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Typically longer in length and relevancy than content in the news category. Features content is more likely to be republished over time.

Celebrating the 2019鈥�20 President鈥檚 Medalists

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From the thousands of undergraduate students at the 天美影院, three are selected each year for the prestigious President鈥檚 Medalist Award.

Sam Colgan, Natasha Lavides and Nuria Alina Chandra are the medalists for 2019鈥�20, selected by a committee for their high GPAs, rigor of classes and numbers of Honors courses. All three are students in the completing the Interdisciplinary Honors track.

Each medalist has carved a unique path at the UW, but they鈥檙e united in their passion for their chosen areas of study 鈥� from psychology to computer science to economics and English. While the pandemic prevents us from holding the customary 天美影院Undergraduate Medalists Reception, each recipient received their medal, along with a message from University President Ana Mari Cauce and a special celebratory gift, at their home. Read on for more about these exceptional students who embody the Husky Spirit.

Meet this year鈥檚 medalists:

Sam Colgan, junior medalist

head shot of Sam ColganMajors: English and economics
贬辞尘别迟辞飞苍:听Seattle, WA

Twelve years after Sam Colgan moved to Seattle, he began his first quarter at the 天美影院鈥� just a mile from his family鈥檚 first home in the Ravenna neighborhood. Coming full circle made Colgan think about how the city has changed over the last decade.

鈥淢uch of my time at the 天美影院has involved critically reexamining the city by learning about early Seattle history,鈥� says Colgan, who was inspired to dive deeper into how redlining and gentrification have shaped the city鈥檚 race and class dynamics.

Driven to better understand Seattle history as well as the current housing crisis and rising cost of living, Colgan decided to study economics. Double-majoring in English as well, he鈥檚 learning how to explain those greater forces at work through his own story 鈥� and the stories of others.

鈥淚鈥檓 particularly interested in the causes and consequences of gentrification, globalization, homelessness and urban decay,鈥� says Colgan, an Interdisciplinary Honors student whose sights are set on graduate school for economics. 鈥淚 think I could be effective at representing the economic dynamics for a popular audience.鈥�

Colgan credits the UW鈥檚 emphasis on interdisciplinary education for broadening his horizons and encouraging him to study subjects outside his majors, from epidemiology to artificial intelligence.

In his free time, Colgan writes short fiction and enjoys jotting down story ideas and developing character sketches. He has also interned on a political campaign and volunteered as a tutor for students who are first-generation Americans.

 

Natasha Lavides, sophomore medalist

Head shot of Natasha Lavides惭补箩辞谤:听Psychology
Minor: Education, learning and society
贬辞尘别迟辞飞苍:听Kirkland, WA

Growing up on Seattle鈥檚 Eastside, Natasha Lavides fantasized about attending college in a different city or state. All that changed when she started applying to schools.

鈥淚 realized how much I appreciated where I grew up and how meaningful it was to stay close to home,鈥� says Lavides about why she chose the UW. Beyond the proximity to family and friends 鈥� her support system 鈥� the University鈥檚 breadth of programs gave the psychology major the chance to discover her calling.

鈥淚 love working with people, and if there鈥檚 one thing I want to do for the rest of my life, it would be that,鈥� explains Lavides, who currently helps other students as a peer academic advisor and advising student associate.

For Lavides, finding a supportive community at the 天美影院has been as meaningful as finding her major. In addition to advising students, she鈥檚 worked as a research lab assistant and interned with the Asian Student Commission, giving her the opportunity to interact with a wide cross-section of campus.

After graduation, she鈥檚 thinking about a gap year before pursuing a graduate degree in clinical psychology. Whatever her career path, she will likely be a mental-health advocate.

鈥淚 hope that I can combat the stigma surrounding mental illness in marginalized communities and work on removing barriers for these groups,鈥� Lavides says about her goals.

Nuria Alina Chandra, freshman medalist

Headshot of Nuria Alina Chandra Major: Biochemistry (current); computer science (intended)
Minor: Global health
贬辞尘别迟辞飞苍:听Olympia, WA

When a chemistry professor introduced Nuria Alina Chandra to the Python programming language, she was immediately hooked 鈥� and inspired to take more computer science courses.

Soon the biochemistry major, who had originally envisioned a career in medicine, realized that computer science better reflected her interests and strengths.

鈥淐omputer science combines my love of math and quantitative problem-solving in powerful ways that can reshape systems and improve people鈥檚 lives,鈥� says Chandra, who grew up in Olympia and is minoring in global health. Being around fellow students and professors who care about their chosen field helped Chandra feel supported in her decision to switch majors.

Outside the classroom, Chandra is sharpening her skills as both a researcher and a writer. At the Seattle Children鈥檚 Pediatric Pain and Sleep Innovations Lab, under the mentorship of 天美影院Medicine anesthesiologist Jennifer Rabbitts and with the support of the Mary Gates Research Scholarship, she is investigating how acute pain becomes chronic pain. She also writes for The Daily and edits for Voyage UW, a student-run travel magazine.

Although Chandra is still exploring possible career paths, she wants to combine her creativity and computational thinking to fix issues stemming from structural inequalities.

鈥淚鈥檓 still very interested in medicine and health-care inequality,鈥� says Chandra. 鈥淚 hope to have a career that allows me to use the methods that I love to help solve problems that I care about.鈥�

Note: All photos featured in this story were taken following appropriate safety protocols.

Husky Stories show there are many, many ways to be a Husky

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Each and every Husky goes through their own journey, undergoes their own unique experiences and, most importantly, has their very own story to share. Husky Stories is a mini-series in which Huskies share their successes, failures, experiences 鈥� their stories. There is no one way to be a Husky. Indeed, the culmination of individuals’ stories shape the picture of what it means to be a Husky.

Reflections on Black History Month

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is our annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a devoted time to recognize Black achievements in U.S. history. Known as African American History Month, the period grew out of 鈥淣egro History Week,鈥� born of the idea of historian Carter G. Woodson and other notable African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has designated the month of February as Black History Month. Canada and the United Kingdom also devote a month to celebrating Black history.

The 鈥渃elebration” is often framed as a time to honor the achievements of individual Black Americans, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells; now Barack and Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris are among the many iconic figures. Given our experience of 2020 and now 2021 and the magnitude of the challenges before us, recognizing individual achievements seems too narrow. Recognizing Black History Month in context calls us to, indeed, recognize individuals and to turn our view toward our nation, community and our campus. I do believe James Baldwin is right: 鈥淎merican history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.鈥� We have reason to celebrate, yet we need not conceal the challenges in our midst.

My experience as an African American man is not singular. I am proud of my country and at times aghast at what I see. I am a proud Husky, and yet I have moments when I do not quite feel I fit. I feel at home in my community and at my University and at times frustrated by the divisions in my community. My campus feels familiar and safe, then there are far too many moments I feel uncertain. I often feel the particular sensation that W.E.B. Du Bois described in 鈥淭he Souls of Black Folk鈥� (1903), the concept of double consciousness 鈥� defined as the struggle African Americans face to remain true to Black culture while at the same time conforming to the dominant white society. Du Bois writes, 鈥淚t is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness 鈥� One feels his two-ness, an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two un-reconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.鈥� Double consciousness is no longer limited to the lives of African Americans, many of us have lived and grown weary of living a divided life which is why we persist in our search for purpose and meaning in our lives and work.

I love the UW. I love the work I do. I try to merge into the values of our community and our campus with care. I hope that I lead and learn with integrity. I will celebrate Black History Month and in so doing, feel restrained. I am daily grateful that I can celebrate this month with all of you. I invite you to read Lucille Clifton鈥檚 poem, 鈥渨on鈥檛 you celebrate with me.鈥� She begins with a call to action, and she gives the reasons, against all odds, to celebrate.

 

Editor’s note: This reflection was originally part of an email to UAA staff published on February 5, 2021.听

Husky Stories: Sairandri Sathyanarayanan discusses the nonprofit she started

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鈥淚t can be a very intimidating process, especially because college there’s so many people here and just you know putting yourself out there in front of a bunch of people you don’t know, that can be very nerve-wracking. Try things that you’ve never done before. You might find that you’re really, really passionate about something that you’ve just never tried before. Yeah, just just don’t be afraid to do.鈥�

A new name and new endowment for a longstanding program working toward educational equity

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This fall, the Pipeline Project completed their thoughtful work updating their program name. They are pleased to announce their new name: . This name seeks to more accurately reflect the program鈥檚 mission and honor their community collaborations. In addition, the program received an . The Endowment will allow Riverways to continue building their year-long program with Neah Bay and other rural and tribal communities, support the assessment of their work and create new year-long programs for other schools across the state.

Alyson McGregor

Riverways Education Partnerships places equity and reciprocal relationships at the center of their work. Since 1997, 天美影院undergraduates have been mentoring, tutoring and supporting K-12 students across the state. Riverways has built long term relationships with rural and tribal communities, as well as Seattle schools. Through this work, 天美影院undergrads engage with students from diverse backgrounds, gain leadership skills, critically reflect on issues of equity in education and learn to build relationships with communities. The K-12 students they partner with work on literacy, environmental and STEM-related projects. Working with undergraduates also gives these students a glimpse into the college experience.听

鈥淭he work has always been about education equity,鈥� says longtime director Christine Stickler. 鈥淏ringing undergraduate students into schools has a real impact on how they understand the enormous and deep impact that schools have in our community. For students to have an opportunity to understand how the education system works is an impactful way for them to understand the challenges, constraints and possibilities of the system.鈥�

McGregor鈥檚 longtime support has been critical to Riverways鈥� work. McGregor first got involved with the Pipeline Project in 2003, when she funded a quarter-long poetry outreach project working with the Quileute Tribe in LaPush. In 2010, she went on to fund a year-long program called 鈥淭elling Our Stories, Imagining Our Futures.鈥� This program takes place in Neah Bay, the home of the Makah Tribe. Through this program, 天美影院undergraduates mentor Makah students in Neah Bay. Seeing college students from a similar background encourages the elementary students to envision their future, helping them learn about pathways to higher education and explore careers where they can live and lead in their home community. To date, 270 fifth-graders from Neah Bay have been mentored by 66 天美影院students.听

 

2nd grade Auston and Alternative Spring Break team leader Piya Banerjee
Second grade Jimmicum with then 天美影院 student Piya Banerjee. Several 天美影院students spent the week teaching and volunteering in Jimmicum鈥檚 home community of Neah Bay.

Auston Jimmicum, a member of the Makah tribe, 天美影院alum and past Riverways mentor, remembers 天美影院students visiting his fifth grade classroom. 鈥淚t was the first time I had ever talked to college students,鈥� reflected Jimmicum.听 He goes on to explain 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what this program is doing: opening the students鈥� eyes, putting it in their heads that they have their whole lives to look forward to, and exposing them to this other world.鈥� While tutoring students in Neah Bay as part of Alternative Spring Break in 2018, two of the kids in his group said they wanted to study at UW.听聽

The former name, Pipeline Project, originally reflected the intent to build connections and relationships all across Kindergarten, elementary, middle, high school and higher education institutions. However, the word 鈥減ipeline鈥� became increasingly associated with negative phenomena such as the destructive oil and gas lines running through Native American lands and the school-to-prison pipeline. The name change process was initiated to respond to these concerns from students and community partners.听

Stickler started the process of the name change in 2019 in collaboration and consultation with the program鈥檚 students, alumni and tribal partners. One partner was Tami Hohn, the Lushootseed language instructor at the 天美影院who suggested the concept of water and rivers as something that has connected communities around the world all throughout history. The word 鈥淩iverways鈥� was selected to reflect the program鈥檚 core mission of connecting people, schools and communities. The words 鈥渆ducation partnerships鈥� were also chosen to center the collaborative nature of the program鈥檚 relationships with community partners and the Seattle Public Schools.

The team collaborated with their Native American Partners and came up with a new focus statement: 鈥渃onnecting with students, schools and communities toward tribal sovereignty and racial justice.鈥� This bold statement takes ownership of their commitment to the anti-racist work that is the guiding core of the program鈥檚 work. It also honors their Native American partners’聽 unique struggle over land sovereignty.

鈥淐ollaboration is at the heart of our work,鈥� explains Stickler. 鈥淚鈥檓 grateful to our Native American students for starting this conversation and am proud to have a new program name that reflects our commitment to partnership and equity. I鈥檓 also grateful to Alyson for her generosity and continued enthusiasm for our work. We look forward to working together to continue Riverways鈥� work of providing transformative and growthful educational experiences for both 天美影院and K-12 students, while addressing historical inequities in public education in Washington state.鈥�

Husky Stories: Taking advantage of failure with Ryan Lowery

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Each and every Husky goes through their own journey, undergoes their own unique experiences and, most importantly, has their very own story to share. Husky Stories is a mini-series in which Huskies share their successes, failures, experiences 鈥� their stories. There is no one way to be a Husky. Indeed, the culmination of individuals’ stories shape the picture of what it means to be a Husky.

Welcome to the very first episode of Husky Stories! Ryan Lowery is majoring in math and atmospheric sciences here at the 天美影院. Other than school, Ryan is also involved with the , a program within Undergraduate Academic Affairs. Here, he shares his stories of dealing with failure and resiliency. (Note: This interview took place prior to the coronavirus pandemic.)

The Resilience Lab is a campus partner in the Husky Health & Well-Being initiative. If you would like to talk with a counselor or simply learn more about the mental health resources available to students, visit the .

 

Video by Sovechea Sophanna.

New guidebook helps faculty and instructors support student well-being

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Cover of Well-Being for Life and Learning guidebookThis week, the 天美影院鈥檚 Resilience Lab released the , a new resource for instructors to aid them in designing learning environments that promote well-being. Combining research, best practices and personal testimony, the guidebook gives faculty and other instructors concrete ideas and direct input from the campus community around supporting the whole student and promoting resilience and compassion on campus.

Students鈥� well-being has been a growing concern for several years and has been exacerbated by 2020鈥檚 COVID-19 pandemic, economic fallout and the national reckoning over race and policing. A recent found that campus mental health was the top concern of university presidents.听

鈥淎s we prepare the next generation of citizens and servant leaders, future educators, researchers, entrepreneurs and more, it really is critical that we incorporate practices that support our students鈥� whole lives and lived experiences,鈥� says Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean on Undergraduate Academic Affairs. 鈥淎s a public research university, much of our work is focused on understanding the factors that contribute to resilient communities. This guidebook helps us with that work right here at our 天美影院home, knowing that it expands beyond campus as we all interact with our broader community through research, service and teaching.鈥�

The guidebook鈥檚 Foundations for Advancing Student Well-Being are the framework for the guide and include the themes of teaching for equity and access, building resilience coping skills, nurturing connection and connecting to the environment. This framework promotes core skills and mindsets of social and emotional learning and draws on best practices modeled at other institutions. This resource was researched, developed, co-written and edited by the Resilience Lab team and more than 40 Well-Being for Life and Learning Fellows who are faculty members, instructors, staff and students across disciplines and from all three 天美影院campuses. Their contributions give the guidebook a UW-focused, holistic perspective on the impact of teaching the whole student. In that way, the guidebook is both a call to action and an invitation to the work of helping students develop the tools and habits for well-being so they are mentally and emotionally equipped to learn and thrive.听

鈥淎ll of us at the Resilience Lab are so honored to have worked on this guidebook with such a committed group of instructors, staff and students,鈥� says Resilience Lab Director Megan Kennedy. 鈥淲e know that advancing student well-being really takes all of us, so our goal was to create a tool for our campus colleagues to add to their pedagogical toolbox. We wanted to give instructors a foundation of both why this work matters and how they can incorporate it into their teaching no matter where they are in terms of personal and professional experience.鈥澛�

Support resilience, compassion and well-being

The Resilience Lab promotes well-being at the 天美影院 through education, research partnerships, and core programs and initiatives.

 

The Well-Being for Life and Learning guidebook sits at the prevention and promotion end of a mental health continuum of care within the 天美影院and is aimed at preventing larger issues or crises by bolstering students鈥� resilience coping skills and helping them respond to stress and stay connected to others. It鈥檚 a part of the Resilience Lab鈥檚 Well-Being for Life and Learning initiative, one of the Lab鈥檚 efforts toward building and sustaining a culture of well-being at the UW.

About the Resilience Lab

The Resilience Lab was founded in 2015 and is a program within Undergraduate Academic Affairs that promotes well-being at the 天美影院through education, research partnerships and core programs and initiatives.

For more information about the Resilience Lab or its Well-Being for Life and Learning initiative and guidebook, contact Megan Kennedy at meganken@uw.edu.

Ryan Burt named director of Academic Support Programs

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Congratulations to Ryan Burt, who was appointed the new director of Academic Support Programs in September, 2020.听

runs the Center for Learning and Undergraduate Enrichment (CLUE) 鈥� a free, late night, peer-to-peer, drop-in tutoring program and academic support coaches, a peer-to-peer coaching program. Academic Support Programs sits within along with First Year Programs and Undergraduate Academic Affairs Advising. Burt explains that being situated here 鈥渃reates really powerful opportunities to collaborate with First Year Programs and UAA Advising. This is a great space for us to think creatively and collaboratively about supporting the transitional experiences of first-year and pre-major students, especially in this virtual world.鈥澛�

Photo of Ryan Burt
Ryan Burt, photographed at CLUE 鈥� a free, late night, peer-to-peer, drop-in tutoring program 鈥� in 2018. Academic Support Programs runs CLUE, along with the academic success coaching program.

Inclusiveness is central to Academic Support Programs鈥� work. When examining the effectiveness of their programs, Burt and team ask who is coming, and more importantly, who isn鈥檛 coming and why? Even before the pandemic hit, Burt and his team were planning to offer their services online to make it easier for students to access these resources. The University鈥檚 move to online learning in spring 2020 sped up the timeline for this change.听

鈥淲e鈥檙e working to make the online experience a rich one. Even though it鈥檚 a challenging year, there is still a lot of possibility of collaborating differently in the virtual setting.鈥� Burt explains 鈥淚 want students to know we care about each of them. We know that being a student at a large public university can be overwhelming, daunting. That鈥檚 where we come in: we鈥檙e their academic home away from home.鈥澛�

Associate Dean Michaelann Jundt shares, 鈥淚 am thrilled to have Ryan leading Academic Support Programs. His curiosity fuels his dedication to deep learning and informs his leadership. I am impressed by how well he handles unexpected change and the ways he has embraced collaborative projects. His commitment to students will continue to move us forward in supporting 天美影院student success.鈥澛�

Academic Support Programs鈥� offerings rely on students teaching other students. The peer-to-peer model is impactful. Students learn from other Huskies who are going through similar experiences and challenges. It allows them to relate and to learn from someone who is balancing the demands of student life, just like they are. To that end, Academic Support Programs increased the number of student coaches they hired in spring 2020 to both provide jobs for students who may have otherwise lost them and to be able to better serve 天美影院undergrads.听

To all faculty, staff and students thinking creatively about how to best support students, . Academic Support Programs is eager to connect, share ideas and work together.

Burt and team are eager to collaborate across campus. Because they work with both faculty and students, they have a unique vantage point to see both the faculty鈥檚 learning goals and how students are understanding the class material. They are available to meet with faculty and staff to share their observations and help support their classes.听

Burt鈥檚 involvement with Academic Support Programs began in 2013, when he was a program manager. His work included overseeing the CLUE writing center and teaching academic support classes for multilingual students. The majority of students Burt was working with were international students, so Burt co-founded the International Student Success Committee. The Committee鈥檚 work brought together colleagues serving international students together to focus on enriching the international student college experience.听

Burt continued to grow his career in Academic Support Services, serving as senior program manager, assistant director and most recently served as interim director. He continues to focus on how to best support the University鈥檚 diverse undergraduate student population.听

He is a triple Dawg, earning his Ph.D. in English literature. His graduate work focused on critical multiculturalism in literature. He also holds a B.A. in both the comparative history of ideas and literature, and an M.A. in literature. He led the Academic Support Programs course English 295: Imagination, Immigration and Identity in Post-Colonial Rome聽and spent two years as a visiting professor of English at the Universit茅 Ibn Zohr in Agadir, Morocco.

Beyond his work in Academic Support Programs, Burt has been involved in several committees including Undergraduate Academic Affairs鈥� general studies curriculum committee and the diversity and inclusion team. He co-chaired the Undergraduate Academic Affairs鈥� staff teaching committee with Carissa Mayer, which brought together staff from across campus to think critically about undergraduate education.听 He is also co-chairing the University鈥檚 Task Force on Writing, where he鈥檚 helping to reimagine the W (writing) requirement. Burt brings a unique perspective to this work, having been an undergrad and grad student at the UW, in addition to having taught classes as both a grad student and now a staff member. This work seeks to broaden the writing requirement to include diverse fields and writing intensive, upper-level language classes.

Outside of work, Burt, his wife Jennifer and their son Lucien recently welcomed their newest family member, Zin茅dine. Burt is a musician and drummer for the band . In addition, he鈥檚 an avid coffee drinker. Pre-pandemic, he鈥檇 offer you a Chemex pour over when you visited his office. His current favorite coffee is , which translates to鈥渃offee, coffee, coffee鈥︹�� in several East African languages 鈥� perfect for a coffee enthusiast.

 

Dear Students: Voting is a habit that holds our democracy together

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Voting is a habit that holds our democracy together.

The 天美影院 has one of the highest voter participation rates of any college or university in the nation. This legacy of civic participation 鈥� that #HuskiesVote 鈥� is something we can all be proud of. And it鈥檚 something we can continue.

If you are eligible to vote make sure that your voter registration status is up-to-date so you are ready to vote in the upcoming November 2020 election.

Important dates

October 26, 2020

Deadline for online voter registration in Washington state.
NOTE: Deadlines and processes vary from state to state, so it is wise to register as soon as you can. Check the for deadlines in other states.

November 3, 2020

Election Day

In Washington state, your ballot must be in a ballot box before 8 p.m. on November 3 or postmarked on or before November 3.

This November, you have the chance to vote for the president, governor and local officials as well as ballot initiatives 鈥� all of which are important decisions that impact your life. Voting is a way you can use your civic voice; we encourage you to use it. But first: You need to register.

As the largest and most diverse generation alive right now, young people have a chance to make a real impact in our country 鈥� if every eligible voter participates in elections. In order to make sure that you can vote in the upcoming local, state and federal elections, you need to be registered to vote at your current address.

Please take five minutes and聽.听

Let鈥檚 exercise some civic muscle and vote.听#HuskiesVote

Additional resources

:聽Check your voter registration status and find out more about upcoming elections, including how to vote safely by mail. If you are residing in another state, this website has information about voting in each state.

Huskies Vote:聽Get step-by-step guidance on how to vote and how you can help others vote.

Do you need in-person assistance or did you miss the registration deadline?

Come to the Vote Center at the聽. It will be open Saturday, October 31, 10 a.m.鈥�4 p.m.; Monday, November 2, 8:30 a.m.鈥�6:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, November 3, 8:30 a.m.鈥�8:00 p.m. You鈥檒l be able to register for the first time or update your registration, get a replacement ballot if you need one, or use an accessible voting unit if you have a disability and would prefer an audio ballot, touchscreen or other adaptive equipment. Public health precautions will be in place and wearing a face covering will be required.

This post is an edited compilation of a couple messages sent to students at UW鈥檚 Seattle campus to encourage them to register to vote and vote because civic engagement is an important component to a 天美影院education.