{"id":20586,"date":"2026-01-20T19:14:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T19:14:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/?p=20586"},"modified":"2026-01-20T20:53:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T20:53:31","slug":"how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path","title":{"rendered":"How a scholarship helped Damien Oz find his creative path"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Each year, scholarship recipients share letters of thanks with the donors who make their education possible. This letter comes from Damien Oz, a graduate student at UW Bothell and recipient of a scholarship supported by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foundry10.org\/\">foundry10<\/a>, whose philanthropy centers learning, creativity and exploration. In his words, Damien reflects on his&nbsp;journey&nbsp;and the role donor support has played in shaping his work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-highlight-paragraph-large has-purple-400-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5691318d7fd27f1da5bf25bcb834429e\">A letter of gratitude<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dear&nbsp;scholarship&nbsp;donors of&nbsp;foundry10,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am writing to thank you,&nbsp;from the bottom of my heart, for your donation to the University of Washington Bothell. Your generosity and dedication towards advancing the education of students and unlocking doors to further achievement make a profound difference in our&nbsp;day-to-day&nbsp;lives.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A road that carries us forward must be built brick by brick, each stone rising in time to meet the brave foot that leaps. Likewise, the road to the future of our world is a culmination of these small but critical moments: research, access to tools and information, connections,&nbsp;and the time to sit with the work\u2026 These create foundations, stones, ways forward.&nbsp;Your donations are transmuted into opportunities to push forward and build a future with&nbsp;edges&nbsp;refracting light.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My name is Damien Oz. I am a graduate student enrolled in UW Bothell&#8217;s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/ias\/\">School of Interdisciplinary Arts &amp; Sciences<\/a>, and I am a grateful recipient of the award you have made possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Me_and_Nolan-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Selfie of Damien and Nolan\" class=\"wp-image-20590\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Me_and_Nolan-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Me_and_Nolan-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Me_and_Nolan-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Me_and_Nolan-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Me_and_Nolan.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A photo taken by the love of my life, Nolan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-highlight-paragraph-large has-purple-400-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d269e94483c30e94cfb77e35c17f2600\">A path unfolding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>My personal path to UW Bothell was a strange one, drenched in serendipity. I had recently graduated with my&nbsp;bachelor&#8217;s degree in English: Creative Writing at UW Seattle.&nbsp;As it turns out, I was in the process of applying for their MFA in Creative Writing.&nbsp;I&nbsp;wasn&#8217;t&nbsp;sure why, but I felt in my entire body that I was to&nbsp;<em>only&nbsp;<\/em>apply&nbsp;to&nbsp;UW Seattle, and nowhere else. It was a Leap of Faith, so to speak, and&nbsp;one that set many people on edge.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The application process unsettled me. Although I had planned to apply for Novel Writing, my best work was script writing for an audio drama. My portfolio included novel&nbsp;writing to some degree, but&nbsp;as it turns out, my interests in writing were far too varied in medium and format. Admissions were kind&nbsp;regarding&nbsp;my questions, though they&nbsp;advised&nbsp;me against&nbsp;submitting&nbsp;a script, even if the section consisted of prose.&nbsp;There were countless nights I flipped through old work: game designs, found footage videos, scripts, pieces of prose, poetry,&nbsp;collage. My writing would never fit the mold they&nbsp;requested.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"875\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_12-1024x875.jpg\" alt=\"Up-close phone photo using the phone's flash. Dark and moody. \" class=\"wp-image-20597\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_12-1024x875.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_12-300x256.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_12-768x656.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_12-600x513.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_12.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A photo I intend to use for promotional purposes, for my thesis,<em> Void Hunter Survival.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In the end, I ignored the advice and instead followed my instincts. I&nbsp;submitted&nbsp;my scripts and made it to the waitlist.&nbsp;I sat on that waitlist with my feet&nbsp;kicked&nbsp;over the edge for a few months. I had come this far, trusting that guiding light inside me. Was this where the road ended? The future was dark around me. I had taken a leap of faith&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;the stone I leapt from too far to be returned to. I&nbsp;couldn&#8217;t&nbsp;see&nbsp;forward. I&nbsp;couldn&#8217;t&nbsp;see backward. Uncertainty gripped me,&nbsp;a cold wind&nbsp;under the shirt. If I fell, I&nbsp;wasn&#8217;t&nbsp;sure what&nbsp;I&#8217;d&nbsp;do.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, the admissions team reached out and gently declined my application.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was devastated.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet\u2026 not defeated.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-highlight-paragraph-large has-purple-400-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-837faafb21b1e4b5e31858ff7d070853\">A way through the dark<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A member of the admissions team asked me if I had applied to any other graduate programs. I replied that I had not. I&nbsp;can&#8217;t&nbsp;know for certain what it was.&nbsp;Maybe it&nbsp;was that the UW Seattle admissions team felt somehow responsible for my continuing education.&nbsp;Maybe they&nbsp;knew it would be a better fit for me. Either way, a gift from the Universe was pressed into my hands. I was told to reach out to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/ias\/faculty-and-staff\/amaranth-borsuk\">Dr.&nbsp;Amaranth Borsuk<\/a>, the director of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/ias\/graduate\/mfa\">UW Bothell&#8217;s Master&#8217;s program for Creative Writing &amp; Poetics<\/a>, and to apply on&nbsp;recommendation from UW Seattle.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"764\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-20588 size-large\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_3-1024x764.jpg\" style=\"object-position:48% 32%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"48% 32%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_3-1024x764.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_3-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_3-768x573.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_3-600x448.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_3.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-black-background-color has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-large-font-size\"><blockquote><p>&#8220;For the first time in months, I could see the stars. The light that would guide our way forward.&#8221;<\/p><cite>Damien Oz<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>I had never heard of the program. And there before me was a new brick in the Void,&nbsp;adjacent to&nbsp;where I thought I was going. With shaking legs and arms full of gratitude, I took a step in a new direction to discover the program that would become the love of my life. A program that not only&nbsp;permitted&nbsp;me to&nbsp;submit&nbsp;my non-traditional work but encouraged it,&nbsp;required&nbsp;it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After a warm correspondence with Dr. Borsuk, I raced to apply&nbsp;to&nbsp;the program. I was late&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;acceptances had already been sent out. I&nbsp;submitted&nbsp;a personal statement in poetic form, with a slam poetry video performance. I&nbsp;submitted&nbsp;prose,&nbsp;scripts&nbsp;and poetry. My eventual acceptance to the program felt much like running down the dock towards a ship leaving&nbsp;the&nbsp;harbor. I could feel myself leaping, saltwater&nbsp;spray&nbsp;at my ankles, just barely caught by Dr. Borsuk and pulled aboard by my new cohort. Laying on the deck, I stared up and realized for the first time in months,&nbsp;I could see the stars. The light that would guide our way forward.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-highlight-paragraph-large has-purple-400-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-32537ebe45a2498b84b85915c30f3e86\">A creative practice shaped by the Universe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"756\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Selfie_1-1024x756.jpg\" alt=\"Damien Oz\" class=\"wp-image-20592\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Selfie_1-1024x756.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Selfie_1-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Selfie_1-768x567.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Selfie_1-600x443.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Selfie_1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At present, I am a&nbsp;master&#8217;s student&nbsp;in&nbsp;UW Bothell&#8217;s MFA program&nbsp;in&nbsp;Creative Writing &amp; Poetics, and it has been one of the greatest gifts the Universe ever gave me.&nbsp;I&#8217;ve&nbsp;been given the freedom to explore and break the bounds of language,&nbsp;poetry&nbsp;and writing in all forms, in all mediums. At present, for my thesis, I am currently researching game writing and ergodic literature. My project will include digital arts, both traditional and remixed, video construction, voice acting, music composition, game writing, prose,&nbsp;poetry&nbsp;and script writing. It may include more&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;ultimately,&nbsp;I will learn anything that the work&nbsp;asks of&nbsp;me. Conceptually, my thesis will explore the Void as both a site of&nbsp;Astrobiological&nbsp;significance and as an experience fostering Enlightenment (a remembrance of our nature as the Universe). At present, its working title is&nbsp;<em>Void Hunter Survival.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond my thesis alone, my work tends to explore the interconnected nature of the Arts, Science and Magic as the three core areas of Spirituality. In other words, my work explores Spirituality as the pursuit of understanding the Universe. I have a great interest in Witchcraft and Dreamwork, Quantum Mechanics, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Astrobiology, Art and Writing as different but compatible modes of exploration,&nbsp;fostering revelation and discovery.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"728\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_9.jpg\" alt=\"Decorative dark and moody photo of Damien. \u201cThe process of transformation exists almost entirely of decay\u201d - Regeneration, Pat Barker\" class=\"wp-image-20594\" style=\"width:243px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_9.jpg 728w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_9-243x300.jpg 243w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Photo_9-600x742.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I am the writer, director and an actor in an LGBTQ+, Analog Horror, Cosmic Horror and Urban Fantasy audio drama called&nbsp;<em>The DREAMWALKER Podcast<\/em>. I am also working on two&nbsp;additional&nbsp;works built into the&nbsp;Dreamwalker&nbsp;Universe. The first of which is a collection of short stories under the working title,&nbsp;<em>Stories&nbsp;From&nbsp;the&nbsp;Dreambox.&nbsp;<\/em>The second of which is (tentatively) a novel called&nbsp;<em>Eyes Wide Open<\/em>.<em>&nbsp;<\/em>I have also created a small experimental work called&nbsp;<em>The Dream Samples of Dr. Damien Oz&nbsp;<\/em>that will&nbsp;soon&nbsp;be available&nbsp;in&nbsp;the University of Washington Bothell&nbsp;Library. It consists of a&nbsp;slidebox&nbsp;filled with glass slides and a companion journal filled with research notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>&#8220;Your generosity has changed the trajectory of my work.&#8221;<\/p><cite>Damien Oz<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-highlight-paragraph-large has-purple-400-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c65772f26f098251080cac70cf3939f1\">What your generosity makes possible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your generosity in the form of this scholarship will&nbsp;impact&nbsp;all of&nbsp;these works for years to come.&nbsp;To create&nbsp;multi-media work with so many moving parts requires resources.&nbsp;Video&nbsp;editing software, music composition software, visual arts software, technology upgrades, research materials, online or in-person classes on&nbsp;all of&nbsp;these skills, trips to conferences, and more are funded by this scholarship.&nbsp;Your kindness has put tools into my hands, so that I may dedicate my full capacity to their creation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"424\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Class.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20589\" style=\"width:auto;height:400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Class.jpg 424w, https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Class-159x300.jpg 159w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 424px) 100vw, 424px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The thesis I am in the process of creating will lay the foundations for my career moving forward.&nbsp;After all the gifts the Universe has given me, I have been given an opportunity to expand my skillset and create the gifts I wish to give back to the world.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you, endlessly, for your gifts to the University. Your generosity has changed the trajectory for my work. May I give it&nbsp;forward&nbsp;a thousand-fold.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sweet Muse,&nbsp;<br>Damien Oz&nbsp;<br>[He\/Him]&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this letter of gratitude, UW Bothell graduate student Damien Oz reflects on the unexpected path that led him to the MFA program in Creative Writing &amp; Poetics. Supported by a scholarship funded by foundry10, Damien shares how donor generosity made it possible to pursue innovative, interdisciplinary creative work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":20587,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[38,26,37,33,22,31],"tags":[],"school":[],"class_list":["post-20586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-corporate-philanthropy","category-husky-student-experience","category-my-story","category-scholarship","category-school-of-interdisciplinary-arts-and-sciences","category-student-profile"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How a scholarship helped Damien Oz find his creative path - Give to UW Bothell<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Graduate student Damien Oz reflects on his creative journey and how a scholarship supported by foundry10 shaped his path at UW Bothell.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How a scholarship helped Damien Oz find his creative path - Give to UW Bothell\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Graduate student Damien Oz reflects on his creative journey and how a scholarship supported by foundry10 shaped his path at UW Bothell.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Give to UW Bothell\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-20T19:14:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-20T20:53:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Bio_Photo.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"771\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"John Vicory\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"John Vicory\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"John Vicory\",\"@id\":\"\/#\/schema\/person\/9cd9961710dd89577a0e7e6024478b5e\"},\"headline\":\"How a scholarship helped Damien Oz find his creative path\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-20T19:14:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-20T20:53:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path\"},\"wordCount\":1560,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Bio_Photo.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Corporate Philanthropy\",\"Husky Student Experience\",\"My Story\",\"Scholarship\",\"School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences\",\"Student Profile\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path\",\"name\":\"How a scholarship helped Damien Oz find his creative path - Give to UW Bothell\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Bio_Photo.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-20T19:14:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-20T20:53:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\/#\/schema\/person\/9cd9961710dd89577a0e7e6024478b5e\"},\"description\":\"Graduate student Damien Oz reflects on his creative journey and how a scholarship supported by foundry10 shaped his path at UW Bothell.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Bio_Photo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Bio_Photo.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":771,\"caption\":\"Damien posing with a government building in the background.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How a scholarship helped Damien Oz find his creative path\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"\/#website\",\"url\":\"\/\",\"name\":\"Give to UW Bothell\",\"description\":\"Just another UW Bothell site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\/#\/schema\/person\/9cd9961710dd89577a0e7e6024478b5e\",\"name\":\"John Vicory\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a5b975cc5dd6dd3b6d084e45160a686ed2f1decec02724fabec97325cc92b0fb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a5b975cc5dd6dd3b6d084e45160a686ed2f1decec02724fabec97325cc92b0fb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"John Vicory\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/author\/vicory\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How a scholarship helped Damien Oz find his creative path - Give to UW Bothell","description":"Graduate student Damien Oz reflects on his creative journey and how a scholarship supported by foundry10 shaped his path at UW Bothell.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How a scholarship helped Damien Oz find his creative path - Give to UW Bothell","og_description":"Graduate student Damien Oz reflects on his creative journey and how a scholarship supported by foundry10 shaped his path at UW Bothell.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path","og_site_name":"Give to UW Bothell","article_published_time":"2026-01-20T19:14:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-20T20:53:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":771,"url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Bio_Photo.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"John Vicory","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"John Vicory","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path"},"author":{"name":"John Vicory","@id":"\/#\/schema\/person\/9cd9961710dd89577a0e7e6024478b5e"},"headline":"How a scholarship helped Damien Oz find his creative path","datePublished":"2026-01-20T19:14:47+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-20T20:53:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path"},"wordCount":1560,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Bio_Photo.jpg","articleSection":["Corporate Philanthropy","Husky Student Experience","My Story","Scholarship","School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences","Student Profile"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path","url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path","name":"How a scholarship helped Damien Oz find his creative path - Give to UW Bothell","isPartOf":{"@id":"\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Bio_Photo.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-20T19:14:47+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-20T20:53:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"\/#\/schema\/person\/9cd9961710dd89577a0e7e6024478b5e"},"description":"Graduate student Damien Oz reflects on his creative journey and how a scholarship supported by foundry10 shaped his path at UW Bothell.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Bio_Photo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/01\/Bio_Photo.jpg","width":1200,"height":771,"caption":"Damien posing with a government building in the background."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2026\/01\/20\/how-a-scholarship-helped-damien-oz-find-his-creative-path#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How a scholarship helped Damien Oz find his creative path"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"\/#website","url":"\/","name":"Give to UW Bothell","description":"Just another UW Bothell site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"\/#\/schema\/person\/9cd9961710dd89577a0e7e6024478b5e","name":"John Vicory","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a5b975cc5dd6dd3b6d084e45160a686ed2f1decec02724fabec97325cc92b0fb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a5b975cc5dd6dd3b6d084e45160a686ed2f1decec02724fabec97325cc92b0fb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"John Vicory"},"url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/author\/vicory"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20586"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20586\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20602,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20586\/revisions\/20602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20586"},{"taxonomy":"school","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/school?post=20586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}