Honors Grad Profiles

Proudest Moment: Getting accepted into the Honors Program and having my thesis approved.

Thesis: Upon the Pyre - The Fiery Funerary Practices of Vientiane, Laos

teshal@uw.edu

I am the mother of a UW graduate and a no-eyed cat, a nurturer of plant life, and an enthusiastic cook. As a late bloomer in the world of education, previous episodes of my existence included working at Pike Place Market, cooking in New Orleans, and as a professional hairstylist in Seattle. The anthropology honors program was an incredibly fulfilling experience for me as it allowed me the independence and freedom to focus my research on an area of personal interest. I am passionate about human rights, politics, history, culture, and all of these as they are concentrated in Southeast Asia. I am grateful for the education that I have received from the University of Washington which will equip me to work in fields related to these passions and I am very excited to continue in the Master's program here and to see what lies beyond.

Proudest Moment: I had the opportunity to be a TA for Accounting 215, the introductory financial accounting course. As a TA I was able to inspire interest, and hype up the fundamentals of accounting to students, while also mentoring students beyond the classroom to chase their goals at UW and in life!

Thesis: How Macroeconomic Events Shape Venture Capitalist's Investments

Hi, my name is Madisen Mead and I graduated with a B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and Finance. I am passionate about international business and world travel, and have studied abroad in Barcelona and Ireland, and completed the Foster Certificate of International Studies in Business (CISB) program and minored in Spanish.
My research in to the impact of world events on venture capitalist's investments, further inspired my interest in the growing Seattle startup and venture capital space!
I am excited to start at Deloitte in their audit practice in the Fall, and am a huge husky football and basketball fan- go dawgs!

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment is more of a collection of little moments. I was honored with the job of being a TA for two quarters and every time a student would come to me for help, we would work together to best tackle the topic at hand. My happiest and proudest moments at UW were simply watching the student's expression change from confusion to understanding.

Thesis: In-vitro Bubble-Enhanced Heating for Focused Ultrasound Treatments in the Brain

Hi, I'm Sierra. Although this is not exactly how I pictured the end, I am still so proud and thankful for the last four years. I have had the great pleasure of putting something of myself into every piece of my work here at UW and have found a passion and love for medical imaging and its applications in global health. I want to thank my family, friends, and co-workers for their constant support. And now, I am off to graduate school. TTFN!

Proudest Moment: Working at the Daily and meeting a bunch of great people there!

Thesis: Race, Class, and Light Rail Transit: Examining High-Income Demographic Change In after Light Rail Transit in Seattle

My Website

I came to the UW interested in working as a journalist, with research as the last thing on my mind. But, through my time at UW, I gained a passion for demographic research through the support of my peers and mentors in the department of sociology. This year, I have been working on my honors thesis which has been one of the greatest learning experiences so far. I was fortunate to be paired with an excellent faculty advisor and to have many other informal mentors help along the way. I was fortunate enough to win the Mary Gates Research Scholarship for my thesis and be invited to present my work at the American Sociological Association.

This summer, I will continue my research in the social sciences as a pre-doctoral fellow at The Johns Hopkins University Department of Sociology.

Proudest Moment: Reflecting on how far I have come as a dancer, artist, and educator, I am most proud of the blend artistic and academic work that I have been able to accomplish while at UW. From choreography to performances, research projects and community building, I am leaving UW with a mosaic of fulfilling experiences.

Thesis: Dance in Color Guard Educational Programs

sellman.megan@gmail.com

Megan began dancing at her local dance studio, alongside various color guard programs, most notably the Blue Devils Drum Corps. During her time at the university, she has served as the president of the Dance Student Association, worked as the Assistant for the Chamber Dance Company, and has completed honors research connecting dance, education, and color guard. She is looking forward to continuing a career in dance after graduation, and is thankful for the generosity, creativity, and community in the Department of Dance.

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment was being able to help new Bioengineering students as a TA for an introductory lab course. I take pride in being able to help others and pass on knowledge to future graduates.

Thesis: Rehabilitative Haptic Stimulation Device for Sensorimotor Impairment

I'm Max, a Bioengineering major with interests in neural engineering and data science. I've always been fascinated by the intersection of biology and engineering, and how we can use organic systems to inspire new technologies. I'm hoping to delve deeper into the how the complexities of nature can be captured by artificial processes, and how this knowledge can be applied in meaningful ways to improve human life.

Proudest Moment: Presenting my Honors Senior project, potential water reclamation from the campus utility tunnels, to the CEE faculty and staff.

a.ratcliff529@gmail.com

As an undergraduate, I have been able to work on several projects to improve campus sustainability. I have been a project manager for UW-Solar since I was a freshman. Through the group, I have been instrumental in the installation of solar arrays on rooftops of three residence halls and the Life Sciences Building as well as supported solar system deployments in Jayuya, Puerto Rico. Additionally, I contributed to the installation of a lab water reclamation system for the Life Sciences Building, jointly completed a feasibility study for greywater reclamation systems on campus, and am completing a master study on reclaiming steam condensate and groundwater from the underground campus utility tunnels.

Upon graduation, I will be working as a mechanical engineer for PAE Consulting Engineers, Inc. I will continue to impact campus sustainability in my professional role; I will be working on the MEP design of several UW buildings that PAE is contracted to work on, such as the Population Health Facility, the UW Health Sciences Education Building, the Kincaid Hall renovation, and the UW Foster building.

Proudest Moment: Hosting an charity event with my club (Beta Alpha Psi) that raised over 15,000 for Seattle Children's Hospital and brought the Seattle business community together for a great cause.

jtp.1122@gmail.com

I just graduated from the Foster School of Business in Accounting and am returning next year to complete a Masters of Science in Taxation. I am interning in tax services at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) this summer in Seattle and am looking forward to progressing in a tax career.

My interests include:
1. Fitness: Weight-Lifting, Running, and Playing Basketball.
2. Watching Basketball, Football, and Baseball. 3.
Playing Fantasy Sports.
4. TV shows: Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and Billions are among my all-time favorites.

Proudest Moment: Going to Russia for a conference on arctic relations.

Thesis: The Development of an Assay for the Large-Scale Measurement of the Gaseous Biomarker Hydrogen Sulfide in Blood

ddrruss@uw.edu

Hello, I started college in 2013 here at the University of Washington. I will graduate with a B.S. in Biochemistry and a B.A. in Medical Anthropology. Departmental Honors was a good choice, it kept me on top of my grades and it made me feel like my research was noteworthy. I am glad that I attended a school with so many research opportunities and such a multitude of classes to choose from; I was able to take everything from a class on CAD design to 2.5 years of Russian language. The research opportunities at this university were the big pull for me to attend and they did not disappoint. Conducting undergraduate research was such a good experience for me, that I realized research is what I wanted to do full time. I developed a passion for analytical chemistry and I am now coming back to UW this fall to begin a PhD program in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry. I am quite excited for what the future will bring.

Proudest Moment: Performing for elderly and disabled people at several care centers in the Seattle area with the Acting with Kindness student organization has been tremendously rewarding. I'll never forget seeing someone's eyes light up when she heard us perform a song from her favorite television show The Love Boat. I think it rekindled very fond memories for her and several of the other residents.

Thesis: Virtually There

chrishogan1000@gmail.com

Music and acting have been my passion for many years. My brother Matthew and I started playing dramatic improvisational games when we were very young, and I picked up the Trombone in high school. At UW, I had the privilege of appearing in the two short films Pseudonym and Good Boy with the LUX Film Production Club, a play about driving social and environmental progress called Something About Hope, and a voice-over narrative describing actual students' struggles with mental health. I designed sound for the 2019 UW School of Drama mainstage production of Body Awareness and performed popular-themed music in the Acting with Kindness student organization at over a half a dozen care centers in the Seattle area. More recently, I am directing an original play performed entirely in virtual reality that combines music, custom-built CGI scenery and motion capture technology.

Proudest Moment: Building complicated ML models (after days of debugging) that benefit and potentially save human health

Thesis: A Take on Generalized Spatial Mismatch Hypothesis: Effects of Residency Away From Work on Income Inequality

kangb6187@gmail.com

UW wasn't the highest ranking school I was admitted to. Some told me that I was making a huge mistake and I will come to regret it someday, but something that I can't really express pushed me to come to UW. Now that I'm done, I can tell what that "something" was: Cooking, friends, all-nighters, research, mentorships, bowling, hiking, internships, coffee chats, cold emails, stressing, drinking, binge-watch, TA-ing, free food, clubs, machine learning, and much much more.

I don't regret a single bit coming to UW. I'm finishing strong and all the experiences stay with me forever.

Proudest Moment: Implementing a composting program in the Alpha chapter of Chi Omega!

kgibian@uw.edu

I will be graduating from UW this spring through the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences with honors in wildlife conservation. I am passionate about predator-prey ecology and conservation education with the goal to enter the wildlife field as a wildlife technician. My interests include large carnivores, travel, and superheroes!

Proudest Moment: Either getting published for the first time on a peer-reviewed paper or publishing the Microphiles Journal!

Thesis: Use of Surrogate Bacteriophages to Model Persistence and Disinfection of Viral Pathogens

Hello! I am Ethan Spencer (he/him/his) and I am about to graduate with a degree in Microbiology. I spent a significant amount of my time at UW as a member for the Microphiles Club and Journal, as well as conducting as much research as I could. Anything related to infectious diseases is absolutely fascinating. Outside of academia, I am a proud dog dad, plant dad, love to try cooking as many new things as possible, and playing dnd with my friends.

Proudest Moment: Receiving the email announcing that I'd been granted the Mary Gates Research Scholarship!

Thesis: 'Can I Count on You?' Infants' Expectations of Prosocial Behavior Across Contexts

My Website aarti.bodas@gmail.com

Four years ago as a freshman, I could have never imagined how fulfilling my experience at the UW would be. I never would have guessed that I'd get to do Developmental Psychology research involving infants, that I'd win a research scholarship or that I'd end up getting a full ride to grad school! And above all else, I never imagined having as strong of a support network as I do, because of which I was able to accomplish so many things. The most important lesson that I learned during my time at the UW was to make the most of every experience, and in doing so to be persistent and ambitious, and that is what I carry with me moving forward.

Proudest Moment: Being inducted to the Husky 100

Thesis: Deep Learning Applied to Unreliable Contact Prediction in De Novo Protein Models

My Website

I'm a new Ph.D. student at the joint Carnegie Mellon -- University of Pittsburgh Computational Biology program. My primary research interests are improving out-of-the-box deep learning methods for computational biology and biological simulation. I aim to improve therapeutics development and bioinformatics availability in low resource settings.

Proudest Moment: Making my parents proud has always been one of my life goals. And I am glad that I made it today!

Thesis: Understanding the Long-term Tidal Modulation on Methane Bubble Emission at Southern Hydrate Ridge using Acoustics

As a first-generation Malaysian student, I consider myself a privileged one to be given the opportunity to come this far to pursue my bachelor's degree. My UW experience was an adventure, from performing on stage as an actor and dancer, to co-leading FIUTS CulturalFest, the largest cultural event on campus, to field experiences in the mountains and the ocean, and finally indulging in mentoring and doing research. These community building, leadership, field and research experiences have made me who I am today. I have forged so many international friendships and learned so much from stories coming from different parts of the world. Looking forward, I will further pursue my passion for marine geology, specifically in the energy field. I will also continue to challenge myself with new perspectives and keep growing with the hope to contribute to the world one day.

Proudest Moment: Thus, after completing bachelor's degree at this amazing UW, I hope to pursue my dream of becoming medical doctor and the medical anthropologist and hope to serve as the stepping stone towards inclusive community-building with cultural humility here and in Myanmar.

Thesis: apartheid, the State of Exception, and Rohingya Women in Myanmar (Burma): An Auto-Ethnographic Intervention

trinity.ttmo@gmail.com

Hi there! My name is Thu Thu and I am originally from Myanmar (Burma). Studying at the UW has been a great privilege for me as I have got to meet so many passionate and amazing people who have now become my family. From cliff diving and dipping my feet in taro farms during the study abroad trip in Hawaii to excavating the role of my own in the society fueled by apartheid and health disparities, the UW has given me so many opportunities to challenge myself beyond my own fear and the limits! What's more, through writing poetry, auto-ethnography, and storytelling, I have become more mindful and aware of the racial disparities and injustice around us.

Proudest Moment: Each years' Apple Cup -- go Dawgs!

Thesis: Neuromodulation Effects of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) on Zebra Finch Premotor Nucleus

I participate in neuroscience research on campus and completed a research fellowship at Swedish Epilepsy Center last summer. Additionally, I volunteer as a mentor for disabled students with DO-IT Access STEM, and at an organization near campus that serves those facing homelessness. In my downtime, I enjoy dancing, being outdoors, and exploring Seattle. I’m looking forward to continuing my studies next fall at NYU School of Medicine!

Proudest Moment: Performing in the Faculty Dance Concert in the Fall and the MFA Dance Concert in the Spring

Thesis: Two Left Feet Studios - A Dance Fitness Studio, all ages, all abilities and all styles welcome!

I took a winding path to get to where I am. I have been dancing my whole life and experienced some major set backs. I over came all of that and realized my dream. I wanted to teach. I knocked on doors until someone gave me a chance to teach. That led to more opportunities and more love for my art. It was after a few years I realized I wanted to combine my natural Business abilities with my love to teach. I wanted to open my own studio. I went back to school as a non-traditional student at my local community college. While working up to six jobs while going to school, I finished with my Business Administration degree and a Small Business Management Certificate. I then transferred to the UW to get my BA in Dance. While here I moved into a place and left my husband, son and dogs back in Vancouver, WA. I went to school, worked two jobs and tried to immerse myself in as many opportunities as I could. I started teaching Dance classes at the IMA on campus and made some wonderful friends. I also received a scholarship from the dance department to attend the Rhythm World 28 Dance Intensive in Chicago to receive a teaching certification in Tap Dancing. The program was taught by world renown tappers and it was a wonderful class of teachers. I got the honor of being in a dance piece for Kawasaki Guest Artist Etienne Cakpo in the Faculty Dance Concert as well as a dancer in MFA Brian Evan's piece for the MFA Dance Concert. I joined the National Society of Leadership and Success and am a proud graduate of the Dance program with honors. I will go back home to Vancouver, to reunite with family and begin the process to open up Two Left Feet Studios. I am so proud of my accomplishments and the road I have taken. It may be different, but it has been rich and full of life.

Proudest Moment: Making the Dean's List over half of my quarters here.

Despite the struggles I've faced, the UW has been a wonderful place for me to learn and increase in intelligence, wisdom, and faith. The decision to change majors rather than schools, although a hard choice to make, was definitely the right one for me, as staying here allowed me to continue on the path I had already set out for myself and grow as a person, not only as a student. Although I am not sure what lies ahead, I know that what lies behind has prepared me for it, and now I only have to follow God's guidance.

Proudest Moment: Conducting research on a topic I was so passionate about!

Thesis: Photovoice: Illuminating the Impacts of Inclusive Education Services in United States Public Schools

My Website daniellebenedict7@gmail.com

Dani is graduating from the University of Washington with honors and a BA in Social Welfare. Throughout her journey through the School of Social Work Honors Program, she has used the opportunity to critically reflect on the current state of inclusion and special education services in our public schools using a Community-Based Participatory Approach to allow students with disabilities to advocate and be the primary voices for special education reform. While at UW Dani has filled the roles of Vice President for the Mortar Board Tolo Chapter National College Honor Society, Community Service Co-Chair for the Organization of Student Social Workers, acted as a First-Year Interest Group (FIG) Leader, Dawg Daze Leader, and former UW Dream Project mentor and High School Lead. In her future Dani will be continuing her academic career by pursuing a Masters in Social Work with a concentration in Children, Youth, and Families. In her future Dani looks forward to supporting people with disabilities in attaining inclusion through meaningful employment in the community and having equitable access to education.

Proudest Moment: when my department annonced my name as a honor student

i1980198@uw.edu

I am UW student in Seattle campus, and I studied double major. I am immigrant from Iraq, I came in June 2012. I am mother for three kids. I lived hard life with more war, stresses, and lots of responsibilities, but all of that give me motivation to continue seeking better life and achieving my goals. I started to study at as soon as I came to the US. I am working in integrative brain research at Seattle Children Hospital Research institute to find a cure for diseases that associated with the motion deficit. This is just part of my journey, my goal is to study medical school and be a neurosurgeon and researcher at the same time to involve in treatment of untreated diseases, such as Parkinson's diseases and multiple sclerosis. Even though, I had hard life and lots of responsibilities, I still go forward to achieve my goals and serve the community, to prove to people who surrounded me that being mother is not a barrier to achieve your dream and living hard life should not stress you but it can be good motivation to push you forward and be what you like to be.

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment at UW was seeing my hard work in applying for internships pay off. Junior fall quarter I worked with my mentors and advisors to edit my resume and learn how to best pitch myself and my background to companies. I ended up interning at AWS which resulted in a full-time offer come this September. I am very grateful for all the people who have cheered me on along the way!

Thesis: The Dawn of Disaster : Political Critiques in The Word for World is Forest by Ursula Le Guin and Dawn by Octavia E. Butler

perroneoli@gmail.com

The past four years at UW have been more than I could have ever asked for! While at UW I have been a member of Delta Gamma, a two-time study abroad student, a FIG leader, a member of the Honors Program, a student in the Professional Sales Program, and an avid hiker, skier, and Seattle explorer. I am endlessly grateful for the friends I have made and for the communities that have fostered my growth. After graduation I will be working for Amazon Web Services (AWS) as an Associate Account Executive right here in Seattle. I look forward to continuing to call this place home. Go Dawgs!

Proudest Moment: My best memories at UW come from spending time with outstanding, goofy, and vibrant individuals who not only motivated me to become better, but also to enjoy life once (or twice) in a while.

Thesis: Effect of SS-31 on the Sod1KO Model of Sarcopenia

My Website kevinanguyen2@gmail.com

Hello! I'm Kevin Nguyen. I'll be graduating with a degree in Physiology this year, and I enjoy drawing and painting in my free time.

It feels surreal to conclude my 4 years of undergrad at UW. I remember back to the beginning of high school when I first designated UW as my dream school like it was yesterday. So much has happened during my time here and I will carry the endless memories, relationships, and lessons with me as I continue along my own journey.

Some highlights from my undergraduate career include: working on an extensive research project in the Marcinek lab for almost 3 years; learning from and assisting patients in clinical settings every summer; and collaborating with rad individuals on the Neurobiology Club officer board. And while STEM classes were something else, I'll give some credit to the endless and toiling hours of study for allowing me to indulge in the arts of learning and physiology.

Most importantly, my undergrad experiences have given me a greater perspective on life. There are many many things in this world that need to be improved upon. Personally, I will pursue medicine to not only to heal others but also to fight and rectify the disparities and conflicts that obscure the field from its full potential. My past interactions with other bright individuals along my journey have ensured me that they will do great things and change their respective fields for the better as well.

Proudest Moment: Strangely enough, getting a 4.0 in a computer science class that I took to fill a general education requirement only because absolutely no other STEM classes worked with my schedule. I was terrified the entire quarter because it's so completely out of my comfort zone, but it all worked out!

Thesis: READING PREGNANCY AS LIMINALITY IN MODERNIST BRITISH FICTION

My Website tamarleveson@gmail.com

I was born and raised in Silicon Valley, and while the four years I've spent at UW have been a bit rainy, I wouldn't change it for anything. In addition to my studies, I have served for three years as a committee leader for UW Hillel, hosted a weekly radio show on Rainy Dawg with my friend Mary every week since winter quarter of freshman year, and interned at a local design magazine called GRAY. I hope to continue my studies in English literature in a master's program in the UK in the near future.

Proudest Moment: My very first radio show on Rainy Dawg with my pal Joe

I once won a chocolate chip cookie baking competition during Junior year using my very own recipe. Other hobbies include, but are not limited to: drinking coffee. That is pretty much my life, eating cookies and drinking coffee. And playing with my cat.

Proudest Moment: Becoming a Bonderman Fellow

Thesis: Diet Composition of Carnivores in the Western United States Over the Last Century

thadeus@uw.edu

From a very young age, I have had a love for the outdoors and studying animals. Both of my parents have jobs in the environmental field, leading me to aspire to be like them when I came of age. They have been my biggest supporters and I cannot thank them enough for encouraging me while I pursue my dreams. I am currently an undergraduate student in my last year at the University of Washington. I am obtaining a B.S. in Environmental Science and Resource Management with a focus in Wildlife Conservation. I am also minoring in Quantitative Science. Before attending the UW, I transferred universities twice while balancing financial hardships with my scholarly career. I am extremely proud to be graduating alongside my peers, having finished my bachelor's in only four years. My time here at the University of Washington has provided me with many resources and truly set me up for the future. While at the UW, I have worked in both the Predator Ecology lab and the Disturbance Ecology lab in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. Both experiences have prepared me for a career in the realm of ecology and inspired me to continue my education in a graduate program. Before starting graduate school, I have accepted a wildlife technician position with the University of Illinois - Springfield where I will be reintroducing and monitoring state endangered Osprey. Following this summer, I have the privilege of travelling the world as part of the Bonderman Travel Fellowship. My long-term career aspirations are to work for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife or United States Fish and Wildlife Service managing wildlife populations, specifically focusing on predators.

Proudest Moment: Completing my degree in three years and exactly 180 credits!

Thesis: Elements of Compromised Autobiographical Memory and PTSD

vanesl@uw.edu

I love music, good reads, and getting outside! It was a pride and joy to lead The Veritas Forum at UW for three years and I have a similar desire to be gracious and conversational with people who think differently than I do. I love themes of generativity and creativity out of trauma, and I hope to bring such components of healing into my work with trauma populations in the future.

Proudest Moment: Officially establishing the ASUW Office of International Student Advocacy (OISA)!

alhumoudmaha@gmail.com

I'm a graduating senior in Political Economy and an international student from Saudi Arabia. On my first day of freshman year, I was diagnosed with blood cancer, and had to undergo chemotherapy and take classes at the same time. My battle with cancer has led me to change my major multiple times, which I'm thankful for, as it led me to political science and research. I was an undergraduate research fellow for the Center of American Politics and Public Policy (CAPPP) at UW, and I'm currently working on my second thesis, which traces state-building and taxation in Saudi Arabia. I am also an undergraduate research assistant in the Political Science Department to Kenya Amano, Ph.C., working a project about central bank independence.

Outside of my studies, I am a passionate advocate for international student representation and inclusion. This year, I co-chaired the ASUW International Students' Engagement and Advocacy Taskforce as a Mary Gates Leadership Scholar. In the upcoming year, I will be working in Washington, D.C., as a James C. Gaither Junior Fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Middle East Center. In the future, I hope to pursue my graduate studies through a dual degree of law and political science, combining knowledge, leadership, and advocacy.

Proudest Moment: Getting the opportunity to exhibit my art work at the UW Tower, the Husky Union Building, and the UW Medical Center in Winter 2019

Thesis: Art Heaux - a one-off 20-page publication on character study, emotion, and underlying themes of past and present

My Website

I spent my 4 years at UW studying technology and global media in the Department of Communication as well as Photo/Media in the School of Art, where I was a part of the 2019-2020 Honors cohort. Off campus, I was a member of Chi Omega sorority, where I served as the Alumni Relations Coordinator for 2 years. When I wasn’t in the art building working on my next project, I was a volunteer with ASUW A+E for 2 years where I was a committee lead for Spring Show 2019, and I got the opportunity to be a Game Day Recruiting Intern for Husky Football during the 2018-2019 season. My passions currently lie in bringing ideas to life, creating memorable live experiences for audiences, and making safe and equal spaces for people in the various sectors of the entertainment industry, regardless of race or gender identity.

Proudest Moment: Making the Dean's List with a 3.8 GPA while taking 19 credits.

Thesis: Black Student-Athletes' Experience at Predominantly White Institutes

I am a former full-scholarship Tight End for the UW football team. I struggled in school for my first 2.5 years of college because I didn't care about school and never believed I could succeed. I made a switch in my approach to school late in my sophomore year, in the midst of battling through multiple injuries.

I turned my entire academic experience around starting from ground zero. I didn't know how to study or what studying really looked like. After turning my grades around from 2.6s to now 3.7s+, I am now driven to set the example for other Black student-athletes and people of color in general. I will continue to break barriers that were set in front of Black students, in particular, Black student-athletes, of what we can and can't do.

My accomplishments are as follows:

1. Securing an internship with Amazon Web Services as a Product Marketing Intern

2. Student Athlete Leadership Forum, PAC 12 Representative:
Selected as one of two student athletes conference wide to represent the PAC 12 in Orlando, Florida

3. Sigma Leadership Conference, Motivational Keynote Speaker:
Spoke to a group of minorities, 9th-12th grade, about what it takes to be successful and excel not only in college but as a future business leader

4. Student Athlete Leadership Team, UW Athletics Representative:
Selected to represent UW athletics regarding athlete legislation at NCAA conference

5. UW Board of Regents Representative
Selected to represent all UW student-athletes to talk about the student-athlete experience in both academics and sports

6. Husky Leadership Academy - Executive Leadership Certificate recipient:
One-year designed to challenge UW student-athletes through coursework in leadership competencies and experiences. Provides participants with tools to effectively lead themselves and others, navigate challenging environments, and empower others to lead.

7. Washington Student Athlete Advisory Committee (WSAAC):
Gave input on NCAA legislation centered on Division I athletics; serves as the voice of the student-athlete at the University of Washington on how to improve our community

Proudest Moment: Organizing outreach visits to high schools to teach bioengineering to schools with diverse populations that have traditionally been underrepresented in the field of bioengineering.

Thesis: Classification of Alzheimer's Disease Patients using Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging-based Network Connectivity Analysis

hkredden3@gmail.com

Hello! My name is Hyae Won (Hannah) Redden and I am a senior graduating from the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Biochemistry. I was born in Seoul, South Korea and immigrated to the U.S. when I was three years old, growing up first in Little Rock, Arkansas and later University Place, Washington, before starting school here in Seattle.

Throughout my time at UW, I have been fortunate to have taken part in so many transformative experiences through taking engaging courses, participating in extracurricular activities, and interacting with so many extraordinary people. Some of my most meaningful experiences include coordinating a reading program at Seattle Children's Hospital and the UW Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; receiving a Gilman Scholarship to study abroad in Nepal, where I was able to assess health technology needs in the OB/GYN department; coordinating a website for Science Explorers, a graduate student group that develops science lesson plans for elementary-aged students; serving as Outreach Chair for the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) at UW for the past 2 years; and being a part of the Department of Bioengineering Diversity Committee, where I was not only able to contribute to improving efforts to improve diverse outreach, but also reflect on inequalities that exist in society and in higher education and think critically about action items to address such issues. These experiences, in conjunction with my research and academic studies in biochemistry and bioengineering, have fueled both existing and new passions and I hope to take these perspectives with me as I pursue a career in healthcare.

In my free time, I enjoy bullet journaling, hand lettering, taking on miscellaneous arts and craft projects, reading (especially autobiographies and memoirs), and traveling. My favorite travel memories during my time as an undergrad include holding a newborn baby at an outreach center in Bolde, Nepal, working as a patisserie assistant in a tiny little town called Nitry in France, and learning more about my home country. After graduation, I hope to continue learning about different cultures in the communities around me as well as while traveling abroad.

And of course, I wouldn't be here today without all of the amazing people that have helped me along the way, so thank you to the amazing peers, professors, and mentors that have contributed to such a great undergrad experience! Also, I'd like to thank my family for all of the endless love and support!

Proudest Moment: I became president of LUX: Film Production Club here on campus right before COVID, so although it was an unexpected year to lead the organization, I'm proud of our community and the adaptations we've made during this difficult year.

My Website

Hi, I'm Rachel! I graduated with a degree in Sociology and two minors in Informatics and Music. I'm interested in technology's impact on society, and wrote my honors thesis about the body positivity movement on social media. I'm also a freelance video editor and will be attending USC for a Master's degree in Journalism next year.

Proudest Moment: When I solved a math problem at the dorm/ won the Hub Pool Tournament!

Thesis: The fundamental group and its applications

huangpubo@qq.com

I'm Pubo, a fourth-year math major. I like playing pool, hiking, and snowboarding! I'm sad that I can't snowboard in the near future because I'm not in Washington right now, what a Shame!

Proudest Moment: Studying abroad on the Department of English’s "Navigating the Fables and Spaces of Rome" program

Thesis: Stability and Flux: Examining Temporality in Paul Cézanne’s Landscapes

I have always been interested in exploring different mediums of storytelling, whether that be through analyzing the brushstrokes of a painting or close reading the text of a novel. Throughout my time at UW, it has been my mission to challenge myself as a scholar by taking on new experiences such as studying abroad and taking part in both the Art History and English Honors Programs simultaneously, culminating in three theses: "Stability and Flux: Examining Temporality in Paul Cézanne's Landscapes," "Revealing the Modern Woman: Depictions of Berthe Morisot and Victorine Meurent in Édouard Manet’s Paintings," and "Expatriate Interpretation: Painting, Sculpture, and Artistry in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Marble Faun." Alongside my studies, I have worked as a technical writer at UW's Sensors, Energy, and Automation Laboratory and a co-managing editor at UW's Bricolage Visual and Literary Arts Journal. I plan on pursuing a career in publishing in the future and to continue refining my skills as a writer.

Proudest Moment: Finally learning and accepting to look past my GPA and focusing on the knowledge and relationships I built during my time at UW.

Thesis: Translingual Acceptance in English Composition: Emphasizing Meaning-Making for Students in Code-Meshing Curricula

As a former Running Start student, now graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in English two years early, I am beyond thankful for the numerous opportunities UW has given me in reaching my personal goals. My academic achievements and enrollment in the English Honors program have allowed me to challenge myself in new ways, revealing a form of perseverance within myself to maintain success through more strenuous academics. This has guided me further in wanting to become a secondary teacher in the near future, and the excitement I feel for educating students in the subject of English once I complete my Master's in Teaching! I hope to obtain my final degree by the end of the 2022-23 school year.

Proudest Moment: Getting the Foster Undergraduate Scholarship

raewang98@gmail.com

I'm thankful that the honors program has challenged me to research more in my interested academic areas. For my two ad hoc projects, I completed a research paper discussing America-China Trade War and one regarding "Clustering Performance Comparison Between Expectation Maximization Algorithm and K-means Using Spotify Data". Cheers to all the hard work and happy graduation to all the class of 2020 huskies!

Proudest Moment: Working as a House Manager at Meany Center for the Performing Arts

Thesis: Film, Medicine, & Moscow: Translations of Maxim Osipov's "Little Lord Fauntleroy" & "Fantasy"

levi.j.sy@gmail.com

My time at UW has certainly been one of unexpected, yet completely fulfilling, events. Coming to UW four long years ago, I knew that I wanted to get a degree in the physical sciences, likely in chemistry or biochemistry. While that did come to pass, it was one of the few parts of my education that followed my initial plans. Little did I know then that I would begin studying the Russian language, study abroad in St. Petersburg for a summer, and pursue an additional degree from the Department of Slavic Languages & Literature, much less write a translation thesis, translating two contemporary short stories from Russian into English. Despite the unforeseen nature of all of this, I wouldn't change it for the world.
Beyond classes, I enjoyed playing the French horn in various bands and orchestras on campus, as well as working at Meany Center for the Performing Arts as an usher and now a house manager. Looking forward, I hope to take a year or two off of school and then pursue a higher degree, likely in international relations or political science. Thank you to all of my friends, colleagues, and professors for your support!

Proudest Moment: My experience as a Sociology Honors student and working closely with my mentor Professor Edgar Kiser and Professor Sarah Quinn, the director of Sociology honors program, surely prepared me for the rigors of the Ph.D. program.

Thesis: Making and Transcending Boundaries: The Effect of Rituals on Interethnic Relations

raminj@uw.edu

I am Azerbaijani, a divided nation by geopolitical borders and denied contact during the Soviet era. As a member of an ethnic minority in Iran, I have experienced multiple forms of inequality and oppression. While banning our mother language, the state deemed the Persian language and culture alone as authentically Iranian. I witnessed my relatives in Iran forced to emigrate from Azerbaijani populated provinces to find construction work in Persian areas. I eventually learned that Iran’s highest rate of emigration occurs in Azerbaijani-populated provinces. These and other social and institutionalized injustices led me to join the Azerbaijani anti-racist movement in order to advocate Azerbaijani cultural rights and oppose discriminatory economic and environmental policies of the state.
My personal history, though unique in many respects, unfolded in the context of social, economic, and political conditions that exist in many societies. I come from an ethnic minority in Iran humiliated for their accent when speaking Persian and subjected to multiple forms of discrimination designed to silence them. It has meant everything to me to pursue my studies in this country, unfettered by discrimination and persecution for my ideas or my refugee status. Coming to the US allows me to pursue an academic career, but I also see it as an opportunity to enrich our understanding of and give voice to various minority groups (e.g., ethnic, gender, racial) that have also been silenced. Motivated by the goal of achieving a just and inclusive society, I studied in the Department of Sociology.
Within two months of arriving in the United States, I attended Green River College and learned especially from my mentors Professor Carlos Adams and Professor Brad Johnson. My experience as a Sociology Honors student and working closely with my mentor Professor Edgar Kiser and Professor Sarah Quinn, the director of Sociology honors program, surely prepared me for the rigors of the Ph.D. program. This fall, I am coming back to UW as a Ph.D. student in the Department of Sociology. I am deeply indebted to my mentors in both schools, my family, and my friends for their support along the way.

Proudest Moment: One of the proudest moments for me at UW were those time when my teams won several very competitive business case competitions.

Thesis: ASC-606 Readiness and SAB 74 Disclosure Quality

kellylc31@icloud.com

I am an international student from China. I have had a challenging but wonderful 4-year experience here at UW Foster School of Business.

Foster has helped shape and define who I want to be in the future, and will continue to remind me of who I used to be, what I learned from my past and how I can take the lessons learned with me going forward.

As I am graduating, I am on the way to start my career at Deloitte Consulting NYC office. I hope Huskies can keep connected no matter where we go. Go purple, be gold!

Proudest Moment: My honors thesis on #MeToo, my EDUC 401 program, where I mentored three individuals for three separate quarters, and winning second place at the Deloitte Case Competition for consulting.

Thesis: #MeToo: To what extent does hashtag activism around #MeToo spur cultural and institutional changes?

My Website pdoowa@uw.edu

I was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand and I moved to Seattle for my undergraduate studies at the University of Washington. I am graduating with a Journalism degree with minors in Nutritional Sciences and Writing. During my time at the UW, I have received two scholarships, the Max & Monica Journalism Scholarship and the Marjorie Kaczor Alhadeff Endowed Scholarship for Journalism. I am interested in pursuing a career in consulting and marketing post-graduation but I have a passion for travelling so I'll be doing that during the summer!

Proudest Moment: Completing my honors thesis and making it to NCAAs my sophomore year

Thesis: Diffusion of Agricultural Innovation: A case study of the use of biosolids in the state of Washington

Annamaxwell@Comcast.net

I had the honor of running on the UW Track and Field and Cross Country team for the past five years while completing a BS in Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource management and a BA in Political Science. I love hiking, biking, trail running, birding, photography, and anything to do with rivers. I hope to run the Boston Marathon next year while I study for the LSAT.

Proudest Moment: Presenting my thesis to both a performing arts audience and an education/ecology audience at the Mary Gates Research Symposium. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of this work, I witnessed how people on both sides were able to see their disciplines in a new light--and envision the potential for this type of work to really make an impact through application to an array of disciplines.

Thesis: Environmental Dance: Unearthing How Dance Can Advance the Environmental Movement

madison.r.bristol@gmail.com

Madison Rose Bristol is graduating this summer with degrees in Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management (BS, Honors), Dance (BA, Honors), and Marine Biology (minor). In retrospect, these past four years have been her joy because she has been able to pursue her passion for environmental justice in tandem with being actively involved in the UW and Seattle dance communities. Madison has performed in 17 UW associated shows, has choreographed 8 pieces within the UW Dance Department and for the Seattle International Dance Festival, and has taught at local dance studios. On the environmental science side, Madison has explored a wide range of social and biophysical sciences during her undergraduate experience. For one summer, during a class on marine birds and mammals at Friday Harbor Labs, she conducted field research on the distribution and behavior of shorebirds at Argyle Lagoon, San Juan Island. This class reaffirmed her love for coastal organisms and environments, but also helped guide her in the direction of more anthropocentric work. She proceeded to teach and then become a site lead for the Pipeline Project's Environmental Alternative Spring Break Program, where she traveled to Oroville in Eastern Washington for two years in a row. Teaching environmental science to these middle schoolers made her want to incorporate community-based work into her professional career. This in some ways became a reality for her when she became an Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholar in June 2018. She was placed with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Marine Reserves Program. Madison spent the summer assessing the socioeconomic impacts of marine reserves implementation through direct, one-on-one conversations with commercial and charter fishermen. This experience set her up with the skills to pursue further human dimensions research, and to envision herself as someone who could bridge understanding between communities in the future in the pursuance of environmental action.

During her senior thesis, Madison was driven by her curiosity about what could happen when her two passions collided. At first, she used choreography as her outlet, creating works implicitly and explicitly about the human response to environmental degradation. However, she also wanted to connect with and learn from a small community of emerging movement artists in Seattle who were using dance as a means to connect people emotionally to environmental issues. As a result, she conducted interdepartmental research on the multiplicity of ways in which dance can contribute to the environmental movement. Now at the end of her capstone experience, it has been entirely fulfilling for her to see how members of the Seattle dance community have been employing dance--a practice embedded in community, empathy, social connection, and alternate modes of communication--to compel environmental action. Be that through movement healing sessions to transform eco-anxiety into action steps, movement fundraisers, visceral dance performances, or sustainability through the arts, these people are entrepreneuring novel ways of evoking emotion to invoke action.

On the near horizon, Madison will be traveling to Taiwan to study environmental and social resilience, and after her travels she hopes to engage in political activism, dance projects that are environmentally and socially relevant, and work for environmental groups. She will be returning to school in the next year or so--perhaps in pursuance of a dual Master's through the Evans School of Public Policy and the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs-- to study environmental policy. With this professional education, she hopes to achieve her goal of leading societal change through creative and innovative management approaches and community-based engagement.

Proudest Moment: being in Jumpstart program!

Thesis: Roles of Gender and Parental Involvement on Southeast Asian Adolescent Mental Health

Hello! My name is Lena and I love listening to kids and youth tell their stories, speak their truths and humble me to the ground. I am grateful for the BASW Cohort of 2021 for their support throughout my time at UW and for our small departmental group for keeping each one of us going through the hardships of it all. Big shout out to Jane Lee for guiding me through this mini project.

Proudest Moment: Attending the capstone symposium and presenting my lightning talk

Thesis: Making Your Spring Break Sustainable: Can Tourism Be A Driver for Positive Environmental Change?

kort89@uw.edu

I am recent honors graduate from the University of Washington's Program on the Environment. I completed my undergraduate research in Mexico, where I studied sustainability in the heritage and tourism fields. My main interests are in creating better management techniques so that the travel industry can be more socially and ecologically responsible; and doing interdisciplinary research and applying systems thinking approaches to different problems. I have had the opportunity to develop many of my skills through study abroads in China and in Mexico. I am currently working with a Cultural Heritage Management non-profit in Mexico where I am attending and planning conferences for people in the travel, tourism, and heritage fields and I hope to start a podcast that addresses sustainability in travel.

Proudest Moment: Getting into departmental honors for both of my majors within a week!

Thesis: Evaluating technological tools to support environmental literacy, Correlating landslide susceptibility and risk using GIS and statistical methods

Being a student at the College of the Environment, I'm constantly amazed by the power of people and education in order to creatively solve environmental issues. For our society to be proactive in solving major environmental catastrophes like climate change, we need to be better science communicators, activists, and advocates for justice and equity. The University of Washington has introduced me to a variety of people, which has just given me the opportunity to mentor, teach, and learn fro and is just one step in being a leader and role-model in my community.

#GoDawgs

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment at UW was being elected Chapter President of my sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi. I believe the person I am now, bold, confident, outspoken, was always somewhere inside of me. But becoming the AOII Chapter President gave me the opportunity to see it for myself and show everyone else the person I was always capable of being.

Thesis: The Continued Importance of American Prison Literature: A Brief Exploration of Writings from Incarcerated Black Men

The past four years have been characterized by growth and personal development. I struggled to adjust my freshman year, and was forced to reflect on where I wanted to be three years later: pursuing my dream of becoming a lawyer. Since that moment, I have put every ounce of myself into setting these dreams in motion. During my time at the University of Washington, I have interned with Chelan-Douglas County Volunteer Attorney Services, Washington State Employment Security Department, Washington Pro Bono Council, PNW Anti-Defamation League, served as the Student Support Committee Chairman for the UW College of Education, volunteered with Family Law CASA of King County, been a member of Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, and served as the Chapter President of Alpha Omicron Pi.

I am so proud of everything I have accomplished in the last four years, and am excited for the next chapter of my life. This fall I will be attending the University of Oregon School of Law to pursue a J.D. with specializations in family law and child advocacy!

Proudest Moment: I am proud to have served as the ASUW Pacific Islander Student Commission Director from 2016-2017 and to have been named a Husky 100.

Thesis: Precarious Histories: Legacy Workers in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

I am the child of Filipino migrant contract workers to the CNMI and embody the culmination of my parents' sacrifices. My Husky Experience gave me a platform to find empowerment in my identity as a queer Filipinx born in the Northern Mariana Islands through opportunities that enabled me to apply my own story and my family's story in leadership and academia. My goal is to serve as an attorney for the people of the Marianas, especially migrant workers and Pacific Islanders marginalized by U.S. federal law and policies.

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment at UW was submitting my two theses!

Thesis: "Engineering Reversibility within a Novel Hepatitis C Virus NS3a-Based Chemically-Inducible Dimerization System" (Biochemistry); "Sampling from Conditional Distributions Using Groebner Basis Theory" (Mathematics)

I participated chemical biology research with the Maly lab, and completed summer research fellowships at the University of Virginia and the University of California, Los Angeles. Additionally, I spent three years working as a peer tutor at the Instructional Center. In my free time, I enjoy watching movies, exploring the city and listening to live music. I'm excited to be continuing my studies as a PhD candidate at Harvard University.

Proudest Moment: Presenting my research at the 2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium

Thesis: The Role of Food in the Hellenistic and Roman Colonization of Ancient Trans-Jordan

lorraine.abagatnan@gmail.com

I am a graduating senior from the Classics department. I focus on Classical art and archaeology. My research interests include food and commensality studies, archaeological theory, and ancient expansion (i.e. colonialism). I have studied abroad in Jordan to work on a Near Eastern archaeological project. I am currently assisting with the Issei at Barneston Archaeological Project. Outside of archaeology, I am especially interested in Sappho and Greek lyric poetry, Greek and Roman epics, and Roman love poetry. I am proud to have completed my undergraduate education at the University of Washington! Special thanks to my two departments for taking good care of me.

My identity as a Filipina-American is very important to me. Despite having lived in the PNW for most of my life, I still consider myself a Southern-California girl through and through. That means a fond love of the ocean, swimming, playing hide and seek in citrus gardens, and other fun things.

My favorite hobbies are things I can do in my living room: reading, writing, playing music, and being with my friends and family. I love the outdoors, so hiking, camping, and general exploration is a must-have in my life! I also practice (and love) judo.

Proudest Moment: I can’t say the proudest moment but my proudest quarter is spring 2019. I participated in the Women in Applied Math Mentorship(WAMM) program, applied and got accepted to my first research project, offered positions as a grader and a tutor in the math department.

Thesis: Some Applications of Fourier Analysis and Wavelets Analysis

I am a graduate double majoring in Statistics and Applied Computational Math Science(ACMS), with Departmental Honors from ACMS and minors in applied math and math. Born and raised in Chengdu, China, I never thought about studying abroad before high school. UW was not my dream university at first but I feel so fortunate to be here and spent the four memorable years. It has more to explore than meets the eye. I am proud and lucky to get involved in WAMM, WDRP, WXML, and some challenging research projects. I also worked as a cashier at the District Market, a tutor at the Math Study Center, and a grader for the math department. I am incredibly thankful for the people who helped me and offered me opportunities during college, especially Professor Tim Leung, my first research advisor, and Professor Tatiana Toro, my thesis advisor. After graduation, I will pursue my doctoral studies in applied math at Columbia University!

Proudest Moment: Completing my Honors Thesis

Thesis: The Road to the Ballot Box: A discussion of how quality of infrastructure effects elections

bkrben@gmail.com

I'm a jazz bassist. I have substantially lost 70+ pounds since the end of my freshmen year. I love public transportation. I currently am heading towards a career in public policy: I'm an admitted student to the Evans School of Public Policy and I work for the Ruckelshaus Center for Public Policy.

Proudest Moment: Finally finishing my thesis and winning the Lev Award

Thesis: How the Rise of Local Identity Eroded Pan-Chinese Nationalism in Taiwan and Hong Kong

As a Taiwanese American, the nuances of Taiwan's complicated relationship with China has always fascinated me and is also a catalyst for my interest in political science and international relations. Throughout my undergraduate career, I was involved with various on-campus organizations that focused on important international issues. Most notably, I served as President for the Model United Nations club at UW. Through my role, I attended and staffed various international and local conferences where I was able to gain a better understanding of and appreciation for the dynamics of the international community.

This fall, I will be attending UW Law School as a Gregoire Fellow. This unique opportunity will offer me the chance to receive mentorship from former governor Christine Gregiore and to intern at a variety of local law firms, government agencies, and corporations. As a future law student, I hope to study international business law and continue to learn about Asian law and government.

Proudest Moment: Completing my 9 month long capstone project and finding an amazing team of support throughout my journey at UW.

Thesis: Utilizing Technology for Interpretive Materials in Urban Parks (Friends of Discovery Park)

pakgina96@yahoo.com

I'm entirely grateful for my experience at the University of Washington. I have learned so much about how to think critically and work with different groups of people on a variety of projects, while also balancing work and a social life. I'm so passionate about the environment, sustainability and building community! I cannot wait to use these skills I have gained through my undergraduate experience to make an impact on the world, no matter how small or large!

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment at UW was founding my RSO and see it grow in numbers over the years and host meaningful events that made a impact to cultural diversity. On top of that, it would be my summer internship working for the White House AAPI projects to better represent and promote the AAPI community during a time that's filled with fear and xenophobia to make a positive difference.

Thesis: "Extinction: The Bargain with Humanity - Climate Change and Social Marketing"

My Website mengc12@uw.edu

Mengwei (Crystal) Chen was born in Kaifeng, China, and immigrated to Washington State with her family when she was eight years old. She is graduating with Departmental Honors this Spring majoring in Marketing and English. By using the narrative skills from English and packaging skills from Marketing, she practiced innovative campaigns such as "Selling Climate Change" with social marketing. As the Founder and President of the Ancient Chinese Association (ACA), she conceives that marketing shouldn't be limited to "products" and that it's possible to market a "culture." She believes miscommunication is a catalyst to a majority of the crises in this world, and her goal in the future is to enhance message flow and combat miscommunication for individuals, groups, and societies at large. Outside, she's also a motivational speaker who traveled to different high schools promoting students to seek higher education and ways to practice personal branding. In summer 2020, she interned for the White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI), aiming to learn strategies to enhance the construction of narratives and other skills to better represent and promote the AAPI community. She's also worked as an advocacy intern at the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce assisting local projects and as an outreach specialist for the City of Seattle through ECCC. As a former competitive swim team member, she's very active and seeks the opportunity to go swimming during her spare time and other activities such as hiking and archery.

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment at UW was the completion of my senior thesis.

Thesis: Pet Perspectives: The Role of Companion Animals in Modern British Literature

I will soon be studying Czech during my MA at the University of Michigan.

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment at UW was my first quarter. I came in as a transfer student and went directly into upper level classes even though I was nervous about how I would do in them. I was so proud when I came out of my first quarter with the best grades I'd ever had.

My Website ashley.ambris@gmail.com

I was born and raised in the silicon valley of California and came to UW as a transfer student. As soon as I got here I fell in love with the state and have used my surroundings as inspiration in both my drawing and interior design. I enjoy playing with textures, patterns, fabrics and natural elements to create aesthetically pleasing visuals. Now I'm working as a full-time interior designer in Washington.

Proudest Moment: I'd have to say my proudest moment at UW was getting into the English department Honors program and fulfilling one of my academic goals. Being able to learn and work with the faculty and my peers has been amazing, and I literally could not have picked a better time to be in an Honors cohort focusing on temporality and human extinction.

Thesis: In the Wreckage of Humanity: Ruins, Agency, and the Art of Post-Apocalyptic Video Games

My experience at the University of Washington has been defined by my commitment to literary scholarship and health care, as well as the personal empowerment I've felt in pursuing both English literature and STEM. This has all set me on my path towards becoming a physician, (hooray for studying for the MCAT soon!), and I'm hoping to keep up my writing as much as possible in the future. My love for creative writing and English has only grown in the English Honors program, and I can't be more excited for what's next.

I'm beyond grateful for the friendships I've made during my undergrad, and for everything I've been able to learn. Cheers to four years, UW.

Proudest Moment: Making the Dean's List for nearly 4 years straight

I am a transfer student that has had nothing but a good experience at UW. Over my three year here, I have been blessed to have made many educational and personal relationships that I will cherish forever. Getting to watch the Dawgs play a Rose Bowl in Pasadena is something I will never forget. GO DAWGS

Proudest Moment: The proudest moment is being awarded the Mary Gates Scholarship for my research conducted at UW.

Thesis: A Biodegradable, Multifunctional Hydrogel as a Vascular Graft Sealant

My professional interests are studying physiology and biochemistry and trying to engineer low cost, reasonable, and effective solutions to problems that arise in the human body such that they can be treated successfully. This passion will hopefully lead me towards a career in medicine where I hope to contribute towards revolutionizing the way medicine is practiced. Participating in a translational research project for 3 years has sparked my interest in the field of research and how it is related to medicine. During my spare time I am interested in playing and watching basketball, cooking, and exercising.

Proudest Moment: I participated in the UW Research Symposium, and shared great ideas and novel insights there.

Thesis: Bilingual Code-Switching and Semantic Ambiguity Resolution

The capacity and uniqueness of the human brain have always been the field that intrigues me. Four years in UW I've developed great interest and passion in human executive function, especially language and other cognitive processing. I've brought my passion in psycholinguistics into my language learning, and done research in combining cognitive psychology with human linguistic behavior. After graduation I'll continue to pursue my research interests.

Proudest Moment: One of my proudest moments at UW was getting into honors, and fulfilling one of my most important longterm academic goals. Getting to interact with and learn from my History Honors cohort was one of the most exciting experiences of my college career, and I am extremely grateful for every minute of it.

Thesis: Wives, Daughters, and Rebels: Women’s Interactions With the Law and Society During the Triumviral Proscriptions

Over the course of my time at UW, I have been able to expand my horizons and be a part of so many wonderful organizations. This has all set me on the path to becoming a teacher, and I am excited to be starting my masters in teaching next year!

Proudest Moment: Completing my internship with Books to Prisoners.

Thesis: From Buyer Beware to Ending Exploitation Collaborative: The Nordic Model and Human Rights of Sex Workers in King County

I graduated in December of 2018 with a Bachelors' of Arts in Law, Societies and Justice. I focused my honors research on the violations of human rights perpetrated by the local government and prosecutors in Seattle and King County against women working in the sex trade, particularly through the use of pseudo-legalization. Since then, I've been working on preparing my thesis for publication and have been working as a residential rehabilitative counselor at an in-custody competency restoration center for those found incompetent to stand trial with Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.

I will be moving to Dallas this summer to begin attending Southern Methodist University School of Law. I will be working towards my juris doctor for the next three years and hope to work in civil liberties law in Texas after graduation and after taking the bar exam.

Proudest Moment: I am proud of all the opportunities I have taken to give back to my community.

Thesis: Effects of Regenerative Agriculture on Soil Health

I would like to make large-scale impacts in the world of environmentalism. I have been so grateful for the opportunities I have been given at the University of Washington. The most notable is simply access to the amazing outdoors of the pacific northwest. My program allowed me to spend so much time among the trees where I am happiest!

Thank you to everyone I've met along the way and to all of those who have made me into the woman I am today. I could not have achieved this without all of you.

Proudest Moment: Leading the Husky Badminton Club in hosting the largest and only student-run tournament in Washington State

My Website

My time UW has been packed with opportunities and experiences which let me explore my interests and passions. I've also found a wonderful community in my majors, research, and clubs. After graduation, I will be continuing my research as a Washington Research Foundation Innovation Postbaccalaureate Fellow in Neuroengineering in the Perlmutter Lab.

Proudest Moment: Working together with 4 fellow Chemical Engineering undergraduates and 1 MBA student to win the Social Impact Prize at the 2019 Dempsey Startup Competition

My experience as a Husky is defined by so much more than just working through challenging engineering problems. It was a time where I really got to explore my true passion, potential and purpose.

In my time here, I have been fortunate to have my family, mentors and friends support me in all of my personal and academic endeavors. For all that I have been able to achieve during my time here, I owe it all to them.

Proudest Moment: Graduating and earning my Baccalaureate degree from the University of Washington with Departmental Honors has been my proudest moment here. It demonstrates my discipline into being a critical thinker and continuously learning. It is more than just a piece of paper earned, it is a journey in which I committed my blood, sweat, and tears to.

Thesis: “Maybe I Shouldn’t Buy a Coffee so I can Pay Off my Student Loans”: Racial Differences in the Moralization of Student Debt

yanac@uw.edu

This is me. A self portrait drawn in graphite. This portrait captures much more of who I am than a photo ever will because I created this representational image of myself, who I am, and what I see. I love drawing, painting, and sketching but I also am a child and first time University graduate of immigrant parents. I have seen and experienced many cultures and ways of life and gone through life's journey leading me here to the University of Washington. During my time here I have gained experience and educated myself in as many disciplines as possible such as art, technology, computer programming, and Sociology. All of these may seem unrelated on the surface but really they all have a connection in the way we learn as people, how we as a society and culture interact with each other, and how we as people develop our identity and sense of self. For four years at the University of Washington I explored the nuances of life, learned about various disciplines in many different fields of knowledge, which all gave greater meaning to my life and my journey for the future. Especially, as an Honors Sociology student and researcher I delved into the studies of society, culture, and people and why we create the lives that we do. Getting down and dirty into the field of social science research taught me a lot about the tendencies of society and the conceptualizations of morality. However, as I learned about other people I also learned about myself which is the greatest gift that this educational journey has given me.
Looking back on my past four years here at the University of Washington and my life I have also taken part in so many amazing positions and opportunities from working with Senator Maria Cantwell to the Seattle City Prosecutors office in the Criminal division to computer software and programming to the Honors Sociology program during my last year here. I am grateful for every single one of these experiences as they have taught me about myself and what my true passions are in life. No matter what I choose to do with my future each opportunity taught me valuable knowledge and skills that are irreplaceable.
For my future I want to incorporate all of my passions and all of these experiences together because no career, job, or area of life is isolated. Science and technology require art just like art requires ideas of science, technology, and innovation. I am excited for what is to come and everything that I will succeed in.

Proudest Moment: Finding my passion in social sciences and pursuing it through independent study

Thesis: The Meanings of Sustainability: Associations with Pro-Environmental Behaviors

Environmental science student interested in the human dimension of the environment. Pursuing a master’s degree in global environmental change and policy in London. Hope to enact positive change!

Proudest Moment: I survived four years of college with five hours of sleep per day on average.

I am a hardcore undergraduate researcher interested in interbacterial and host-microbiome interactions. After I finish my B.S. in both Microbiology and Biology, I will attend the Ph.D. program in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Duke University in Fall, 2019.

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment at UW was finishing my 30-minute documentary that shared the voices and stories of the indigenous people on the Olympic Coast.

Thesis: Ocean Acidification and Native Tribes: Sharing Stories from the Olympic Coast

Throughout my time at UW, I've had so many great experiences. As a two-year member of the SURE-EH (Student Undergraduate Research Experience in Environmental Health) program, I have completed two year-long independent research projects under the guidance of my faculty mentor Dr. Tania Busch Isaksen. Last year, my project focused on improving food waste sorting and recycling at Kirkland Middle School in Washington. During this project, I had the opportunity to first design my own methodology to conduct a waste audit at the school and then was able to instruct and work alongside students to help complete the audit. After analyzing the data with the specific goal of identifying barriers to proper food waste disposal, I created a poster to be displayed in the school’s hallway and collaborated with the school's Green Team to guide future targeted recycling improvement efforts. Continuing with the topic of food waste but at a larger scale, my project with SURE-EH this year involved improving the food waste management system of local food trucks. The City of Bellevue, a community with a robust food truck culture, was looking to revise its current food truck permitting process and was interested in incorporating a sustainable waste management component. In collaboration with two graduate students, I performed a policy analysis to identify the best practices of successful existing sustainable food truck operations around the country. From there, my team and I created qualitative interview questions and surveys and conducted interviews with key stakeholders in Bellevue such as food truck operators, waste management contractors, food donation organizations, and customers. My findings from this research will then be used to inform key recommendations to the City of Bellevue in launching their new sustainable food truck permitting program. Outside of SURE-EH, I also performed research as part of my senior capstone project. I interned with Washington Sea Grant on a project that involved partnering with indigenous coastal communities to examine how ocean acidification is affecting key marine resources as well as overall tribal well-being on the Olympic Coast of Washington. Within the project, my primary role involved conducting and recording in-person interviews with key partners involved in the project such as scientists, oceanographers and tribal leaders which I then edited into a short documentary highlighting the voice of native tribes and the effect these climate-related ocean changes have on their well-being. From there, I then conducted my own research on the vulnerabilities of Olympic Coast’s native peoples to ocean acidification from a food security, economic, and cultural perspective. Besides research, I'm is also currently working with King County DNRP Solid Waste Division as a Recycling and Environmental Services intern. For the past year, I have collaborated and assisted on a multitude of different projects ranging from the Green Schools program, transfer station recycling, the Threadcycle campaign, and many more. In this position, I have completed tasks such as updating public webpages with climate change information, designing infographics and displays to be distributed to schools, analyzing landfill waste tonnage data for potential recycling opportunities, and produced a video demonstrating ways to reduce food waste. Lastly, I've been a member and officer with UW's LUX Film Production club for the past three years. With this club, I've had the fun experience of working with other student filmmakers to write, create, and edit short films each quarter. As one of the club's many screenwriters, I'm so grateful to have had the chance to write dozens of screenplays and improve my writing ability. UW and the range of experiences it has to offer has allowed me to explore my interests and have worthwhile experiences that have lead me to be both prepared and excited for my journey after graduation.

Proudest Moment: Turning in my thesis and graduating cum laude!

Thesis: Stolen Autonomy and Futile Rebellion: Deriving Power from the Oppression of Women Under the Declining British Empire

cantor.leah4@gmail.com

I am so grateful for the experiences I have had as a student at UW. I got to spend two quarters in London and Rome studying abroad, and hope to continue traveling after I graduate. Next year, I will be working at a health technology startup in Seattle, and am looking forward to applying my degrees in a professional environment!

Proudest Moment: Publishing research on a microscale Tuberculosis model after working on it for three years!

Thesis: A Modular Microscale Granuloma Model for Immune-Microenvironment Signaling Studies In Vitro

GOWERMAIA@GMAIL.COM

During my time at UW, I have enjoyed working in the Theberge Lab in the Department of Chemistry and studying Swedish with the Department of Scandinavian Studies. I cherish the time spent learning new skills and building community within these groups and will miss them dearly!

I am looking forward to continuing my education in Microbiology at Lund University in Sweden and beginning an exciting new chapter in my life!

Proudest Moment: Working on problem sets with my friends are both the proudest and most rewarding moments that I've had at UW. Solving some 446 problems with Luke are definitely the most memorable of the bunch.

Thesis: Verifying Strong Eventual Consistency in δ-CRDTs

My Website ttaylorr@cs.washington.edu

I am graduating with a BS in Computer Science with Departmental Honors from the Paul G. Allen School for Computer Science, and a minor in Mathematics. My thesis is about verifying that δ-CRDTs achieve Strong Eventual Consistency. After graduation, I am continuing to work at GitHub full-time.

Proudest Moment: Getting accepted to my dream summer research program and then an amazing Ph.D. program!

Thesis: The spectrum of the adjacency operator on graphs

I am so honored and happy to graduate from the University of Washington. I learned so much from many different mentors and am excited to continue on in the next chapter of my life. Uncountable thanks to UW for the amazing projects, coursework and memories!

Proudest Moment: Stepping out of my comfort zone and completing the honors program in the Department of History

Thesis: Syngman Rhee, The April Revolution and American Foreign Policy in South Korea

During my time at UW, I took the time to explore subject areas which I had not previously considered studying. I also had the opportunity to study abroad twice and participate in other great programs like the C21 Externship program, all of which have provided me with amazing memories and experiences. It's hard to believe that after graduating high school with the intention of pursuing a STEM or music performance degree, I will soon be completing my undergraduate degree with honors in history. The honors program gave me incredible practice in research which I plan to improve upon in graduate school after a couple years of continued exploration and learning on my own.

Proudest Moment: Seeing my friends with whom I transferred from community college graduate from the UW and continue to carve out their own path.

steiner.gen@gmail.com

Born in Boston, grew up in Austria, fell in love with music early on and eventually took an interest in chemical engineering. I enjoy long-distance running, lining up for archery sessions, hanging out for some Dungeons & Dragons, and am almost always down to learn a new skill. My time here at the UW, with its resources and research environment, allowed me to pursue many of these interests, and provided an education that I know has already had a lasting effect on my trajectory forward.

Proudest Moment: One of my proudest moments at UW was probably when I got published in two different UW publications: The UW Journal of Anthropology and Voyage Magazine.

Thesis: The Handcraft Movement: Analyzing of the Subjectivity of Value

My Website

Hi! My name is Olivia and I am graduating UW with college and interdisciplinary honors. Being from out of state, finding a fit in Washington was challenging at first but UW gave me so many opportunities to better discover myself and what I love to do. My time at UW has pushed me as a writer, connected me with individuals who have inspired my artistic pursuits, and has given me a family away from home. Looking into the future, I am excited for all the opportunities ahead of me and I know the skills I have learned during my past 4 years here will set me up for success.

Proudest Moment: Discovering why there are so many breakfast places with "pancake" or "waffle" in their names (e.g. Waffle House) but almost no breakfast places with "bacon" or "eggs" in their names.

Thesis: The Vegetable Economy

I was lucky to learn from some incredible friends, professors, alumni, and TAs during my time at UW. I'm forever grateful for these relationships. I encourage younger Huskies to befriend at least one professor and explore a random Honors class before they graduate. Go Dawgs!

Proudest Moment: When I truly begun perceiving opportunities with excitement and eagerness as opposed to a sense of burdensome

Thesis: IoT in Space Exploration: Integrating the Customer Journey Value Chain

shoaib.nahas@gmail.com

I'm honored to have accelerated my undergraduate education to 3 years while pursuing both Marketing and Information Systems. I cherished my education by consistently engaging in academic and community projects in Seattle. Now, I'm thrilled to continue learning and developing as I embark into management consulting at ZS Associates.

Proudest Moment: Received Psychology Departmental Research Award, and Mary Gates Research Scholarship

Thesis: Person-specific Links between Sleep Disturbance, Sleep Hygiene Practice, and Depression Symptoms

bettyshang1998@gmail.com

I'm an international student from China. I started my journey at UW - Seattle as an undergrad 4 years ago and before long, I fell in love with the city. At UW, I've been able to widely explore my academic interests. For many years, I've been fascinated by the human mind and drawn to topics around psychopathology. Therefore, after taking courses in psychology and some other fields, I became clearer about my true passion and decided to major in psychology.

In my junior year, I joined our departmental honors program and there, I got to dive into my interest topic in psychology and hone my research skills. I've felt very lucky to work in Dr. Katherine Foster's PEARL lab, where I've learned so much, and received tremendous help, support and inspiration, and collaborated with extremely talented people and researchers in this field.

During my time at UW, I've met life-changing people, taken mind-blowing, enlightening, and challenging courses in various fields. I'm grateful for all my experiences and the amazing people I met in the past 4 years for they've shaped me into a better person, and provided me with valuable perspectives. I've learned a lot from every experience I had, and I've become braver to take on challenges and pursue my goals in the future.

Proudest Moment: Presenting at ISGSB 2020.

Thesis: Testing Dynamical Systems: An Application To Systems Biology

My Website bochenma@cs.washington.edu

Hi! My name is Steve, and I am a 4th year BS/MS student in the Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle. I am very fortunate to be advised by Dr. Joseph Hellerstein.

I believe that Computer Science can have a broader impact than engineering and software. My research focuses on building infrastructures that support in silico experiments for studying the system-level dynamics of complex, nonlinear biological networks.

Proudest Moment: During the final gallery demonstrations for DXARTS 471: Mechatronics Art, my friend's art project was suddenly failing. They had invited their family and were in tears that after all the work they put in, it was inexplicably breaking. While other students demonstrated their projects, I applied my experience with embedded systems to debug the project. Approaching the last minute, even after being told by my friend to give up, I figured out what was wrong and got it working again. The demo went flawlessly. My friend hugged me and their mom thanked me, and I don't think I've ever felt more proud of myself.

Thesis: Hardware Implementation of a Wireless Backscatter Communication Protocol for Brain-Controlled Spinal Interfaces

My Website anand272@cs.washington.edu

My purpose is to make the world more beautiful, sustainable, and efficient through innovation and empathy. Solving complex problems, defined through engineering, is the core of my character. I'm developing a strong foundation in computer engineering, which I'll apply to fields such as neural computation and engineering. Through my experience at UW, I've contributed to a variety of innovative projects (robotics competitions, hackathons, neural engineering research, virtual reality in prison, etc...) utilizing a variety of tools (code, laser cutters, oscilloscopes, soldering irons, etc...). I've met some of the most amazing people and learned some of the most fascinating concepts here, and I'm excited to pursue my Master's here in the fall.

My hobbies include free skates, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and playing video games like Titanfall 2. My favorite shows include Avatar the Last Airbender and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Taking Neuroethics and Moral Issues of Life and Death, while witnessing local activism over the last couple quarters, has motivated me to delve into essential questions relatively unrelated to engineering, but an engineering perspective doesn't necessarily hurt. So while I'm interning at Cisco Webex Teams this summer, I'll also be reading up on topics like ethics and intersectionality.

Proudest Moment: Got accepted into a PhD program.

Thesis: Risk Factors for Hospital Readmission in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Using Survival Analysis Methods

tq21@uw.edu

I grew up in Suzhou, China. I’m broadly interested in the statistical methodology used in Epidemiology and Causal Inference. My undergraduate honors thesis focuses on applying survival analysis methods to identify risk factors for hospital readmission of type 2 diabetes patients. I love animals, especially dogs and seals. I also enjoy watching classical concerts.

Proudest Moment: When my first studio project was selected for student archive for the departmental cite.

Thesis: Building with Bamboo: An exploration of joinery between traditional and contemporary method.

shresthamartin@yahoo.com

Architecture has a power to change the world. In a way, architects are like a magician, who can make fantasy into reality. With the modern approach, our world is getting rather boring with predictable designs and box architecture everywhere. So, as an architect my interests are to make interesting architecture that deviates from the normal ones and the one that enhances human experience, which also aids for the better and sustainable future.

Proudest Moment: Graduating from the UW architectural design program

Thesis: Lighting Design for Health and Happiness in Nordic Architecture

My Website wqchua@uw.edu

Hello! I am Wen, and I am an architectural design student. I love pretty things, running, playing the violin and eating croissants.

Proudest Moment: As a state need grant recipient myself, I am most proud of the passing of HB 2158, which secures funding to exempt students with families that make under 50K from paying tuition in any higher education institution in the state. It is the first successful free college tuition program of its kind and it makes me proud of the collective work we did to make this happen as Higher Ed advocates!!

Thesis: Neoliberalism: An ineffective Shorthand

The relationships CHID (Comparative History of Ideas) allowed me to develop abroad while researching in Argentina and Sardinia launched me into the organizing work I have been involved in while at the UW. During college I could be found in every corner of campus as a Resident Advisor, tutoring for the Economics Board, meeting with the Dean on a college council, leading a CHID focus group, mentoring students in UWL, and organizing lobbying related activities to advocate for student issues at the State Legislature. Outside of campus, I sought to apply the perspective I'd gained from economics and critical theory from the social justice lens of CHID into my professional development, the most formative of which was organizing an international conference for a nonprofit focused on bilateral trade between Africa and the Pacific Northwest. The relationships I formed at this nonprofit, and with the African immigrant community more broadly in Seattle, led me to help execute a new leadership conference called Africa Now that has since been a large annual event on the UW's campus. Originally inspired by womxn of color visionary and speculative fiction authors, I have sought to create the world I want on my small scale as I know that it will reflect on the larger world and its functioning. From this, I know that the work the world needs to be able to respond to today's global challenges would be severely limited without visionary work and relationship building across difference.

Proudest Moment: I studied abroad in Peru in Summer 2019 with a really great group of people. We worked hard on our research projects in the Amazon rainforest and had a lot of fun doing it. I'll never forget that experience and the community I got to be a part of.

I took a lot of interesting classes and did a lot of interesting research. I was involved in leadership, several RSOs, and I studied abroad. I'm particularly interested in ecology, ethics, and the intersection between them.

Proudest Moment: I have always dreamed of going to veterinary school, and I knew that with enough hard work I’d make it there. What I did not yet know was the amazing community of people I would surround myself with in my time at UW who helped me reach my goals and celebrated my success by my side.

The opportunities I’ve been given as a UW student have shaped me into the person I am today, and continue to push me forward toward achieving my goals. Through my sorority, I have discovered my strengths as a leader and the power of teamwork. Through the UW Pre-Vet Society, I built connections that helped me gain first vet assistant job, guided me through the vet school application process, and brought me new friends. Academically, several professors on this campus pushed my thinking and challenged me in ways I didn’t expect, and I am better for it. I am fortunate enough to have received several scholarships that made it possible for me to attend UW while saving for veterinary school which I’ll be starting this fall.

Proudest Moment: My entire college career has been a moment of pride for me, my mother always dreamed of seeing me attending UW as a continuation of her legacy, but never got the chance. This was because she passed away my junior year of high school from cancer. I spent a great deal of time in mourning but once I saw a future at UW I knew I had to make her dream a reality. Now that it's 2018 and my graduation year, I truly feel like I’ve make her proud as well as myself.

Thesis: The Effects of Pond-Leveler Devices on Salmon Migration through Restored Riverine Beaver Pond Complexes

Born and raised on Lake Chelan, Washington, I followed in my mother’s footsteps and became a UW student, pursuing a degree in Natural and Environmental Resource Management. Since then I have accomplished a great deal, from my thesis looking at salmon migration sponsored by King County, to my role in refounding Acacia Fraternity, I have seen a lot of success at UW. This can be greatly attested to the brilliant staff here, along with the support of my friends and family over these 4 years. I plan to use my newfound understanding and knowledge to pursue a career in resource conservation, beginning with a seasonal job with the Forest Service this summer in the eastern Cascades and continuing with a trip to Bali, Indonesia to volunteer in turtle conservation. With the foundation UW has helped me lay I look forward to the rest of my life, continuing my education with my every pursuit.

Proudest Moment: Majoring in English

Phi Beta Kappa, English departmental Honors, OWRC tutor, Engl 281 TA,

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment at UW has yet to come, but will certainly be when I submit this Honors thesis in June!

Thesis: Bolstering “less-than-ideal lovers”: an analysis of the treatment of heroes in modern Jane Austen film adaptations

My Website webb.arad9@gmail.com

Throughout my time at UW, I changed my major about 17,000 times, slipped in Red Square three times, and took more than one Zoom class in my pj's in a closet in order to get a bit of quiet. With all of that said, I had an absolutely, mind-blowingly amazing time. I have met life-changing people, settled on a degree that I absolutely love (go, book nerds!), and have had countless experiences that have made me a better thinker and a kinder person. I am so lucky and ever-so-thankful to have attended this university and to have been a part of English honors. Thank you so much to everyone who supported me along the way.

I look forward to a hopeful career in editing following my graduation because, after four years of reading a bunch of words, apparently I just haven't had enough.

Proudest Moment: When I received a 4.0 in an extremely mathematically challenging course on financial derivatives, even with my strong aversion to math.

I am passionate about cooking, reading, fitness, and music (both playing and listening to). I also love watching movies and am a total film snob.

Some things I've accomplished are: Attaining the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts, going on a month long solo backpacking trip to Mexico, and graduating (hopefully) from the UW with a business degree.

Proudest Moment: Deciding to stay after a Freshman year of being homesick and ending up loving Seattle

Thesis: Effectiveness of Hydrology in Test Reactors: comparing numeric model results to raw world irrigation rates

weyhrich.annabel@gmail.com

I am so excited to graduate from the School of Environmental and Forest Science. I have enjoyed studying natural resource management as well as pursuing marine biology as a minor which led to living on a tall ship and studying oceanography in New Zealand. I am most proud of raising over $86,000 for Service for Sight and I am excited to combine my love for fundraising and environmental science in my career after college.

Proudest Moment: Being able to graduate in 4 years from such an amazing university and program! It's been an incredible journey and I'm so thankful for the things I've been able to achieve in my time here.

tayler.hoftell@gmail.com

As a first generation college student, I never thought I would be where I am at today. I've been able to accomplish literally my wildest dreams here at UW. Before I started college, I knew I wanted to be an engineer. I found the MSE department my freshman year at UW and knew that was the path I wanted to go down. Although there have been plenty of ups and downs throughout my time here, I’ve found this degree to be so rewarding and I sometimes I can’t believe how far I’ve come since my freshman year. I've been involved with incredible research in the MSE department and with the Boeing Advanced Research Center on campus that has truly shaped my undergraduate experience here. After graduation, I'll be starting my career as an engineer at Honeywell Aerospace and I couldn't be more excited!

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment was receiving a study abroad scholarship to study in Canada through the Killam Fellowships Program.

My two passions in life are earth sciences and performing arts. I am so glad that I was able to pursue both at the University of Washington, majoring in Earth and Space Sciences with departmental honors and minoring in Dance. Throughout my years in college, I have received three scholarships, studied abroad for four months in London, Ontario, CA, and became involved in two research projects with the Earth and Space Sciences and Atmospheric department. I am proud to be graduating with departmental honors and cum laude.

Proudest Moment: Organizing the statistics directed reading program

Thesis: Identification and Estimation of Direct Causal Effects

Hi I'm Emily and I love statistics! During my time at UW, I have worked as a tutor in the statistics study center, advocated for women in STEM, and was chosen as one of the Husky 100. My experiences in WAMM, as a research fellow at NOAA, and more inspired me to co-found the statistics directed reading program with the aim of getting students from all backgrounds involved in statistics. I am excited and grateful to begin the next chapter in my story as I pursue a PhD in Statistics at UC Berkeley.

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment would be when I was given the opportunity to present my research and findings to my peers at the Mary Gates Undergraduate Research Symposium. Not only was it great to be able to share my work with others, but it was amazing to hear about all the other incredible work my peers have been doing.

Thesis: Using Resting-State Functional Connectivity to Detect Uncomplicated Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in U.S. Military Populations

I'd like to thank UW, Dr. Tara Madhyastha, Dr. Christine Mac Donal, Dr. Chantel Prat, and many others for everything they have done to help me along my journey here at the university. I look forward to applying everything I've learned in psychology, statistics, and computer science in industry.

Proudest Moment: One of my proudest moments has been when I represented UW at an international conference and had the opportunity to sharing my research.

Thesis: Winter under-ice patterns of greenhouse gases in lakes of interior Alaska

I have had moments of great joy in the last four years of UW. Not all my moments were as joyful as others but there were certain parts of my UW life that kept my spirits high against the coursework and winter weather of UW. Working in David Butman's lab pushed me out of multiple comfort zones and as a result gave me one of the most steady and consistent parts of my UW career. I have to thank UW Women's Rugby for giving me a community which turned into forever friends and best roommates. Lastly, I loved all of my ESRM classes and I have treasured this experience that started with an interest and grew into a passion making me not only a scientist but more of a steward of the Earth.

Proudest Moment: When I learned that comparing myself to other's success only shows me down from finding mine own.

Thesis: "The Major Crash of Luckin Coffee: The Largest Coffee Chain and its Accounting Misconduct"

I'm a Business major student interested in Accounting, Finance, and Information Systems. The experience in UW together has shaped my perspectives and made me who I am today. Thanks go out to UW Foster, for being exactly what I needed and for teaching me so much - both about the world and about myself.
UW challenged me. To be brave and humble, be open-minded as I met people from all over the States and world, be fearless in the pursuit of all of the opportunities, and never apologize for the unique parts of who I am.

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment was getting the opportunity to attend UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy as a Law Fellow through the Public Policy and International Affairs Program

Thesis: School To Prison Pipeline

imanm1998@gmail.com

I am a first-generation college student and the daughter to Ethiopian immigrants. My passion for choosing this path of education is to one day shape Public Policy around issues of bias in our criminal justice system, more specifically in their use of punishment. I am passionate about working to dismantle mass incarceration because of how it is disproportionately affecting Black people and all people of color. My honor’s thesis gave me a deeper understanding of the School-to-Prison pipeline and has allowed me to determine how I want to create in the world after my time at the University of Washington. I plan on pursuing a Master’s in public policy with a focus on criminal justice and education to create systemic change and equity to these issues.

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment would be presenting my research at the undergraduate research symposium. It was great to see all my work come together like that.

Thesis: Engineering DNA loops using a protein switch DNA sensor

kieral@uw.edu

I am most interested in molecular biology, particularly in relation to human health. Outside of academics, I enjoy playing basketball, hiking, and music.

Proudest Moment: Making lifelong friends, and making lifelong memories with them.

My Website kurt3903@gmail.com

I came to UW in 2016 with the intent to become a nuclear physicist. It was a big change for me, not only transitioning from high school, but also to live in the city and take care of myself independently. I made many new friends and had the best roommates I could have hoped for here at UW! I also had a great part-time job working at Bay Laurel Catering, which was a very unique and rewarding experience. I got to participate in undergraduate research in the UW Quantum Ion Computing Group, working alongside a fun and talented group to put my physics skills to work.
The Physics Departmental Honors program showed me several new and exciting research applications in modern physics. I got to study several experiments in great detail, which not only improved my understanding of the physics involved in these studies, but gave me a greater appreciation for the applications of physics and the knowledge I was gaining.
Life at UW has certainly opened up my eyes to trying out new experiences and opportunities - I now see the wide variety of possible careers and higher education that await me as a physics graduate. While I am considering graduate school in my future, I want to get a job where I can apply my physics knowledge and see what fields I want to pursue in detail. I can't wait to see what the future holds for me and my fellow graduates!

Proudest Moment: When I found out that Ghana's Ministry of Energy adopted two policy recommendations from my undergrad Donald C. Hellmann Task Force Program 2020 report on Sub-Saharan Africa renewable energies into the country's new Draft National Energy Policy!

I am a graduating senior and a first-generation college student. One of my favorite experiences at UW was traveling to Brazil through the FLAS fellowship. With that experience, I confirmed how much I love learning languages and engaging with people from cultures different than mine. I'm excited to keep learning and growing in the areas of literature and diplomacy.

I will always be grateful for being part of the Jackson School of International Studies and the Spanish Department and for the amazing friends and teachers that I met through my undergraduate studies.

Proudest Moment: For as long as my passion for pediatrics has existed, I had an extraordinarily ironic fear of working with premature infants. My senior capstone clinical at the UWMC Neonatal Intensive Care Unit has allowed me to overcome my fear in providing care for the smallest humans and become a confident caregiver to children of all ages and sizes.

Thesis: The Doorway Cafe: Addressing Youth Homelessness with a Cafe Model

As my undergraduate career comes to a close, I reflect on all that I have accomplished in the last five years at UW and all the personal and societal values that hold more closely as a direct result of my public health and nursing education. I believe that my two deepest personal values, family and good health, are consistent with the values of most people. My future career as a pediatric nurse and practitioner not only upholds these two values, but gives me the unparalleled fulfillment of helping youth to live healthy lives so they too can become the nurses, doctors, engineers, teachers, and philanthropists of the coming generation.

Proudest Moment: Studying abroad and meeting lifelong friends

Thesis: Evaluation of Maasai-Water Relationships in a Changing Landscape: A Case Study of Former Kimana Group Ranch

As an Environmental Science major, I started at UW with an interest in protecting our environment and wildlife, and after these four, short years that interest has grown into a dedication for the decolonization of conservation practices and the inclusion of communities in environmental decision-making. I worked in the SEFS advising department, interned at King County for three summers, studied in Kenya, volunteered, danced in two dance departments shows, and made a lot of good friends and memories along the way.

I am so grateful for my time here and my support system. I couldn't have done it without them. I hope to effect positive change and work towards a more sustainable future, as well as hike, sew, and drink lots of tea.

Proudest Moment: Landing a summer internship with the NBA and graduating with baccalaureate honors

jamie.koffman@gmail.com

Throughout college I became interested in wanting to pursue a career working in sports marketing. As UW didn't have a sports marketing undergrad program or any formal sports-centered education, I took it upon myself to use the honors program as the avenue through which I could conduct my own research on prevalent topics in the sports industry and supplement my formal business education with outside sports internships. Throughout my time in college I worked for the UW Athletic Department for three years, the Seattle Storm for two seasons, worked for Russell Wilson's management team (West2East Empire) for two years, and even interned for the NBA at league headquarters for a summer! After graduation I am moving to Chicago, Illinois in early July to begin a 6 month post-grad internship at a sports agency called Independent Sports & Entertainment. I am so excited to be on a path to pursuing my dream career in athlete representation!

Proudest Moment: I was proud when I submitted my final draft of my undergraduate thesis.

Thesis: On the Methods of Old Chinese Reconstruction

I am a linguistics nerd with a background in theoretical linguistics, historical linguistics and language change, and cognitive psychology. I currently work as a machine learning data linguist.

Proudest Moment: Being selected to represent the UW at the Emory Global Health Case Competition in Atlanta, GA

maxrumaner@gmail.com

Born in San Francisco, raised in Portland, OR, and now living in Seattle, I am currently attending the University of Washington, set to graduate with a degree in Biomedical Engineering. I am passionate about engineering and design with the goal to enter the biotech industry as a product development engineer. My research and work experiences have given me the incredible opportunity to see two sides of product development and develop extensive skills and knowledge of both. I am eager to use my abilities to make an impact on an engineering team and improve lives around the world.

Proudest Moment: Making a difference for low resource setting health care while studying abroad in Nepal!

I am a bioengineer fascinated with the brain and pursuing science that can help people suffering from neurological conditions. I will be attending the University of Pennsylvania next year as a doctoral candidate for a PhD in bioengineering, and I can't wait to continue being interested in science, trail running, and learning new things in a new city across the country!

Proudest Moment: Jumping into Drumheller Fountain after finishing my last final of my undergraduate career.

Thesis: Development of a Cuboidal Cancer Tissue Model for Intravenous Flow and Drug Delivery

aashik_raman@yahoo.com

I have always been fascinated with the way we can combine technology and technology to help improve the lives of those around us. For this reason I chose to major in Bioengineering and I could not be more happy with my choice. The things that I have learned from UW have set me up to become the best possible version of myself. In my free time you can find me at the climbing gym or outdoors with friends exploring all the nature that Washington has to offer.

Proudest Moment: When I presented at the undergraduate research symposium. That was the moment where I really felt like all the work I was doing for my thesis had really come together. I also had the opportunity to present in front of my friends and really feel proud of the work I had done.

Thesis: Under-representations of Climate Change in the Syrian Civil War

My Website anirudhruw@gmail.com

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, I come from a family of Huskies. My sister graduated from the UW a few years before me and I already knew way before college applications had even started that I wanted to be a Husky too. I love spending time at the IMA, hanging out with friends at the HUB, and getting involved with RSOs like the Hiking Club or Indian Student Association. I am finishing up my degree in Geography, and I'm also studying design on the side. These past 4 years have been transformational and I can't wait for what the future has in store!

Proudest Moment: Presented at UW Research Symposium & Undergraduate research presentation at Stanford University

Thesis: Gender Effect on Defined Contribution Pension Plans : Evidence from SIPP Synthetic Beta

judyz1995@gmail.com

Greetings everyone!

I am very honored to part of this community! I am interested in health policy evaluations and especially those concerning the marginalized population. I wanted to bring voices to the youth, elderly and diverse ethnic groups concerning health issues. Research has given me the opportunity to explore these questions. I love to learn about the global aspect of health policy and the interdisciplinary aspects of the field ( such as behavioral studies, sociology, law etc.) I will continue pursuing this passion of mine during graduate school at Johns Hopkins University.
Storytelling has been a huge part of my experiences at University of Washington, I am proud to be part of a leadership cohort where I've learnt so much from one another, I am very grateful to all my friends ,mentors, and my family who encouraged me to take initiative and step outside my comfort zone. It has been an amazing journey! I love how photography can tell stories and I have made portfolios focused on urban life of Seattle, I will continue on my hobby in photography, creating more portfolios and keep on being adventurous! I also have a strong interest in poetry and I was super excited to get a published book along with my classmates.

Proudest Moment: The best moment was getting into my major, the Architecture school became a second home!

Thesis: Soak in the Rain: Designing for Our Climate by Engaging the Senses

Four years seemed to go by in four seconds. Over the past several years I have enjoyed staying involved at UW. I started my freshman and sophomore year in leadership for HFS, participating in Hall Council and eventually the Residential Programming Board. After getting into my major I participated in the student led groups, AIAS, The CBE Student Council, Happy Hour Committee, and ASUW Achitectural Commission Board. I met life long friends in my architecture studios and learned a lot within my design classes. In 2019 I was able to be apart of the Furniture Design studio and entered my finished piece in the Interior Designers of Idaho Chair Affair (a furniture competition for students and professionals in Boise) and won Best Functional Design. I also was able to do independent research throughout 2019 and presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. To finish off my time at UW I was recently awarded along with another classmate the "Faculty Award for Scholarship and Leadership". It was a long journey but I couldn't have done it without the support of friends, my professors and advisors, family, and coffee.

Proudest Moment: Seizing the opportunity to work in a laboratory setting for all 12 quarters I attended the University of Washington.

Thank you mom I love you! My success wouldn't be possible without your unconditional love and support.

Proudest Moment: Participating in a Study Abroad program in León, Spain.

Thesis: The Communication of Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

I am 22 years old and ecstatic to have completed my undergraduate education. I will be moving on to put my Communication degree to work in the healthcare industry, starting in Olympia, WA. One of my main interests is driving a racecar all across Washington State, which I have been doing for over 12 years. I am thankful for my time at UW and proud to have completed a Thesis for my departmental honors study.

Proudest Moment: My Capstone in both degree programs! Creating ElectionGuard and writing our report for Bruce McConnell

My Website kderash0@uw.edu

I love having been able to serve my campus and help out the clubs I was a part of. I sought to gain knowledge to prepare for the growing challenge of technology and security in government and I'd like to say I succeeded!

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment at UW is completing my senior thesis after two years of research.

Thesis: Novel Biosensor Design for Small-molecule Drugs and Neuropeptides

I am from Vietnam. I am thrilled to be graduating in BS Biochemistry this June. At UW, I have spent my time in Dr. Liangcai Gu's lab in Biochemistry department studying biosensors. I had a strong passion for pharmacy since I was young. In my free time, I love traveling, cooking, and reading history books. After graduation, I will be staying at UW to pursue my PharmD program.

Proudest Moment: Getting accepted in the Columbus School of Law with a full scholarship

Thesis: Dysfunction: A Terminal Family Illness

I hail from Virginia and have lived there my entire life. However, for college I knew that I wanted to get off of the East Coast. After visiting UW, I fell in love with it and was determined to attend, and now I find myself about to graduate with a degree from an incredible university. The UW has been great to me. I have found the facility and people on campus incredible. Originally a chemistry major, a mishap in Calc 124 lead me to rethink my decision. I took a single english class the spring of my freshman year. It was American Lit 250 with John Griffith, and from there I was hooked! I changed majors and became an English major. I instantly fell in love with the program and the department. The professors were incredible! At UW, I have had plenty of Professors I did not like. But in the English department, I loved all of my professors! They are all great! And my fellow students were also great! Very friendly and intelligent. I decided in the spring of 2018 to apply to the English Honors Program and I am so glad I did because my experience in the program has been great! It takes the best parts of the English program and makes them even better! Overall, I am incredibly happy that I became an English Major and that I took the honors track.

Proudest Moment: One of my proudest memories at UW was being able to present my research at the 2021 Undergraduate Research Symposium with my family and friends in the audience.

Thesis: Exploring Cultural Competencies within Ethnically-Defined Alcoholics Anonymous Groups

These four years at UW have been such an amazing experience! I have had the pleasure of taking amazing classes within both Sociology and Communication where I've met likeminded students and supportive professors. This past year, I had the privilege of being a part of the Sociology Honors Program. Working on my independent research has been so fulfilling and I am so grateful to my advisors, cohort, friends, and family for encouraging me every step of the way! I am proud to end my time at UW with the ability to present my research that I have worked so incredibly hard on. Beyond academics, for the past four years, I have been a team member on UW's premier Bollywood dance team, UW Kahaani. My senior year, I had the opportunity to be one of the captains for Kahaani and build on my leadership and choreography skills. I cannot thank my team enough for being some of the best people I have ever met and I owe some of my best memories at UW to them! I am so thankful for the people that I've met during my time at UW and will truly miss them all!

Proudest Moment: Submitting my Research Presentation to the Undergraduate Research Symposium

Thesis: The Effectiveness of Veterans Treatment Court: A Participant Perspective

I’m a runner who is passionate about social work, therapy and treatment targeted toward trauma, substance use, and mental illness. I transferred from Bellevue College in 2019, and will be continuing into the Master in Social Work program following graduation.

Proudest Moment: Getting chosen for departmental honors

Thesis: Speaking to Children: The Relationship between Adults’ Talk and Children’s Gender Identity

I am Seattle born and raised, and part of an amazing family of 6 people. I love to ski, do yoga, hike and read. I am interested in pursuing a career in psychology post grad.

Proudest Moment: When I first learned that my little brother, Jack would be the fourth sibling in my family to attend the University of Washington and to have that opportunity to once again study together at the same school!

Thesis: E-cigarettes in the Greek Community: Identity, Health Perceptions, and a Vaping Culture

I am so grateful for my time at the University of Washington. I have met some of the most incredibly, inspiring individuals, and I am honored to have studied alongside them. When I first came to the University of Washington, I was unsure of my path—I just knew that at end of the day that I wanted to help people. After a few quarters, this eventually led me to my first medical anthropology course: Anthropology and International Health, which guided me to my passion of studying health care. Since then, I have been lucky to have been able to take courses that have explored the social, cultural, and biological factors that have influenced health and the systems related to it and showed me a future career in working towards creating greater access to healthcare, a human right. Moreover, these courses inspired me to apply for departmental honors, allowing me to conduct independent research studying the impact of e-cigarettes in the Greek Community.

I was inspired to study French by recommendation from a professor. Studying French has been one of the most difficult and rewarding endeavors of my undergraduate career. For the first time, I was forced to contend with several of my own shortcomings as a student and challenged me to learn new studying methods. Through this department, I was provided the opportunity to study abroad in Paris and further develop my linguistic skills. I am so grateful for the professors and students from that department who have continually supported me and helped me grow to be a better student and person.

Outside of my coursework, I was fortunate to become involved early on at the University. I joined a sorority and made life-long friends. I gained valuable exposure working as a Laboratory Assistant for Pallanck Lab in Genome Sciences. I worked as a Research Assistant for Professor Alex Hill in a biological anthropology project. I interned at the Borgen Project and helped advocate for poverty-reduction legislation. I also volunteered at the East African Community Services and worked with refugee families helping tutor their children.

These experiences in and out of the classroom have helped shape my perspective on life. I hope to one day help create a better, more equitable world. After graduation, I will begin working as research associate studying health disparities in lung cancer screenings and access in the Pacific Northwest. Eventually, I plan to go to graduate school for Public Health to receive a Master’s and hopefully a Ph.D. in Health Services.

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment was when I got to present my research at an international conference in Vancouver! Later that year, I also got to publish my research in an academic peer-reviewed journal, which was very rewarding.

Thesis: Mitochondrial Biogenesis in Zebrafish Cone Photoreceptors

Daniel Brock is a graduating senior majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology. Daniel works in the Brockerhoff lab studying circadian rhythm and stress responses in the mitochondria of cone cells in the zebrafish retina. After graduation, Daniel is going to spend 2 years at the NIH in the lab of Dr. Rosandra Kaplan, researching genetically engineered myeloid cells to make the immune system better at fighting metastatic cancer. Eventually, Daniel plans on becoming a physician scientist. In his spare time, Daniel enjoys photography, video games, and watching movies.

Proudest Moment: As a sophomore, I worked as a member of the field crew that recovered the Tufts-Love Tyrannosaurus rex for the Burke Museum.

Thesis: Comparative osteohistology of extant small-bodied mammals with implications for understanding the growth dynamics of Mesozoic mammals

I came to UW as a transfer from Seattle Central Community College. Since becoming a Husky, I've co-authored three papers, mentored dozens of students, and made life-long friendships. While pursuing my degree, I worked as the lab manager for Dr. Gregory Wilson and studied the evolutionary dynamics of mammals across the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction boundary. As a member of the Wilson lab, I spent the last three summers in Montana collecting fossils for the Hell Creek Project and volunteering with the DIG Field School to give K-12 teachers hands-on experiences in geoscience. In the fall, I will continue as manager of the Wilson lab while pursuing a graduate position in paleobiological studies.

Proudest Moment: My proudest moment at the University of Washington was creating an ethnographic scrapbook about Japan’s health outcomes, complete with interviews of my family and friends.

megan.r333@gmail.com

Hi! My name is Megan and I am majoring in Public Health-Global Health and minoring in Education, Learning, and Society. My interests lie in promoting inclusive and accessible spaces and advocating for equity among people of all races and genders. I have worked at the Fred Hutch COVID Clinical Research Center during the coronavirus pandemic. I enjoy using my public health background to connect with people from diverse backgrounds while being a part of new and exciting research. Thank you to all my professors, friends, and family for supporting me through my honors experience!

Proudest Moment: Holding a baby octopus caught in a bottom trawl during a research cruise on the RV Rachel Carson!

Thesis: The Effects of Increased Salinity on the Behavior and Survival of Juvenile Dungeness Crab (Cancer magister): Implications for the Control of Burrowing Shrimp in Willapa Bay, Washington

As a SAFS major, you might guess I love just about anything that has to do with water or the things that live in in, and you would be correct! Some of my favorite activities include swimming, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, paddle boarding, fishing, hiking, and spending time outdoors with my family and friends. In my free time, I also love to read, ride horses, dance, hang out with my pets, cook, and bake.

I worked throughout my time at UW at the Burke Museum Fish Collection, Biology Department Field Trip Program, and the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team. With these organizations I was able to gain valuable experience and connections, and still managed to maintain a high GPA and consistently receive awards and recognition from my School and College.

I am also a first generation college student, and as the first in my family to graduate from a University, I am especially proud to say that I was able to fully fund my higher education with the help of contributions from generous scholarship donors. I am so thankful to all those who have supported me on my pursuit for education, and will forever treasure my UW family and memories!

Proudest Moment: Getting accepted to the Architectural Design Major

My Website

Coming to UW has been an adventure, from finding community around the campus, to studying abroad in Italy, to late, late nights working on architecture assignments. I still remember one of my earliest days on campus walking through Gould Hall, looking at all the amazing projects in the Arch. Design program, and saying aloud "I want to go to this school, and I want to do this program!" Fast forward a few short years later and it's on to the next chapter already.

I'll never forget the memories from the program. Across all the studios I was a part of, I had the opportunity to design urban farms, schools, sculptures, private retreats, and community spaces that gave me a chance to engage with real people on real sites. Learning not just how to draw a space, but to make a meaningful connection between people and places in a design is something I will take with me for the rest of my life. Getting the chance to study abroad was also an experience that resonated deeply with everything I've learned and grown to love about Architecture, and I could not be more grateful for the time we had there.

In addition to the major, UW gave me a chance to continue working at a writing center. As a high school student, I did Running Start full-time and worked at the Highline Writing Center, which is how I learned of the Odegaard Writing and Research Center. Working one-on-one with students across all majors and fields of study was such a privilege, and helping them craft their research, personal statements, and stories was one of the most meaningful connections to the campus I've had during my stay here.

I am both sad to reach the end of this chapter and eager to start the next one. Most of all though, I am grateful for the community and memories I've made at the UW.

Proudest Moment: Finding my best friends at Rainy Dawg, completing my thesis, and graduating Magna Cum Laude!

Thesis: "We Gon' See the Future First": Subjection, Melancholy, and Queer Utopian Aesthetics in Frank Ocean's Blonde

My Website samwooley@comcast.net

Originally from Edmonds, Washington, I transferred to the UW my sophomore year after a short stint at Occidental College in Los Angeles. I quickly declared my English major after taking Jessica Burstein's captivating course on Modern and Postmodern Literature, where I fell in love with Oscar Wilde and Virginia Woolf. In my senior year, I completed the English Honors program, which allowed me to more closely explore my interest in popular media and its relation to temporality and identity. Specifically, I explored Frank Ocean's recent album Blonde and the future-oriented queer utopian aesthetic I understood it to be articulating. Outside of school, I have been involved with Rainy Dawg Radio since my first quarter on campus. That Fall, I applied to be a volunteer DJ at the student-run radio station. I ended up DJing there for two years, and this most recent year, I was able to serve as the station's Music Director. Rainy Dawg was a wonderful experience for me, allowing me to ground myself in a community within this massive campus. My future plans are currently undecided: in the next year, I hope to travel, write, and keep making rent, and in the long-term future I aim to pursue a career in either academia, high school education, literary publishing, or public radio, or perhaps some combination of these.