Author: Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Dear UAA Colleagues,

External and internal changes are all around us. As is the case in periods of change, the journey is tremendously ambiguous but will emerge into clarity. In this ever-shifting landscape, a primary question in evaluating our work is how do we want to look in June? How do we want to grow and serve the campus in better, more efficient ways?

As someone who must be comfortable with change and ambiguity, it was inspiring to have President Obama on campus and to be in the presence of so many of our students. I was struck by the high level of energy and enthusiasm of our students, many of whom stand to be leaders. Change as a result of the current economy is a theme from the broadest standpoints of government to the most focused individual experience. Obama spoke about the necessity of working together, rolling up our sleeves to make progress and drive in a common direction. These themes resonate with UAA and the broader University.

As a campus and larger community, we are still in the mindset of a push—sleeves rolled up, regaining our momentum. It is gritty and difficult work that calls on courage, vision, leadership, and constantly assessing where we’ve been and where we are going.

Bryan Crockett has been thinking about this. I recently received an email from Bryan who manages summer orientation in First Year Programs. Bryan noticed the increase in international students and suggested some ideas of how to update the international student orientation to better meet those students’ needs. I appreciated this initiative and leadership to re-think and re-imagine the way our work is done so that we always strive and, sleeves rolled up, push forward to best serve students.

International opportunities are one of the hallmarks of the Honors Program. In Honors, these opportunities are ever-expanding and innovative. Recently, Julie Villegas has coordinated “Writing, Performing, and Curating Millennial Britain,” a course for summer 2011 at Oxford University in which students will work with learning partners from the UW Honors Program, UW Libraries, the Department of English, the University of Oxford and its Libraries and Special Collections. It’s an innovative collaboration that builds upon Honors’ new curriculum.

At the Dream Project’s recent Scholarship Weekend, 260 high school students from around Puget Sound came to the UW campus to begin their search for financial aid that will enable them to attend college. UW alum and Dream Project scholarship expert Sam Lim connected to the group from Berlin via Skype and shared his own life examples of where he came from, where he is now and the work and skill it takes to both find and create opportunity.

In June, I want to be able to look at a unit that is different, better, and invigorated. Are we expanding our reach to connect with students who may not ordinarily find us? Are we re-thinking processes and practices to be sure our methods are efficient and are we changing them if we find they are not? This is a leadership moment for all of us.

Sincerely,

Ed Taylor
Vice Provost and Dean

Even though she already speaks English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Arabic and some Italian, Vi Nhan’s, ’08, day at the office is spent in a classroom learning Japanese for six hours a day, plus homework. As a new Foreign Service officer, Vi will be stationed in Osaka, Japan, in 2011 so she joins other Foreign Service officers learning additional languages on a Washington, D.C., campus and diligently prepares for her service abroad.

When Vi entered the University of Washington, she knew study abroad would be part of her undergraduate experience. Her first study abroad experience came the summer after her freshman year and was the first time Vi traveled without her family. Studying in Morocco was also “one of those experiences where I came to realize that I’m an American but I’m also a Chinese American.” Vi was the first non-Caucasian American most Moroccans she met had encountered, which dislodged some pre-conceived notions of what it means to be American. “By explaining exactly what ‘I am,’ I learned a lot about Moroccan culture but a lot about my culture as well.”

These experiences laid the foundation for Vi’s belief that cultural commonalities are easier to uncover than points of division.

As a sophomore, Vi was selected to be an Institute for International Public Policy (IIPP) fellow. As one of 20 IIPP fellows nationwide, Vi would spend the next few years preparing for international service through intensive summer institutes, study abroad to South Africa, and graduate school preparation in addition to completing dual majors in political science and international studies. The opportunities afforded to IIPP fellows over a five-year period could reach $100,000 in value.

In addition to the IIPP fellowship, Vi spent a summer in Hong Kong learning Mandarin on a Critical Language Scholarship. Vi spent the first 12 years of her life in Vietnam speaking Cantonese at home. Being in Hong Kong, where Cantonese is spoken, “was the first time in my life where I lived in an area where my mother tongue was spoken. It was amazing to hear all these people speaking my language.”

After her summer in Hong Kong, Vi returned to the UW to complete her Honors thesis on media freedom in China. As she graduated, she was one of 20 students nationwide selected for the Rangel fellowship, which supported her graduate study at Johns Hopkins where Vi earned her master’s degree in international relations and international economics. Part of the Rangel fellowship entails a three-year commitment to the Foreign Service, a career to which she already aspired.

Millions of Americans live abroad and hundreds of thousands travel internationally each year. According to the State Department, on any given workday in 2009, nearly 52,000 Americans were issued a passport and more than 22,000 people received a non-immigrant visa to visit the United States. Consular officers around the world serve these and other needs as well as represent the United States. After completing her Japanese training, Vi will move to Osaka, Japan, to serve as a consular officer. So, if you lose your passport between 2011-13 near Osaka, Japan, you may be helped by a fellow Husky.

“I want to keep representing the United States and keep explaining to people what America is,” says Vi of her future goals. “It’s really bringing it back full circle to my experience in Morocco. I’m looking forward to building relations with local citizens. In some cases, we are the first Americans they’ll see, so that’s a pretty big impact on their lives.”

When she completes her tour in Japan, Vi will move to another country on another tour. Every few tours will be in Washington, D.C. While she will be living in places far from the Northwest, Vi notes the connections she made with UW faculty and staff as well as her family in Seattle, and says “no matter where I am in the world, I’m rooted in Seattle.”