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Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Category: Features

Typically longer in length and relevancy than content in the news category. Features content is more likely to be republished over time.

2019 UAA staff awardees announced

Congratulations to the 2018-19 Undergraduate Academic Affairs staff recognition and distinguished partner awardees. Selected for their dedication to supporting UAA’s mission of creating innovative academic experiences for undergraduates, these 14 staff members made an indelible impact on the UW’s students, faculty, staff and community.

And the awardees are…

Award for Excellence
• Debbie McGhee, research scientist, Office of Educational Assessment

Outstanding Achievement Award
• Carissa Mayer, counseling services coordinator, University Honors Program
• Emily Smith, assistant director, Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards

Outstanding Student Employee Award
• Salem Abraha, front desk staff and student program staff, Center for Experiential Learning & Diversity and Mary Gates Endowment for Students
• Danya Clevenger, graduate staff assistant, Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center
• Makayla Dorn, front desk staff and peer adviser, Student Academic Services and Undergraduate Advising

Distinguished Partner Award
• Mary Gates Hall Custodial Team

 

Award for Excellence

Awarded to employees who have worked in UAA for at least five years, this award celebrates the employee’s leadership in creating formative student experiences and building the necessary infrastructure to support their vision. Debbie McGhee’s 20-plus year commitment to advancing undergraduate teaching and learning through rigorous evaluation and assessment will be carried forward by all who worked with her.

Debbie McGhee, the passionate researcher

Awarded posthumously.

“Anyone who interacts with Debbie is likely quick to notice her keen wit, warm sense of humor, strong attention to detail and commitment to professionalism. Those of us who have had the opportunity to collaborate with her are thankful for these qualities, as they help us to produce high quality research and service while enjoying the work we do. The impact of Debbie’s work over the years truly reaches beyond the boundaries of our office, and OEA, UAA and UW are better because of Debbie’s service to them.”

— Angela Davis-Unger, research scientist and Sean Gehrke, director of the Office of Educational Assessment

 

Achievements of note: Served as interim associate director of OEA from 2017-2018, leading OEA through a time of transition and uncertainty. Recipient of the Washington Educational Research Association Research Award (2003). Led research on psychometric properties of IASystem course evaluation items and instruments, with 6 first-authored reports between 2005 and 2016. Co-authored 11 articles and chapters in the fields of psychology and education, including: “Psychometric properties of student ratings of instruction in online and on-campus courses” in New Directions for Teaching and Learning (2003), written with former director Nana Lowell utilizing course evaluation data from OEA; “Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: The Implicit Association Test” in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (1998), an article that has been cited by other researchers more than 11,000 times in the past 20 years!

 

Outstanding Achievement Award

Recognizing the innovation, collaboration and tenacity it takes to initiate change, this award acknowledges the teams behind some of UAA’s innovative programming. Through her leadership and devotion, Carissa Mayer helps students make strong decisions and set exciting goals about their education and their futures. Emily Smith created the Global Fellowships Prep program to help students learn about and apply for opportunities for graduate school, fellowships, research or leadership opportunities abroad.

Carissa Mayer, the trusted adviser

Photo of Carissa Mayer“We trust Carissa as both a colleague and an adviser immensely. There is no question that a student working with her will get the best possible help and care. She has tremendous instincts for what is right, and we know that anything she works on, be it individual advising appointments or long term community building projects, are going to be handled with grace and professionalism that will represent our program — and UAA — well and will improve the student experience.”

— Aley Mills Willis, director of academic services, University Honors Program

 

Achievements of note: Created the Honors Community Ambassadors Program. Leads the Honors Peer Educator Program. Instructs HONORS 100 to introduce the entire freshman class to the essential features of the Honors Program. Serves as our Honors Lead Adviser. Improved our Honors curriculum management organization. Mentors our entire advising staff. Serves on UW-wide advising boards and committees to advocate for the profession. Directs partnership with Honors Living Learning Community. Was awarded as Adviser of the Month by the UW Association of Professional Advisers and Counselors (APAC).

Emily Smith, the collaborative creator

Emily Smith standing in front of a hedge.“Global Fellowships Prep (GFP) is Emily’s creation; one method of revamping how we engage students to ensure our office and scholarships are accessible, viable and meaningful options for all UW undergrads, especially those underrepresented within the university and within nationally competitive scholarships. Emily designed GFP as an open entry point for students to develop goals, better understand how scholarships could support those goals and break down intimidating processes, making it more feasible to apply. Through building efficiencies, GFP also makes it possible for our tiny team to work with more students more intensively.”

— Janice DeCosmo, associate dean, Center for Experiential Learning and Diversity and Robin Chang, director, Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards

 

Achievements of note: Created Global Fellowships Prep last year as a way to better support and serve underrepresented students and those from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Developed Writers Block sessions in collaboration with Mary Gates Endowment and Global Opportunities to support students in their application drafting and revision. Created Scholarship Fridays to streamline and bring consistency to our first and second year student-focused programming. Connects students she meets to other programs, and vice versa. Developed and launched a new assessment effort for OMSFA to better understand the impact of our advising appointments.

 

Outstanding Student Employee Award

Student employees are an integral part of the UAA staff. This award recognizes the outstanding achievements of three student employees. Salem Abraha stepped up and helped keep the May Gates Endowment Program running in a time of transition. Through her organization, planning and collaboration, Danya Clevenger’s influence will have a lasting impact on the Carlson Center. Makayla Dorn assists her peers in succeeding through her work as a peer adviser.

Photo of Salem AbrahaSalem Abraha, the program influencer

“As a student you never imagine yourself having to carry the integrity of any program, and Salem did that. Her efforts and commitment carried our programs through a tough and busy school year. Aside from excelling in rigorous academics, Salem truly helped our programs excel this year.”

— Annabel Cholico, assistant director, Mary Gates Endowment

 

Achievements of note: President of the Black Student Union, 2019 Husky 100 Awardee, Global Opportunities Scholarship Recipient, member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ dean’s list for four consecutive quarters from fall of 2017 to fall of 2018.

Danya Clevenger, the impactful advocate

“When you first meet Danya, her easy laugh and genuine interest in people quickly win you over. Next, her thoughtfulness—about systems, process and details—comes shining through. Then if you’re lucky, you get to witness these things buoyed by her exceptional research facilitation, analysis and synthesis skill. Danya Clevenger is a women with vision—and she has the gifts, talents, and follow-through to make that vision come into being.”

— Kathryn Pursch Cornforth, associate director, Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center

 

Achievements of note: Shepherded the Carlson Center’s Theory of Change process, including facilitating robust involvement from on and off campus partners. Helped to create an internal process of strategic planning that asked the Carlson Center to consider how to activate their Theory of Change in meaningful ways that call upon them to use their time in alignment with their values. Concurrently completed two masters’ degrees while serving on the board of directors for Launch, completing a capstone degree project with Seattle Public Schools and raising her inquisitive 3-year-old-daughter, Philippa.

Makayla Dorn, the dedicated leader

“She approaches situations with curiosity, often asking questions when something doesn’t seem right, which inspires those around her to try harder and do better. She also leads by example, by consistently going above and beyond her job title. When students have questions she doesn’t know the answers to, she will take initiative to call multiple offices to find the answer for the student.”

— Joslin Boroughs, associate director and Lauren Marriott, lead academic adviser, Undergraduate Advising

 

Achievements of note: As a newly-hired peer adviser, processed hundreds of course prerequisite overrides and registration transactions for incoming students at Advising and Orientation. Leads by example for both the student associate and peer adviser teams in the Center for Undergraduate Advising, Diversity, and Student Success — helping to bridge communication gaps and suggest solutions and efficiencies for both staffs.

 

Distinguished Partner Award

The Undergraduate Academic Affairs Distinguished Partner Award recognizes a colleague, program or department whose collaborations with Undergraduate Academic Affairs have made significant advances in the ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ’s undergraduate academic experience. These collaborations enhance, enrich and deepen the undergraduate experience. The reciprocity of these relationships benefits undergraduates and the broader campus community.

Mary Gates Hall Custodial Team, the stewards of Mary Gates Hall

Desiderio De Castro, Maria Devaney, Joe Lo, Zenaida Pagdilao, Emebet Sefara, Cassk Thomas, Robert Thompson and Seare Zerom

“Our custodial team is indispensable to our work with our students, faculty and staff. They are keepers of the places we work, learn and convene. We are grateful for the work they do to preserve the spirit of Mary Gates Hall.”

— Ed Taylor, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs

14 UW undergraduates selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program

 

Continuing the UW’s tradition of producing Fulbright students, 14 undergraduate and 2 graduate students have been selected for this prestigious program. They will join approximately 1,900 students and recent graduates from around the country to teach, study and research abroad. This year’s class will travel to countries such as Estonia, Chile and Kosovo.

The is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for United States students to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.

2019-20 undergraduate bachelor’s level Fulbright students are:

Azelle Bahadory // senior // Major: international studies major // Fulbright: English Teaching Assistant to India
Hana Bloedel // senior (Bothell) // Major: society, ethics & human behavior // Fulbright: English Teaching Assistant to Estonia
Rachel Fricke // senior // Majors: aquatic & fishery sciences; environmental studies // Fulbright: Research Grant to Germany
Hannah Hampson, ’18 // Major: civil engineering // Fulbright Research Grant to Chile
Lauren Hanna, ’18 // Major: public health // Fulbright // Research Grant to Kosovo
Kevin Lam // senior // Majors: dance;  international studies // Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Taiwan
Sarah Leibson // senior // Major: international studies; Korean // Fulbright: Teaching Assistant to Taiwan
Brandie Nordstrum, ’14 // Major: anthropology // Fulbright: English Teaching Assistant to Vietnam
Anika Patel,’17 // Major: biochemistry // Fulbright: English Teaching Assistant to Thailand
Nola Peshkin // senior // Major: English // Fulbright: English Teaching Assistant to Belgium
Thomas Pham // senior // Major: international studies // Fulbright: English Teaching Assistant to Turkey
Rodha Sheikh // senior // Major: law, societies & justice major // Fulbright: English Teaching Assistant to Malaysia
Maya Sullivan // senior // Major: economics; international studies // Fulbright: Research Grant to Oman
Binh Truong // senior // Major: international studies // Fulbright: Research Grant to Austria

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Othello: A speech by Samia Ali

On January 16, 2019, Samia Ali, ’21, delivered a powerful speech during the opening celebration for the Othello-UW Commons, a multi-functional partnership space in Southeast Seattle’s Othello neighborhood. Ali’s speech details her experience growing up in the area for 11 years, from the vibrant people who live there to the spaces she holds sacred. This video uses parts of the speech’s original recording from that night and includes photographs from the Othello neighborhood based on the imagery Ali mentions.

Full transcript

I have to say I am in complete awe right now. I have lived in South Seattle my whole life, and I am incredibly honored to be speaking with you all today in this space. Othello is my home. In this space, we have a chance to reunite power with education, freedom with curiosity and, most importantly, a connection with a community.

The Othello community is a unique one. Its streets are filled with constant reminders of its diversity; from the signs that welcome you in different languages, to the massive murals that draw you in. Colorful spice shops and traditional clothing stores shine a rainbow across the road. The streets are never calm: from children’s laughter, to prayers from churches and mosques, to even the announcements at the transit station. It is so easy to walk around in this neighborhood and miss everything that lines the inner fabrics of each resident’s life. To look past every crack on the concrete, every roundabout, every home. But what lies within these small things in the area are the stories, the stories of many. The sidewalk may have cracks, but you can still catch a glimpse of the women in colorful, knee-length hijabs, power-walking as a pack, every morning like clockwork. On the corner of every roundabout, you can see neighbors sitting together in lawn chairs waiting for their kids to get off the bus, bringing each other tea and warm thoughts. When the neighborhood wasn’t washed by the rain, I could turn down the street from that same roundabout and catch the weekly farmers market at the neighborhood pea-patch. Though hardly anyone spoke the same language, the conversation couldn’t flow more smoothly: Gentle nods and the thumbs up of approval became universal symbols. This is the community, this is the space. It is more than just the buildings and infrastructure, it is about the people who live in them. The people who wake up early in the morning to kiss the sun, but do not rest their head until the day is done. There is way more than meets the eye — what looks like an empty driveway to one, was the block gathering spot; where kids from all the nearby homes would come together to share jokes, school tales and so much laughter. Everything in this neighborhood is intertwined.

I say this all so that you can get a glimpse of what I have been looking at for nearly two decades. Othello is not defined by any one single person — it is a collective. Othello is about Abdirizak, a Running Start student who spends his weekend tutoring East African students on how to use technology. Othello is about Delina, a first-generation student, who works graveyard shifts because she is determined to change her outcome. Othello is about the countless women I call “Auntie,” but aren’t really my Auntie; it is about the parents and the grandparents. Othello is about the hard workers and the go-getters. The ones who wake up earlier to power walk, or play or even plant a seed. Othello is about UW and the partnership; a partnership that has led to this space that will give so much more opportunities. And that is why I am in awe; I cannot wait for the stories that will be shared here, the colors that will gleam through the window, the sounds that will bang the walls. The only thing I wish I had right now was some uunsi [Somali incense] to really warm up the place.

 

About Samia

Samia Ali on the ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ campus.

Samia Ali is a sophomore at UW Seattle, majoring in physiology with a minor in bioethics. She is currently the co-president of the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students. She has been living in Southeast Seattle since she was a child and attended Dunlap Elementary School, Aki Kurose Middle School and University Prep. Like many UW undergraduate and graduate students, she calls South Seattle home and commutes to campus everyday.

 

About the Othello-UW Commons

The Othello-UW Commons is a learning and collaboration space for faculty, staff, students and community partners. The commons will prioritize sustained partnerships that embrace the UW’s commitment to learning from and with local communities. Academic departments at the UW are committed to sharing resources and classes that can help address needs and hopes identified by people in Southeast Seattle, from community health and youth development to lifelong learning and social policy. Conversations with local residents inform the vision for the Othello-UW Commons. The University will continue to ask and to listen, and to shape programming that supports Southeast Seattle’s vision of sustaining an equitable, inclusive and welcoming community. Undergraduate Academic Affairs is a proud partner in the work and growth of the Othello-UW Commons.

Three UW students honored by the Boren Undergraduate Scholarship Program

The Boren Awards program honored three ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ students, naming Conor Cunningham and Sarah Slack as recipients, and Oliver Lang as an alternate.  A competitive award, more than 850 students applied, and only 244 were offered positions. award up to $20,000 to study language and regions critical to U.S. interests. In exchange for funding, scholars will work in the federal government for at least one year following graduation. Since 1994, over 6,000 students have received Boren awards. Established in 1991, the provides funding opportunities for U.S. students to study languages and world regions critical to U.S. interests (including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America & the Caribbean and the Middle East).

Meet the Boren Undergraduate Scholarship recipients:

Conor Cunningham, scholar to Latvia

UW senior Conor Cunningham knows firsthand the importance of immersion when learning a language. Growing up, he attended a French language school in Lausanne, Switzerland. More recently, he received the Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship to spend two months studying Russian in Moscow.  Cunningham, an international studies major, is specializing in cybersecurity issues in Eastern and Western Europe, Russian and Central Asia. To help prepare, he’s pursuing a triple minor in: French language; Russian language; and Russian, East European and Central Asian studies. Cunningham is currently a cybersecurity fellow in the Jackson School and received a Mary Gates Research Scholarship to support his work building a comprehensive dataset of Russian political interference around the world. During his fellowship, he participated in two global research group projects for Microsoft’s Defending Democracy team on election security. Cunningham presented his findings to the executive panel of the Digital Diplomacy Team at Microsoft. The combination of Cunningham’s passion for Russian language with Eastern European history and security issues in the region prompted him to apply for the Boren Scholarship. As a Boren scholar, he’ll be living in Daugavpils, Latvia. There, he’ll live with a host family, study at Daugavpils University, explore the culture and continue to study Russian language.

“Receiving the Boren has been one of my greatest achievements thus far and it has been a huge honor for me.” Cunningham explains.  “This was my second time applying, after I was rejected for last year’s cycle, but this gave me time to reevaluate why I wanted to pursue this path and develop both my language skills and expand my research in Eastern European topics. In the end, this made receiving the scholarship that much more rewarding for me. It really signifies an acknowledgment of my work that I have done as a student at the ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ.”

Following his Boren experience, Cunningham plans to attend graduate school in the Washington D.C. area to continue pursuing his interest in Euraisan studies and cybersecurity. His long-term career goal is to build a career in the federal government using the cultural and linguistic skills developed during his Boren year.

Sarah Slack, scholar to Brazil — award declined

Bioengineering major Sarah Slack started at the UW determined to contribute to medicine. Early in her first year, she started researching in the Woodrow Lab. The Lab specializes in global health, and this experience confirmed her desire to pursue a career focusing on international health, likely infectious disease. Slack started taking Portuguese classes during her second year, primarily motivated by the uniquely welcoming culture she experienced while traveling in Brazil with her father to visit his old exchange family. Since then, her career goals have shifted towards integrating Portuguese, and what she’s learned from it, into her work. Her language studies have emphasized the importance of researchers being able to communicate with the different communities they work in. Slack envisions herself collaborating with global Lusophone communities by potentially working with the Center for Disease Control to respond to infectious disease threats in Lusophone areas. Slack was offered the Boren Scholarships’ summer STEM initiative to study in Brazil. She ultimately declined the Boren Scholarship in order to pursue a different fellowship opportunity in Brazil.

Learn more about scholarship opportunities at UW

The Boren Undergraduate Scholarship  application process is supported by the (OMSFA), a UAA program. OMSFA works with faculty, staff and students to identify and support promising students in developing the skills and personal insights necessary to become strong candidates for this and other prestigious awards.

Spring Celebration showcases ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ’ dedication to service and leadership

ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ students’ dedication to community engagement and leadership will be recognized at the on May 21 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the Husky Union Building (HUB) on the UW Seattle campus. The annual event showcases UW undergraduates who serve and lead in their communities, both on and off campus,  to expand their boundaries and make a tangible difference in the world.  This year’s theme of “We>Me” will highlight student stories as they share how they have worked together to transform their campus and communities, develop collaborative leadership skills and learn from each other. In 2017-18, more than 6,000 students engaged in public service, volunteering an astounding 616,869 hours.

This year’s Spring Celebration features culminating poster and oral presentations from nearly 200 participants, including student participants in the Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center, Dream Project, , Jumpstart, , and . The entire UW community and network of community partners are welcome to attend.

The Spring Celebration of Service and Leadership is planned by programs in . The work of community engagement and leadership education at the ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ is sustained by community and campus partners throughout the region. Thank you to everyone who makes this event possible through time, funding, student support, participation and attendance.

 

Schedule overview

All events take place on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, in The HUB.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Husky Leadership Certificate student presentations
2:00-5:00 p.m. in various HUB rooms

POSTER SESSIONS
3:00-5:00 p.m. in the HUB 1st floor street

PROGRAM AND RECEPTION
Celebration! Food, photo booth with Dubs, networking
5:00-6:00 p.m. (spoken program from 5:10-5:30 p.m.) in the HUB Lyceum

 

Undergraduates to present research spanning academic disciplines on May 17, 2019

On Friday, May 17, more than 1,200 ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ undergraduates and visiting undergraduate student scholars will participate in the — an event that is one of the largest of its kind in the nation.

The Symposium runs from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. on the UW Seattle campus. Students will present their research in poster, oral and performing arts sessions in Mary Gates Hall and Johnson Hall, and in a visual arts and design showcase in Odegaard Undergraduate Library (see event details below). UW Regent Constance Rice, Provost Mark Richards and Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs Ed Taylor are scheduled to provide opening remarks at 11 a.m. in Mary Gates Hall.

Through undergraduate research, students contribute to groundbreaking work and gain the experience necessary to one day lead innovative research themselves. UW undergraduates are getting involved in research in increasing numbers — more than 9,000 students participated in research in 2017–18. More than 1,000 faculty, post-doc, research staff and graduate student mentors supported this year’s Symposium presenters through their research, helping students develop subject area knowledge, transferable skills and an entrepreneurial perspective that will prepare them for future employment, education and civic engagement.

Art installation from the 2015 Visual Arts and Design Showcase.

The Undergraduate Research Symposium showcases the diversity of undergraduate research, which spans all disciplines and addresses critical issues of our time. Students will share their research on topics as diverse and broad as: global warming and energy conservation; improving rocket performance; effects of mindfulness on new moms and their babies; Native American and Alaska Native experience in higher education; the study of Alzheimer’s disease; computer security; political meme responding to Brexit; birdsong evolution and so much more. The titles of students’ presentations give more detail about the range and complexity of their projects. A small sampling of titles include:

  • Hopping and Grabbing Insect-Inspired Robot for Space Exploration
  • Analysis of the Susceptibility of Smart Home Interfaces to End User Error
  • The Art of Cultural Outreach
  • Customizable Tactile Maps for the Visually-Impaired
  • On the Social Ecology of Environmental Dance: Fostering Community Dialogue and Environmental Action
  • A 3D Printed Microfluidic, Tumor Organoid Testing Platform for Personalized Cancer Care and Treatment

The Symposium is open to selected undergraduates from other institutions, and we are thrilled to welcome presenters from 32 other institutions in addition to McNair Scholar institutions, the Seattle Colleges, Bellevue College, Portland State University, Everett Community College and California State University San Marcos.

The Symposium is organized by Undergraduate Academic Affairs’ Undergraduate Research Program.

Event Details

What: The 22nd Annual Research Symposium at the ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ
Who: More than 1,200 inspiring undergraduates at UW presenting ground-breaking research and selected undergraduates from other institutions
When: Friday, May 17, 2019, 11:00 a.m.­–6:00 p.m.
Where: Mary Gates Hall, select rooms in Johnson Hall, and Odegaard Undergraduate Library
Plan ahead: See event schedule and search the Online Proceedings at .

Teaching across borders to become a better doctor

Tammy Tarhini, ’17, graduated knowing she wanted to be a doctor and work with Arabic speaking populations. However, she decided to spend the year before medical school on a Fulbright Fellowship as an English teaching assistant in Berlin, Germany. The question she’s most frequently asked is, “You want to be teacher?” Nope. Here’s why she’s confident that teaching English will make her a better physician.

UW alumna Sneha Indrajit selected as scholar for China’s Yenching Academy

ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ alumna Sneha Indrajit, ’18, was recently selected for the competitive Yenching Academy Scholars program at Peking University. Indrajit earned her degree with honors in international studies and is one of approximately 125 scholars from around the world selected to be in their 2019-20 cohort. The opportunity to join the Yenching Academy is competitive. Only six scholars came from U.S. public universities in last year’s cohort, including two ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ alumni.

The Yenching Academy scholars participate in a customizable master’s program in China. In addition to covering the costs of tuition, the award includes round trip air travel from the student’s home country, housing on campus and living costs. Although Chinese language proficiency is not required and classes are taught in English, Indrajit is excited to speak in Mandarin, which she began learning at age six.The academy’s goal is to shape new generations of global citizens with a nuanced understanding of China. Indrajit will choose courses from six research areas, engage in field studies and conduct research that relates to her specific interest, international law.

Originally from Singapore, Indrajit moved to the United States to attend the ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ in 2015. She returned home each summer to be with family and work, including at an internship for the MSC Law Corporation and as a facilitator for a performance art production at the Singapore International Festival of Arts.

As an undergraduate, Indrajit’s involvement in numerous academic clubs gave her valuable experience in the field of international law. She led a team of fellow Jackson School students to emerge in the top five out of 100 teams nationwide in the New York University Policy Case Competition, and was co-captain of the Mock Trial team, where she won the Outstanding Attorney Award at the regional championship. She also researched with the Rohingya Project last spring with a team of UW researchers, assisting in the creation of digital identification for the Rohingya people in Myanmar. As a stateless population, the Rohingya lack the identity documentation they need to set up bank accounts or participate in financial markets.

Outside of university sponsored programs, she conducted cybersecurity research as a fellow for the International Policy Institute, with a focus on the intersections between cybersecurity and human rights. Between her classes and experiencing different cultures, she grew interested in understanding the relationships between other countries, especially the United States, Singapore and China.

“To have that experience in the US, I thought it would be really interesting to see it from China’s perspective,” Indrajit said. “Just to be immersed in the culture is an invaluable opportunity, deepening my understanding of the language and deepening my understanding of how China positions itself in the world.”

At Peking University, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in law and society with the hopes that it will expose her to a greater understanding of China and its relations with other countries. Following her studies, Indrajit hopes to start a career in law and diplomacy in Singapore where she can positively impact and contribute to the community.

About the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards

The Yenching Academy application process is supported by the  (OMSFA), a UAA program. OMSFA works with faculty, staff and students to identify and support promising students in developing the skills and personal insights necessary to become strong candidates for this and other prestigious awards. The  (and other scholarships supporting graduate studies around the world) will get started this spring for 2020-21 awards. Watch for updates about OMSFA’s .