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

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

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.)