Two educators leave a legacy for their families

After decades-long careers at the University of Washington, Bradley Portin and Mark Wicks decided to celebrate the end of their respective professional journeys in 2017 by creating a scholarship to benefit first-generation students. This year, the couple decided to increase their impact by making a planned gift to the scholarship.

The Leslie S. Wicks & Vernon H. Portin Endowed Scholarship honors the fathers of Portin and Wicks and the values they passed on to their families — a strong belief in education, a generous spirit and the creation of opportunity for others.

Moving from classroom to campus leadership

Bradley Portin, emeritus professor and dean in UW Bothell’s School of Educational Studies, began his career as an elementary school teacher and principal before earning his Ph.D. in England. Over the next 25 years, he settled into life as a member of the faculty and administration at the UW. This career eventually led him to become the first dean of the School of Educational Studies.

Portin said his belief in the life-changing possibilities of education drove his career. “Whether I was teaching elementary kids or whether I was working with graduate students,” Portin said, “it’s been about the same thing: Creating opportunity for what people want to do next.”

Central to this work was his compassionate support for students and colleagues alike. When asked for an example, he recalled supporting a Native American student during his time at UW Seattle’s College of Education.

“She didn’t have the same experiences as other students, but she persevered,” he said, adding that eventually she earned a Ph.D and now teaches in the Navajo community. After graduating, the student gifted Portin a handwoven Navajo textile, made by her aunt, as a token of gratitude for his support. “It reminds me of what’s possible,” he said.

Portin’s time at UW Bothell was also especially meaningful to him. He joined the campus in 2009, when it was still small and growing. Portin said the University didn’t have schools at that time, just programs. He relished the opportunity to build something new and to shape the future of principal preparation and teacher education. “It was relational, innovative and exciting,” he said. “We could sit around a table and say, ‘Let’s build this,’ and then go do it.”

Guiding students through challenges

Mark Wicks took a slightly different journey toward making an impact in the lives of others. After completing a Master of Social Work at UW Seattle, he spent 20 years as a hospice social worker before coming back to UW to get his own Ph.D. This led to his second career as an adviser and counselor to medical students.

Wicks has countless stories of his own compassionate support. He remembers students on the brink of dismissal from medical school – those who were struggling academically or personally. “They’d get sent to me,” he said. “And I’d walk with them through it.”

Then seeing those same students cross the stage at graduation or matching into residency programs brought him to tears. “I’d be up in the stands, crying with pride.”

Some connections went even deeper. One couple Wicks advised asked him to officiate their wedding. “I told them I wasn’t a minister,” he laughed. “But they looked it up and said, ‘You can get ordained online.’ So, I did. And they’re still together.”

It was during Wicks’ Ph.D. work that he first met Portin, who served as his committee chair. A few years later, their professional relationship blossomed into something more. “It helped that we were both passionate about education,” Wicks said.

Honoring two fathers and their values

Both Portin and Wicks were first-generation college students, raised in families where education was still deeply valued. Portin’s mother, who didn’t finish high school, worked as a school secretary, while his sister became a teacher. Wicks, on the other hand, grew up surrounded by educators with two of his siblings and multiple cousins in the profession. “Teaching was always around me,” he said.

Creating a scholarship to help first-generation students was a natural progression for the couple. “For both of us, our parents didn’t really have the opportunity of completing education to the degree that we did,” said Portin. “And that’s part of the reason I think we found the scholarship particularly meaningful, because we want to make that opportunity available to other students who are first-generation.”

The scholarship is named after their fathers, Leslie S. Wicks and Vernon H. Portin. It stands as a tribute to the men who quietly shaped their lives. Wicks’ father was a man of few words but deep presence. “He’d sit back, listen to the family chatter and just smile,” Wicks remembered. Portin’s father, by contrast, couldn’t stop talking. “He could talk to a door for hours,” Portin laughed.

Although the two men never met, the couple agrees they both were alike in spirit. “Gentle, generous and deeply committed to their families,” said Portin.

That same spirit lives on with the endowment. Portin and Wicks understand the financial strain many students face, working multiple jobs, worrying about debt and sometimes leaving school altogether. “We hope it makes a difference,” Portin said. “Maybe it helps someone stay in school for one more quarter or to buy books or just breathe a little easier.”

Impacting first-generation students

One of the most recent recipients of the Leslie S. Wicks and Vernon H. Portin scholarship is Alondra Guzman. Guzman, a senior graduating in 2026 with a degree in Elementary Education, shared her gratitude for the award.

“As a first-generation student, I knew I wouldn’t let financial hardships affect my opportunity to attend college,” she said. “My academic journey looks different from many, but I don’t let that limit my abilities to learn and grow. I am so grateful to have received this scholarship as it has boosted my confidence financially and academically. It has made it possible for me to not worry about textbooks and fees.

“It has also shown to my younger family members that higher education is possible and to not limit their dreams.”

In 2025, Guzman served as a senator for the Associated Students of the University of Washington Bothell. Through the experience, she said she was inspired to continue to support future educators of color. This year, she has been putting her plan into action as a student worker for UW Bothell’s Latino Leadership Initiative Program.

“After graduating, my goal is to work in the classroom for some time, then become an advocate in my community at a legislative level,” Guzman said. “I have lots to do, but I know it’s possible with scholarships like this.”

Growing the legacy of the endowment

As they look ahead, Portin and Wicks said they are committed to growing their scholarship through planned gifts. “Expenses are only going up for students,” Wicks said. “We want to make sure the support grows, too.”

Their fathers may not have lived to see the scholarship established, yet their legacy lives on in every student it supports. “My siblings have contributed to the fund,” Wicks said. “They feel honored to be part of it. It’s a way for our families to make a difference.”

And Portin and Wicks’ families now share a connected story of quiet impact, of lives shaped by education and of four men determined to pass the opportunity on to others.

“Life’s not about making money,” Portin said. “It’s about making meaning.”

“Life’s not about making money, It’s about making meaning.”

Bradley Portin

If you are interested in making a philanthropic gift to support UW Bothell students, please contact our development team at uwbgive@uw.edu.