Alumni spotlight stories

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.

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.

In a city where coffee and technology are king, iSchool graduate Stephen Ramirez, ’15, has found his niche as a developer at Starbucks — with help from the Husky Promise.

UW alumna Susan Harris, ’15, spent a quarter studying everything from orcas to algae on the rocky shores of San Juan Island — right in the Puget Sound’s backyard.

Combining a background in electrical engineering with the real-life business skills she’s learning with the UW Solar club, Shruti Misra is helping make solar power a reality at the UW and beyond.

After scoliosis surgery, Annie Morro, ’15, is pursuing her passion for performing as a member of the UW musical theater program’s inaugural graduating class.

In addition to securing microscopic evidence from the world’s chilliest climes, Brad Markle uses his artistic eye to capture photographs of vast landscapes.

By investigating ancient Antarctic ice, UW researchers are unlocking climate clues from the earth’s deepest reaches.

Thanks to scholarship support, Dashni Amin was able to draw inspiration from her parents’ sacrifices — and prepare herself for a future of helping others.

Forefront, a UW-based organization, teams up with Facebook in the name of suicide prevention.

With sights set sky high on streamlining coating for the aerospace industry, UW startup PolyDrop developed an additive that’s grabbed the attention of Boeing — and they’re just getting started.