Honors Student/Alumni Hearth on May 4!
Your future self wants to tell you stuff — if only they could travel back through time!
Hear what future you might say from some friendly faces who have already experienced a little bit of life after college. Connect with recent UW Honors graduates from different backgrounds at our first ever HONORS STUDENT/ALUMNI HEARTH.
This free event features: music, small group conversations, and tasty snacks. It also features UW Honors alumni Roman Camarda, Emily Nitz-Ritter, Koji Pingry, Jess Wallach, and Janelle White!
Thursday, May 4, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the Maple Hall Great Room
Join us for a cozy chat by an imaginary fire with these fantastic Honors alumni:
Roman Camarda, 2013, B.Sc. Biochemistry and B.F.A. Photomedia
Currently a Ph.D. student in the Biomedical Sciences Program, University of California San Francisco.
For fun: The biggest challenge of graduate school is that it takes up a tremendous amount of time. The most growth and learning I've experienced lately has been through taking every opportunity I can to have meaningful interactions with people outside of work. Two of my favorite and most relaxing excuses to spend time with others have been cooking and music.
With a time machine set to go anywhere in his undergraduate years: I would go back to the Honors class I took freshman year called Eye and Mind and spend more time talking with the professor, Phillip Thurtle.
Emily Nitz-Ritter, 2014, B.A. English & Comparative History of Ideas followed by Master's in Education Policy from UW, 2015 [Double Husky!!]
Currently does program improvement and evaluation work for a local education non-profit (Technology Access Foundation).
For fun: Cooking breakfast for dinner, getting involved in local grassroots activism, writing poetry.
With a time machine set to go anywhere in her undergraduate years: SO MANY OPTIONS. I would go back to my freshman year and encourage myself to take a Psychology course. I'd eat more breakfast burritos with tater tots from the cafe under Odegaard. I'd tell myself to be brave on my Morocco Exploration Seminar. I'd tell myself to apply for the Bonderman Fellowship. I'd leave more unstructured time in my day to allow for some spontaneity.
Koji Pingry, 2016, B.A. Geography & Comparative History of Ideas
Currently working at two Restaurants, Suika and Tegu, and as an intern in UW's Center for Race and Equity.
For fun: My whole life is centered around growing, learning, and playing. I am always reading multiple books, I am learning how to play piano, I do a lot of cooking and eating, and I am hoping to learn some of the in’s and out’s of farming in the coming year or two. I am also involved in a number of coalitions and groups working towards equity in the Seattle Public Schools.
With a time machine set to go anywhere in his undergraduate years: I would go back to my second year of college after I had returned from my gap year. I would encourage myself to apply for the writing center a year earlier then I eventually did, I would tell myself to get more involved with the community that I was a part of, and remind myself that every single thing that I do, from being a classroom to working in a restaurant is an opportunity to learn and grow as a human being.
Jess Wallach, 2013, B.A. Geography
This year I've been exploring what it's like to do freelance work as an educator and community-builder. I'm just beginning a project with Seattle Parks and Rec, where I’ll be co-developing and implementing a Youth Participatory Action Research program around racial equity and environmental justice. I'm also collaborating with folks in the Honors program, to explore ways that we can deepen and grow our community!
For fun: Hiking every weekend, rain or shine! I'm training for a few adventures this summer, including climbing Mt. St. Helens and backpacking on the Wonderland Trail. As I've been spending all this time outside, I've also been reading about the Native Peoples of the Pacific Northwest and Indigenous ecologies. Together, these experiences have been transforming how I understand and care for this place I call home.
With a time machine set to go anywhere in her undergraduate years: I'd love to go back to my junior-year study abroad in Uttarakhand, India and spend an evening cooking with my host family. We'd be cramped in a tiny kitchen, squatting on the floor while chopping vegetables or patting out chapatti, sharing stories of our day through garbled Hindi-English and laughing at each other as we tried to act out the words we didn't know in each others’ language. And then after dinner, we'd go wash our plates in the river and sit quietly under the most star-filled sky I'd ever seen. Someone would start singing and we’d all join in, whether we knew the words or not….evenings like this and many others made that summer magical!
Janelle White, 2013, B.A. History & American Ethnic Studies
Currently a Program Manager @ Google
For fun: Yoga, Book of the Month Club, Hiking, Cooking, Live Music.
With a time machine set to go anywhere in her undergraduate years: I'd go back to my first day of school, freshman year, and I would tell freshman me to say "Yes" more.
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This event is co-sponsored by the Honors L.L.C. and the Friends of Honors Fund.