News from School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences
Category: Alumni
Cultural Studies prepare diversity officers
Graduates of the Master of Arts in Cultural Studies (MACS) program lead cultural change — a skill more organizations are seeking after witnessing widespread protests against racial injustice. Many employers are now looking for diversity officers to lead that change, and hiring for such positions increased more than 90% since 2019, LinkedIn reported. “What’s strong about the Cultural Studies preparation is that it understands this is long term social and cultural change — changing the way people work and do things,” Bartha said. “The curriculum of the Cultural Studies program thinks about the dynamics of organizational change as well as community accountability and helps people know that ground.” Along with the position of diversity officer, MACS graduates carry out similar work as artists, educators and activists.
February 23, 2021
Mary Houston gives back
IAS alum Mary Houston (Society, Ethics & Human Behavior ’08, M.A. in Policy Studies ‘10) found education, confidence and career credentials at UW Bothell where she maintains ties as a member of the Community Engagement Council. Houston has had a meaningful relationship with UW Bothell since she returned to college in her 40s. Not only did it help her jump start a new career, it has also put her in the position to help others do the same in her role as director of service delivery at Workforce Snohomish.
February 18, 2021
Jason Hampton builds career in high capacity transit development
Jason Hampton is passionate about transportation efficiency and access. Since graduating from UW Bothell in 2014, he has built his career in transportation management, first working with the Bellevue Downtown Association as their transportation Program Manager, and now at Sound Transit as a High Capacity Transit Development Manager where he oversees planning and stakeholder engagement for a light rail link extension between West Seattle and Ballard. Hampton says ...
February 12, 2021
Stephanie Segura thrives as writing fellow and youth educator
MFA alum Stephanie Segura was awarded a 2020-21 Hugo Fellowship, which supports emerging writers by providing space and resources to complete a proposed project. Segura is utilizing the fellowship to work on her multi-media poetry manuscript, Open Door Behind You, a genealogy of generational trauma, memory, and dysfunctionality. Segura’s manuscript examines what it means to inherit trauma and the ways in which it affects memory and the histories we pass down.
February 11, 2021
Melissa Schutten discusses DEI in the Salish Sea on KPTZ
On February 3, IAS alum Melissa (Watkinson) Schutten and colleague Michael Chang, of Cascadia Consulting Group, were interviewed on KPTZ 91.9 FM’s Coastal Café about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the Salish Sea. Schutten and Chang are ...
February 8, 2021
Kelsey Lee Cate releases debut album and builds artist career online
IAS alum Kelsey Lee Cate was improvising songs before she could read. Growing up in a musical family, she began classical piano training at age five and by middle school, was performing at weddings and special events. Today, Cate is a sought-after pianist and ...
January 22, 2021
Kristina Jorgensen collaborates on legislation and receives capacity-building grant
In 2020, Kristina Jorgensen graduated from IAS with a major in Society, Ethics & Human Behavior, minor in Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, and began her graduate education in the M.A. in Policy Studies. She is also an alum of the D.C. Seminar in Human Rights (2019). Since beginning the M.A. in Policy Studies program, Jorgensen has successfully advanced a number of impactful justice projects through her research, networking, advocacy and leadership. ...
January 21, 2021
Meshell Sturgis awarded 2021 AAC&U K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award
M.A. in Cultural Studies alum Meshell Sturgis was selected as a 2021 recipient for the prestigious K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award by the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U). This award recognizes graduate students who show exemplary promise as future leaders of higher education and who are committed to academic innovation in the areas of equity, community engagement, and ...
January 14, 2021
Acclaimed photojournalist David Ryder documents 2020
Master of Arts in Cultural Studies alum David Ryder (’11) has been working non-stop. An independent Seattle photographer and filmmaker, Ryder’s portfolio includes extensive experience with wildfires, disaster zones, protests, and hurricane coverage. 2020 was his busiest year yet.
January 6, 2021
Madison Nikfard: Personal growth through writing, digital arts
Madison Nikfard, a Media & Communication Studies graduate (’20) who excelled in writing and digital arts, continues at UW Bothell in the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing & Poetics program. For making the most of her UW education, Nikfard was recognized this past academic year as one of the Husky 100 students honored from across all three UW campuses.
January 4, 2021