Verena Hess, Ph.D., Communications, Graduate

GO Slugs! Go Slugs! Go! Go! Go Slugs! Wait, were you expecting a cheer for UW Huskies? Alright, alright that’s coming next, but before that, we present the story of a woman named Verena Hess. Verena graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a Bachelor’s in US history and decided to head for a higher road (literally and figuratively) to the University of Washington for graduate school.

However ...Read more →

Anu Gautam, Master’s in Health Administration, Graduate

The career planning process is often called a journey. For Anu, a 2008 graduate-degree recipient, this was true literally and figuratively. With a pharmacy degree in hand, Anu left her home country, India, so she could advance her career by pursuing a graduate degree in America. Anu wanted a change of profession. She knew she didn’t want to leave her healthcare background completely but she also ...Read more →

Carolyn Lovano, Biology, Undergraduate

Who would have thought that a UW biology major with a minor in music would end up with a job at Florida’s Disney World? Certainly not Carolyn Lovano, had you asked her just a few months ago.

 “I have always felt pulled in two different directions – very different directions,” said Carolyn of her interests in both biology and music. Faced with the dilemma over whic ...Read more →

Maria Rodriguez, Program on the Environment, Undergraduate

Maria Rodriquez was in grade school when her class was visited by members of the Pinellas County Schools Performing Arts Program in Florida and -- not for the last time in her life -- she found herself excited and inspired.

With no dance background to speak of and not sure what was involved in auditioning for the school’s dance program, she and her mom set off for St. Petersburg, Florida, e ...Read more →

Phil Gore, Master’s in Educational Leadership, Graduate

Remember that dream for your future you had back when you were eight-years-old? Maybe you were going to be a fireman or a teacher or a trapeze artist? Well, just because you were only eight doesn’t mean you weren’t onto something – back then you probably knew your heart well without rationalizing away your dream. For Phil Gore, the dream evolved from his love of school and wanting t ...Read more →

Anna Norman, Communications, Undergraduate

New York City. The American Broadcasting Company. Barbara Walters. What do they have in common with UW? Well, Anna Norman for starters. A UW junior and Communications major, Norman spent the fall of 2007 in New York City, interning with ABC News on the hit shows Primetime and 20/20.

Of course, landing an internship this fabulous isn’t based on luck. Motivated from day one, Norman took step ...Read more →

Tom Edwardsen, Peace Corps, Undergraduate

Tom Edwardsen keeps himself so busy he may not actually know the definition of the word “bored.” He has worked on a farm, in a shipyard, at a ski resort and at an Alaskan fishery. He also spent 27 months serving for the Peace Corps in Azerbaijan, a small country north of Iran on the Caspian Sea, working with a micro-finance bank to implement new and innovative strategies to create a higher v ...Read more →

Dave Matthews, Business (2000), Undergraduate

He may not have a band, but we'd imagine he's got a pretty big fan base anyway. UW alumnus Dave Matthews graduated in 2000 and has spent the last four years working for Accenture, a world leader in global management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing. Moving from project to project, can involve some uncertainty about what's next. But it's worth it. This job is incredibly rewarding.

Tyson Cecka, Former UW Student, Non-Graduate

There you are, trudging across campus and dragging a 40 pound backpack behind you. It’s just another ordinary day here at the UW, when wait, are you kidding? Did you just see that guy swing over that railing, leap up onto that wall, grab a tree branch and after flying through the air, land gracefully on his feet? What was that?

Well, you likely just encountered Tyson Cecka who emphatically ...Read more →

Beth Scholler, English, CHID, Undergraduate

When one meets UW senior Beth Scholler for the first time, the phrase “not a talker” is the one furthest from your mind. Beth is engaging and well-spoken, and talks of her past and her success with ease and modesty. Yet she claims that when she arrived at North Seattle Community College, where she attended school before transferring to UW, she was not a talker and certainly not involved.