Safe Routes is growing in Beaverton! Recently, June Srisethnil was hired as an SRTS Assistant Coordinator to help expand outreach and engagement in the community. We asked June some questions to learn a bit more about her.
– What made you want to become an SRTS practitioner?
I had to say “yes” to the opportunity to join the Beaverton SRTS team when it arose. A big thank you to Leah Biado-Luis, Beaverton SRTS Coordinator, for pinging me when the job opened up! I had crossed paths with her and other SRTS folks as an active parent volunteer and I always thought, “Wow, they have such a cool job! I’d like to do that!”
I had been looking for a career change opportunity where I could align my values (helping others), strengths (communication), background (healthcare, civil engineering) and experiences (bike advocate, school volunteer, events) with my lifestyle needs. As I’m learning, the SRTS program, as it sits at the intersection of all these things (and more!), could be that space. Being a SRTS practitioner just feels right and seems to check off a lot of boxes!
– What are you most excited about for the upcoming school year?
I’m most excited about continuing to learn and leverage my strengths to engage the community. I look forward to connecting with internal partners, PTO’s, and community partners to help us carry out our initiatives. Specifically, I’d like to help organize more bike rodeos, bike safety education (whole families), and bike buses.
– Do you have any favorite memories of walking or rolling to school?
I developed a strong sense of independence and responsibility being a good “bike driver” since I was in 3rd grade. I always wore my helmet and took care of my bike! One of my favorite memories is biking to school as a high schooler — leaving the house at 6:30am to go to before-school marching band practice, while carrying my backpack and my tenor saxophone! I thought it was crazy that I did that, but it made me pretty tough and certainly helped me with my bike handling skills.