{"id":34575,"date":"2026-10-15T13:25:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T20:25:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/?p=34575"},"modified":"2026-10-15T13:57:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T20:57:18","slug":"looking-back-on-20-years-of-student-discovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2026\/10\/15\/looking-back-on-20-years-of-student-discovery","title":{"rendered":"Looking back on 20 years of student discovery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The first year of college is often the most challenging. Students are not only navigating a new academic landscape, but they\u2019re also searching for their place in it \u2014 and the world at large. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help ease students through transition, the University of Washington Bothell offers the Discovery Core Experience, which provides interdisciplinary experiences that prepare students for success in their personal, academic and career pathways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A welcome to campus<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Launched as part of UW Bothell\u2019s First Year & Pre-Major Program, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary, DCX is required for students with fewer than 60 credits in their first quarter and encouraged for transfer students. The goal? To help them orient to the campus and develop community with their peers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur first-year students benefit from the diverse offerings DCX courses have to offer, while providing them a home base to build community with other first-year students and to learn about the many campus resources available to them,\u201d said Dr. Cynthia Chang, FYPP co-director and associate professor in UW Bothell\u2019s School of STEM. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The courses benefit the faculty, too. \u201cI love teaching DCX courses because it gives me a rare opportunity to think outside of the box and teach students outside of my discipline,\u201d Chang said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While some students may embark on their higher education experience with a clear goal and a sense of what they want to do post-graduation, many do not. Even those who do are often surprised by the newfound passions and interests they pick up during their time on campus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opportunity to grow<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Through this program, first-year students and pre-majors are encouraged to engage with a sense of curiosity and, of course, discovery. Each class presents an opportunity to try something new. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From harnessing the power of storytelling to turn climate anxiety into hope<\/a>, to learning about space from a real-life astronaut<\/a>, DCX courses offer students interdisciplinary experiences that go beyond a single major or area of study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the 2024 course, \u201cThe Art & Politics of Walking<\/a>,\u201d then-junior pre-major Ashton Lappier said: \u201cThis class helped me explore new areas that I haven\u2019t explored before. It helped me get outside more, get outside of my comfort zone and expand on myself to grow as a person.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In another DCX course that year, \u201cA World Without Borders<\/a>,\u201d students explored the phenomenon of globalization in the context of an increasingly interconnected world. James Reinnoldt, lecturer in the School of Business, asked his students to put an AirTag in an envelope and track it while competing to see which team\u2019s envelope could reach the farthest point by a certain day \u2014 giving them a first-hand look at the logistical pipelines through which goods move from the United States to different parts of the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis entire project was basically a reflection of what we learned in class,\u201d Muhammad Abduljaleel said as a first-year student in 2024, \u201cso it was just a very nice way of presenting how globalization works, and how small and interconnected the world has become. It was one of the most interesting projects I\u2019ve done so far in college.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Off-campus perspectives<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Often, the DCX courses also incorporate a community engagement component \u2014 exposing students to the diverse roles they can play in society and how their work can support others in the region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m committed to fostering inclusivity and understanding in my community, and this course offered a unique opportunity to engage with diverse perspectives and contribute to meaningful change,\u201d said then first-year student Hajer Alarak on the course, \u201cDisability Representation in Society<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about some of the DCX courses UW Bothell has offered over the years, read the stories below. <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For two decades, the Discover Core Experience has been providing interdisciplinary experiences to prepare students for success in personal, academic and career pathways. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":34576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[202,218,204],"tags":[],"school":[417,418,419,420,421],"class_list":["post-34575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-news","category-community-engagement","category-students","school-school-of-business","school-school-of-educational-studies","school-school-of-ias","school-school-of-nhs","school-school-of-stem"],"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":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","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":"\nLooking back on 20 years of student discovery - 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