Computer Science Instructor Wins ACT Faculty Member Award

Bellevue College is pleased to announce that Dr. Sara Farag, an instructor and chair of the college’s Computer Science program, has recently won the 2026 ACT Faculty Member Award by the Washington State Association of College Trustees. She was among six ACT awardees recognized for excellence in their work within higher education. 

Nominated by the Bellevue College Board of Trustees and college leadership, Farag was awarded the William H. Meardy Faculty Member Award at the ACT Awards Dinner on May 7. As an awardee, she is eligible to be selected for the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) regional and national awards at the ACCT Leadership Congress happening in October this year. 

“It was an honor to be nominated for this award,” Farag said. “When I learned I received the award, I was thrilled. It’s a special recognition that I will cherish it for a long time.” 

Farag’s industry-aligned instruction, innovative thinking, and attention to outreach and community initiatives is what led to her nomination by Bellevue College’s Provost Dr. Jess Clark and the Board of Trustees.  

“Sara’s impact begins in the classroom and radiates outward across institutions, communities, and international borders,” Clark said. “As an educator, she is relentlessly student-centered and future-focused. Her teaching reflects both rigor and relevance, ensuring students not only master computing theory, but develop the adaptability, problem-solving skills, and technical fluency required in an ever-evolving technological landscape. Students leave her courses prepared to transfer successfully, to compete in high-demand fields, and to lead.” 

Farag has taught at Bellevue College for almost 9 years and has been instrumental in growing the college’s Computer Science program from five annual students in its first year to now 86 annually.  

Throughout her time as program chair, she expanded program offerings, student support, and created innovative partnerships that connected students globally and within the greater Pacific Northwest region to leading industries. Much of that work, she said, was in large part thanks to a $1.5 million Amazon gift. She launched the Data Science emphasis within the college’s Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and strengthened collaboration between two-year and four-year instructions through her leadership with the Washington Computer Science Education, having served as its president this past academic year.  

“I work with one thing in mind: supporting students,” Farag said. “Whether in the classroom or through leadership, that has been my mission from the start, and I will continue building on that to contribute meaningfully to student success.”