News from the School of IAS

Category: Alumni

Abigail Echo-Hawk discusses sexual violence among urban native Seattle women on KUOW

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 ...

September 18, 2018

Andrea Downs advances her career in special education

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 ...

September 14, 2018

Kevin Ninh: From bullied teen to social media star

Kevin Ninh, known as Flawless Kevin online, entertains half a million followers with comedy sketches and makeup tips. Beyond the laughs and beneath the eyeliner, he is carving out a space for himself and others. Ninh graduated last June with ...

September 11, 2018

Allyson Fredericksen helps organizations thrive

Allyson Fredericksen has dedicated more than 10 years to serving nonprofits. Passionate about social justice and mobilizing communities for change, she has found her calling as a strategic operations professional, helping organizations create efficient and effective internal systems so they can focus on their missions. Fredericksen is thrilled to ...

September 6, 2018

Amani Sawari interviewed on Democracy Now! about #august21 prison strike

IAS alum Amani Sawari (’16, Media & Communication Studies and Law, Economics & Public Policy) was interviewed by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! on 21 August 2018. The focus of the interview was work she is doing on #august21 prison strike. Sawari was the station manager for UWave Radio and also the Program Coordinator for Student Media at UW Bothell. The whole program is available on the Democracy Now! site. Here is a short excerpt...

August 22, 2018

Shauniece Drayton brings wellness to UW Bothell

Shauniece Drayton’s wellness journey began at UW Bothell when she served as a peer health educator creating programs focused on the five areas of wellness: physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and social. This position sparked a passion and holistic approach in everything she does. From mentoring students to creating health products to teaching yoga, Drayton brings her values of health and wellness to the Bothell community. Drayton had always wanted to be ...

August 21, 2018

Ben Wiselogle serves U.S. Department of State in Zimbabwe

IAS alum and U.S. Navy veteran Ben Wiselogle (’12) is serving the Political Section of the U.S. Department of State in Harare, Zimbabwe. Previously, Wiselogle was stationed in Washington D.C. as a Foreign Services Officer in the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. From Harare, he writes, “Serving in the Political Section entails engaging with civil society actors and ...

August 15, 2018

Kyra Laughlin: Add ‘Consent’ to your Teen’s College Checklist

IAS alum (Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies and Society, Ethics & Human Behavior) and incoming Master of Arts in Policy Studies student, Kyra Laughlin, was chosen as the National Sexual Violence Resource Center's communications intern for Fall 2018. As part of her new role, Laughlin will be working with the NSVRC team to create materials for Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2019, assist in managing their social media pages and write blogs for their website. Her first blog post, "Add 'Consent' to your Teen’s College Checklist," ...

August 15, 2018

Ahmadi, Johnson and Lee share career paths with students

Alums Mojan Ahmadi, Gretchen Johnson and Daniel Lee recently met with IAS seniors share how they’ve utilized their degrees, navigated job searches, and found success. IAS is grateful for their service of our alumni mentors, who provide an important perspective on the value of interdisciplinary education in the workforce.

August 6, 2018