Ruqaiyah Alaji first joined IAS as a student assistant while she was getting her bachelor’s degree in Society, Ethics, and Human Behavior with a Minor in Diversity. What she loves most about her major is that she has been able to take a deeper look at the agents of socialization she grew up around, she believes that it played a huge part in the way she looks at life as a whole. Moving out of Saudi Arabia and studying at UWB challenged her thoughts and outlook on life. She appreciates now that she is challenged to ask herself bigger questions like why she does things, is it out of a social norm, or is she making calculated moves. After graduating in June of 2022, she joined the IAS department as their Academic Administrative Assistant with a passion for people and Human Resources. Her prior work includes four years of customer service at her seasonal job for Metro Cruise Services as a Pier Agent. She learned the ins and outs of handling important documents while providing excellent customer service. She chose the HR path because she finds great satisfaction in helping others. She appreciates the high level of flexibility and creativity a career such as this will bring. A fact about Ruqaiyah that she thinks contributed and started her curiosity and love for working with people is that she grew up in Saudi Arabia. Many people from all over the world would make a pilgrimage to Makkah. Because of this, she developed a passion for learning through meeting people from all over the world. She strives to be a part of spreading awareness on issues of injustice, inequities as it pertains to race and religion. Being an African American, Muslim, woman living in America, realizing the marginalization of other underrepresented populations encourages her to dive deeper into this subject matter. She'd like to take her experiences and use them to help others who may not have a voice.
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Jason Angeles joined IAS with six years of experience in higher education in housing, identity-based resources, and new student orientation. In their most recent role as a Residential Education Director at Washington State University, they oversaw and developed the Honor's and Gender Inclusive residence halls; expanding the communities' connections to campus offices and resources while also widening students' access to both residence halls. As a professional, they have established skills in supervision, training and development, student conduct, and advocacy. Jason's goal for students is to help them develop a sense of ownership over their academic careers and help them get connected with resources that fulfill them as both aspiring scholars and complex people. They earned B.A.s in both Music and Women's studies from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a Master's Degree in College Student Personnel Administration and a Certificate in Social Justice Education from the University of Central Missouri. Jason is a Las Vegas native with family roots in the PNW who loves playing video games, eating good food, and bullet journaling.
Wisam Berry believes access to a great college education is a right for all, and he avidly works to remove barriers to education for first generation and other marginalized groups. Wisam’s goal is to ensure that students have the support for an equitable experience with education. Wisam is originally from Dearborn, Michigan (hometown of Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company). He attended the University of Michigan for a B.A. in Sociology with minors in Women Studies and Social Work. He attained his M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of South Florida. He has worked most recently in Residential Life overseeing a Fraternity and Sorority Community and other Residence Halls at both South Florida and the University of Washington Seattle. Wisam enjoys watching movies, cooking & baking, playing ball with his corgi Luna, and going on leisure hikes with his wife.
Sakara Buyagawan began her journey with IAS as a transfer student in 2014. After graduating with a degree in American and Ethnic Studies, she transitioned out of high-end retail operations to work in higher education at a private college. In 2018, Sakara returned to the School of IAS, as a staff member. Since then, she has transitioned through a few different roles such as program assistant and program coordinator, and is now currently the Assistant to the Dean. Sakara is a Washington native, PNW enthusiast, and ardent animal lover! When not at work she spends most of her time on her family farm in Woodinville or with her rescue dog Izzy on one of Washington’s many hiking trails.
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Racquel Farrar originally became a part of IAS as a Student Assistant for the Advising Team. Racquel brings 4+ years of customer service and hospitality experience. As she transitioned into her role as a Communications Assistant, she realized she had a passion for collaboration and interpersonal communication. Her favorite part of her role is being able to develop processes that are easily accessible for faculty, staff, and students. Racquel enjoys coffee, video gaming, traveling, Korean BBQ, and playing with her cats. As a nearing UWB graduate, she brings a double major in MCS and SEB with a Minor in Human Rights. She plans to use her education to continue building both an inclusive and diverse community with the School of IAS.
Rachel Foote joined IAS in 2005 as an academic advisor and became Assistant Director of Academic Services in 2011. The best part of that role for her is working with passionate and dedicated faculty and staff. Rachel completed her undergraduate education at the University of Minnesota in English and History. She decided to pursue advising as a career as a result of her undergraduate peer advising experiences. Prior to IAS, she worked as an advisor in University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts and Seattle Community College’s Women’s Programs and Work First Services. She also has a background as a stage manager for theater, which explains a lot.
Crystal Galván brings five years of experience in supporting students from minoritized, low socio-economic, and first-generation backgrounds in higher education. She earned a dual degree from Washington State University; B.A. in Comparative Ethnic Studies with a minor in Spanish and a B.A. in Sociology. Crystal earned her master’s from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in Latin American and Latinx Studies (LALS). In her most recent role as a Coordinator for the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program at Purdue University Northwest, she led the preparation of McNair Scholars for graduate education (i.e. summer research internship, graduate portfolio seminars, and scholarly workshops) and managed day-to-day operations. Crystal was born and raised in Omak, Washington, and is proud of her migrant/farmworker background. In her free time, Crystal likes to go out dancing, listen to Bad Bunny & El Alfa, play with her cat Tomás, and spend time with her family!
Stephanie Lê graduated from UW Bothell with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Educational Studies and has been working at the Bothell campus continuously since 2016 in various professional roles. As an undergraduate first-generation college student, she mentored and led the Academic Transition Program (ATP) which was a year-long preparation program designed to support and assist historically underserved college students in their first year at UWB. Stephanie was an ATP participant in her own first year of college and later became the first in her family to graduate from a university, which is an important commonality she shares with the many first-generation students she now advises. She also loves encouraging students to study abroad ever since she had the privilege of studying in Argentina and Japan as an undergraduate. After graduation, Stephanie gained valuable professional academic advising experience as a Pre-Major Advisor in the First-Year and Pre-Major Program (FYPP) and, more recently, in the School of Business. The challenges Stephanie faced and what she learned, along with helping others as a student, confirmed in her mind that being an Academic Advisor was the path to take.
Samantha Mafune started her journey at UWB in the Fall of 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic hit. She is a recent Community Psychology graduate, gaining her Bachelor’s degree from UWB School of IAS. As a transfer student, she spent time at community college exploring different career paths. Throughout achieving her Associate's Degree, she simultaneously worked a multitude of jobs including retail, housekeeping, and medical consulting. Working and attending school allowed Samantha to connect with different individuals and communities which ultimately led to the ability to make genuine connections with clients, patients, professors, and other students. These experiences are what influenced her decision to major in Community Psychology. Upon graduating in June of 2022, she briefly worked with the UW School of Medicine in the Education Quality Improvement department analyzing student survey responses regarding medical school experiences.
Samantha is thrilled to be a part of the IAS scheduling team. As she believes that higher education should be accessible and welcoming to all individuals if that is what they want to pursue.
For over 30 years, Kelly Stockman McKee, MPA, a UW alum, has led development and growth of social sector organizations in Washington that promote justice and strengthen our communities, including YouthCare, MENTOR Washington, Friends of the Children Seattle, Washington State Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and Puget Sound Educational Service District – Head Start. Throughout her career, Kelly has engaged in collaborative, interdisciplinary practice to develop effective and equitable strategies, programs, systems, and policies. She has served in many volunteer leadership roles to build coalitions and engage in advocacy. Kelly enjoys outdoor adventures with her husband, two grown daughters, three teen stepsons, and her dog.
Eva Navarijo comes to IAS with 12 years direct experience advising first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented university students in academic, study abroad, and residence hall settings. She also brings significant experience with grant-funded program management and assessment. As the former director of the First Scholars program at Washington State University she has overseen programming, counseling, and advising for first-generation college students; led a living learning community for first-generation college students; and co-founded First-Generation Abroad, to increase access to study abroad and global leadership learning opportunities. She also trains faculty and staff on best practices for engaging and serving first-generation students.
As an undergraduate at Washington State University, Eva participated in TRIO Student Support Services and was selected to join the McNair Achievement Program. She graduated with an Honors BA in English, focused on Multicultural Literature and Pedagogy. She completed graduate studies at Saint Louis University in the American Studies program.
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William Schubert comes to IAS with over 8 years of experience in customer service, communication, and organization that he has developed over the course of his professional and academic career thus far. He is excited to further expand upon his professional skillset in the IAS Operations Team, and is looking forward to advancing his career in the field of Education. William graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Anthropology. He is an Eagle Scout, was born in Houston, TX, pursued his higher education in the San Francisco Bay Area, and moved to the Greater Seattle Area towards the end of 2021. In his free time, he loves experiencing other cultures through travel, playing board/card games, performing musical theater, and playing with his two cats, Goose and Iris.
Monique Taylor brings over five years of experience supporting the goals of students from diverse communities and socio-economic backgrounds. Her background includes professional experience in both non-profit and higher education settings. She is skilled in coaching, leadership, program management, assessment, and marketing. In her most recent role as Program Manager for the Service Board, she spearheaded the adoption of a virtual programming model and oversaw three experiential education programs for young people from marginalized communities in King County. After completing a graduate internship with IAS, she excitedly returned to the team in a full-time role. She loves the UWB community and is an advocate for interdisciplinary and experiential learning. Monique earned a B.A.in Advertising from the University of San Francisco and completed her M.Ed in Student Development Administration at Seattle University. She is a Seattle native and Beyoncé enthusiast who enjoys checking out new restaurants, going to the movies, playing with her dog, and, of course, listening to Beyoncé.
Nhi Tran joined IAS as an Academic Advisor. Her hope is to create an atmosphere that encourages intellectual and creative growth, celebrates cultural diversity, and inspires academic success so that students have opportunities to develop intercultural, interpersonal, and leadership skills that prepare them to have a positive impact at UW Bothell and beyond. Prior to joining the IAS team, Nhi worked as a Residential Education Director at Washington State University for four years where her responsibilities included supervision, crisis response, academic interventions, student conduct, and community development of residence halls. Nhi also brings extensive experience in programming, assessment, instruction, and curriculum design. She obtained a B.A. in Government and a B.S. in Communication Studies in Human Relations from The University of Texas at Austin and a Masters in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with a concentration in Higher Education Administration at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Nhi is an avid Pokémon Go player, Escape Room enthusiast, has two Corgis named Oliver and Ellie, and is powered by Boba Tea!
Kyle Yim brings his accounting, customer service, and communication experience to IAS. He began his career with an accounting firm where he assisted in audits such as inventory for private companies. He then joined the UW Medical Center – Cardiology Division, where he was in charge of payroll and monthly budget reconciliations for a large organization. Kyle looks forward to expanding his professional skills with IAS. Kyle graduated from UWB with a BA in Business Administration in 2020. While attending UWB he was the president of the accounting club - Beta Alpha Psi from 2019-2020. In his free time Kyle is an active member of a public speaking club. He also enjoys reading, playing video games, hiking, and spending time with family.