Caylyn Rich
UW Honors Graduates
Caylyn Rich

International Studies
REECAS (Russian, East European, Central Asian Studies)
Designation: Interdisciplinary Honors
Honors Grads 2018/2019
Proudest Moment: Interestingly, this final quarter has been simultaneously the easiest and toughest journey throughout my UW experience. It's been my lightest credit load and I finally had the chance to take a dance class. I participated in a poetry seminar and exercised my creative writing side which challenged me to interact with some of the not so wonderful moments in my life through a cathartic process of expression. I am proud to graduate, no doubt about it, but I am more proud to have finally realized that I have the strength and resilience to endure hardship and obstacles and learn and heal from those experiences in my time, whatever that may be. Sometimes mundane, sometimes wild, I want to thank those who contribute to my endeavors and who inspire me to believe in the beauty of humanity.
Languages were my first love and ended up leading me to study abroad- twice! I studied abroad through the Jackson School in Greece, conducting research through interviews which culminated in a mediation dialogue between marginalized communities and professionals. Then I headed up to Denmark (after my first solo travel through the Balkans!) to begin my direct exchange at the University of Copenhagen. I was supported by the Scan|Design fellowship and spent the entire year learning Danish, riding a bike, and adjusting to Scandinavian weather. I started working for the study abroad office after returning to UW and kept my fascination with the rest of the world alive by wrapping up a degree in International Studies (after surviving my Task Force report, of course). UW, and this corner of the globe more generally speaking, is quite marvelous, but I am thrilled for the next adventure, and language. I intend to spend most of my life discovering all the new and different ways we can communicate and I hope to inspire others along the way to be more understanding and engaged with the awesomeness of linguistic diversity.