Rosemary McAuliffe was inducted to the Northshore School District Wall of Honor last month in recognition of her lifelong dedication to K-12 and advanced education in Washington.

According to a press release, her commitment to higher education brought Cascadia College and the University of Washington Bothell campus to town in 1990s and helped transform the Lake Washington Institute of Technology from a technical college to an institute of technology.

Raising six children in Bothell with her husband Jim was the impetus for her entrance into politics, the release states; when some of them were diagnosed with dyslexia, she realized the lack of resources for families with special needs children. She spent 14 years on the Northshore school board, two as president, then made her first bid for the state Senate. During her 24-year tenure, she was chair of the K-12 Education Committee, Early Learning Committee, Higher Education Committee and other committees related to health and family services.

McAuliffe has focused her activism on developing new venues to help children and families in the community flourish, according to the release. She was an early supporter and is an ongoing patron of the Northshore Performing Arts Center and founded the Bothell Arts Council.