News from the School of IAS
Category: Alumni
Mateó B. Ochoa: An unexpected shift from global travel to community arts organizing
Last November, Master of Arts in Cultural Studies alum Mateó B. Ochoa joined Sundance Institute as their Senior Manager of Community Programs. In this role, Ochoa amplifies the creative works of local theater artists and filmmakers through live and digital public programs throughout the State of Utah. Perhaps best known for its annual film festival, Sundance Institute is a leader in discovering and supporting independent artists, and its reach is worldwide. It’s a place that suits Ochoa’s commitment to elevating other artists — and a place they did not expect to find themself one year ago.
April 30, 2021
Erin Kerrigan: From serving food to serving families
IAS alum Erin Kerrigan (’11) served as a waitress for more than a decade before she enrolled at UW Bothell. She got a job at the Career Center and says that job helped her find her current path. The Global Studies graduate now works as a community engagement manager for the Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families.
April 27, 2021
Celebrate National Poetry Month
In honor of National Poetry Month, enjoy works by IAS alumni G. Fox, Stephanie Segura, and Kristine Jeanyoung Kim, featured in past editions of Clamor, UW Bothell’s literary and arts journal. There will be a virtual launch event for the 2021 edition on June 11, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Check the Clamor website for a link to the launch event.
April 27, 2021
The enduring impact of mentoring connections
The Winter/Spring issue of UW Bothell Magazine highlights the power of mentorship and features IAS alumni Tadashi Shiga ('96), Emily Anderson ('09), and Bianca Borjas ('17), and current student Cindy Yang. In the article, “The enduring impact of mentoring connections,” ...
April 6, 2021
On the Boards announces Berette S Macaulay as inaugural Curatorial Fellow
The performing arts organization, On the Boards, has announced M.A. in Cultural Studies alum Berette S Macaulay as their inaugural Curatorial Fellow. Macaulay is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, and writer from Jamaica and Sierra Leone whose research and visual arts practice engage themes of belonging, identity-performance, illegibility, love, memory, and mythmaking. The Curatorial Fellow has ...
March 24, 2021
Joshua Heim helps build a cultural ecosystem
Joshua Heim (Master of Arts in Cultural Studies ’10) is working behind the scenes at 4Culture, King County’s cultural funding agency, to help arts and culture recover from the pandemic – with equity as their North Star. “The good things most people like about their communities are cultural, whether it’s a festival, a local civic organization or an old building that anchors your main street,” says Heim, who as deputy director is leading the agency’s COVID-19 recovery task force.
March 23, 2021
Travis Sharp publishes Yes, I am a corpse flower
Travis Sharp is a poet, editor, book artist, teacher, and PhD candidate in English at the University at Buffalo (SUNY). This spring, a revision of his MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics thesis, Yes, I am a corpse flower, will be published by KFB, a small press affiliated with the poetry bookstore Knife Fork Book in Toronto. Sharp will read from Yes, I am a corpse flower at his upcoming book launch on March 31 with special guest ...
March 22, 2021
Jessica Crawford shares insights on COVID-19 vaccine distribution
As more COVID-19 vaccines become available, countries around the world are faced with the daunting task of carrying out mass vaccinations. Master of Arts in Policy Studies alum Jessica Crawford, serves as Director, Global Technical Team for VillageReach, a non-profit global health innovator that develops, tests, implements and scales new solutions to critical health system challenges in low-resource environments. Crawford is responsible for ...
March 16, 2021
Ruth Gregory receives WSU Provost’s Featured Faculty award
Ruth Gregory makes media. The 2011 Master of Arts in Cultural Studies alum is an award-winning filmmaker, published writer, and web designer with over two decades of experience in the creative industries. She is also an Assistant Professor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Digital Technology and Culture Program (DTC) at Washington State University (WSU). In February, Gregory was recognized as ...
March 5, 2021
Helen K. Thomas: Young adult books connect Black girls globally
A fan of young adult fiction, Helen K. Thomas explored the genre in the Master of Arts in Cultural Studies program and now is researching the books' global appeal with a Fulbright in Nigeria. Although the coronavirus pandemic is far from over, Thomas plans to start her nine-month Fulbright this spring, leading reading circles with teen girls in Lagos, Nigeria. “My goal is to see how these books create a greater sense of agency in the Nigerian girls’ sense of their future, and then also to see how reading these books creates a stronger sense of community and interest in other Black girls around the world,” Thomas said.
March 1, 2021