Husky 100

I am the digital projects editor at The Daily of the University of Washington and a freelance reporter for various Seattle news publications. As an aspiring video journalist, I am passionate about stories involving immigration and underrepresented communities. During my freshman year at the UW, I promoted a community platform titled “Diversity and Beauty Standards: Different is Not Defective” as Miss Washington Teen USA.

I am a student who has overcome extraordinary odds to come to the UW, and I have utilized my struggles to create opportunities for other students to thrive. I have contributed inside and outside the classroom to bring my unique perspective to the learning community and promote success in diversity campuswide.

Attending the UW was a dream come true for me. College was a hope but never a certainty, and I knew that once I arrived on this campus that I had to make the absolute most of every moment. There are countless opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom, and my dedication and drive to pursue them, truly making the most of my Husky Experience, is why I believe I was named to the inaugural class of the Husky 100. I’m looking at my future with high hopes, grateful to be a Husky.

My Husky Experience has focused on preparation for medical school, exploration of my passions in global health and service to my community through the ASUW Senate and UW Leaders. I hope to address pockets of injustice where my passions intersect, and positively impact the world through my talents and privileges. I’ve dedicated myself to finding and implementing solutions to global inequities in health through clinical medicine, research and policy reform.

Mary is a third-year student pursuing a degree in Communication with a strong passion for social justice and equality. As a sophomore she founded Out for Business, a student club in the Foster School of Business for students who identify as LGBTQ and ally to provide professional and social services, as well as a safe space for all students. After graduation, Mary plans to use her career to provide assistance to those who struggle the most and are often underrepresented in the corporate world.

As a proud Filipina, South Seattle native and third generation Husky, I am honored to receive the Husky 100 award. I have committed myself academically and personally, in and outside the classroom, to giving back to my family and my community without whom I wouldn’t be where I am today. I took advantage of my time at the UW to develop and implement leadership skills to advocate for social justice and positively impact the health and well being of indigenous communities and communities of color.

As a UW student, I’ve learned a variety of skills that have shaped the person that I’ve become; but more importantly, it has allowed me to extend the skills from the classroom into the real world. This is why I’ve been chosen to be in the Husky 100 class, for my services to those in need of an education, for my decision to travel to India and teach in the slums, and to further the public’s knowledge on educational restrictions and problems that arise among what I consider a vital right.

As an Ethiopian/Black woman at a predominantly white institution, I have worked actively with understanding the complexities of my identity over the past four years. As a member of both the African diaspora, the black community, and as a woman, I am always aware of a daily reality I refer to as my triple-consciousness. As well, these different lenses have definitely influenced the way that I have viewed some of my different on-campus experiences.