UW Tacoma student and alumni accomplishments

2015 Rangel Scholar – A UW Tacoma first

Omer AdamHuge congratulations to UW Tacoma student Omer Adam–one of fifteen Rangel Scholars nation-wide. He will be spending his summer in Washington D.C. participating in the Rangel International Affairs Summer Program. There, he will learn about current issues in international affairs and acquire valuable skills to prepare him for a career in the field.Omer is most interested in how religion shapes foreign policy and hopes to improve relationships between the US and Muslim countries. Continue reading

Alumni feature- Colin McCann

Colin McCann_photoColin McCann came to UW Tacoma in the fall of 2011 as a transfer student from TCC. After taking advantage of the Running Start program in his high school, he was only 19 when he first arrived on campus. A self-professed “political junkie,” McCann chose to major in PPE (Law & Policy track), with a Human Rights minor. He was also a member of the Global Honors Program.

McCann attributes a great deal of his intellectual, personal, and academic growth to his experiences at UWT,  noting that nearly everyone he encountered—from professors to fellow students—challenged him “intellectually, and encouraged me to broaden my perspectives.” He claims that he can’t speak highly enough of UWT’s culture of learning and encouragement of academic discourse. “It helped me develop into the person I am today.” Continue reading

UW Tacoma’s 2015 Fulbright finalist

UW Tacoma alumna Lizeth Garcia recently received some great news: she has been named as a finalist for the Fulbright US Student Program.

image001A 2013 graduate of the Politics, Philosophy, and Economics program, Garcia is hoping to teach English in Mexico through the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program in 2015-16. After being chosen as a finalist by a domestic screening committee, her application has now been passed to the host country for final selection. She will hear in April or May whether she will receive the award. Continue reading

2013 Alumna – A Husky once again

Tacoma native Dee Sonntag, a former PPPA student and UW Tacoma alumni (winter, 2013) is about to begin her last year at the University of Washington School of Law.

Dee SonntagBut that’s not where she started her legal education. She spent the 2013-14 academic year at the University of Idaho College of Law. “I traveled to Moscow, Idaho by myself, while my husband, Joey, and daughter, Jade (8) remained in Tacoma.” Although it wasn’t easy to be separated from her family, Sonntag noted, “I really enjoyed my studies at the COL. My professors and friends made the time away meaningful and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. As the regional mediation champion, I got to travel to Miami to complete in the ABA National Mediation Competition. I was also the Student Bar Association Representative for my section.” Continue reading

More alumni news:

Passing an Initiative – As a communications staff member of the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility, Tallman Trask worked to pass Initiative 594, one of the few progressive success stories of the 2014 election cycle. Primarily responsible for being the eyes and ears of the communications department, as well as various media and press work, Trask played an important role in taking steps to reduce gun violence in Washington through the passage of common-sense background checks for all gun sales. Trask was a member of the class of 2013, graduating with a degree in Politics, Philosophy & Economics.

Applying for a Fulbright ScholarshipLizeth Garcia recently submitted her application forLizeth Garcia photo the 2015-2016 Fulbright ETA program. As an advocate for education, Garcia decided to apply to the Fulbright ETA program to empower students in Mexico with the ability to speak English. As a tutor with a local Hispanic organization, she has gained valuable skills that will prepare her for a Fulbright ETA assignment.  She is currently working as a legislative aide for King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer.  Garcia believes the skills she is developing through her employment with KCC and community involvement stand to be useful tools as she pursues a graduate program upon her return from a Fulbright assignment.

Garcia states, “I encourage students who are considering applying for Fulbright to start early. The application process can be quite rigorous and demands a lot of time. It’s a daunting task, but is very rewarding. It’s important to develop strong relationships with professors and gain experience in extracurricular activities. These will be vital parts of your application. Additionally, don’t be discouraged if you don’t have an ideal GPA. Fulbright is interested in students who are passionate about making a change. Lastly, have fun. It was neat to see how much I learned about myself through this process.”

We wish her all the best as she awaits the results of her application.                              (The above photo was taken in Trinidad, Cuba at the Manaca Izuaga Watch Tower.)

 

UW Tacoma alum Mohamed Abdel Halim graduates with double degrees–twice

After graduating from UW Tacoma (2011) with two majors, PP&E and International Business, and a minor in Non Profit Studies, Mohamed Abdel Halim decided to head Mohamedback to the classroom for another two degrees—an MBA and MPA from Eastern Washington University. Halim states that studying International Business and Politics at the same time has given him a strong understanding of political systems, economic policy, and the living standards in several diverse cultures. He also remarks that EWU’s Spokane campus reminded him of UWT, noting “faculty members and program directors are very approachable. In both schools, the majority of people knew me by name which made my interactions very personable.” 

A native of Egypt, Halim credits the people he’s met with helping him come as far as he has in both education and life.  “Dr. Turan Kayaoglu has been a mentor and a role model for me. The things he taught me were very powerful and while I am making education and career decisions, I always think of what he said. It amazes me sometimes how much motivation and encouragement this man has provided me.”

Read more about Halim’s experiences in “EWU’s Newsletter.”

Annual PPPA student-faculty softball game

IMG_0620In what has become an annual ritual, students and faculty engaged in a hotly contested game of softball at Tacoma’s Vassault Park this May.  We all enjoyed the sun and warm breezes blowing in from left field, and a fine game of softball followed by a BBQ.  After four successive years of defeat, the students this year came out determined to win.  And win they did!  It was a close game, but graduating Law and Policy senioIMG_0613-1 (2)r Grady Heins squashed the faculty’s early celebrations by socking a second home run, this one a three-run blast in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, allowing students to eke out a hard-fought but well-earned victory against us. Since alumni play for the faculty team, we look forward to having Grady on our side next year.

2014 graduate Chelsea Hagar

2014 PP&E graduate Chelsea Hager recently landed a full time job working for Congressman Derek Kilmer in his Tacoma office.  Hager welcomes the opportunity to expand her professional development, enhance her interpersonal skills, and have some fun before pursuing her post-graduate education.

Chelsea tChelsea Hagerransferred to UWT from the University of Hawaii, Manoa. With her family and friends in Washington state—she is one of six daughters—she missed the Pacific Northwest, and was happy to come back home. Upon arriving she quickly choose to major in Politics, Philosophy & Economics as the major “encompasses all of my academic interests.”

In her senior year, Chelsea began to work in Rep. Kilmer’s Tacoma office as a way to gain experience and meet her capstone requirement.  In March 2014, Hager was hired as the Staff Assistant and has taken on the coordination for the Tacoma District Office internship program. While the position is very challenging, it aligns with her interests in public service and her passion for politics.  Earlier this year, Chelsea gained admission to seven law schools. However, but she has since decided to delay law school for one year. She will reapply next fall, and plans to practice public service law one day. For now, she enjoys running and has recently completed a 15k, with her sights set on finishing a half-marathon. Perhaps–someday–she’ll even run for office!

Alumni writes wildfire law

anna freidenburg at legislature 2012 (2)Last year, UW Tacoma alum Anna Freudenberg, a graduate of the Washington State Legislative Internship program and currently a Willamette Law School student, worked with other law students to write and then lobby a bill through the Oregon Legislature.  The bill enacts measures to reduce wildfires, and last year it became law in Oregon.  Anna remarked that  “With­out hav­ing gained all the expe­ri­ence I gained while intern­ing with the Washington State Sen­ate, I am not sure if this would have still been pos­si­ble.”  To her surprise, this year her and her colleagues’ bill was introduced into the Washington Legislature, and on January 17th  it advanced to the House floor for discussion.

PPPA grad off to UPenn Law School

logoCongratulations to Tommy Farrow, a recent PPPA graduate, who was just accepted into the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Penn Law is ranked 7th in the nation among law schools, and Tommy is thrilled with his opportunity to study there.  He credits UW Tacoma faculty for his academic success, but we’d chalk it up to his hard work and endless curiosity.