Legislative District 46

UW community members are living and working in districts across Washington state. Here's how we are making an impact in your neck of the woods.

Image source: UW Visual Asset Collection

FAST FACTS

  • 36,764 alumni

  • 245 Husky Promise students

  • 2,063 UW students

  • 8,159 UW faculty and staff

FEATURED HUSKIES FROM THE 46TH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

After facing a cancer diagnosis and losing his job due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ryan Dwyer channeled his energy toward serving front-line workers by starting a nonprofit: Fine Dine Front Lines. Fine Dine Front Lines has delivered more than 5,100 meals to 14 hospitals, from Gig Harbor to Spokane. “I can either … lie here terrified, or I can create some aspect of motivation, sanity and peace.”
Ryan DwyerUW Bothell ’08; UW Medicine Newsroom feature

“'Teach for equity' is my teaching philosophy,” says Yasmeen Pelayo, now a K–1 teacher at Seattle’s Beacon Hill International Elementary School. Pelayo is intentional and creative in integrating Spanish into her virtual class experience and strives to help students connect with their own identity.
Yasmeen PelayoUW Seattle ’18, ’19; UW College of Education feature
"I research educational interventions to support critical and ethical software interface design, with a particular focus on countering design bias and marginalization. Being a PhD Candidate at the Information School at UW Seattle enabled me to connect my research to the many communities at UW that I work with, learn from, teach, and lead. Together, we create a future where everyone can equitably and effectively access technology — one student, class, and community at a time."
Alannah OlesonPh.D.: Information Science; M.Sc., Information Science (2021); 2022 Husky 100 member

"Coming back to school with 7 years of work experience serving diverse communities, I knew I wanted to support deep transformation and healing through a social justice-oriented therapy practice. I applied to UW School of Social Work as a Masters student to better understand trauma, mental health, and the complexities of coping. My work at the UW Resilience Lab and as an intern therapist at MEND Seattle has allowed me to help others expand their understandings of welling and capacity for hope."
Sasha DuttchoudhuryM.S.W.: Clinical Social Work, B.A.: English Language & Literature; 2022 Husky 100 member
"As a Husky, I have synthesized my knowledge across disciplines to promote a better life for people with neurological conditions through research, tutoring, and an initiative I founded to promote solidarity among neurodivergent students. By serving diverse populations, I have gained a nuanced understanding of healing and relationship building. My time at UW has provided a strong foundation for a lifetime of meaningful engagement with marginalized populations as a public health professional."
Tiara Schwarze-TaufiqB.S.: Public Health-Global Health; B.S.: Neuroscience; 2022 Husky 100 member

SERVING THE 46TH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

The UW facilitates hundreds of programs in communities across the state. Below are a few that operate in your district. Programs active as of January 2022.

The University of Washington

The University of Washington acknowledges the Coast Salish peoples of this land, the land that touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations.

Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is the state’s flagship public research university. Educating more than 54,000 students annually and employing over 44,000 individuals, the UW educates and serves residents from every corner of the state. Students, faculty and staff partner with community members to discover timely solutions to the world’s most complex problems and enrich the lives of people throughout the state of Washington.

Foster School of Business–Consulting and Business Development Center

The Center engages students and local business owners in solving complex, unstructured, real-world challenges. Through faculty-led business education courses and the work of student consulting teams, the Center grows business revenues and jobs with a focus on businesses owned by those who are LGBTQ+, people of color, women, veterans, tribal citizens and those located in underserved communities. Since its inception in 1995, the Center has generated more than $210 million in new revenue and retained over 200,000 jobs. Classes are offered in Seattle, Yakima, the Tri-Cities and on tribal lands while drawing business owners regionally and nationally.

Forefront in the Schools

Forefront in the Schools (FIS), an initiative of the UW’s Forefront Suicide Prevention program, guides high school administrators, students and parents through a collaborative, comprehensive process of policy development and curriculum improvement to build on existing student mental-health and suicide-prevention efforts. FIS aims to create school communities that are prepared to prevent student mental-health problems and respond to students with mental-health needs, including those at risk for suicide.

The Doorway Project

The Doorway Project addresses youth homelessness in Seattle’s University District through continuous community-engaged collaboration with service providers. The project’s mission is to use healing-centered engagement to reduce youth homelessness and improve quality of life for all affected. It strengthens services for young people experiencing homelessness, offering the resources and tools they need to thrive.

Behavioral Health Teaching Facility

In 2019, the UW partnered with the state to reimagine and build a solution to Washington’s crisis in behavioral-health services. With $33.5 million provided by the Legislature, the UW is designing a behavioral-health teaching hospital at UW Medical Center–Northwest in Seattle’s Northgate neighborhood. The hospital will treat patients and train our state’s next generation of behavioral-health workers. With additional appropriations from the state, construction is scheduled to begin in late 2021, with operations anticipated to begin by November 2023.

Young Executives of Color

Young Executives of Color (YEOC) is a nine-month college pipeline program hosted by the UW’s Michael G. Foster School of Business. YEOC focuses on engaging high school students of color in a comprehensive curriculum that includes college preparation, professional development, business lectures and powerful mentorship. The program, which is free to students, currently serves 190 students from over 75 high schools around Washington state.

The University of Washington

The University of Washington acknowledges the Coast Salish peoples of this land, the land that touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations.

Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is the state’s flagship public research university. Educating more than 54,000 students annually and employing over 44,000 individuals, the UW educates and serves residents from every corner of the state. Students, faculty and staff partner with community members to discover timely solutions to the world’s most complex problems and enrich the lives of people throughout the state of Washington.

Foster School of Business–Consulting and Business Development Center

The Center engages students and local business owners in solving complex, unstructured, real-world challenges. Through faculty-led business education courses and the work of student consulting teams, the Center grows business revenues and jobs with a focus on businesses owned by those who are LGBTQ+, people of color, women, veterans, tribal citizens and those located in underserved communities. Since its inception in 1995, the Center has generated more than $210 million in new revenue and retained over 200,000 jobs. Classes are offered in Seattle, Yakima, the Tri-Cities and on tribal lands while drawing business owners regionally and nationally.

Forefront in the Schools

Forefront in the Schools (FIS), an initiative of the UW’s Forefront Suicide Prevention program, guides high school administrators, students and parents through a collaborative, comprehensive process of policy development and curriculum improvement to build on existing student mental-health and suicide-prevention efforts. FIS aims to create school communities that are prepared to prevent student mental-health problems and respond to students with mental-health needs, including those at risk for suicide.

The Doorway Project

The Doorway Project addresses youth homelessness in Seattle’s University District through continuous community-engaged collaboration with service providers. The project’s mission is to use healing-centered engagement to reduce youth homelessness and improve quality of life for all affected. It strengthens services for young people experiencing homelessness, offering the resources and tools they need to thrive.

Behavioral Health Teaching Facility

In 2019, the UW partnered with the state to reimagine and build a solution to Washington’s crisis in behavioral-health services. With $33.5 million provided by the Legislature, the UW is designing a behavioral-health teaching hospital at UW Medical Center–Northwest in Seattle’s Northgate neighborhood. The hospital will treat patients and train our state’s next generation of behavioral-health workers. With additional appropriations from the state, construction is scheduled to begin in late 2021, with operations anticipated to begin by November 2023.

Young Executives of Color

Young Executives of Color (YEOC) is a nine-month college pipeline program hosted by the UW’s Michael G. Foster School of Business. YEOC focuses on engaging high school students of color in a comprehensive curriculum that includes college preparation, professional development, business lectures and powerful mentorship. The program, which is free to students, currently serves 190 students from over 75 high schools around Washington state.

46TH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES

  • Sen. Javier Valdez (D),
    Sen. Javier Valdez (D)

    Sen. Javier Valdez (D)

  • Representative Gerry Pollet (D),
    Representative Gerry Pollet (D)

    Representative Gerry Pollet (D)

  • Rep. Darya Farivar (D),
    Rep. Darya Farivar (D)

    Rep. Darya Farivar (D)