News from School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences

Category: Alumni

Natalie Singer-Velush selected as finalist for Autumn House Press nonfiction prize

MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics alum Natalie Singer-Velush (’16) has been chosen as a finalist for Autumn House Press’s nonfiction prize. Selected from more than 1,000 manuscript entries, her memoir, California Calling, traces Singer-Velulsh’s relocation from Canada to California at age sixteen and explores moments of being silenced before finding her voice. Her manuscript was largely written as she was completing her MFA program and seeking small press publishers. Singer-Velush was enticed by ...

August 15, 2016

Gracelynn Scott Campaigns for KPLU

Alum Gracelynn Scott (’15, Media & Communication Studies) describes the last nine months as “nothing short of a roller coaster ride.” Flash back to November 12, 2015, Gracelynn was six weeks into her new role as Member Relations Coordinator at KPLU when she learned that the radio station was being sold, and she’d need to look for a new job. Employees were devastated, but in December they were told if they raised $7 million by June 30, they could submit a competing bid to buy the station themselves. This announcement lit a fire, unleashing a windfall of community support. By the end of May ...

July 25, 2016

Alums Partner with UW Bothell Faculty on Grad and Undergrad Community-Engaged Learning

IAS alums Mike Irons ('13, Policy Studies) and Nora Karena ('14, Cultural Studies) have been recognized for their facilitation of community-based and applied learning opportunities for UW Bothell graduate and undergraduate students respectively. Irons, who is Snohomish Superior Court Juvenile Court Program Manager, has engaged Policy Studies students as interns in various programs...

July 12, 2016

Kristin Gustafson and Rena Kawasaki Present Joint Research in Japan

IAS faculty member Kristin Gustafson and IAS alumna Rena Kawasaki ('13, Community Psychology) traveled to Fukuoka, Japan for the International Communication Association (ICA) pre-conference, "Crossing Borders: Researching Transnational Media History." They presented their collaborative research project, “Shifting language transnationally: Japan’s national language program and a U.S. Japanese-language newspaper before and after WWII."

June 27, 2016

New IAS Graduates Alejandra Pérez and Ben Studley Receive Chancellor’s Medals

Nearly 1,300 of this year’s 1,800 graduates participated in UW Bothell’s 25th Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, June 12. The program included three distinguished student awards recognizing individuals who have been a consistent source of inspiration and have overcome significant obstacles to complete their degrees. Two IAS graduates, Alejandra Pérez (American & Ethnic Studies, Society, Ethics, & Human Behavior) and Ben Studley (Community Psychology) received the esteemed Chancellor’s Medal.

June 21, 2016

Audiences Continue to Praise Amen Gibreab’s film “Horeta”

Alum Amen Gibreab (’13, Media & Communication Studies and Society, Ethics & Human Behavior) continues to screen his documentary Horeta: The Journey Beyond Culture, most recently shown at Roosevelt High School in Seattle. Horeta follows the journey of 15 UW students as they examine Ethiopian culture and see first-hand how Ethiopians view themselves. What emerges is ...

June 9, 2016

Alums Mentor Undergraduate Students

IAS thanks its Spring quarter alumni mentors! Through the IAS Mentor Chats program, alumni share their career experiences – both in classroom settings and informal venues. Our Spring alumni mentors include:

June 3, 2016

Local writers share at “MFA Careers and Writing Futures”

A panel of local writers met with MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics students and alumni to share their career trajectories and advice for the road. They discussed how their MFA degrees have enhanced their writing, ways they’ve sustained their practices creatively and financially, and what professional opportunities they see for emerging writers. Panelists included MFA alumni Margaret Chiavetta (’14) and Travis Sharp (’15), and Priscilla Long, and Sarah Mangold.

June 3, 2016

Jin-Kyu Jung and Taylor Frazier Publish “A Mixed-Methods Exploration of the Relationship Between Crime and Community Gardens”

A recent IAS graduate, Taylor L. Frazier ('15, Law, Economics & Public Policy), and IAS faculty member Jin-Kyu Jung co-authored a paper, “A Mixed-Methods Exploration of the Relationship Between Crime and Community Gardens: A Case Study of Seattle’s P-Patches from 1996 to 2006,” in the International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities.

May 25, 2016