Jaime Soto, ’10, was named the new director for the UW Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity’s Multicultural Outreach & Recruitment (M.O.R.) team, effective July 11.
Soto has been with the M.O.R. team since 2014, first as an admissions recruiter and most recently as the interim director, a position he held for 10 months.
OMA&D’s M.O.R. team works to attract and enroll Washington’s most promising students reflecting an intellectually and culturally diverse student body.
“A UW alumnus who participated in M.O.R. programming as a high school student, Jaime is passionate and dedicated to the work and mission of the team,” said Associate Vice President for College Access Patricia Loera. “He is extremely effective building positive relationships with on-campus partners and community-based organizations to keep doors of opportunity open at the UW for incoming low-income, first-generation, underrepresented minority and American Indian/Alaska Native students and families.”
During his time in the interim role, Soto led a successful recruitment and yield season, as 72% of the underrepresented minority and American Indian/Alaska Native students admitted to the Fall 2019 freshman class committed to the UW. As an admissions recruiter for four years, Soto designed, managed and executed over 30 yearly events to attract high-achieving students to the UW.
“I am excited to lead the important and critical work for the Office of Multicultural Outreach & Recruitment,” Soto said. “I’m committed to our efforts that will create equitable access for underrepresented students in Washington state to attend the University of Washington. Through innovative approaches and a commitment to equity, we will increase and diversify the undergraduate student population at the UW.”
Prior to coming back to his alma mater in a professional capacity, Soto served as an academic coordinator with the Washington State University Upward Bound program in Yakima, and was a recruiter for both the Admissions Office and the College Assistance Migrant Program at Heritage University in Toppenish.
Soto received his bachelor of arts in sociology from the UW in 2010 and a master of education in organizational leadership from Heritage University in 2013.