IAS Circle of Recognition - 2020
Every year, the University of Washington recognizes the extraordinary achievements and contributions of IAS students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community partners — as scholars, civic leaders, and professionals — to the campus, university, and region. As a school, IAS is proud of each and every notification we receive that “one of ours” has received an award.
This year we are unable to gather together in person to celebrate. However, we have created a virtual presentation of the IAS Circle of Recognition. The video below features a message from Dean Bruce Burgett, followed by tributes to each of our honorees this year from mentors and collaborators at UW Bothell that mean a lot to them.
You can also read —and view individual videos— about IAS faculty, students, alumni, and community partners who were recognized in the past year in the following categories:
Husky 100
Each year, the Husky 100 recognizes 100 UW students who are making the most of their UW experience. Out of the 13 UW Bothell students selected in 2020, five are IAS majors!
Midia De Souza
Law, Economics & Public Policy; Media & Communication Studies
"My Husky Experience has been filled with opportunities in research, internship, leadership and community building. As a first-generation and immigrant student, the UW has given me the opportunity to relentlessly pursue my passions and given me a unique set of tools, skills and values that have molded my experience. With these, I hope to pursue law school and produce positive change; to bring light to broken spaces and show that there are no bounds that can hold back determination and kindness."
Video Tribute
From Dan Jacoby to Midia De Souza
Bee Elliott
Environmental Studies
"I’m an “artful activist” exploring and experiencing the interwoven powers that community and the arts hold for collective transformation and healing towards climate justice. From singing in the streets with our Seattle-based group, “The People’s Echo,” to organizing with Sunrise, 350 Seattle and our UW Sustainable Student Action Club, my work is deeply rooted in the powers we all hold for healing, storytelling, vision-sharing and mending our collective ability to feel through arts and culture."
Video Tribute
From Jennifer Atkinson to Bee Elliott
Shugla Kakar
Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies; Health Studies
"During my time at UW Bothell, I have been able to find my voice and empower myself along with others around me to fight for their rights and their communities. I learned how to work across different communities and identities to bring them all together because I’ve learned that together, we are stronger. By finding my voice, I became a social change agent advocating for the rights and respect of everyone."
Video Tribute
From Julie Shayne to Shugla Kakar
Madison Nikfard
Media & Communication Studies
"As a first-generation student and second-generation immigrant, I expected to have a difficult time navigating university by myself. It was a relief to be immediately embraced by fellow Huskies and UW staff and faculty who connected with me through shared passions for writing and art. I’ve been inspired to work incredibly hard these past three years to give back to the community that has made me feel so supported."
Video Tribute
From Rebecca Brown to Madison Nikfard
Hesbeyda Villafana
American & Ethnic Studies; Educational Studies
"A first-generation Chicana in higher education driven by resistance and persistence. My UW experience lies at the intersection of ethnic studies, social justice and equity in education. From analyzing social issues affecting minoritized students and bringing awareness of oppressive practices in education, to fostering a sense of community for students with disabilities and Latinx students. I am determined to seek liberation from all entities that have historically marginalized my community and other minoritized communities."
Video Tribute
From Yolanda Padilla to Hesbeyda Villafana
UW Bothell Founders Fellow Award
The UW Bothell Founders Fellow Award recognizes outstanding undergraduate researchers who are working with a faculty mentor and have the opportunity to present at a public conference. Students may apply the award to registration fees, airfare, and other travel expenses.
Nicole Carter
Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies; Community Psychology
Nicole Carter has spent her undergraduate career studying trauma and access to knowledge and education. Last November she received a Founders Fellow Award to attend the 2019 National Women’s Studies Association Annual Conference in San Francisco: Protest, Justice, and Transnational Organizing. She co-presented the paper “Rad Womxn and Femmes in the Pacific Northwest: A Zine by Rad Undergrads in a Lower Division GWSS Course,” about a project in Dr. Julie Shayne’s “Rad Womxn in the Global South” class.
Inspired by Kate Schatz and Miriam Stahl’s “Rad Women” and “Rad Girls” books, students wanted to celebrate local womxn and femmes who helped shape the Pacific Northwest. As GWSS peer facilitator, Carter helped lead the project which culminated in the book-length zine “Badass Womxn in the Pacific Northwest.” Says Carter, “It was beautiful to see how impactful and empowering learning about these womxn was for each of the students.”
Video Tribute
From Julie Shayne to Nicole Carter
Washington Campus Compact Student Civic Leader Award
Washington Campus Compact's Student Civic Leader Award recognizes and supports students who are working hard to solve critical issues in their communities. This program offers financial support, an online learning community, and in-person training to foster confidence and success in continued civic engagement.
Paris Bruner
Mathematical Thinking & Visualization; Society, Ethics & Human Behavior
Paris Bruner is a leader who inspires others with her commitment to working with youth and connecting students with opportunities in the STEM field and beyond. She has taught coding for kids at elementary schools for multiple quarters as a part of her CBLR course work. In 2019 Bruner was promoted to lead teacher for Coding With Kids working with groups of 15 students aged 5-10 years old; volunteered with Achieving Community Transformation (ACT) as an Alternative Spring Break site lead; volunteered as a student ambassador for the office of Community-Based Learning and Research; and was promoted to a staff lead position for the Makerspace, a creative (co-) curricular environment.
Video Tribute
From Cinnamon Hillyard to Paris Bruner
UW Bothell Chancellor’s Medalist
This award recognizes those who have been a consistent source of inspiration for faculty and fellow students alike, and have overcome significant obstacles or endured major burdens in order to complete an undergraduate, graduate, or post-baccalaureate degree or certificate program.
Midia De Souza
Law, Economics & Public Policy; Media & Communications Studies
Midia De Souza has been awarded the 2020 Chancellor’s Medal for her deep commitment to service and academic excellence. De Souza has received multiple scholarships, including one to participate in the 2019 Washington D.C. Human Rights Seminar, where she researched issues of violence and femicide in Central America and their intersection with mass migration to the southern border. De Souza’s experience in Washington D.C. activated her to co-found Huskies Dream Team, a support and advocacy group for DACA/undocumented students at UW Bothell.
Video Tribute
From Nhi Tran to Midia De Souza
IAS Hall of Alumni Excellence
The IAS Hall of Alumni Excellence recognizes alumni at varying stages of career who are established or emerging leaders in their fields, policy-changing public servants, and devoted and inspiring mentors. They are extraordinary alumni who embody IAS’s mission, values, and goals and demonstrate equity and inclusion in their work and lives.
Jacob Allen
Society, Ethics & Human Behavior ‘12
Jacob Allen is a social entrepreneur, education junkie, and the Co-Founder and CEO of pilotED Schools, an emerging social identity-centered charter school network building exceptional elementary schools while seeking to change state and federal level education systems for students living in poverty.
Prior to pilotED, Allen found success as a statewide Youth President with the NAACP of Wisconsin, as a curriculum developer at the University of Washington, as a Teach For America–Chicago corps member, and as a director for an education policy advocacy group in Washington State.
Allen has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and has received fellowships from Echoing Green, The Schusterman Foundation, Teach For America, The Mind Trust, NewSchools Venture Fund, and Camelback Ventures. His work has been featured in numerous publications including Forbes Magazine, Essence Magazine, USA Today, NBC Universal, and PBS. Allen also holds a Graduate Business Certificate from University of Illinois and is a candidate for his Masters in Psychology & Liberal Studies (ALM) at Harvard University.
Video Tribute
From Janelle Silva to Jacob Allen
Ray Corona
Society, Ethics & Human Behavior ’13
Ray Corona is an undocuqueer advocate who has called Seattle home since age nine. Ray’s community and professional work have focused on providing access and building bridges among diverse communities, including leadership development for youth, creating culturally relevant college preparation programs, organizing undocumented youth and families and building coalitions to craft community solutions for issues affecting marginalized communities.
Corona is co-founder of the Washington Dream Coalition, a network of undocumented students and young professionals addressing inequities and obstacles faced by undocumented immigrants in Washington State. He was the first undocumented person to be appointed to the City of Seattle LGBTQ Commission where he served a two-year term. He also received the 2019 Emerging Leader Pride Award from Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan. Corona is the community relations manager for UnitedHealth Group and the executive director and founder of Somos Seattle, an organization for LGBTQ Latinx folks that builds community, shares resources, and foster spaces for learning and growth.
Video Tribute
From Wayne Au to Ray Corona
EJ Juárez
M.A. in Cultural Studies ’13
EJ Juárez is responsible for advancing Group Health Foundation’s public policy agenda to improve health equity in Washington. Juárez has spent the past decade as an electoral organizer and strategist, trainer, and policy analyst with deep roots across the Northwest. He has worked with Progressive Majority to help elect candidates to office, Win/Win Network to increase people of color’s representation in government decision-making, and Amplify to increase ethnic representation in local governance structures. Juárez has also helped build innovative partnerships and address inequities through his leadership roles at the Seattle Public Library and Solid Ground. He is a former shop steward with OPEIU Local 8 and organizer with SEIU1199NW.
Juárez currently serves as first vice chair on King County’s Elections Oversight Committee. Previously, he served on the boards of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct and the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at UW Bothell.
Video Tribute
From Susan Harewood to EJ Juarez
Courtney Normand
M.A. in Policy Studies ’08
Courtney Normand serves as the Washington State Director for Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii. As the State Director, Normand directs field, communications, policy, and electoral efforts to promote, protect, and advance access to sexual health, education, and reproductive rights in Washington. She has successfully led Planned Parenthood’s efforts to pass proactive legislation such as the Reproductive Parity Act, 12 months of birth control, Confidentiality in Insurance Communications, and Washington’s new Comprehensive Sex Education law while defending against federal attacks on the Affordable Care Act and Planned Parenthood.
Normand serves on the steering committee of Our Votes Count, a coalition of progressive organizations working to engage new and low-propensity voters in elections to secure the margin of victory in state legislative races. In 2012 she was honored with a Campaign Heroines Award from the National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington.
Normand holds a B.A. in Psychology and Minor in Women Studies from the University of Washington. Her graduate research on low-income single mothers, welfare reform, and child-care subsidies was published in the UW Bothell Policy Journal.
Video Tribute
From Kari Lerum to Courtney Normand
Kat Sweet
Society, Ethics & Human Behavior ’11
Kat Sweet is the founder, coach, and CEO of the mountain bike program, Sweetlines, whose mission is to build confidence, create an inclusive community, and promote stewardship through educational mountain biking programs that empower people of all genders.
Sweet produces events that mesh coaching with competition—such as the Sugar Showdown—and spends countless hours building and restoring mountain bike trails. Prior to Sweetlines, she was the Youth Program Manager for Cascade Bicycle Club and Founder and Director of Trips for Kids Seattle, a cycling development program for underrepresented youth.
Sweet is also a former professional downhill mountain bike racer, X-Games ski competitor, brand ambassador, and motivational speaker. She has produced and starred in the movies, The Sisterhood of Shred and If She Can Do It, was a guest rider in the movie Pedal Driven, and has been featured in numerous articles in Bike Magazine, Decline, Freehub, Wide Open Mag UK, ESPN Brazil, Momentum, NW Cyclist, and Dirt Rag.
Video Tribute
From Diane Gillespie to Kat Sweet
UW Bothell Alumni of the Year
The UW Bothell Alumni of the Year Award recognizes outstanding alumni who have exhibited distinguished professional achievements and/or community service since graduation from the University of Washington Bothell. In 2020, the UW Bothell Alumni Council chose not one, but two remarkable alumni as recipients of the Award —and both are IAS alumni!
Priya Frank
M.A. in Cultural Studies ‘11
Priya Frank is the Associate Director for Community Programs, and Equity Team Founding Chair at Seattle Art Museum, where her focus is on strategic partnerships, program curation, and racial equity related initiatives. Previous experience in fundraising at the University of Washington and as art curator at LUCID Lounge influence her passion and heart for community building. Frank is Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission, and is a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow’s class of 2015. She was named one of 2018’s Most Influential People by Seattle Magazine and Puget Sound Business Journal’s 40 under 40 list in 2019. In addition to her M.A. in Cultural Studies, Frank holds a B.A. in Communications and American Ethnic Studies from University of Washington. Through her work, Frank hopes to honor those who paved the way for her and further support pathways for people of color to see themselves represented, respected, and in leadership within all areas of civic engagement.
Video Tribute
From Susan Harewood to Priya Frank
David Ryder
M.A. in Cultural Studies ‘11
David Ryder has been an independent Seattle photographer and filmmaker for more than 15 years. His portfolio includes wildfires, disaster zones, and hurricane coverage, and he’s captured images for major media outlets such The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Getty Images, and Bloomberg News. Ryder has extensively covered the coronavirus pandemic; recent images include a TIME Magazine cover of a mother and daughter impacted by COVID-19 at Life Care Center in Kirkland.
Ryder bring a theoretical approach to his practice with an interest in equity and justice. Since graduating from the Cultural Studies program, Ryder has expanded his repertoire to documentary filmmaking. His most recent film, “A Journey Through Conflict and Identity,” follows Anthony Kelley, a UW football Rose Bowl winner, as he investigates his trauma and healing while engaging with issues of toxic masculinity, identity, and race.
Video Tribute
From Miriam Bartha to David Ryder
IAS Outstanding Community Partners
The IAS Outstanding Community Partner award honors the extraordinary contribution of an IAS partner organization. Recipients advance the IAS values of equity, inclusion, and social justice and link student learning and/or faculty scholarship to real-life experiences that positively impact our region and globe.
Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center
Seattle Children’s Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center (ABC) offers lifelong learning for people 18 and older with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. Through classes and activities, ABC provides meaningful opportunities for adults to build on strengths, increase confidence, and promote independence. ABC began working with UW Bothell in 2014, and IAS faculty and students have partnered with them on multiple meaningful collaborations that promote inclusion and mutual understanding.
For the last two years, IAS faculty member Deborah Hathaway has partnered her students with ABC students through a drama class. “The experience was incredibly special and meaningful,” says Hathaway. “We shared leadership, we collaborated on learning goals and we supported one another. The ABC staff went above and beyond in educating me and all of our undergraduate students. We worked collectively as a team to not just teach drama, but to create a classroom of acceptance, inclusion, and joy!”
Video Tribute
From Deborah Hathaway, Layla Taylor, Kara Adams to ABC
Rent Mason Bees
Rent Mason Bees supports the future of food production by promoting the health and conservation of native mason bees which are critical pollinators to orchards and crops and help sustain ecosystems. The Bothell-based business is the only program in the country that rents mason bee kits to orchardists and backyard gardeners seeking an alternative to the burdensome efforts of beekeeping. IAS faculty and students have partnered with Rent Mason Bees since 2016 to support research and mapping of bee habitat and survival.
IAS faculty member Amy Lambert considers Rent Mason Bees an invaluable partner and was thrilled to see them recognized. “Rent Mason Bees has consistently supported student learning and research. For the first time, students see themselves as "scientists" doing field-based research. They learn to see pollinators, study pollinators, and eventually become moral agents - and stewards - of pollinators. Rent Mason Bees is a critical part of this kind of transformational learning.”
Video Tribute
From Amy Lambert, Ursula Valdez, Cameron Locke to Rent Mason Bees
UW Bothell Outstanding Community-Engaged Scholar Award
The UW Bothell Outstanding Community-Engaged Scholar Award recognizes impactful community-engaged scholarship by a UW Bothell faculty member.
Deborah Hathaway
IAS faculty member Deborah Hathaway’s community engaged scholarly work centers around creating community through performance. In her seven years as Lecturer in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences and First Year Pre-Major Program, Hathaway has partnered with several organizations; The Northwest Film Forum, Seattle Parks and Recreation, ArtsWest Playhouse, Macha Theatre Works, the Edmonds Center for the Arts, Silver Kite Community Arts, and the Seattle Children’s Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center (ABC). Hathaway presents regionally about her community-based learning and research (CBLR) course pedagogy, examining the impact of community-based learning on first year students and how this community engagement practice made meaningful connections between course content and the greater community of Bothell and beyond. Hathaway also supported other faculty in their courses and partner development through her service as a CBLR Fellow Steering Committee member.
Hathaway actively collaborates with the ABC arts staff to explore how to expand theatre curriculum and sensory-friendly performance experiences. Seattle Children’s is looking into how to replicate the successful UW Bothell/ABC partnership as a national model for Adult Transitions, and Hathaway has been pivotal in the success of this partnership.
Husky Green Award
The Husky Green Awards recognize the exemplary achievements of an individual or team from the UW community who have demonstrated leadership, initiative and dedication to campus sustainability.
Ursula Valdez
IAS faculty member Ursula Valdez incorporates conservation and sustainability into her classes and activities. She actively encourages students and other researchers to document avian diversity and natural history in urban spaces and educates them on how to restore these habitats. She also encourages students and colleagues to reduce their personal ecological footprint in both their academic and personal lives. Due to popular demand, Valdez also created a “Sustainability on a Student Budget” course to teach students how to embrace affordable, sustainable practices for everyday life. One such practice is making eating-utensil kits and reusable beeswax cloths to replace single-use plastic bags, a skill she taught as part of class activities and also to more people during Earth Week 2019. As part of some of her courses’ activities, she also assigns students to contact politicians and newspapers to propose solutions to modern environmental issues
Outside of the university, she co-founded the Tambopata Center for Education, Science, and Conservation (CECCOT, acronym in Spanish), an organization that promotes the conservation of tropical diversity in the Peruvian Amazon.