Husky 100

August 14, 2019

Student Stories: Mira Farrow

Mira Farrow

Seattle, WA2019 Husky 100 Mira Farrow
M.A., Interdisciplinary Studies: Community & Social Change

Year awarded 2019

Why did you apply for the Husky 100?

To be honest, because my number one advisor Karin Dalesky nominated me.

What does being a Husky 100 mean to you throughout your journey at UW?

It is validation for the hard work I put in academically, as well as the connections and programs I either developed or co-developed within the larger LGBTQ+ community.

What does being a Husky 100 mean to you and your communities? 

In a community that often struggles with representation, having someone from the local transgender population gives permission to be bold and demand the same life chances and opportunities as cisgendered people. For me, it means I succeeded way beyond even my own imaginings of how far I could go and how well I could do it. 

Through your experience, how did you embody one of the Husky 100 criteria?

Thinking outside the box has definitely always been how I succeeded, and applying that here at UW, with its vast resources and community connections, allowed me to find innovative pathways for dealing with vexing issues around transgender subjectivities.

How does the Husky 100 inspire other students?

To have no limits, to dream big and not be distracted by the noise of the world we live in. 

Were there mentors or communities that were a part of your journey at UW?

Karin Dalesky, Dr. Larry Knopp, Dr. Natalie Jolly, Dr. Riki Thompson, and an alum Bruce Lamb, JD, MPA. I could not have done it without my close circle of UWT friends including a member of last years Husky 100, Jordan Brown, but also Kris Workman, Tye Jones, Morgan Pasquier, and oddly enough Rebecca Ring for teaching me some of the harder lessons to be learned in life. My therapist who is a UWT MSW grad was of invaluable assistance as well, Trisa-Mae Close.

Is there anything that you would like to add?

As an out and proud transgender woman, to be so honored for my work in the trans community in addition to my academic work is really beyond my wildest imaginings. I think my long-passed on Mother and Grandmother would be very proud, and that brings tears of joy and sublime happiness; that I persisted in my dream to come and do my graduate work at my home state’s top university, particularly this late in my life.