Lupita Tovar originally intended to major in business. However, the opportunity to get involved with research changed her mind. Now an astronomy major, Lupita investigates telescopes to map exoplanets (words outside our solar system). If successful, she鈥檒l pitch her ideas to NASA and the greater science community.
Category: News
Content that has a shorter shelf life and is less likely to be republished over time.
Celebrating 10 years of Levinson Emerging Scholars
Since 2007, the Levinson Emerging Scholars Awards have supported undergraduate researchers whose passion for science never rests. Mentored by and working alongside some of the 91爆料’s most accomplished researchers and teachers, these students participate in the invigorating work of advancing knowledge to solve some of society’s most intractable problems. Meet this remarkable group of young scientists.
Student draws on her past to inspire the future
Christina Chan, 鈥�16, knows first-hand the adversity surrounding college entrance for many high school students, especially for low-income students like herself. When she entered her junior year at Franklin High School, college loomed before her, looking more and more like an unattainable goal. College application forms and personal essays were complicated requirements that she didn鈥檛 know how to complete.
Then Christina decided to apply to (CAN), a nonprofit organization that specializes in helping low-income high school students enter college. Four years later, she graduated from the 91爆料 with degrees in English and sociology and returned to CAN as a 91爆料 community-based intern.
When you were in high school, what challenges stood between you and your dream of attending the 91爆料?
I鈥檓 the first generation in my family to attend college. My parents are immigrants from China and didn鈥檛 receive any official education past the third grade. Ever since I was a child, they instilled in me the value of education. Attending the 91爆料 was my dream, but when it came to actually applying, the process was overwhelming because there were so many things my parents and I didn鈥檛 know. All the required forms, like the FAFSA, the essays and preparing for the SATs, everything seemed so daunting. The FAFSA was particularly confusing 鈥� I鈥檇 never filed a tax report before! The jargon itself was discouraging.
How did you overcome the challenges of applying to the 91爆料?
In my junior year of high school, I reached out to Franklin High School鈥檚 chapter of College Access Now. They really broke down the steps for applying to 91爆料 and made college look achievable. They helped me draft my personal statement and made sure I used it to show who I truly was. I had good, but average SAT scores, so I really believe it was the personal statement that helped me get into 91爆料.
The experience that I went through as a financially disadvantaged student has influenced how I perceive the world, how I carry myself, and what I want to do in the future. Every opportunity, encounter and experience that I鈥檝e faced is an advantage because I鈥檝e developed resiliency when faced with adversity. This is something that I will instill in my future students; I want to share my experience and inspire them.
How did you return to CAN as their intern?
Because I knew how difficult it could be to apply to college, I wanted to intern at a nonprofit organization focusing on education. In my senior year of university, 91爆料 offered at nonprofit organizations in Seattle. I found out that CAN was actually one of the nonprofits that would be hosting an internship through 91爆料! The timing was perfect and I was matched to CAN as their intern.
What do you do as an intern at CAN?
I work on the College Services team that specializes in supporting CAN students through college and beyond. We know that the obstacles you face as a low-income individual don鈥檛 just go away after graduating college so we wanted to create a support system for the alumni. In fact, we just recently hosted our first ever CAN alumni engagement event. I helped with the outreach and logistics for the event.
You just graduated from the 91爆料. What鈥檚 next for you?
My journey is officially coming full circle as I will be serving as an AmeriCorps 11th grade college coach at my alma mater, . As the students鈥� mentor, or college coach, I鈥檒l be helping students apply to college and teach them how to better utilize their resources.
How does being an alumni of Franklin and CAN make your insight unique as a college coach?
I feel really passionate about coming back to Franklin High School as a college coach because I want to be the students鈥� support system. Being from South Seattle, I can relate to the issues that many students at Franklin High School experience. It鈥檚 one of the most diverse schools in Seattle, and听60-70% of their students qualify for free/reduced lunch. I also come from a low-income family. I鈥檝e been through the system, I鈥檝e been in their shoes. I鈥檝e seen so many people stuck in the same spot because of the role society sees them in. I want to help them break free of these restrictive labels and take a different path. CAN is a great way to do this because they give everyone a chance to work towards a better future.
Interested in learning more about the 91爆料鈥檚 community-based internships? Contact the Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center Director, Rachel Vaughn,听 or 206-685-2705 or visit the website.
Cathy Beyer reflects on her career at 91爆料
After 30 years of working at the 91爆料, Catharine Beyer retired. During that time, she spent 17 years working in the Office of Educational Assessment and three in the Interdisciplinary Writing Program. We chatted with her to learn more about her time at the 91爆料.
What drew you to the 91爆料?
At 37, we moved to Seattle with our two kids so my husband could start a Ph.D. in applied math, his long-held dream. I had taught college writing courses and worked as an editor for an engineering consulting firm, so, I applied for a lecturer position in the 91爆料鈥檚 (IWP). The last thing I was told in my interview for the job was, 鈥淢icrosoft is hiring technical writers; you might check over there.鈥� This was 1984. Had I checked with Microsoft, I might be a millionaire today, but I got the job in the IWP and took it.
In your 30-year career at the 91爆料, what work have you done that you believe is the most important to others?
Institutionally and nationally, my big assessment projects 鈥� the and the , both of which resulted in books co-authored by beloved colleagues 鈥� would probably be considered my most important work. I loved that work, don鈥檛 get me wrong, but I think my teaching work might be more important over time. Not only did I have the honor of helping 13-years worth of students become better writers and thinkers, but I learned a ton about what undergraduates and faculty members experience that I then could carry into my later assessment work.
What have you found through your work that has most inspired you?
Our students are always inspiring. They are amazingly bright, interested in and knowledgeable about such diverse things. Sometimes they are shockingly brave 鈥� recovering from failure and loss or navigating an environment that feels unwelcoming, for example. They come to us from great pinnacles of success, but they have to start over here, and what counts for success is often very different from what mattered before. They come here hoping to be challenged and to grow. We owe them an experience that does that for each one of them.
What advice do you have for students, faculty and staff about the value of teaching and learning?
Because learning is complex, the ways we assess it must also be complex. Generic tests and surveys of students鈥� experience can鈥檛 tell us much about what our students have learned in college or how to improve our work. If we want to get that kind of information, we need to talk with students about their learning. We need to get faculty involved in looking at students鈥� work over time and discussing it together, identifying the growth (or lack of it) they find there. We need to also track learning that doesn鈥檛 fall neatly within our academic boundaries but that may inform them or have value beyond them.
You鈥檝e always had a rocking chair in your office. What meaning do rocking chairs hold for you?
Rocking may well be our first memory of comfort. I have always had a rocking chair in my office at the 91爆料 and elsewhere because I want whomever is talking to me 鈥� friends, interviewees, colleagues 鈥� to feel at home, comfortable and accepted in my presence. My rocking chairs are always big, capable of accommodating every size, age, color, temperament, mood and shape.
What鈥檚 next for you?
Really, I have no idea. I鈥檝e written a letter to the mayor and the chief of police asking them what changes they are making to get rid of discriminatory policing, but beyond that I鈥檓 reading, doing a little creative writing, and researching Angry Birds 鈥� once such an amazing, creative, beautiful set of games and now in the toilet. I want to find out what happened there. Other than that, I鈥檓 hoping to have the chance to get bored.
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91爆料 Alums Gonzalo and Danielle Guzman Think Global, Act Local鈥�
When 91爆料 alumnus Gonzalo Guzman, 鈥�04, 鈥�06, took American Ethnic Studies as an undergraduate, he realized the absence of Latino history in his schooling. As a Latino growing up in the Yakima Valley of Eastern Washington, this felt like a big oversight.
This realization motivated Gonzalo to take action. He received both a and along with two other classmates, went on a lecture tour. The trio visited schools and community centers in Wapato and Toppenish, Washington, sharing what they had learned about their community鈥檚 history. Their audiences responded warmly, and the schools were touched to have alumni return to share their knowledge.
鈥淏efore college, working in the education field was not even on my radar,鈥� reflects Gonzalo. “My experience in Eastern Washington cemented my interest in the field, since I was able to see first-hand the potential of public schools in fostering community change and empowerment.鈥�
Today, Gonzalo鈥檚 commitment to community remains just as strong. He is currently pursing a Ph.D. in the social and cultural foundations of education. Over the course of his studies, he met his wife Danielle, 鈥�10, 鈥�11, who was earning her master’s degree in teaching at the time. The two shared a passion for making education equally accessible to all students, regardless of race or economic status.
Danielle鈥檚 work as an elementary school teacher gave them the opportunity to enact their ideas. When a local elementary school closed, the students were reassigned to Danielle鈥檚 school. The closed school offered a Montessori program alongside its contemporary program, which it moved as well. The Montessori program was open to all students. However, enrollment required in-person registration during a specific time window which was tough for several families. This resulted in a segregated school.
The school-within-a-school problem spoke to Danielle and Gonzalo鈥檚 interest in making education more equitable. To address the immediate situation, Danielle and the Montessori teacher designed a non-enrollment model, which mixed their classes. Students would spend half of the day in Montessori classes, and the other half in the contemporary program. This blended model worked, and the whole school has since adopted it.
Through this experience Danielle and Gonzalo recognized a larger need for teachers and students to start talking about issues of race and class. They wanted to teach a course at 91爆料 to address this.
The Guzmans worked with Christine Stickler, director of the , to make the class a reality. In addition to mixing working teachers and 91爆料 students, the class offered unique benefits 鈥� free continuing education for teachers and the opportunity for students to learn alongside working teachers and visit their classrooms. Both parties had a safe space to discuss the issues surrounding equity and education.
Teachers brought their learnings back to the school almost right away. For example, at the school鈥檚 Black History Night, the elementary students talked deeply about issues of class and race. The kids studied pictures of marches and responded by sharing their feelings and questions. Through activities like these, the teachers are hoping to develop socially aware students.
The Mary Gates Scholarship Gonzalo received as an undergraduate provided encouragement and financial support for Gonzolo to develop his leadership skills and passion for education. Through his work with Danielle, he鈥檚 creating a world of good by educating socially aware children and teachers. Upon receiving his Ph.D., he hopes to become a professor of ethnic studies or education.
The Guzmans will be teaching an updated version of this class, sponsored by Undergraduate Academic Affairs, again next year. It will span two quarters 鈥� one quarter at the 91爆料; the other at a local elementary school. The Guzmans are 鈥渆xcited to cross fields and address issues that matter to the community.鈥�
Ed Taylor Reflects on the 2015-16 School Year
The common thread running through the 91爆料鈥檚 purple and gold tapestry is a campus-wide commitment to service and the public good. I am inspired to watch the Husky culture of service grow year after year.
91爆料 student and alumna named Gates Cambridge Scholar
鈥淢y undergraduate research experience creating software for developing countries has motivated me to pursue a career as an academic researcher,鈥� reflects 91爆料 senior and Gates-Cambridge scholar Krittika D’Silva. D’Silva is one of two 91爆料 students selected for the prestigious, international scholarship.
2014-15 President鈥檚 Medalists contribute to a world of good, as undergraduates
Each year, undergraduate students of the highest caliber are selected for the prestigious President鈥檚 medal. For 2014-15, the President’s Medalists are active within and beyond the four walls of a classroom. Whether it’s through research, teaching dance or volunteering in hospitals, these students aren’t waiting until they graduate to contribute to a world of good. They’re busy making the world a better place right now.
Video and photos from MLK Week 2016
In January 2016, the University broadened and deepened our recognition of the MLK holiday and expanded our recognition from a day of service to a week of service, leadership, learning, legacy-building and celebration. Check out a wrap-up video and view some photos from various events from the week.
Remembering King: Students鈥� voices push arc toward justice 鈥� and we should listen
Some 48 years after his death, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day will undoubtedly bring protests to college campuses around the country, including here at the 91爆料. The students will march peacefully and forcefully. They will ask how long it will take to create a climate that welcomes every student. They will ask how we, as a university, plan to address 鈥渆conomic colonialism鈥� and how administrators plan to create a true multiracial campus that will serve as prelude to a 鈥渕ultiracial nation where all groups are dependent on each other.鈥�