鈥淚t can be a very intimidating process, especially because college there’s so many people here and just you know putting yourself out there in front of a bunch of people you don’t know, that can be very nerve-wracking. Try things that you’ve never done before. You might find that you’re really, really passionate about something that you’ve just never tried before. Yeah, just just don’t be afraid to do.鈥�
Category: Features
Typically longer in length and relevancy than content in the news category. Features content is more likely to be republished over time.
Husky Stories: Sydney Janeway talks about discovering nonprofit work
I think students should get involved in the community because you never know what connections you’re going to make out of it, and you never know what kind of what doors it’s going to open up and where it’s going to bring you
A new name and new endowment for a longstanding program working toward educational equity
This fall, the Pipeline Project completed their thoughtful work updating their program name. They are pleased to announce their new name: . This name seeks to more accurately reflect the program鈥檚 mission and honor their community collaborations. In addition, the program received an . The Endowment will allow Riverways to continue building their year-long program with Neah Bay and other rural and tribal communities, support the assessment of their work and create new year-long programs for other schools across the state.
Riverways Education Partnerships places equity and reciprocal relationships at the center of their work. Since 1997, 91爆料 undergraduates have been mentoring, tutoring and supporting K-12 students across the state. Riverways has built long term relationships with rural and tribal communities, as well as Seattle schools. Through this work, 91爆料 undergrads engage with students from diverse backgrounds, gain leadership skills, critically reflect on issues of equity in education and learn to build relationships with communities. The K-12 students they partner with work on literacy, environmental and STEM-related projects. Working with undergraduates also gives these students a glimpse into the college experience.听
鈥淭he work has always been about education equity,鈥� says longtime director Christine Stickler. 鈥淏ringing undergraduate students into schools has a real impact on how they understand the enormous and deep impact that schools have in our community. For students to have an opportunity to understand how the education system works is an impactful way for them to understand the challenges, constraints and possibilities of the system.鈥�
McGregor鈥檚 longtime support has been critical to Riverways鈥� work. McGregor first got involved with the Pipeline Project in 2003, when she funded a quarter-long poetry outreach project working with the Quileute Tribe in LaPush. In 2010, she went on to fund a year-long program called 鈥淭elling Our Stories, Imagining Our Futures.鈥� This program takes place in Neah Bay, the home of the Makah Tribe. Through this program, 91爆料 undergraduates mentor Makah students in Neah Bay. Seeing college students from a similar background encourages the elementary students to envision their future, helping them learn about pathways to higher education and explore careers where they can live and lead in their home community. To date, 270 fifth-graders from Neah Bay have been mentored by 66 91爆料 students.听
Auston Jimmicum, a member of the Makah tribe, 91爆料 alum and past Riverways mentor, remembers 91爆料 students visiting his fifth grade classroom. 鈥淚t was the first time I had ever talked to college students,鈥� reflected Jimmicum.听 He goes on to explain 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what this program is doing: opening the students鈥� eyes, putting it in their heads that they have their whole lives to look forward to, and exposing them to this other world.鈥� While tutoring students in Neah Bay as part of Alternative Spring Break in 2018, two of the kids in his group said they wanted to study at 91爆料.听聽
The former name, Pipeline Project, originally reflected the intent to build connections and relationships all across Kindergarten, elementary, middle, high school and higher education institutions. However, the word 鈥減ipeline鈥� became increasingly associated with negative phenomena such as the destructive oil and gas lines running through Native American lands and the school-to-prison pipeline. The name change process was initiated to respond to these concerns from students and community partners.听
Stickler started the process of the name change in 2019 in collaboration and consultation with the program鈥檚 students, alumni and tribal partners. One partner was Tami Hohn, the Lushootseed language instructor at the 91爆料 who suggested the concept of water and rivers as something that has connected communities around the world all throughout history. The word 鈥淩iverways鈥� was selected to reflect the program鈥檚 core mission of connecting people, schools and communities. The words 鈥渆ducation partnerships鈥� were also chosen to center the collaborative nature of the program鈥檚 relationships with community partners and the Seattle Public Schools.
The team collaborated with their Native American Partners and came up with a new focus statement: 鈥渃onnecting with students, schools and communities toward tribal sovereignty and racial justice.鈥� This bold statement takes ownership of their commitment to the anti-racist work that is the guiding core of the program鈥檚 work. It also honors their Native American partners’聽 unique struggle over land sovereignty.
鈥淐ollaboration is at the heart of our work,鈥� explains Stickler. 鈥淚鈥檓 grateful to our Native American students for starting this conversation and am proud to have a new program name that reflects our commitment to partnership and equity. I鈥檓 also grateful to Alyson for her generosity and continued enthusiasm for our work. We look forward to working together to continue Riverways鈥� work of providing transformative and growthful educational experiences for both 91爆料 and K-12 students, while addressing historical inequities in public education in Washington state.鈥�
Husky Stories: Taking advantage of failure with Ryan Lowery
Each and every Husky goes through their own journey, undergoes their own unique experiences and, most importantly, has their very own story to share. Husky Stories is a mini-series in which Huskies share their successes, failures, experiences 鈥� their stories. There is no one way to be a Husky. Indeed, the culmination of individuals’ stories shape the picture of what it means to be a Husky.
Welcome to the very first episode of Husky Stories! Ryan Lowery is majoring in math and atmospheric sciences here at the 91爆料. Other than school, Ryan is also involved with the , a program within Undergraduate Academic Affairs. Here, he shares his stories of dealing with failure and resiliency. (Note: This interview took place prior to the coronavirus pandemic.)
The Resilience Lab is a campus partner in the Husky Health & Well-Being initiative. If you would like to talk with a counselor or simply learn more about the mental health resources available to students, visit the .
Video by Sovechea Sophanna.
New guidebook helps faculty and instructors support student well-being
This week, the 91爆料鈥檚 Resilience Lab released the , a new resource for instructors to aid them in designing learning environments that promote well-being. Combining research, best practices and personal testimony, the guidebook gives faculty and other instructors concrete ideas and direct input from the campus community around supporting the whole student and promoting resilience and compassion on campus.
Students鈥� well-being has been a growing concern for several years and has been exacerbated by 2020鈥檚 COVID-19 pandemic, economic fallout and the national reckoning over race and policing. A recent found that campus mental health was the top concern of university presidents.听
鈥淎s we prepare the next generation of citizens and servant leaders, future educators, researchers, entrepreneurs and more, it really is critical that we incorporate practices that support our students鈥� whole lives and lived experiences,鈥� says Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean on Undergraduate Academic Affairs. 鈥淎s a public research university, much of our work is focused on understanding the factors that contribute to resilient communities. This guidebook helps us with that work right here at our 91爆料 home, knowing that it expands beyond campus as we all interact with our broader community through research, service and teaching.鈥�
The guidebook鈥檚 Foundations for Advancing Student Well-Being are the framework for the guide and include the themes of teaching for equity and access, building resilience coping skills, nurturing connection and connecting to the environment. This framework promotes core skills and mindsets of social and emotional learning and draws on best practices modeled at other institutions. This resource was researched, developed, co-written and edited by the Resilience Lab team and more than 40 Well-Being for Life and Learning Fellows who are faculty members, instructors, staff and students across disciplines and from all three 91爆料 campuses. Their contributions give the guidebook a 91爆料-focused, holistic perspective on the impact of teaching the whole student. In that way, the guidebook is both a call to action and an invitation to the work of helping students develop the tools and habits for well-being so they are mentally and emotionally equipped to learn and thrive.听
鈥淎ll of us at the Resilience Lab are so honored to have worked on this guidebook with such a committed group of instructors, staff and students,鈥� says Resilience Lab Director Megan Kennedy. 鈥淲e know that advancing student well-being really takes all of us, so our goal was to create a tool for our campus colleagues to add to their pedagogical toolbox. We wanted to give instructors a foundation of both why this work matters and how they can incorporate it into their teaching no matter where they are in terms of personal and professional experience.鈥澛�
Support resilience, compassion and well-being
The Resilience Lab promotes well-being at the 91爆料 through education, research partnerships, and core programs and initiatives.
The Well-Being for Life and Learning guidebook sits at the prevention and promotion end of a mental health continuum of care within the 91爆料 and is aimed at preventing larger issues or crises by bolstering students鈥� resilience coping skills and helping them respond to stress and stay connected to others. It鈥檚 a part of the Resilience Lab鈥檚 Well-Being for Life and Learning initiative, one of the Lab鈥檚 efforts toward building and sustaining a culture of well-being at the 91爆料.
About the Resilience Lab
The Resilience Lab was founded in 2015 and is a program within Undergraduate Academic Affairs that promotes well-being at the 91爆料 through education, research partnerships and core programs and initiatives.
For more information about the Resilience Lab or its Well-Being for Life and Learning initiative and guidebook, contact Megan Kennedy at meganken@uw.edu.
Ryan Burt named director of Academic Support Programs
Congratulations to Ryan Burt, who was appointed the new director of Academic Support Programs in September, 2020.听
runs the Center for Learning and Undergraduate Enrichment (CLUE) 鈥� a free, late night, peer-to-peer, drop-in tutoring program and academic support coaches, a peer-to-peer coaching program. Academic Support Programs sits within along with First Year Programs and Undergraduate Academic Affairs Advising. Burt explains that being situated here 鈥渃reates really powerful opportunities to collaborate with First Year Programs and UAA Advising. This is a great space for us to think creatively and collaboratively about supporting the transitional experiences of first-year and pre-major students, especially in this virtual world.鈥澛�
Inclusiveness is central to Academic Support Programs鈥� work. When examining the effectiveness of their programs, Burt and team ask who is coming, and more importantly, who isn鈥檛 coming and why? Even before the pandemic hit, Burt and his team were planning to offer their services online to make it easier for students to access these resources. The University鈥檚 move to online learning in spring 2020 sped up the timeline for this change.听
鈥淲e鈥檙e working to make the online experience a rich one. Even though it鈥檚 a challenging year, there is still a lot of possibility of collaborating differently in the virtual setting.鈥� Burt explains 鈥淚 want students to know we care about each of them. We know that being a student at a large public university can be overwhelming, daunting. That鈥檚 where we come in: we鈥檙e their academic home away from home.鈥澛�
Associate Dean Michaelann Jundt shares, 鈥淚 am thrilled to have Ryan leading Academic Support Programs. His curiosity fuels his dedication to deep learning and informs his leadership. I am impressed by how well he handles unexpected change and the ways he has embraced collaborative projects. His commitment to students will continue to move us forward in supporting 91爆料 student success.鈥澛�
Academic Support Programs鈥� offerings rely on students teaching other students. The peer-to-peer model is impactful. Students learn from other Huskies who are going through similar experiences and challenges. It allows them to relate and to learn from someone who is balancing the demands of student life, just like they are. To that end, Academic Support Programs increased the number of student coaches they hired in spring 2020 to both provide jobs for students who may have otherwise lost them and to be able to better serve 91爆料 undergrads.听
To all faculty, staff and students thinking creatively about how to best support students, . Academic Support Programs is eager to connect, share ideas and work together.
Burt and team are eager to collaborate across campus. Because they work with both faculty and students, they have a unique vantage point to see both the faculty鈥檚 learning goals and how students are understanding the class material. They are available to meet with faculty and staff to share their observations and help support their classes.听
Burt鈥檚 involvement with Academic Support Programs began in 2013, when he was a program manager. His work included overseeing the CLUE writing center and teaching academic support classes for multilingual students. The majority of students Burt was working with were international students, so Burt co-founded the International Student Success Committee. The Committee鈥檚 work brought together colleagues serving international students together to focus on enriching the international student college experience.听
Burt continued to grow his career in Academic Support Services, serving as senior program manager, assistant director and most recently served as interim director. He continues to focus on how to best support the University鈥檚 diverse undergraduate student population.听
He is a triple Dawg, earning his Ph.D. in English literature. His graduate work focused on critical multiculturalism in literature. He also holds a B.A. in both the comparative history of ideas and literature, and an M.A. in literature. He led the Academic Support Programs course English 295: Imagination, Immigration and Identity in Post-Colonial Rome聽and spent two years as a visiting professor of English at the Universit茅 Ibn Zohr in Agadir, Morocco.
Beyond his work in Academic Support Programs, Burt has been involved in several committees including Undergraduate Academic Affairs鈥� general studies curriculum committee and the diversity and inclusion team. He co-chaired the Undergraduate Academic Affairs鈥� staff teaching committee with Carissa Mayer, which brought together staff from across campus to think critically about undergraduate education.听 He is also co-chairing the University鈥檚 Task Force on Writing, where he鈥檚 helping to reimagine the W (writing) requirement. Burt brings a unique perspective to this work, having been an undergrad and grad student at the 91爆料, in addition to having taught classes as both a grad student and now a staff member. This work seeks to broaden the writing requirement to include diverse fields and writing intensive, upper-level language classes.
Outside of work, Burt, his wife Jennifer and their son Lucien recently welcomed their newest family member, Zin茅dine. Burt is a musician and drummer for the band . In addition, he鈥檚 an avid coffee drinker. Pre-pandemic, he鈥檇 offer you a Chemex pour over when you visited his office. His current favorite coffee is , which translates to鈥渃offee, coffee, coffee鈥︹�� in several East African languages 鈥� perfect for a coffee enthusiast.
Dear Students: Voting is a habit that holds our democracy together
The 91爆料 has one of the highest voter participation rates of any college or university in the nation. This legacy of civic participation 鈥� that #HuskiesVote 鈥� is something we can all be proud of. And it鈥檚 something we can continue.
If you are eligible to vote make sure that your voter registration status is up-to-date so you are ready to vote in the upcoming November 2020 election.
Important dates
October 26, 2020
Deadline for online voter registration in Washington state.
NOTE: Deadlines and processes vary from state to state, so it is wise to register as soon as you can. Check the for deadlines in other states.
November 3, 2020
Election Day
In Washington state, your ballot must be in a ballot box before 8 p.m. on November 3 or postmarked on or before November 3.
This November, you have the chance to vote for the president, governor and local officials as well as ballot initiatives 鈥� all of which are important decisions that impact your life. Voting is a way you can use your civic voice; we encourage you to use it. But first: You need to register.
As the largest and most diverse generation alive right now, young people have a chance to make a real impact in our country 鈥� if every eligible voter participates in elections. In order to make sure that you can vote in the upcoming local, state and federal elections, you need to be registered to vote at your current address.
Please take five minutes and聽.听
Let鈥檚 exercise some civic muscle and vote.听#HuskiesVote
Additional resources
:聽Check your voter registration status and find out more about upcoming elections, including how to vote safely by mail. If you are residing in another state, this website has information about voting in each state.
Huskies Vote:聽Get step-by-step guidance on how to vote and how you can help others vote.
Do you need in-person assistance or did you miss the registration deadline?
Come to the Vote Center at the聽. It will be open Saturday, October 31, 10 a.m.鈥�4 p.m.; Monday, November 2, 8:30 a.m.鈥�6:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, November 3, 8:30 a.m.鈥�8:00 p.m. You鈥檒l be able to register for the first time or update your registration, get a replacement ballot if you need one, or use an accessible voting unit if you have a disability and would prefer an audio ballot, touchscreen or other adaptive equipment. Public health precautions will be in place and wearing a face covering will be required.
This post is an edited compilation of a couple messages sent to students at 91爆料鈥檚 Seattle campus to encourage them to register to vote and vote because civic engagement is an important component to a 91爆料 education.
Studying in progress signs now available
Download and print a copy so everyone around you knows when you are busy with classes, studying and meetings.
Download a PDF of the do not disturb signs:
Class in progress signs
Click on an image for the full size version.
Studying in progress signs
Click on an image for the full size version.
Meeting in progress signs
Click on an image for the full size version.
Field report: Honors course explores whether national parks are in progress or peril
This course will take students on an exciting two week field study to the three 鈥渨ilderness jewels鈥� of Washington state鈥檚 national parks, Mount Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades, and follow with class time in autumn quarter. Students should be comfortable hiking moderately strenuous trails almost every day of the trip, camping in remote locations, and traveling and lodging in primitive and close quarters. Through a combination of immersed field study readings and expert speakers, students will not only introduce themselves to these diverse and unique places in our country, but also gain a greater understanding of the purpose of such a system, and look critically at the cultural and environmental issues impacting the National Parks today.
鈥� Excerpt from the course description for “Honors 230: Parks in Progress or Peril?”
When junior Rhyannon Hayes, a political science and history major and environmental studies minor, read the course description for 鈥淗onors 230: Parks in Progress or Peril?鈥� she thought it would be a cool experience, a great intro to backpacking and a fun way to explore the Pacific Northwest while satisfying requirements for the 91爆料 Honors Program.
Before this class, Hayes had only been to two national parks in her life. She had hiked only a little and camped in traditional campgrounds, but never backpacked or camped in the backcountry. By the end of the two week field study, she鈥檇 visited Washington鈥檚 three major national parks: Mount Rainier, Olympic and the North Cascades, had trekked more than 50 miles and spent 11 nights camping. She learned to love dehydrated meals and mastered how to keep a fire alive through rain and the season’s first snow. Days spent hiking and evenings spent chatting around the campfire gave Hayes and her classmates time to bond. She left the class with a solid group of friends.
The two week field study gave nine interdisciplinary honors students the opportunity to explore national parks, learn from a variety of experts, observe firsthand how people interact with the park, and decide through their own lived experiences if and why these spaces matter in our collective culture. The course 鈥� taught by Honors Program and UAA staff members Aley Mills Willis, Brook Kelly and Laura Harrington 鈥� continued as a campus-based seminar through autumn quarter.
鈥淚f this field study was our buffet of information, experience and sensation, then the autumn discussion section was our digestion of the material,鈥� explains bioengineering major Matt Tucker.
The field study/seminar combination is the latest iteration of a 10-year collaboration between the Honors program and the national parks. 鈥淥ur goals,鈥� explains instructor Mills Willis, 鈥渁re to take a unique, enormous and inherently interdisciplinary idea like national parks and break it open, exposing students firsthand to the variety of passions and perspectives that brought these places into existence and those that will preserve them. We want students to grapple with the complex natural and cultural histories of these places, their evolution, and their current and more fragile states. And, we want them to confront that while walking up a mountain trail, peering into a coastal tide pool or visiting significant cultural sites of our region’s native tribes.”
Field learnings: Exploring Makah history and Shi Shi Beach
Dave Conca, Olympic National Park archaeologist, has been collaborating with Kelly, Harrington and Mills Willis for more than a decade. 鈥�鈥媁orking with the 91爆料 instructors and students is one of the highlights of my entire work year,鈥� says Conca. 鈥�The high level of engagement with students, their level of sophistication regarding questions and discussion around complex issues continues to amaze and humble me.鈥� Conca finds it so invigorating that he includes it in his annual work plan.
This year, Conca led the class through the Makah Tribal Museum, which tells the story of the Makah Tribe through a collection of artifacts found at Ozette Village site. This group of artifacts provides a uniquely complete story, since the village was preserved as the result of a landslide in the 1700s. Then, while hiking to Shi Shi Beach, Conca discussed how what they saw in the museum related to the land they were walking on. 鈥淭he students鈥� observations and questions spur my thinking. After more than 26 years in the field, you can become complacent. Their questions and observations help keep me fresh.鈥�
Shi Shi Beach averages around 300 people a weekend through the summer. The recent uptick in visitors puts a strain on the finite number of campsites, rangers and other park resources. This raises many questions: Are current management tactics 鈥� education through permitting and enforcement through park rangers patrolling the beaches 鈥� working?聽 Is the current usage harming the parks鈥� ecosystems? Are the parks being loved to death? Should park guests be limited? How would limiting guests impact the Makah Tribe鈥檚 economy?
Field learnings: Park advocacy applies to all fields
Collaboration and partnership is essential for how national parks come to be, and how they are managed for the future. Modeling that for students in the structure of the course itself was essential.
Meeting with subject matter experts like Conca is part of the course鈥檚 engagement with the history, relevance and evolution of America鈥檚 National Park Service, as well as its central question: Is the idea of national parks progressing, or is it in peril? Interdisciplinary exploration is at the foundation of the Honors curriculum, and this class was no exception. Additional speakers ranged from scientists to artists to activists, who all shared their unique perspectives and interest in these places. The guests included the acting superintendent and the volunteer manager of Mount Rainier National Park, 91爆料 scientists, the authors of books outlining the natural and political histories of Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks, photographers, poets, historians, exhibit builders and a program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA).
Community, environment and planning student Becca Fogel reflects, 鈥淏efore this class, educating about and advocating for the national parks seemed like a fairly siloed endeavor rooted deep in environmental science and geology 鈥� things I鈥檓 interested in but not necessarily very passionate about. But our in-class meetings provided me with a better understanding of the far-reaching interdisciplinarity of the Park Service mission.鈥�
Students kept daily field journals, led group discussions, engaged with course readings and daily class sessions in the field and prepared a final case management project and reflective field journal presentation. The connections made with guest speakers gave students a panel of experts to turn to when working on their parks management case studies.
Hayes, along with group members Andrew Ryan and Nathan Ji, researched the topic of noise pollution in Olympic National Park from Growler jets flying out of the Naval Air Station on Whidbey Island. To understand the diverse perspectives, the group connected with Graham Taylor of the NPCA, the superintendent of Olympic National Park, and the public affairs officer for Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. 鈥淲hat I really appreciated in working with Graham was that we were able to have a very open and honest conversation about [his experiences] communicating with the Navy to try to have more thorough and comprehensive environmental impact studies,鈥� explains Hayes, who grew up in a Navy family.
To present their results, the three students created, narrated and recorded an audio experience, voiced by them and spearheaded by the group鈥檚 鈥渃reative genius,鈥� Ryan. The soundtrack took the class through the park in a 鈥渕agic tent,鈥� similar to a field trip on “The Magic School Bus,” talking about issues with the experts. Hayes describes it as 鈥渢he most creative project鈥� she鈥檚 been a part of.
Field learnings: 91爆料 students start NPCA Northwest Student Leadership Council
As a result of collaborating on the case study, Taylor invited Hayes to help start a NPCA Northwest Student Leadership Council. Hayes recruited classmates Aidan DeHan, Niki Kafie and McKenzie Carlson to launch the group. This new NPCA council, which formed in February, held two events: hosting a recruitment table at the environmental career fair and supporting聽 Taylor in a presentation about North Cascades grizzly bear reintroduction to a class on threatened and endangered species. Following his talk, Hayes and Carlson spoke with students about continuing their conservation work with their council. Their membership is now up to 11 students.
The NPCA talks are open to anyone interested in attending. .
The next two events, a service project on Ebey鈥檚 Landing and an advocacy tabling event on Earth Day, had to be cancelled due to public health guidance and efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Still, the group is eager to continue their work and holds weekly Zoom meetings featuring national park experts giving talks and answering audience questions. Speakers so far have included: author and North Cascades expert Lauren Danner; president of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Association Clarence Moriwaki; and, on April 23, 2020, author and Mount Rainier expert Jeff Antonelis-Lapp. Hayes鈥� future plans include collaborating with Carlson, who is president of the 91爆料 Hiking Club, to lead hikes and backpacking trips talking with students about issues the national parks are facing and how the NPCA can help. Their mission is to advocate for these beloved wild spaces, so national parks can be enjoyed by future generations.
Field learnings: I can start my conservation work now
Reflecting on the class, Hayes shares that it 鈥渕arked one of two turning points I’ve had in my college career in which I took a newly ignited passion, in this case for national parks, and created opportunity. It took me deeper into the wilderness than I had ever been and helped me fall even more deeply in love with the natural world. I learned from all the speakers and in the case of Graham and the NPCA, I found a place where I could take my new knowledge, combine it with my skills in constituent relations and government, and actually become a part of conservation work. I always knew environmental issues were a priority that I wanted to incorporate into my future career, but because of this class, I get to start that work now.鈥�
Photos courtesy of students and instructors in Honors 230: Parks in Progress or Peril.听
91爆料 Honors students use art to disrupt the narrative on homelessness聽
Students in the Interdisciplinary Honors class “Citizen Acts to Challenge Poverty” collaborated with to bring the exhibit to the 91爆料 campus. The gallery features portraits and biographies of Real Change newspaper vendors, originally commissioned and curated by Real Change art director, Jon Williams. The idea of hosting this exhibit grew out of a long standing partnership between Real Change and Vicky Lawson and Sarah Elwood, 91爆料 geography professors and co-founders of the Relational Poverty Network. As Lawson designed an interdisciplinary seminar to engage 91爆料 Honors students in a learning experience that could amplify the work of activist organizations like Real Change, she saw an opportunity for students to make a positive impact by installing the existing portraits as a public exhibit on 91爆料鈥檚 Seattle campus.听
Honors students worked with Real Change to figure out how to mount and promote the exhibit, create an opening event and lead small group tours. They also curated an accompanying exhibit called 鈥淪eattle Now and Then鈥� to show that homelessness in Seattle is not a new issue for the city. A photo of the 1930s shantytown known as Hooverville is contrasted with a modern day photo of the same location. The historic picture shows a man standing on a ladder, repairing the roof of his makeshift home. In today鈥檚 photo, tents line the sidewalk along Alaskan Way. Smith Tower is prominent in both images, orienting the viewer within the city. Interdisciplinary Honors student and aeronautics major Danny Roberts led the curation and photography of this addition to the Portraits exhibit. Pairing these images with the portraits and stories of the vendors tells a more nuanced and complex story of the people living outside in our city.听
Artists donated their time to paint portraits of Real Change vendors to change the way we see these members of our community. For a population that is often ignored or avoided, this celebration of their beauty, joy and depth聽 is especially meaningful. These works invite the viewer to spend time looking at each person as precisely that 鈥� a person. The paintings are accompanied by biographies, which explain the unique set of circumstances that led the person to become unhomed. These stories aim to thwart the toxic stereotypes 鈥� that people living on the streets are all drug addicts, mentally ill, lazy and so on 鈥� and instead highlight the person鈥檚 humanity, dignity and resilience. Many vendors talked about how powerful and transformative selling the papers has been: from helping them create a community of vendors and clients to helping them regain a sense of dignity and employment. Being immortalized in a portrait 鈥� an artform historically reserved for nobles and royalty 鈥� further honors each person.听
Sam Fredman, a senior and peer educator in the Honors Program studying law, societies and justice and disability studies, underlined the importance of holding this exhibit in the 91爆料鈥檚 Allen Library, explaining that 鈥渓ibraries are spaces of public education鈥� and that as a public university, it’s important to create a welcoming space for all of our community members. To further the impact of the exhibit, Lawson and Elwood, along with graduate student Isaac Rivera, also set up a research project to gauge the public鈥檚 understanding of Real Change and issues surrounding homelessness and poverty in our community. The last question of the survey asks people what actions they will take based on the exhibit. The intention is to inspire people to imagine making a difference, sparking everyday citizens into action.听
When asked how he feels about the experience of partnering with 91爆料 students and faculty on Portraits for Change, Williams was very positive. 鈥淚t meant a lot to have students taking care of all the details to share these portraits and get the word out,鈥� he explained. 鈥淣ow a lot more people will see them.鈥�
The exhibit is on display at the Allen Library Atrium through Thursday, March 12.
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Video by Sovechea Sophanna.
About Honors
The brings together students and faculty from all across campus to learn through cross-disciplinary curriculum, experiential learning, research and critical reflection. Honors鈥� curriculum offers a rigorous, interdisciplinary education, while Departmental Honors programs provide deep disciplinary education.
About Real Change
is an award-winning newspaper. It’s written by professional journalists and provides people experiencing homelessness or who are low income with immediate employment.