News from the School of IAS
Category: Alumni
Poetry and Persistence: Belonging and Expression for First-Gen Students of Color
“I want to help minoritized students flourish and thrive in higher education. As a Cultural Studies student who wishes to go into Student Affairs, it is important for me to think of the best ways to serve and support diverse populations of students. I am very interested in using poetry as a way to cope, to heal, to create communities, and to make meaning. Being accepted into a university and going to class is not enough to help students succeed in college. All students are knowledge creators, and poetry is just one of the ways in which minoritized students can resist the restrictions of academic institutions.” ...
July 9, 2018
Alumni Shout Out!
Sandra (Brewer) Hengen (’00, Liberal Studies) was chosen to represent Boeing at the 2018 Women in Aviation conference in Reno, Nevada. Neil Low (’03, Liberal Studies) has retired from the Seattle Police Department after almost 50 years on the force. Jared Mead (’15, Global Studies) is a city councilmember in Mill Creek and current candidate for the State House of Representatives in Washington’s 44th Legislative District. Amy (Felch) Panther (’06, Culture, Literature & the Arts) is a senior executive assistant in administration at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Aaron Thacker (’98, Liberal Studies) served two years as Commander of the 856 Military Police Company and ..
July 5, 2018
Alumni Shout Out!
Jessica Hagy (’18, Creative Writing & Poetics) will spend the month of October in Reykjavik, Iceland as part of the SÍM Residency program. Each year, the SÍM Residency brings 150 national and international visual artists together to collaborate and network. Richie Meyer (’16, Policy Studies) has joined UW Bothell’s First Year & Pre-Major Program (FYPP) as Program Coordinator. In this role, he provides administrative support to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Director of the Academic Transition Program, academic advising team, and other FYPP staff and faculty. Megan Wiebelhaus (’13, Community Psychology) was selected as ...
June 27, 2018
Cristina Cortez awarded Mineral School artist residency
Recent alum Cristina Cortez (’18, MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics) has been awarded a Mineral School artist residency. Mineral School nurtures literary, performing, and visual artists to generate new work and present that work to the public. Cortez is part of the fourth cohort of residents, who will spend two weeks this summer living and working at the Mineral School, a transformed 1947 school building located in a small lake town at the foot of Mt. Rainier.
June 12, 2018
Melissa Watkinson researches the social and cultural dimensions of ocean acidification
IAS alum Melissa Watkinson is a social scientist with Washington Sea Grant where she supports the social science efforts on the Olympic Coast Ocean Acidification Vulnerability study. Washington Sea Grant, the UW Applied Physics Laboratory, and the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean have teamed with federal and tribal partners to study the social and ecological vulnerabilities of ocean acidification in the Olympic Coast. They hope their work will help policy makers and tribal communities develop evidence-based strategies for anticipating and responding to the effects of ocean acidification. “Harvesting ...
May 29, 2018
IAS celebrates student, alumni and community award recipients
On May 22, the IAS Circle of Recognition event celebrated the extraordinary achievements and contributions of our students, alumni, and community partners within the academic year. Honors included: The Husky 100, Husky Green Award, Washington Campus Compact Presidents’ Civic Leadership Award, UW Bothell Founders Fellows Scholarship Award, Create the Change Award, IAS Hall of Alumni Excellence, and IAS Outstanding Community Partner.
May 24, 2018
Alumni share career stories and advice with students
IAS alumni are supporting students by sharing their career stories and lessons learned along the way. Through the IAS Mentor Chats program, alumni visit classes to discuss how they’ve utilized their degrees, navigated job searches, and found success. IAS is grateful for their service of our alumni mentors, who provide an important perspective on the value of interdisciplinary education. Learn about a few of our recent mentors
May 22, 2018
Amir Noir Soulkin challenges dominant narratives on perfection
Alum Amir Noir Soulkin (’17, Cultural Studies) published an article, “Let’s change how we define perfect,” on the Rainier Valley Corps’ (RVC) Change-Makers Blog. Soulkin discusses Western ideas of perfection and the limitations they place on marginalized communities. Calling for a new paradigm, he writes, “When you really think about it, the human being is an incredible feat in biomechanical construction that blends mind, body and spirit. Human beings are constantly evolving. Through the mastery of the mind, human beings discover ...
May 17, 2018
Philip Palios wins Fulbright grant to study in Scotland
Philip Palios, a senior in Culture, Literature & the Arts, has been awarded a yearlong U.S. Student Fulbright grant to enter the master’s degree program in Environment, Culture & Communication at the University of Glasgow, Dumfries campus in southwest Scotland. “As I grew into adulthood, I became more aware of my mortality and more concerned with what I could be doing to make the world a better place within my lifetime,” says Palios. “The biggest issue on my mind was climate change, and I was also thinking about its intersection with poverty.” Read the full feature article on the UW Bothell News page.
May 15, 2018
Alumni provide career guidance through IAS Mentor Chats
All IAS undergraduate students take the course “Portfolio Capstone” during their last two quarters. Portfolio Capstone provides a space for students to complete their learning/professional portfolios, reflect on their overall education, and begin actualizing their career plans. In teaching this course, instructors have recognized the importance of connecting students to alumni, who provide an important perspective on life beyond graduation and the unique value of interdisciplinary degrees. Through the IAS Mentor Chats program, class visits by alumni are becoming a common practice in Portfolio Capstone. Mentor Chats provide opportunities to ...
May 10, 2018