Hiking through the flower-covered rolling hills of the Methow Valley in 2022, my field cohort headed for beaver habitat. Our trail involved crawling under barbed wire in the midday heat, and by the time we finally arrived at the steep slope, I didn’t even attempt to continue.
Category: Features
Typically longer in length and relevancy than content in the news category. Features content is more likely to be republished over time.
A boundless connection
For Kavin ‘Ken’ Srinakarin, ’24, it all began in the Forest Club Room of Anderson Hall. Amid the serenity of evergreens, he and his fellow research assistants at the Human Interaction with Nature and Technological Systems (HINTS) Lab gathered every Friday to discuss scales, factor analysis and connect through shared experiences in nature.
Wen Eckelberg selected as scholar for China’s Yenching Academy
Wen Eckelberg, ’24, an undergraduate at the University of Washington, was recently chosen for the competitive Yenching Academy Scholars program at Peking University.
Arts, humanities and sciences unite at 27th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium
The 27th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium showcased a diverse array of more than 1,200 student presenters, including nearly 200 UW Honors Program students, representing an impressive spectrum of majors, research projects, fellowship and scholarship awardees.
The intersection of service and leadership
On May 23, the University of Washington’s Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center will present the 2024 Spring CELEbration, a forum for undergraduates to showcase their contributions to service, leadership and activist work conducted in partnership with the community.
UAA’s LeAnne Wiles receives Thorud Leadership Award
We are delighted to congratulate LeAnne Wiles on being named one of two recipients for the Thorud Leadership Award, the highest award for leadership at the University of Washington! Wiles is the executive director of First Year Programs and Strategic Initiatives in UAA’s Student Academic Services. Wiles began her UW career in First Year Programs in 2009, managing parent orientation, the First-year Interest Group program and other elements of First Year Programs. In the last 15 years, she has made an indelible mark on how new students are welcomed to campus and how they find a sense of belonging in their first year. To be effective in this work, Wiles and the First Year Programs team she leads reach out across campus, developing partnerships with academic and administrative units with the vision of creating a campus-wide welcome and culture of belonging for first-year students.
Innovation revealed at the 27th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium
On May 17, over 1,200 undergraduates will present cutting-edge research and scholarship at the 27th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, a signature event for the University of Washington.
University of Washington’s Jumpstart welcomes Kinders to College!
The University of Washington’s Jumpstart program recently welcomed kindergarteners from the Federal Way Public Schools (FWPS) to the Seattle campus. The visit was part of the FWPS’s new Kinders to College initiative that launched this academic year and aims to promote the importance of early college and career readiness.
“Our new Kinders to College program allows young kindergarten students to begin learning about the college and career opportunities available to them,” said FWPS superintendent Dr. Dani Pfeiffer. “With repeated exposure to multiple post-secondary pathways, over time students will build an appetite for success, and it’s important that this process begins early,” she said.
The collaboration between Jumpstart and FWPS extends Jumpstart’s commitment to providing equal educational opportunities to all young children and breaking cycles of poverty. Jessica Hunnicut Batten, director of Local P12 Education Partnerships at UAA’s Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center, expressed her excitement about the partnership and the benefits it will bring.
Batten emphasized the importance of exposing young scholars to college and post-secondary pathways early, as studies show that children begin contemplating their future careers in elementary school. “By offering students early exposure to a college environment, they can get excited about education and develop career aspirations, which will motivate them as they navigate their educational journey,” Batten said.
Nicole Collopy, a UW alum, cited her time as a former career and college readiness assistant with the Dream Project, which has been going to schools in the Federal Way School District for over a decade, as instrumental in shaping her approach to fostering educational equity and inclusion.
Supporting the amazing communities she worked with through the Dream Project allowed Collopy to evolve her understanding of the systems and structures that create barriers to educational equity. This brought her to her current position as FWPS’s college and career readiness facilitator, “The experiential learning I participated in, through what is now the CELE Center, shaped my journey by allowing me to apply my knowledge and explore my passions, eventually leading me to discover my love of college access work,” Collopy said.
The Kinders to College event was organized in partnership with Batten and Collopy, with the help of the Dream Project’s sister program, UW Jumpstart. Jumpstart students designed and led groups of kindergarteners in hands-on classroom activities, introducing them to different careers such as dentistry, art, archeology and pediatrics. The event also included a visit by UW mascot Harry the Husky and a walking scavenger hunt to the fountain.
Magnolia Wood, ‘25, a Jumpstart leader majoring in speech and hearing sciences, shared her experience of the event. “I had a lot of fun watching the kids’ faces light up as they entered and again during our readings and activities,” Wood shared. She expressed her hope that such events will become a lasting memory for the children as they grow up and pursue their dreams.
Emely Dominguez, ‘25, Jumpstart leader majoring in education communities and organizations, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the value of exposing young minds to various career possibilities. “Seeing how happy they were in a college environment was satisfying because this not only helps the students have a positive view towards their education but also the belief that they can achieve any dream,” Dominguez said.
Jumpstart leader Carmela Paz, ‘24, reflected on the fulfilling experience of the Kinders to College event. She highlighted her role in preparing materials and creating a fun learning environment, particularly in the Bob Ross room where kids could express their creativity through art. “We had the children engage and apply what they read about by giving them canvases and watercolor paint to create their pieces of artwork,” Paz said. “I loved working alongside them and seeing their creativity roam, sharing with us and their classmates!” she said.
“It was a great start to our student’s educational journey toward success and we are thankful for our partnership with University of Washington’s Jumpstart program for joining us in this effort,” said Dr. Pfeiffer. The UW Jumpstart program remains committed to the ongoing partnership and advancing education equity across the region.
About Jumpstart
Through Jumpstart, UW students provide language, social-emotional and literacy programming for preschool children from under-resourced communities and promote quality early learning for all children. UW students gain experience in preschool classrooms, setting goals, teamwork and leadership skills.
Bitaniya Giday, UW junior, scholar, community organizer and poet, selected as Truman Scholar
When University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce, Provost Tricia Serio and Vice Provost and Dean Ed Taylor appeared in the Zoom room of Bitaniya Giday’s African American studies class, Giday was confused and even wondered if she was in trouble for something. But then President Cauce excitedly announced that Giday had been selected for the prestigious Truman Scholarship, a national award recognizing past accomplishments in and future commitment to public service and leadership.
Three UW students named 2024 Goldwater Scholars
Three University of Washington undergraduates have been honored as Goldwater Scholars by the Goldwater Foundation, continuing the longstanding tradition of UW students receiving this honor. This year’s UW Goldwater Scholars are Dania Ahmed, Annabella Li and Masa Nakura-Fan. Their undergraduate research projects with faculty cover a range of topics such as the mechanisms underlying heart disease, designing, producing and testing novel protein-based systems, and computational fabrication and artificial intelligence.