Alumni Spotlight - Dr. Kafiya Arte

Dr. Kafiya Arte, an internal medicine resident at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, recently returned to her educational roots as the keynote speaker for Everett Community College Foundation’s “Looking to the Future” benefit breakfast. A proud EvCC alumna and former Foundation scholarship recipient, Arte shared her journey from refugee to physician—and how the college helped make it possible.

Raised in Arlington, Wash., Arte grew up in the predominantly white Lakewood School District, often feeling isolated as one of the few Black and Somali students in the area. Her family fled Somalia’s civil war and arrived in the U.S. in 1991. Facing both cultural and racial barriers, Arte turned to EvCC’s Running Start program during high school for a fresh start.

“At EvCC, I felt seen,” she said. “It was the first time I was surrounded by people who looked like me and shared similar struggles.”

Arte credits EvCC with helping her excel academically through free tutoring, flexible scheduling, and a diverse, supportive community. Inspired by courses in sociology and anthropology, she went on to earn a bachelor's degree in Medical Anthropology and Global Health with a minor in Human Rights from the University of Washington. Those studies laid the groundwork for her nonprofit, The Fieldhouse Project, based in Ghana, which fights child labor and trafficking through education and sport.

While at EvCC, Arte also found her voice as an advocate—meeting with lawmakers like Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rick Larsen to push for more affordable higher education. She joined the Black Student Union and worked with the Washington MESA (Math, Engineering, Science Achievement) program, mentoring underserved high school students in STEM.

Her academic journey nearly ended in 2011 when she could no longer afford tuition. An EvCC advisor urged her to apply for the Foundation scholarship, which she earned. “It was the first scholarship I ever received—and it saved my education,” she said.

Now a physician, Arte reflected on how EvCC shaped not just her career, but her identity and confidence.

“EvCC gave me community at a time when I felt completely alone,” Arte said. “It’s not just a college. It’s where I built my future.”

Watch Dr. Arte's inspirational life journey.