{"id":20779,"date":"2021-09-20T16:46:17","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T16:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=20779"},"modified":"2025-03-17T10:10:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T17:10:27","slug":"resilience-recovery-reformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2021\/09\/20\/resilience-recovery-reformation","title":{"rendered":"Resilience, recovery & reformation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kristina Jorgensen never thought they would attend college, let alone pursue a master\u2019s degree \u2014 especially after dropping out of high school at age 16, pregnant, and trying to navigate a toxic marriage. \u201cThe first time I thought about going to college, my husband told me I didn\u2019t know what I was doing,\u201d Jorgensen said. \u201cHe made me feel unworthy of an education.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cycle of being in an unhealthy relationship, pain from untreated trauma and a lack of healthy coping skills led Jorgensen to drugs. They ended up losing custody of their children, their home and even their sense of self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jorgensen hit rock bottom, but didn\u2019t stay there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They now have a bachelor\u2019s degree from the University of Washington Bothell in Society, Ethics & Human Behavior, with a minor in Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies. They are in the process of completing a master\u2019s degree, also from UW Bothell, in Policy Studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And to recognize all Jorgensen has both overcome and accomplished, they have been named one of the 2021 Husky 100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each year, the UW recognizes 100 undergraduate and graduate students from the Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma campuses who are actively connecting what happens inside and outside of the classroom and applying what they learn to make a difference.\u202fJorgensen is\u202fone of 12 students from UW Bothell<\/a>\u202fto be recognized last academic year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life-changing moment <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Intergenerational poverty, violence and addiction plagued Jorgensen\u2019s family, and education was not a central conversation at the dinner table. Jorgensen wanted a way out of the familial cycle and dreamed of becoming a lawyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought others would respect me in a different way if I were a lawyer, that I wouldn\u2019t be seen as a poor, brown, single mother with a history,\u201d they said. \u201cInstead, I would be an empowered, educated woman of color who defeated the odds and was just as deserving to have a seat at the table as a white privileged person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They still remember taking that first step toward making their dream a reality when they took their first step on campus as a Everett Community College student in 2014. \u201cI was so scared. I was walking to class and started to cry,\u201d they said. \u201cI turned around to leave and ran into my cousin who worked there, and I just broke down. I told her I didn\u2019t think I could do it, and she said to just go to one class and that if I didn\u2019t like it, I didn\u2019t have to go back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTurns out I love school so much I want to get my Ph.D.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now seven years free of drugs and alcohol, Jorgensen has custody of their children, a place to call home and, ultimately, a life that makes them proud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tools for justice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Miriam Bartha, director of graduate programs and strategic initiatives in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, said Jorgensen\u2019s desire to reunite with their children led to them to reclaim their life and their voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey worked their way through college and now are in graduate school while parenting and working passionately to support others navigating similarly difficult situations and returns,\u201d Bartha said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jorgensen\u2019s love for education and desire to become a lawyer has opened many doors. In 2016 while at the community college, they participated in their first work study position with the Washington Defender Association, the only organization in the state dedicated solely to public defense reform. Jorgensen organized a participatory defense training for community advocates and criminal defense attorneys in Snohomish County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cParticipatory defense is a community organizing model that amplifies the voices of the people who face criminal charges as well as the voices of the accused family members and communities,\u201d they explained. \u201cIt\u2019s a way to remind the court of the accused\u2019s humanity and advocate for alternatives for accountability besides time behind bars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten years ago, members of Jorgensen’s family were incarcerated, facing significant charges. One served 10 years in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I wish I had the tools and knowledge from participatory defense when my family members were going through their cases,” Jorgensen said. \u201cThat is why I am so determined to bring this model to my community, so other families can benefit from it in ways I wish I could have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Classroom to community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, Jorgensen came to UW Bothell. One of the courses they took was the Washington, D.C., Human Rights Seminar. The class focuses on the construction of human rights policy at the national and international levels, with a particular emphasis on engaging with the policy-making process in Washington, D.C. It changed the trajectory of Jorgensen\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They spent a week at the U.S. Capitol meeting with legislators, federal agencies, human rights non-governmental organizations, foreign embassies and think tanks to research human rights violations and possible policy responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI realized I didn\u2019t need to become a lawyer to advocate for social justice, though becoming a lawyer isn\u2019t off the table,\u201d Jorgensen said. \u201cThe experience inspired me to continue my education through the Master of Arts in Policy Studies program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In June 2020, Jorgensen became the first in their family to earn a bachelor\u2019s degree. The following September, they started the MAPS program. During this time, they also were dealing with a younger sister, who is a survivor of domestic violence, possibly becoming incarcerated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jorgensen said this has been extremely difficult on the family. \u201cI am caring for her two children and experiencing the re-traumatization of what happened to my family 10 years ago,\u201d they said. \u201cBut this time, I have new tools.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opportunities for others<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of Jorgensen\u2019s first courses in the MAPS program was Policy Process and Analysis. Determined to not lose another family member to incarceration, Jorgensen decided to do their class research on legal protections for survivors of domestic violence. They discovered the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act that was passed in New York in 2019. It was a highly anticipated law that allowed for more lenient sentencing of survivors of domestic violence who have been convicted of a crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jorgensen then quickly connected with Collective Justice, a restorative justice organization in Seattle, and in just a matter of months had organized and proposed The Survival Justice Act, which is the first legislation of its kind in Washington that would establish compassionate sentencing for domestic violence survivors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe act, which is currently being worked on by members of Congress, would allow judges to impose no jail or prison time and instead offer community alternative programs,\u201d Jorgensen said. \u201cI really felt that the universe aligned everything at the right time. I was able to connect my personal life to my education and potentially impact lives far beyond myself or my loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bartha was impressed by how Jorgensen channeled their learning into championing opportunities for others, through advocacy and policy. \u201cTheir direct experience of challenge and hardship, together with their systemic analysis, make them a forceful leader who is already creating much needed change, contributing to legislation to protect survivors and assisting those who are \u2018justice-involved\u2019 in advocating for themselves and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKristina is truly being the change they want to see in the world and showing us how it can be done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fighting for freedom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jorgensen was recently awarded a $100,000 grant targeted at capacity building for Black, Indigenous and People of Color leaders who serve marginalized communities. Endorsed by the Community Foundation of Snohomish County, the grant is for Participatory Justice, the organization Jorgensen is building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a grassroots media justice and networking organization inspired by reducing disparities and creating equity by empowering individuals and communities to step into their power and become agents of social and systemic change,\u201d Jorgensen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are now in the process of developing a strategic plan, trying to secure funding and increasing capacity.\u202f\u201cI am focused on building deep relationships in the community and continuing to tell the stories of our people so we can free them all.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In pursuit of higher education, graduate student Kristina Jorgensen transformed their life, their family’s life and the lives of those in their community — overcoming some extraordinary obstacles in the process.<\/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":[209,202,211,200,204],"tags":[],"school":[419],"class_list":["post-20779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-campus-news","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":"\nResilience, recovery & reformation - 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