Alumni spotlight stories

We know science can improve health. But how do we go from knowing to doing? The School of Public Health has the world’s first Ph.D. program in implementation science, designed to raise the speed and quality of applying science toward improved health worldwide.

Five years ago, Tom Rochat, ’13, was foraging for mushrooms and struggling to pay rent. Today, he’s on the fast track to senior-level management at a global IT company — and he gives UW Tacoma credit for his transformation.

Spurred by factory work with her mother, Google consultant Vy Tran, ’16, is dedicated to making workplaces safer and healthier.

From historical manuscripts to rare photographs, University Libraries' Special Collections offers countless opportunities to discover the past from a first-person perspective. Explore some of what the archives hold.

Students and staff in UW Bothell’s Digital Future Lab are not only creating professional-quality video games for commercial release, they’re also addressing the lack of diversity in the technology industry.

From Brazil to Berlin, UW senior Kainen Bell has trekked the world as part of his student experience. Now, he’s helping students who share a similar background make their dreams of traveling come true, too.

Graduate student and veteran Lindsay Zike wanted to help others make the transition from soldier to student. The Office of Student Veteran Life, recently established with her help, is doing just that.

From volunteering to lobbying, Faith Ramos built an impressive resume of service. Now at UW Tacoma, she’s applying her passion for environmental justice to create widespread impact.

At UW Nurse Camp, Karissa Sanchez found the motivation to pursue her dream of going to college and serving her Eastern Washington community. Now a UW graduate, she’s inspiring underrepresented high school students to do the same.

Pressing play on his iSchool education, KEXP librarian Dylan Flesch, ’08, ’14, is combining his love for music and information science to preserve decades of Seattle history.

After being honorably discharged for disclosing her sexual orientation, retired Army Col. Grethe Cammermeyer, ’76, ’91, fought the decision — and won — paving the way for the next generation of LGBTQ military members.

With a deep background in special education, UW graduate Ariane Gauvreau works to make the future brighter for children with special needs — and their families.

Jane Yang, a UW sophomore who grew up in Shanghai, is teaching the UW men’s basketball team about her language and culture. Now, she’s looking at her home — and herself — with fresh eyes.

Through the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Sarah Schooler, ’15, spent six weeks in the Alaskan bush, collecting the same data in the field she’d been studying in the classroom: salmon and the hungry habits of grizzly bears.