{"id":20250,"date":"2021-05-28T07:04:45","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T07:04:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=20250"},"modified":"2024-04-03T10:51:58","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T17:51:58","slug":"takahashi-distinguished-alumnus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2021\/05\/28\/takahashi-distinguished-alumnus","title":{"rendered":"Curtis Takahashi named distinguished alumnus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Alumnus Curtis Takahashi had just come inside from working in his garden this spring when he decided to check his email. As he was scrolling through, a message titled \u201cUW Bothell 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient Notification\u201d caught his eye. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And he was the recipient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy first thought was that I had just been cc\u2019d on the message,\u201d he said. \u201cEven after reading it a couple of times, I was still thinking to myself, \u2018No way, there must be a mistake.\u2019 I even verified the email it was sent from. I truly couldn\u2019t believe it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surprise selection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Part of the shock was that Takahashi is the awards and recognition chair for the University of Washington Bothell Alumni Council. In recent months, he had been on the selection side of the award, looking through applications and even suggesting nominees, not knowing he was one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiffany Kirk, interim director of alumni engagement, said she and Alumni Council members had to work hard to keep his nomination secret as they moved through the selection process. \u201cWe kept giving Curtis delays, but behind the scenes we were preparing to announce him as a recipient of the award,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The award recognizes alumni who have exhibited distinguished community service or professional achievements since graduation. Mary Howisey<\/a>, fundraising and events chair for the council, is also receiving the award this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving been on the Alumni Council for many years, I know what this award means \u2014 I can\u2019t say enough about how honored I am,\u201d Takahashi said. \u201cI am so deeply thankful even to have been nominated, but to actually receive the award along with Mary, I mean, wow!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ad to action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Takahashi first went to college, he did it because he thought it was what he was supposed to do. He had just finished high school and didn\u2019t know what he wanted to do the next day, let alone the rest of his life. But without a sense of direction, he decided to forge his own path, left college and entered the workforce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years passed, and he began to feel like he was hitting the glass ceiling in his work. \u201cI had years of schooling but nothing to show for it,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted more opportunities, and that meant I needed my degree.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As fate would have it, one night Takahashi was driving in his car when an advertisement came on the radio. \u201cFinish your degree at UW Bothell,\u201d it said. That was just the push he needed to apply and soon after, he was accepted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt first, coming to UW Bothell was just about finishing my degree and counting down credits,\u201d Takahashi said. \u201cIt turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He graduated in 2004 with a degree in Culture, Literature & the Arts from the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Husky home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since his graduation, Takahashi has been actively engaged with the Alumni Council and is one of the longest serving members. He currently is the awards and recognition chair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCurtis is, well, incredible,\u201d Kirk said. \u201cHe\u2019s doubled down on his commitment to UW Bothell over the years as a donor, former staff, volunteer and council member. For many years, he has led our scholarship award efforts, working diligently to support our students and recognize alumni.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Takahashi said his favorite part is hearing from students about the impact Alumni Council scholarships make. \u201cIn a lot of cases, without the funding, these students wouldn\u2019t be able to obtain their degrees and reach their dreams,\u201d he said. \u201cKnowing I helped make it possible for them is such an amazing feeling.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For someone who spends so much of his time giving to others, Takahashi admits it can also feel nice to be on the receiving end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to be recognized for the work that you love,\u201d he said. \u201cI carry the mission of the Alumni Council in my heart and pursue this work out of my devotion to the University. I don\u2019t do this for the recognition, but it is nice to be recognized.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a member of the University of Washington Bothell’s Alumni Council, Curtis Takahashi has spent many years giving back to his alma mater. Now, he is on the receiving end — of the University’s Distinguished Alumni Award.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[209],"tags":[],"school":[419],"class_list":["post-20250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","school-school-of-ias"],"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":true,"contact_title":"Contact Us","email":"test@uwb.edu","phone":"(206) 999-1234","box":"Box 358500","address_line_1":"18115 Campus Way NE","address_line_2":"Bothell, WA 98011-8246","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":"\nCurtis Takahashi named distinguished alumnus - News<\/title>\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\/news\/2021\/05\/28\/takahashi-distinguished-alumnus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Curtis Takahashi named distinguished alumnus - News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As a member of the University of Washington Bothell’s Alumni Council, Curtis Takahashi has spent many years giving back to his alma mater. 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