Bilan Aden is one of three 2025 Impact in Action awardees, and we’re so pleased to tell you all about her here!

Bilan is a 2018 alum of our Graduate Program, run in partnership with the University of Washington. After her 10-month residency at IslandWood, she completed her Master’s in Education Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Washington. 2018 was a busy year for her, as she also co-founded the African Community Housing & Development (ACHD).

The ACHD is a nonprofit serving over 10,000 people a year in the African Diaspora immigrant and refugee community with housing, social services, economic development, and education programs. Their outdoor education programs impact students from Highline, Seattle, and Federal Way public schools and partner with collaborators such as the US Forest Service, Wild Society, and the Washington Trails Association to create memorable experiences in the outdoors for African Diaspora students and their families.

Today, Bilan is leading a capital campaign centered on five real estate development projects across our region, all aimed at advancing economic development and building generational wealth. Bilan was recently honored by the Washington Economic Development Association as the Advocate of the Year  and is also a Puget Sound Business Journal 40 Under 40 Awardee.

Bilan shared about the award, “IslandWood holds a very special place in my heart. Since graduating, I’ve come back more times than I can count — and as much as possible, I bring along my husband and our very curious three-year-old daughter for different events, including a grad reunion last year. (And yes — if you’re wondering, she absolutely tried to take over the reunion. Leadership skills start early, right?)

IslandWood represents something bigger than a beautiful campus — it represents community, growth, and the radical belief that outdoor education can truly transform lives. I’m forever grateful to be part of this legacy. IslandWood helped shape the leader — and the fighter — I am today. As the only Black woman in my cohort, I experienced firsthand why representation matters. I also witnessed the disparities in who gets access to nature’s magic based on race and income. Some days, I stood as the teacher. Most days, I stood humbly as the student — learning resilience, brilliance, and creativity from the young people I had the privilege of “leading.”

Today, that spirit fuels everything I do. My work is about creating lasting change — building affordable, family-sized homes so kids don’t have to change schools every six months, creating a vibrant International Public Market that smells like every grandma’s kitchen rolled into one, and building a headquarters where early learners to high schoolers can fall in love with STEAM and the outdoors — right in SeaTac.

I have dedicated my life to uplifting students, families, and communities, and I am reminded that I am not alone. Thank you, truly, for investing in the future. Thank you for believing that small seeds can grow the biggest forests.”

Read about our other 2025 Impact in Action awardees, Christopher and Rishin!