Allison C Welch
UW Honors Graduates
Allison C Welch

Medical Anthropology & Global Health
French Language, Literature, and Culture
Designation: Departmental Honors
Honors Grads 2019/2020
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.