Alumni Stories

In September, alum Priya Frank (’11, Cultural Studies) co-facilitated the workshop “Storytelling Strategies for Dismantling Racism,” a training hosted by NonWhiteWorks for individuals and organizations working to interrupt structural racism. The workshop examines the power of narratives and concrete strategies for dismantling racist structures through storytelling...

Alum Catalina “Catti” Alvarez-Villanueva is Director of Upward Bound at Yakima Valley College, a program that provides fundamental support to low-income and first-generation high school students with the goal of entering college.  Alvarez-Villanueva knows this journey well, as someone who struggled to stay in school and finish her education while raising a young son. A vow to her father and the support of Husky Promise helped Alvarez-Villanueva realize her dream of a bachelor’s in Society Ethics & Human Behavior (’13) and later, a master’s in Education (’15) from UW Bothell.  Now Alvarez-Villanueva is helping ...

Master of Arts in Cultural Studies alum Suzanne Cohen (’15), Managing Artistic Director of Mirror Stage, presents Expand Upon: Incarceration, featuring David Drummond, Rick Dupree, Adria LaMorticella, Pablo Lopez, Corey Spruill, and Benjamin Symons. Additionally, IAS faculty member Dan Berger will deliver pre-show lectures on the History of Mass Incarceration in the United States on ...

IAS alum Abigail Echo-Hawk spoke with KUOW’s Guy Nelson about a 2010 survey of Native women living in the Seattle area. It found that 94 percent had been raped or coerced into sex at some point during their lives. Echo-Hawk directs the Urban Indian Health Institute (UHIHI) in Seattle and holds an M.A. in Policy Studies (’09) and B.A. in American Studies (’07) from UW Bothell. UIHI’s mission is “to decolonize ...

IAS Alum Andrea (Sweerus) Downs has worked in special education for close to ten years, specializing in emotional behavioral disabilities. Downs has advocated for equity, changes in discipline polices, and equal access to educational supports and environments. Since leaving the classroom, she has worked as a behavior specialist and program facilitator for both Everett and Seattle Public Schools, and most recently, accepted a position as the Director of Special Services with Coupeville School District. There, she will oversee ...