Welcome to Spring! I hope everyone is well as we welcome the season for celebrating our graduates and reflecting on the past academic year. 

This newsletter features several outstanding transfer student profiles, articles and updates and changes within various UW campuses, Colleges, Schools and Departments. I appreciate that campus units continue to reach out about submissions to the newsletter.

Thanks to all who supported our efforts and participated in the 36th annual UW/CC Advising Conference on April 19th. We had about 186 participants and great engagement throughout the day. It was great to see everyone and we hope the conference was a good experience for those of you who joined us. If you were unable to join us and want to check out information from this or past years, follow the link to the website, above.   

As we do this time of year, we are gearing up for Transfer Advising and Orientation. With both transfer and freshman A&O, we will continue to offer the programming virtually.

I hope all of you are hanging in there and are enjoying a warmer and sunnier finish to Spring quarter!

—Tim McCoy

Student Profile: Vinial Kumar, Civil Engineering, UW Tacoma School of Engineering and Technology

 

Name: Vinial Kumar

Pronouns: he/him

School transferred from: Green River College

Hometown: Auburn, WA

Major: Civil Engineering

What led you to pursue Civil Engineering?

Growing up in a developing country, I saw my environment constantly changing with new roads and new bridges. This raised my curiosity to learn about how these projects were carried out. When I moved to the United States three years ago, I saw a huge change: I saw roads on top of roads, I saw multi-lane highways, and I saw how these infrastructures improved people's daily lives. Seeing the difference in development compared to Fiji, I was motivated to be part of this progression of designing innovative infrastructures.

What are your future goals?

My goal is to begin my career in design for four years while working towards my PE license. Following that, I plan to transition into project management (PM) or switch to construction management (CM) for two years to gain experience in those environments. If I continue in PM, I aim to become licensed in EnvSys to pursue my goal of contributing to sustainability.

How has studying in SET impacted your academic experience?

My studies in SET have been instrumental in opening doors to various opportunities. SET's sponsorship of field trips, guest speakers discussing the civil engineering industry during class sessions, and workshops have been invaluable. Their small class size helped me find time to talk with professors during office hours and their support for the ASCE club has been crucial in helping me understand and navigate my career path.

What advice would you give to students looking to transfer to UW Tacoma Civil Engineering?

My advice to civil engineering students transferring is to start looking for internships early, utilizing resources from the career department for assistance. Attend as many career fairs and networking events as possible and consider joining clubs to gain experience and build connections. If you're unsure about which field to pursue, try arranging job shadows, informational interviews, and attending workshops to gain insights into the daily life of engineers in various fields. Don't be afraid to ask questions!

What has been your favorite part about attending UW Tacoma and/or the Civil Engineering program?

My favorite part of the CE program and UW Tacoma is the small community, everyone is helpful and goal-oriented, which motivates me to achieve my goals. And the small campus size helps me to get around without walking for a long distance and being late to meetings.

Junior Summer Institute at the UW Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, UW-Seattle

Junior Summer Institute at the UW Evans School of Public Policy and Governance

By Amen Tsegai, Program Manager

Please view our UW JSI Expanding Pathways to Public Service Video

The UW Evans School’s Junior Summer Institute (JSI) is a rigorous seven-week summer program for college juniors (rising seniors) designed to broaden participants’ academic and professional horizons. In addition to interacting with and learning from talented peers, JSI participants learn to analyze and evaluate policies under the guidance of experienced policy practitioners and academics. The combination of analytic skills and substantive knowledge about contemporary policy issues will provide undergraduates with excellent preparation for graduate school in public policy.

During the seven weeks, students follow a course curriculum that includes economics, quantitative methods, policy analysis implementation & evaluation, and leadership & community engagement – all designed to sharpen students’ quantitative, analytic, and leadership skills. At the end of the program, students present a mini-capstone team project on a current policy issue that draws on the skills acquired in their coursework in policy analysis and implementation.

Evans School JSI participants also gain exposure to the breadth and richness of public service in the Pacific Northwest through experiential learning opportunities, including mentorship, field trips, and engagement with community-based practitioners, regional leaders, and elected officials. Our JSI is part of a network of summer programs supported by the Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA), which is a not-for-profit that has been supporting efforts to increase diversity in public service for over forty years. PPIA believes that our society is best served by public managers, policy makers, and community leaders who represent diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Once a student has successfully completed their JSI, they join an alumni network of more than 4,000 leaders. In addition to the opportunities that this network provides for mentoring and career development, JSI alumni can receive financial support for their graduate school education if they attend one of the programs in the PPIA Graduate School Consortium.

For more information about the Evans School JSI program, visit our webpage and consider applying for the 2025 program! Questions can also be directed to ppia@uw.edu.

Student Profile: Claire Reading, Electrical Engineering, UW Tacoma School of Engineering and Technology

Name: Claire Reading

Pronouns: she/her

School transferred from: Green River College and 4 year school

Hometown: Auburn, WA

Major: Electrical Engineering

What led you to pursue Electrical Engineering?

Initially, I was going to study Environmental Science, but I took a physics class in college that was all about circuits. I felt so accomplished when I'd properly build a circuit, so I started researching about what degrees could put me in a career that would allow me to work with circuits and renewable energy all the time!

What are your future goals?

Professionally, I will likely work in power systems or controls to hopefully create a more efficient and sustainable power grid. Personally, I plan on being involved with the Society of Women Engineers postgrad, and start a nonprofit related to providing fresh produce to low-income communities.

How has studying in SET impacted your academic experience?

Since transferring here, my grades have gotten extremely better and I'm way more encouraged to get my degree. I feel like I belong here, and I've made a lot of very good friends within my major. Also, learning about all my professors' research and experiences within this discipline has made me much more curious about what all I could be capable of achieving with my degree.

What advice would you give to students looking to transfer to UW Tacoma Electrical Engineering?

My advice is... DO IT! But honestly, look into the EE four-year plan here, and compare it with the university you currently attend. That can give you insight on how the programs may differ, and help you understand the prerequisites needed to directly transfer into the major. Also, if you're worried about

"showing up too late" in the sense that friend groups would have already been established... that will not be a problem! A good majority of juniors are recent transfers, so it's pretty easy to develop solid friend groups even if you're halfway through your degree.

What has been your favorite part about attending UW Tacoma and/or the Electrical Engineering program?

Within SET, I love all my professors! They've been so supportive and encouraging. Before transferring, I never went to office hours or talked to my professors, but here they're really approachable, and you can tell they care about you as their student and as an individual.

Student Profile: Carmen Guerrero-Rios, Electrical Engineering, UW Tacoma School of Engineering and Technology

Name: Carmen Guerrero-Rios

Pronouns: she/her

School transferred from: Pierce College

Hometown: Graham, WA

Major: Electrical Engineering

What led you to pursue Electrical Engineering?

My dad is an Electrical Engineer and he would tell me his stories of what he did to help the people in Peru which opened my eyes to Engineering. I grew up repairing phones, laptops, and cameras and fell in love with STEM. I always found STEM intriguing, Electrical Engineering stood out to me because I liked the idea of finding a topic and being able to solve a problem visually or by hand. For example, either coding or creating a circuit.

What are your future goals?

I am interested in sustainable energy systems and renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. I also find the categories of power electronics and manufacturing very interesting. My future goal is to help provide power/energy to communities and especially places that are in need of it.

How has studying in SET impacted your academic experience?

One main thing that has helped me and impacted my academic experience are the SET advisors and SET professors. They have helped guide me to reach my goals and given me advice when it comes to applying to jobs such as internships or potentially getting my masters in a subcategory of Electrical Engineering.

What advice would you give to students looking to transfer to UW Tacoma Electrical Engineering?

I would tell them to do it! Electrical Engineering is an amazing major and something that is changing and developing everyday. UW Tacoma has courses that will help you get a full understanding of a lot of the subcategories that EE provides. The professors who are teaching these courses care about all their students and I definitely think students should consider transferring and being a part of Electrical Engineering at UW Tacoma.

What has been your favorite part about attending UW Tacoma and/or the Electrical Engineering program?

One of my favorite parts of attending UW Tacoma and the Electrical Engineering program are the people. Being a woman in STEM can be hard sometimes and you can feel invisible to others but at UW Tacoma, the people are friendly and they will always greet you with a smile and ask how you're doing. I have made many new friends and I have been able to connect with other classmates and professors to the point where I feel comfortable asking for help when I need it.