Archive – Diversity at the UW /diversity 91̽ Tue, 28 Oct 2025 17:48:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 A Message from the UDO: 91̽Celebrates National First-Generation College Celebration Day /diversity/2024/10/31/udo_message-2024-first-gen-day/ Thu, 31 Oct 2024 19:49:56 +0000 /diversity/?p=9245 Dear first-generation college students, faculty, and staff,

You bring immense value to the 91̽ (UW), and we are deeply grateful that you chose to be here. Your journey toUWreflects resilience, determination, and strength. We are committed to ensuring that you thrive, and that you always feel the support of a community cheering you on.

Education changes lives. It has certainly changed mine.As a first-generation student, collegetransformed not only my own life but also the lives of my immediatefamily, whether they pursued college themselves or not. I am proud to haveassistedinopeningdoors to opportunities and experiences that have uplifted all of us.We’veseen many powerful examples of first-generation students inspiring older siblings,or even parents,to pursue higher education. This is the ripple effect of education. It touches generations and builds brighter futures.

I encourage you to think about how you will carry that impact forward. In theseuncertaintimes, how will you ensure the doorremainsopen behind you? How will you help make sure you are the first, but not the last, in your family or community toattendcollege? Through mentorship, advocacy, and collective action, we can ensure that the UWremainsaccessible to all who seek the opportunity.

The National First-Generation College Celebration is a powerful moment to share our stories. By telling them, we challenge the misconception that higher education is out of reach for first-generation students, and we help others find their path.

OnNovember 8, we will join the Council for Opportunity in Education, NASPA’s Center for First-Generation Student Success, and institutions across the country to celebrateNational First-Generation College Celebration Day. This date marks the signing of theHigher Education Act of 1965, which expanded access to higher education for countless students, including first-generation pioneers. Each year, we hostevents and activitiesandshare storiesto honor your achievements andtoconnectyouwith other first-generation students, faculty, and staff. I look forward tocelebrating withyou.

Together, we will continue to uplift, support, and celebrate every first-generation student so thatall have the opportunity toreachtheirfull potential.

In Community,

 

 

 

 

Rickey Hall
91̽
University Diversity Officer

]]> 91̽researchers develop data visualization tool to advance child welfare /diversity/2024/08/06/uw-researchers-develop-data-visualization-tool-to-advance-child-welfare/ Tue, 06 Aug 2024 12:14:49 +0000 /diversity/?p=9047 HCDE alumnus John Fowler (PhD ’23), now a Research Scientist and Engineer in the 91̽School of Social Work, and HCDE Professor Mark Zachry have developed VizCare, are advancing access to visualizations of foster care data.

]]> Omari Amili: Navigating the Post-Prison Pathway /diversity/2024/04/04/omari-amili-navigating-the-post-prison-pathway/ Thu, 04 Apr 2024 17:00:16 +0000 /diversity/?p=8860 Omari Amili, 2023-24 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient and new Husky Post Prison Pathways program director, shares his vision for welcoming and supporting previously incarcerated people like himself.

]]> ‘Work of passion:’ How Catalina Velasquez’s life led her to immigrant rights advocacy /diversity/2024/04/04/work-of-passion-how-catalina-velasquezs-life-led-her-to-immigrant-rights-advocacy/ Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:56:02 +0000 /diversity/?p=8856 Catalina Velasquez heads Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, which is the largest immigrant-led coalition in Washington, alongsideBrenda Rodriguez Lopez. A refugee from Colombia herself, Velasquez was the first transgender Latina appointed as a Commissioner for the D.C. Office of Latino Affairs.

]]> Lauding 91̽faculty innovators, change-makers, and trailblazers this Women’s History Month /diversity/2024/03/28/lauding-uw-faculty-innovators-change-makers-and-trailblazers-this-womens-history-month/ Thu, 28 Mar 2024 20:47:15 +0000 /diversity/?p=8845 Through its eras and across its varied disciplines, countless extraordinary women have defined and redefined the UW, advancing equity through their actions and their examples. Here are a few of their stories.

]]> The Spark of Intention /diversity/2024/03/19/the-spark-of-intention/ Tue, 19 Mar 2024 19:28:09 +0000 /diversity/?p=8828 In a marketplace transformed by emerging technology and plagued by systemic underrepresentation, three academic entrepreneurs share how personal experiences and perspectives guide their work to build better businesses and a better world.

]]> On our Terms: New video project creates shared definitions of common DEAI words through storytelling /diversity/2024/03/13/on-our-terms/ Wed, 13 Mar 2024 20:05:43 +0000 /diversity/?p=8814 On Our Termsis a video project by the Burke Museum, grounded in the storytelling of commonly used DEAI terms like decolonization, consultation, and healing.Through personal stories and unique perspectives, these videos present a nuanced collage of how people understand these words and invite viewers to reflect on their own definitions.

]]> “Give joyfully”: Benaroya gift bolsters Brotherhood Initiative capacity /diversity/2024/02/28/give-joyfully-benaroya-gift-bolsters-brotherhood-initiative-capacity/ Wed, 28 Feb 2024 18:34:47 +0000 /diversity/?p=8792 Joe Lott, Ph.D., associate professor of education and the founding director and passionate force behind the BI, not only addresses systemic barriers affecting Black men’s graduation rates but also creates a close-knit community at the 91̽where academic challenges meet unwavering support and understanding.

]]> Quintard Taylor has blazed a trail to Black history of the American West—and around the world /diversity/2024/02/21/quintard-taylor-has-blazed-a-trail-to-black-history-of-the-american-west-and-around-the-world/ Wed, 21 Feb 2024 19:18:46 +0000 /diversity/?p=8746 “BlackPast and Professor Taylor’s entire body of work show most powerfully how Black history is an inextricable part of American history and world history,”wrote 91̽President Ana Mari Caucein 2021. “His work—and the work of other Black history and culture scholars—reveals how much we miss when we limit ourselves to history through the lens of the powerful few.”

]]> Championing better health for vulnerable workers /diversity/2024/02/21/championing-better-health-for-vulnerable-workers/ Wed, 21 Feb 2024 19:17:51 +0000 /diversity/?p=8744 New DEOHS Assistant Professor Diana Ceballos combines her passion for health equity with expertise on workplace health and safety. Ceballos’s research aims to protect the health of workers in hazardous jobs such as construction and manufacturing, as well as the health of their families.

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