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Now an adult, Horn is a self-described \u201cunapologetic activist\u201d and says he wants to dedicate his life to making the world a more equitable place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And he is keenly focused on figuring out how. A student in UW Bothell\u2019s Master of Arts in Policy Studies<\/a> program, Horn examines systemic racism, gender inequality and transphobia, seeking to address all of these pressing issues in depth. His current research project looks into how antiracism is practiced in Western Washington\u2019s K-12 classrooms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Keith Nitta, associate professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, said that Horn\u2019s hopes and ambitions are about social and political change \u2014 not his grade or even his next job. \u201cPhoenix is committed to the public good above all else,\u201d said Nitta. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Horn is also one of 12 UW Bothell students to be selected as one of the UW\u2019s Husky 100<\/a> for 2021. Each year, the UW recognizes 100 undergraduate and graduate students from the Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma campuses who are making the most of their time at the University. The recipients actively connect what happens inside and outside of the classroom, applying what they learn to make a difference on campus and in their communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether by serving in the Army, working as a rapid responder with the Washington Immigration Solidarity Network or using his training as a paramedic to treat wounded protestors at Black Lives Matter rallies, Horn is focused on taking care of others and keeping their best interests in mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not hard to see why Horn was one of this year\u2019s Husky 100, noted Lenina Arenas-Fuentes, chief of staff in UW Bothell\u2019s Office of the Chancellor. \u201cI can think of few \u2014 very few \u2014 students who could be more deserving of this recognition,\u201d she said. \u201cOur campus is better because of him.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n His obvious dedication to social justice, policy and research is inspiring, she added. \u201cHe represents the best in all of us here at UW Bothell.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n While Horn has always been an advocate for others, he also says it was UW Bothell that fostered his passion for taking action. \u201cIn my classes, I would learn about activism and how to make change,\u201d he said, \u201cso I took that knowledge and applied it to the human rights violations happening in our world.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first protest Horn attended as an adult was in Seattle on March 24, 2018. It was a rally to protest gun violence and advocate for stricter gun laws. Three months later, on June 30, he was also at the SeaTac Federal Detention Center to protest zero-tolerance immigration policies, and he has been to many more at the private Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma since then. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI became a rapid responder with the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network,\u201d he said. \u201cIf ICE showed up anywhere in southern Snohomish County, I would go to document what was happening.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Horn\u2019s drive for immigrant rights also led him to participate in research with Dr. Raissa DeSmet, associate teaching professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences. They are investigating the impact of gentrification on Puget Sound immigrant communities and are partnering with Lynnwood\u2019s Latino Educational Training Institute<\/a>. The research incorporated direct activism and raising awareness within local Latinx communities, including canvassing and conducting phone campaigns to alert the community to LETI\u2019s resources, services and other offerings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Striving to make a difference in his own college community as well, Horn served as the chair of the Chancellor\u2019s Advisory Committee on Students. The committee meets each month to discuss budgets, legislation and issues that affect the UW Bothell student body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This past year, for example, CACS members focused on monitoring any bills that would impact the higher education community, such as student mental health needs during the pandemic and facial recognition technology use for remote test proctoring. \u201cStudent input was essential as the University navigated remote operations and adapted to the changing conditions,\u201d Horn said. \u201cAdvocating for my peers at UW Bothell was a responsibility I did not take lightly.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Horn has also become an anti-racist research assistant, surveying communities that oppose racism and promote racial tolerance. He studied with Dr. Charlie Collins, assistant professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, who started the Collaboratory for Community Transformation at UW Bothell<\/a> in November 2019 to work on issues of equity, particularly institutional racism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur team wanted to know how the close relationships of white anti-racist activists have been impacted by their involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement,\u201d Horn said. \u201cThe knowledge produced by this research will be used to better understand where conflict may arise, identify strategies activists use to navigate potential conflict and understand how activists can undermine the \u2018post-racial\u2019 narrative.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n With the help from the research team, Horn created an extensive survey that they sent to several Showing Up for Racial Justice<\/a> organizations across the nation. Their goal was to gather information about the people associated with these groups, including how and why they got involved in this kind of work, and what social, economic or environmental issues they consider to be a priority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Their research abstract was published online through the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, an organization of more than 3,000 scientists from psychology and related fields who share a common interest in researching social and policy issues. \u201cIt\u2019s empowering to know I can contribute to bodies of knowledge and make a difference, even as a college student in academia,\u201d Horn said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He is also now working with members of his graduate program cohort on a racial awareness survey<\/a> for Snohomish County\u2019s new Office of Social Justice<\/a>. The OSJ will be administering the survey to Snohomish County\u2019s executive team first, with the intention to then distribute the survey more widely across county staff. Horn will help interpret the results as they are collected over the next several months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After participating in the protests inspired by the 2020 murder of George Floyd, Horn decided he also wanted to use his skills gained as a civil affairs paramedic in the Army to provide medical support to Black Lives Matter and other protesters seeking social justice in Seattle. He has put himself in harm\u2019s way to treat people shot by rubber bullets, sprayed with tear gas, beaten with batons and deafened by flash-bang grenades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat makes Phoenix stand out is how he has integrated his academic studies with the rest of his life \u2014 including his life before UW \u2014 to learn to lead his peers toward social justice,\u201d said Nitta. \u201cPhoenix has gone well beyond classroom study to directly and actively seek social justice.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A passionate, outspoken Army veteran who wants above all else to serve his community, graduate student Phoenix Horn has been named one of the University of Washington Bothell’s Husky 100 this year.<\/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":[202,218,211,200,204],"tags":[],"school":[419],"class_list":["post-20496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-campus-news","category-community-engagement","category-honors-and-awards","category-profiles","category-students","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":"\nServing others first <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Learning leads to action <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Becoming a better ally <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the classroom <\/h2>\n\n\n\n