Category Archives: Student Spotlight

PPPA Student Lok Wu Selected For City Charter Review Committee

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One of UWT’s core values is community engagement, so it is inspiring to see students put this value into practice.

Last December, the Tacoma City Council formed its once-a-decade Charter Review Committee.  Among 52 applicants for 6 open positions, the Council selected UWT student Lok Yin Wu (Economics and Policy Analysis) to serve on the committee.

The city’s Charter Review Committee (CRC) reviews and proposes amendments to the city’s charter.  In this critical process, the CRC examines features in the charter, such as the city’s governance structure, police accountability, the ability of citizens to vote directly on policies, and the term limits of Tacoma’s elected officials.  The Committee’s task is to make recommendations to the City Council for changes to the charter that it would like the Council to put to a public vote.

The review process is a long one. This year it began in January and will end in May; it has required committee members to devote an average of ten hours of work per week. Of the 15 committee members, Lok is by far the youngest, reflecting an intentional effort on the part of City Council to involve young adults in the charter review process. Says Mayor Victoria Woodards:

“Children are not our future, but our present and we need to be engaging them now in the decisions that will impact them. There is no better example of this than the Charter Review Process and having youth participate in conversations that will shape the next decade of our community.”

Stephen Wamback, the chair of the review committee, agrees:  “I’m appreciative that our City Council appointed Lok to represent the voice of youth.  Active participation from younger generations is an important part of making sure we do this work right.”

Katie Baird, Lok Yu Win, and Nicholas Carr

Lok herself has found this opportunity to be “a breakthrough experience” for her.  She especially appreciated how much she has learned:  “It has deepened my understanding of the structure of the City of Tacoma and its progressive goals.  I appreciate how passionate so many individuals are for making positive changes.”

In addition to Lok, UWT is well represented on this year’s Charter Review Committee.  Prof. Katie Baird (PPPA) was also selected by the City, as were Andre Jimenez (Law & Policy, 2022), and Nicholas Carr (PP&E, 2012).

Karen Lin Interns with Pierce County Council

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Economics & Policy Analysis graduate Karen Lin recently completed a summer internship with Pierce County Council (PCC). Karen is the second EPA student to participate in PCC’s new paid summer internship. During Karen’s internship, she worked directly with the County Council and its professional staff.  One of the main projects she worked on was building an inventory for all the housing intervention services throughout Pierce County. Toward the end of her internship, the Council asked her to present this inventory to its committee meeting on homelessness.
During her internship, Karen took advantage of many opportunities made available to her by County staff, such as touring different facilities within the county to better understand the local government.  She also learned about career opportunities with the County. “I am glad to have taken this opportunity to work for the council,” Karen commented.  “It has allowed me to grow as a person and given me the experience of working in government administration.”
Meanwhile, EPA faculty continue to work closely with Pierce County Council, and to extend internship opportunities with it. If interested, contact Prof. Katie Baird (kebaird@uw.edu).

UWT Alum Elected Tacoma Municipal Court Judge

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A trailblazer, Dee Ann (Dee) Sonntag, graduate of University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) and the University of Washington School of Law, was elected (by over 60%) as Tacoma Municipal Court Judge, Department 1, the first woman to serve in this position.

Sonntag completed her bachelor’s degree majoring in Politics, Philosophy & Economics and minoring in Human Rights. At UWT, she was an active member of several student organizations, including the Pre-Law Society, ASUWT, and the Legislative Action Committee. After graduating from UW, Sonntag worked as a prosecuting and defense attorney at the Superior Court, District Court, and Department 1 of Tacoma Municipal Court. These formative experiences gave Sonntag a firm foundation for a career as a dedicated public servant.

While acknowledging the flaws of the current criminal justice system,  Sonntag pointed out in an interview with Faith Rasmussen for Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs (PPPA) news, that it is essential to keep faith in the role the system plays, adding that she believes “in the important work that we do to try to make it better.” Sonntag endeavors to connect with community partners and act with a “compassionate therapeutic-based approach to criminal justice [hiredeesonntag.com]” that addresses the needs of the most vulnerable in our society.

Congratulations, Dee Sonntag! We are all proud of your new leadership role for the Tacoma community.

Class of 2022!

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Congratulations to all of this year’s graduates!

Students in the Division of Politics, Philosophy & Public Affairs (PPPA) featured prominently at this year’s graduation event, held June 13th on the Puyallup Fairgrounds. 

 

 

 

 

Politics Philosophy & Economics student Kristina Pogosian was elected by her peers to serve as this year’s commencement speaker.

The Chancellor’s Medal, given to one UWT student selected for their extraordinary achievement and inspirational leadership, went to Law & Policy senior Bengisu Cicek.  Andre Jimenez earned this year’s prestigious President’s Medal, which is given to the graduating senior with the most distinguished academic record. As ASUWT President, Andre also served as a speaker at the ceremony.

Also featured during the graduation festivities were Law & Policy major Selena Caldera, a veteran and political activist who now heads to Emery Law School; Law & Policy major Chanise Jackson, who during her UWT was awarded the Truman Scholar, a Bamford Fellowship, and was elected to the ASUWT; and Politics, Philosophy & Economics major  Kevin Yuan-Liu, who is heading off to the University of Oregon’s Law School.

 

This year we also celebrated the graduation of our first Economics & Policy Major. Michael Price will be starting his MPA degree at UW’s Evan School in the fall.

Congratulations to the entire class for your many and varied accomplishments.

PPPA Prize Winners and End-of-Year Celebration

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On May 27th, PPPA faculty and students gathered to celebrate our 2022 Paper Prize Winners and all our graduating seniors. Faculty gave speeches on the future and all graduating seniors received a department certificate of completion.

This year, paper prizes were awarded to two types of papers:  a long research paper, and a shorter paper.

The winners were In the long-form (capstone) category were: 

Guadalupe Ramos-Orozco, a Politics,
Philosophy, and Economics major,
won the prize for his paper, “The Political Economy of Space: Neoliberalism, Houselessness, and Incarceration.”
Jonathon Church, a Politics, Philosophy, and Economics major, received an honorable mention for his paper,  “Washington State Sausage Making: Attempting to Measure the Efficiency of the Legislature.”
Andre Jimenez, a Law and Policy major, received an honorable mention for his paper, “Freedom Isn’t Free: Why Pierce County Needs to Move Beyond a Cash Bail System.”
In the short-form category:
Bryan Lewis, an Economics and Policy Analysis major, won the prize for his paper, “Examining Legal Financial Obligations in Washington State.”
Maddy McVaugh, a Law and Policy major, received an honorable mention for her paper, “Does Diversity Matter? Police Violence, Minority Representation, and Urban Policing.”

 

 

 

 

Thank you to the PPPA faculty for organizing this. Good conversation and good food meant that fun was had by all!

Call for Self-Nominations for the Annual PPPA Paper Prize

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Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs (PPPA) students are invited to nominate a paper for this year’s PPPA Undergraduate Paper Prize award. This year there will be two prizes, one for papers of 15 or more pages and one for papers of less than 15 pages. A list of prior winners, and their papers, can be found on UWT’s Digital Commons library. All PPPA students (those majoring in Law & Policy; Politics, Philosophy & Economics; and Economics & Policy Analysis) are eligible to apply.

Last year, Ariel Cook, a Law and Policy major, won the PPPA Paper Prize for her capstone paper, “Immigration Detention in the Trump Era: A Timeline and Analysis.”  Teresa Dennerlein, a Politics, Philosophy, and Economics major, received an honorable mention for her capstone paper, “Whose Recession is it Anyway? How Crisis Discourse Influences Gender Employment Equity in Recession.”

For the long paper prize, capstone papers are especially welcome, although students may nominate any independent research paper that was produced in a PPPA course (or for a PPPA internship) between Spring quarter of 2021 and Winter quarter of 2022.  Please send submissions to Prof. Charles Williams (charles1@uw.edu).

The prize winners will be announced on Friday, May 20. An award celebration will take place the following Friday, May 27 in GWP 320 (Dawn Lucien Room). This will also be a general end-of-year celebration for PPPA students, and especially graduating seniors. More details to follow in May.

Students Intern For The Washington State Legislature

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This year, the Washington State Legislature selected four UWT students to participate in its Legislative Internship Program. About 60 students statewide are selected as interns who then work directly for members of the Senate or House.  All interns work full time for the Legislature over the winter quarter, earning 15 credits in the process.

Jasmin Randhawa is a Senior majoring in Politics Philosophy and Economics.  She served as a Policy Research Intern for the Senate Democratic Caucus. What stood out for her about this internship is the exposure it gave her to role models.  “For someone who comes from a marginalized community, this is a really great way to enter the world of politics. I met a Senator who speaks the same language as I do and it’s like “wow!” that that could be me.”

Alexandria Steele, a senior majoring in Psychology, interned with Reps Berry, Frame, and Senn. She too found that the experience changed her.  “As a student from a working-class background, I hadn’t thought that much about how to prepare myself for post-graduation.  I just focused on my grades, and now I realize not that many people care about grades.  I’m so grateful for this opportunity.”

Dalton Stephens, a senior in Law and Policy, interned for Senator Sam Hunt of District 22 representing Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater.  Dalton found the internship offered a unique professional opportunity.  “It’s exciting to be in political circles and to understand what everyone is saying. It’s amazing how well interns blend in.  I’ve probably learned more during this internship than in two years of college.”

Jonathon Church, a senior in Politics Philosophy and Economics, interned for Reps. Barkis, Klippert, and Sutherland. He seconded the unique educational value of this internship:  “It helped orient me toward the job market and got me to apply what I’ve learned in fields that I’m interested in.”

In addition to interning, students also take part in Civic education, which includes a mock debate, guest speakers, and educational lectures designed to enhance their internship.  This year’s mock debate was overseen by Lt. Gov Denny Heck playing the role of President of the Senate, a role he plays in real life. Remarked Jon Church:  “It is hard not to take it serious when you hear the Lt. Gov. Call out your name with the word Senator before it!”

All four students agreed that this unique internship opportunity is a rigorous one. “It’s one of the most challenging learning experiences I’ve ever had,” summed up Jon Church.

Go here to listen to an interview with the four students.

First Economics and Policy Analysis Major Accepted into UW’s Evans School

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Congratulations to Michael Price, UWT’s first student to graduate with a major in our new Economics and Policy Analysis degree.  Michael was recently accepted into the University of Washington’s Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, where this fall he will begin its Master of Public Administration (MPA) program.  The Evans School is ranked as one of the top graduate MPA programs in the nation.

Michael grew up spending time between New Jersey and South Florida, but has found his home in Washington state. In returning to college, he dreamed of gaining the skills to allow him to contribute to solving social problems. For this reason, he was drawn to UWT’s new Economics and Policy Analysis program, which just winter quarter began accepting students. (See this interview with Michael.)

“Because of my success in the EPA major, I wholeheartedly recommend this major for any students interested in either Economics or Policy, as they go hand in hand,” commented Michael after learning of his admission to the Evans School. “The faculty here at UWT has supported me along the way. I’m excited to begin  this new stage of my academic career.” So are we Michael. Best wishes!

Senior Andre Jimenez pens Oped On Use of Force

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Congratulations to Senior Andre Jimenez, whose oped on a recent Use of Force study conducted by the Pierce County Sheriff’s office was just published in Tacoma’s News Tribune.  As a representative on the Pierce County Equity Review Committee, Andre was one of fifteen members asked to review this study, one commissioned to investigate racial disparities in policing practices by the Sheriff’s office.

Andre found some alarming findings in the study — Black residents experience police force five times more often than white residents, and Black youth experience force more than 10 times more frequently than white youth. Yet his oped points to the deficiencies in the data indicating that the report actually underestimates the magnitude of the disparities. Andre concludes that:

Real change requires independent sources of data on police use of force practices that are no longer dependent on officers’ self-reporting. We need a civilian review board with real oversight authority and independence from the sheriff’s department, ensuring that the police who investigate their fellow officers are held accountable. 

Thanks, Andre, for your commitment to making our officials more accountable and our community a more just one.

PPE Major Teresa Dennerlein Wins Two Scholarships

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Sophomore and PP&E Major Teresa Dennlein has gotten this academic year off to a great start, having been selected for two competitive scholarships!

Teresa is one of nine students selected in this year’s cohort of Dressel Scholars. The University of Washington Tacoma Dressel Scholars Program recognizes and rewards exceptional scholarly achievement, community engagement, and leadership potential for any student enrolled at UW Tacoma. The Dressel Scholars Program was created to honor the legacy of Melanie Jan LaPlant Dressel by creating a robust scholarship and mentorship program that affords our students the opportunities to develop their leadership skills and community connections while giving them the financial freedom to fully participate in their UW Tacoma experience.

Teresa was also awarded a Jennifer Dunn-Thompson Scholarship through the Washington Policy Center. The scholarship is for female students who are interested in policy-related fields, and named in honor of the late Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn.

If you are interested in these or other scholarship award opportunities, be sure to visit the Office of Student Fellowships and Awards to find out more!