can. It’s so powerful when you get the email or letter saying: ‘You have received a scholarship!’ Because it says so much more. It says your merit is recognized and your potential is worth funding.”
If there’s a common thread among philanthropic giving at WSU’s College of Education, it’s that Cougars take care of their young, who in turn populate primary and secondary education throughout the state of Washington and beyond as leaders in the classroom and within administration. As Lexi, Ellee, and Alyssa can attest from personal experience, Annette’s legacy as an unparalleled educator and passionate Coug has nurtured their ambitions to instruct, guide, and inspire students at their most impressionable.
“Our scholarship donors are investing not just in today’s education but in tomorrow’s promise,” said Karen Thomas-Brown, dean of WSU’s College of Education. “Their generosity opens doors, creates opportunities, and empowers future leaders. We are deeply grateful for their unwavering support, which enables our students to achieve their dreams and make a lasting impact on the world.”
For more information about the College of Education at WSU, visit education.wsu.edu.