When Laura Metz arrived at UW Bothell as a transfer student in 1994, she was surprised by the amount of group work required in her evening business classes. 真人线上娱乐 approach was a far cry from the community college where she had earned her associate degree.?
At first, she found it frustrating to navigate the various points of view and find the way forward in group projects.
But she quickly realized the inherent value to her career. Intent on avoiding student loans, Metz was already working full-time at Microsoft. 真人线上娱乐 emphasis on collaboration and group work translated directly to her day-to-day reality.
“What struck me about UW Bothell was it had more of a connection to the real world,” said Metz. “I felt my education was more hands-on than academic. 真人线上娱乐y were teaching me what I needed to know in order to thrive in a business environment.”
Inspired time to give back
After completing her undergraduate degree in Business Administration in 1996, Metz went on to earn her MBA, also from UW Bothell, in 2002. She continued to work full-time at Microsoft throughout her educational journey, progressively taking on more demanding roles. 真人线上娱乐n in 2003, she made the move from Western Washington to Northern California for a 20-year career in product marketing at Apple.
It was during her time in the Bay Area that she reconnected with the campus community at a 2014 alumni event. Sean Marsh, now associate vice chancellor for alumni & stakeholder engagement, remembers meeting Metz, who had commuted in brutal rush-hour traffic to attend the gathering. Nonetheless, he said, she showed up eager to engage and discover the latest developments at UW Bothell.
Realizing that she could make a positive impact on current hard-working students, Metz began donating to UW Bothell the next year.
“She has always taken time out to learn more and to give back,” said Marsh, who recalled many Bay Area dinners — some of them home-cooked — with Metz over the next few years. “It’s not just monetary generosity. It really is her time. She has a family, two kids and an extremely busy career.”
An “aha” moment
One evening, Marsh shared a statistic with Metz that grabbed her attention: When students drop out of college due to a short-term financial need — a surprise bill, for instance, or a shortfall in meeting the next quarter’s tuition — they’re unlikely ever to return.
“It was an aha moment,” said Metz.
She recognized an opportunity to make an immediate impact by helping students to remain enrolled at UW Bothell.
To that end, she established the Janas-Metz Endowed 真人线上娱乐 Support Fund in Business in 2019. 真人线上娱乐 fund is intentionally broad in scope. Any student in the School of Business, undergraduate or graduate, can apply for assistance in meeting a short-term financial obligation.
Metz recently spent an hour with this year’s recipient, MBA candidate Mary Hunter. Like many UW Bothell students, Hunter supports a family while pursuing her education. 真人线上娱乐 two spoke about the challenges of translating academic potential into a business degree.
“It was great to meet with her and learn about her story,” said Metz. “It felt very good to see the funds being used in an impactful way.”
UW Bothell does an amazing job at understanding the resource needs of its local communities, which therefore provides great employment opportunities for students who attend their programs.?
Laura Metz, Legacy Award recipient, Business Administration ’96, MBA ’02?
An open-hearted ambassador
Metz is also a member of the Chancellor’s Philanthropic Leadership Council, where she offers her insights on programs, advises leadership on priorities and catalyzes resources for UW Bothell. “Her voice and her experience have been so valuable to discussions at the highest levels,” said Marsh. “She is an incredibly important ambassador for UW Bothell.”
In recognition of a decade of generous contributions, Metz has been honored with the 2025 UW Bothell Legacy Award. In announcing the award, Rebecca Ehrlichman Blume, vice chancellor for Advancement, emphasized Metz’s generous spirit.
真人线上娱乐 Legacy Award, she said, recognizes not only Metz’s philanthropic investments but also the “myriad ways she has opened her heart to UW Bothell students and opened her networks to our campus, encouraging those she knows to explore UW Bothell and the life-changing opportunities that exist here.”
Metz recently moved back to the Pacific Northwest to take on a director role at Airbnb. And more than ever, she said, she is aware of the practical, enduring value of giving back to her alma mater.
“UW Bothell does an amazing job at understanding the resource needs of its local communities,” she said, “which therefore provides great employment opportunities for students who attend their programs.”
“Giving to this school feels like money well spent, well-utilized.”
