walw, Author at Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Event Recap | Evans School Alumni Summer Social

Alumni Summer Social 2023 - Burke Museum (600 × 400 px) (1000 × 250 px) (2)

On July 31, 2023, the Evans School hosted the Evans School Alumni Summer Social—our first in-person Evans alumni gathering since 2020. The Evans School Alumni community gathered together to reunite with familiar faces, build new connections, and share a vision of impact for the next generation of public leaders.

The Junior Summer Institute (JSI) Scholars joined us as they wrapped up their seven-week program on campus. It was encouraging to see these emerging young leaders building connections with our alumni community.

The Evans School’s Junior Summer Institute hosts undergraduate students for a rigorous summer session which prepares students from historically under-represented communities for future pursuit of careers in public service. As Dean Sandfort shared at the event, we hope you will consider ways to support and partner in evans School programs like JSI to help equip the next generation of diverse public leaders.

Consider making a gift today.

Evening at a Glance

Where: The Burke Museum, 4303 Memorial Way Northeast, Seattle WA 98195 

When: Monday, July 31, 202

4:30 PM: Doors Open
5:45 PM: Brief remarks from Dean Jodi Sandfort and Vora Savengseuksa, MPA 2013
7:00 PM: Goodnight

JSI Scholar: Martu J. Kollie

Tell us about your story

My name is Martu J. Kollie, an aspiring International Human Rights Lawyer and Environmental Justice Advocate. I am a first-generation college Senior at Beloit College in Wisconsin, double majoring in International Relations & Environmental Justice with a minor in Spanish. I was born and raised in a suburban community in Liberia, West Africa, where locals resell raw materials and other goods. Many girls in my neighborhood were denied the right to equal educational opportunities. Most parents believed girls should stay at home and learn what was conceived as “women’s responsibilities” while the boys went to school. Despite the fact that my dreams seemed like fleeting fantasies suppressed by age-old societal dogma, I was one of the few girls in my community who defied the odds and acquired quality education. My childhood experiences have deeply informed my interest in social change. Experiencing moments of injustice, inequality, and marginalization has cultivated my sense of responsibility to contribute to positive transformation, such as women’s empowerment and early childhood development. Since my adolescent years, I have been immensely involved in advocacy on both social and environmental issues. I have volunteered with several non-profit organizations focused on empowering young women and promoting environmental sustainability. In 2021, I began volunteering as a lobbyist with the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a nonpartisan Quaker organization that lobbies Congress and the administration to advance peace, justice, and environmental stewardship.

What path did you take when you first started college?

When I enrolled at Beloit, I took classes that would deepen my understanding of complex global policy systems and how they affect ordinary people. I also took courses to help me develop analytical, critical reasoning, writing, and research skills. I knew that I needed these skills to fully understand how the world works in the context of cross-border politics and why some countries behave the way they do. Through my Beloit classes, I gained exposure to different trends in the global political sphere, career development lecture series, and policy-based research projects. I also secured volunteer opportunities on and off campus. I currently serve as a student volunteer at the American Red Cross of Wisconsin to educate the American public about the importance of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). I am also a member of the UNHCR Young Champion Network. I create art and written pieces to advocate for the rights of refugees and asylum seekers.

What made you consider a career in public policy/public service/international affairs?

I am passionate about addressing global challenges, fostering international cooperation, and promoting peace. I also want to help improve the administration of immigration policies and practices by governments and ensure a more workable immigration system globally. Tackling these complex global issues requires interdisciplinary skill sets, advanced knowledge of how they affect people, and the policies for addressing them. It requires exceptional research and policy analysis skills to address complex and discriminatory immigration policies, which I can only obtain through a career in public policy or international affairs.

Who inspires you to think about public service?

My communities are what inspire me to engage in public service. The Mexican American, immigrant family, and student communities have shaped my life and motivate me to serve them. I feel a duty to give back to them – and in a way, my family – by uplifting them through policy. As a representative of my communities, I hope to ensure that my community’s voices are heard and taken into account when creating and implementing policy.

What are you most excited about the JSI program at UW?

I am excited about meeting new people, exploring the beautiful city of Seattle, and, most importantly, networking with experts in the public policy arena and learning from their experiences. I am also excited about learning how to evaluate policies using data. Policymaking involves a lot of data analysis and multi-disciplinary approaches to providing solutions to different types of policy issues. I need to learn more about using different strategies to develop solutions to global policy problems. I look forward to developing these skills through the JSI program.

JSI Scholar: Isabella Romo

Tell us about your story

I grew up in Gilroy, CA, a predominantly Latine immigrant community in the southern region of the Bay Area. This community allowed me to connect with my Latine roots and take advantage of educational and extracurricular opportunities. These experience are somewhat unique to the Bay Area and I am very grateful that my family has been able to support me in my ambitions. These experience have also, however, motivated me to make more opportunities like these accessible to more youth. I’ve dedicated my work to providing resources to the Latine community – locally and internationally – and to ensuring that all individuals’ human rights are protected at all levels of government.

What made you consider a career in public policy/public service/international affairs?

It took me 20 years to learn what public policy is and I was sold on a career in public policy the second I understood what that meant. I find immense value in public policy’s stake in people’s every day lives; yet, there are many flaws in how public policy Is both created and implemented. I want to enter public policy in order to foster equitable policies that ensure the public’s – especially minority groups’ – wellbeing.

Who inspires you to think about public service?

What are you most excited about the JSI program at UW?

I’m most excited for the mentorship- professionally and academically- that the JSI program offers. I hope to forge relationships with the professors, counselors, and public policy professionals we have the privilege of working with. I anticipate that this mentorship will allow me to succeed not just in graduate school applications but also in graduate school itself.

JSI Scholar: Linda Montiel-Garcia

Tell us about your story

I was born and raised in Denver, CO! My family is from Mexico so I grew up in a very traditional Mexican household. I go to school in Massachusetts where I am studying Politics/Law/Govt. in a three year program. This upcoming spring I will be the first person to graduate from college in my entire family. I plan on going to law school and then beginning a career as a politician!

What made you consider a career in public policy/public service/international affairs?

Who inspires you to think about public service?

I’m inspired by the community I grew up in. My community is a very close and powerful community who always fought for change in some of our policies.

What are you most excited about the JSI program at UW?

I am very excited to explore a new area and meet new people!

JSI Scholar: Jerwin Tiu

Tell us about your story

In a sunny valley in Nevada, my name is Jerwin Tiu and I was born and raised in the heart of Las Vegas! And as such, my childhood was filled with bright neon lights and traffic noises that eventually became comforting to me. I grew up in an ethnically Chinese and Filipino household to an extensive family of immigrants. With my hero, my mother, as our sole caretaker, my two sisters and I felt the harsh realities of our low-income status. Resource accessibility was a huge issue for my family to navigate growing up, particularly when it came to healthcare. I wish to focus on issues of accessibility and amplifying the voices of underserved communities. I have had the opportunity to involve myself in the Las Vegas Roots Community Garden, UNLV Buddies, and other service-related organizations, where I have been able to work hand-in-hand with underserved communities and learn more about their unique experiences while also educating them on things that may help their process. I understand how communities are impacted by the information allotted to them, and I wish to be at the forefront of change when it comes to service design and program evaluation when it comes to public resources for underserved communities. Because financial struggles were at the forefront of my mind growing up, they completely overshadowed my feelings of identity, especially when it came to my ethnic background. I did not feel “Asian” enough growing up. I could not relate to my Asian peers, so I have since spent a lot of time trying to understand my Asian identity and what it means to me. In that task, I have had the privilege to work with the Oral History and Research Center on my university’s first oral history research project on the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. I have learned so much by speaking to members of my community, and in doing so, I have become equipped with addressing the specific needs of a community that means so much to me. Overall, I live my life with love and laughter at the crossroads of everything that I do! I am really just a boy that likes to eat sushi and make jokes with his loved ones. I just hope to be someone that serves as a lighthouse for others that do not know where they are headed in the sea of life. I hope my waves of change come in floods and rush in to help others.

What path did you take when you first started college?

Truthfully, I never even considered a path in public service. A Majority of my family found jobs in the hospitality industry, and as a student at UNLV, a university known for their Hospitality program, I thought my destined path was to follow suit. However, with many conversations and debates with loved ones, I went from being a Hospitality major, to a Pre-Professional Biology major on a pre-medical track, to eventually a Business Marketing major with a dual interest in public service (give or take a few majors in between). Things I seemed so sure of started to become so unfamiliar, and so I decided to create a path that felt more like me.

What made you consider a career in public policy/public service/international affairs?

Two things made me consider a path in public service and international affairs. First, I have spent the majority of my educational journey involved on a student council/government level. But my interest in public service piqued with my time at UNLV’s Student Government which helped me get a grasp on terms familiar in the public service world. I started to draft agendas, resolutions, and bills, to the point where I wondered if this was the path for me. Second, it was my time as an Oral Historian and Researcher at the Oral History and Research Center. I was able to learn so much alongside my partner and friend Cecilia Winchell, from Asian American and Pacific Islander community leaders that I look up to as role models like Tia Ka’auamo, Erica Mosca, and Emily Ku, just to name a few. In this, I was also able to meet one of my career idols, Bill Imada who I wish to emulate in my career journey.

Who inspires you to think about public service?

I would say my grandmother. While she was never a community leader or did anything impactful to communities of people, she stood in front of waves of opposition, and with her goals in mind she said “Watch me.” She inspires me every day to live with grit and an unwavering passion while remaining kind and giving to others. I hope to give back to whole communities of people, in honor of my grandmother who has been giving to others her whole life.

What are you most excited about the JSI program at UW?

I am really just excited to be able to learn! Learn more about public service and my role in it, learn more about myself as I navigate a place so unfamiliar and far from home, and learn more about others and their experiences in life. I feel as though I have lived in a world where I was covered with love from my family and friends, and I feel that this separation will be one that truly helps me learn about the world, others, and myself, more so than I could even imagine!

JSI Scholar: Alejandro Rene Ortiz Lopez

Tell us about your story

My name is Alejandro Ortiz, and I am an incoming fourth-year international student in the University of Florida (UF). Venezuela was my home until I was seventeen, where the humanitarian and political crisis first ignited my passion for public policy and service. I came to the United States pursuing better educational opportunities, having a full-ride scholarship to finish high school at an UWC international boarding school in New Mexico. Sharing with people from over 98 countries in the student body, I reaffirmed my passion for the improvement of my communities and started to think about policy with international scope as a potential professional pathway. I moved to Gainesville, Florida, to double major in Economics and Political Science at the UF Honors Program with a full-ride scholarship. When not studying, I spend most of my time working as a student leader in Student Government and Student Organizations, working as a Student Admissions Officer, and conducting academic research. My dream job is working as a public policy consultant or an political economy specialist in a multilateral organization, and I am beyond excited to spend this summer in Seattle.

What path did you take when you first started college?

I explored different student organizations, as I wanted to find a community at UF and experience different hobbies. I tried dance teams, cultural organizations, and student government politics. I realized on my Freshman year that international students at UF generally struggled finding communities and creating a sense off belonging, which was reflected on the skyrocketing mental health issues throughout internationals. I created a student organization that created a support system to international students through mentorship programs; it was a life-changing experience. Since then, I have dedicated most of my college experience to fostering an inclusive environment at the University of Florida, regardless of their socio-economic background, political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, or race.

What made you consider a career in public policy/public service/international affairs?

My upbringing in Venezuela has always been my main motivator to become a public policy specialist. I learned the power of public policy at an early age, as I experienced the economic and political implosion of the country due to wrongful policy-making throughout my teenage years. I desire to eventually be on positions of power where I can help avoiding other disasters such as the Venezuelan Humanitarian crisis.

Who inspires you to think about public service?

The kids. I remember interacting with malnourished children at Venezuelan slums while doing political activism there, and I vividly remember their smiles and dances after receiving a full meal. Kids deserve to grow up with a minimum level of dignity and opportunities available for them. I like to thing that I am preparing myself to help kids, like the Venezuelans, indirectly through my work as a future policy specialist or policy-maker.

What are you most excited about the JSI program at UW?

I am most excited about the community. UW has 20 of the brightest people I have ever met, and I am excited to establish friendships characterized with reciprocal support and learning.

JSI Scholar: Gilles Ghislain Tanke Seulio

Tell us about your story

I was born and raised in Cameroon, located west central Africa. I am the second of six children and was raised by a single mother who fought her entire life to provide us with everything we needed to be successful. During my educational journey, despite facing various health issues, I fought to earn my high school diploma as early as I could. Even though I was very young, it was always clear to me that my time frame to be educated was narrow, because of my mother’s limited financial resources. At the age of fourteen, I was the first in my family to graduate from high school. Unfortunately, my fears quickly became reality, as my mother was not able to financially see me through to higher education. I took off two years and worked two jobs, day and night, saving money for university. These experiences impacted my core values. I believe that education is a basic need and that people, regardless of social, cultural and economic background, should have equal access to education. Education should be free.

What path did you take when you first started college?

When I first started college, I went for an associate degree in communication studies. At the same time, I was involved in student government, where I served as Vice President, was a member of the presidential committee

What made you consider a career in public policy/public service/international affairs?

When the time came for me to return to school, I decided I needed to venture out and be exposed to different cultures, which led me to come to the US to further my education. Unfortunately, I encountered the same system here as I did back home: one that favors people with more access to financial resources. Realizing that nothing will change unless people organize, speak up and speak out, I developed an interest in leadership, public service and community organizing.

Who inspires you to think about public service?

No one person inspired me to think about public service, but an event did. I remember being in my second year of high school in Douala, Cameroon, we were taken exams in the month of February. Out of nowhere, the school’s security came in rushing asking all students to leave the school immediately and go back home. As I was running back home, not knowing what was happening, I heard gun shots coming for a far distance. I can still feel how terrified and lost I felt at that exact moment. We spent an entire week confined in our homes, because what started as a riot had escalated into an armed conflict which caused people their lives and the destruction of buildings. Ever since, I began being interested in politics, in public service.

What are you most excited about the JSI program at UW?

I enjoy learning, and growing through the process of learning. I am eagerly looking forward to meeting new people and learning from them. One thing I have learned from the experience in Fellowships, is the importance of the necessity for aspiring public servants to challenge their way of thinking, to be surrounded by people not only with different backgrounds, but different ideologies and learn through interacting with them.

JSI Scholar: Posi Oluwakuyide

Tell us about your story

My name is Posi Oluwakuyide, and I am rising senior at Washington and Lee University majoring in Economics and minoring in Law, Justice & Society and Poverty & Human Capability Studies. I am a Nigerian immigrant, and as an immigrant family, my parents always emphasized the importance of being grateful for what we had and recognizing the ways we could give back to others. Because of this, I was always interested in learning how to best help others, even from a young age. This transformed into something more tangible when I got to college and started learning about the systemic roots of poverty, as well as the various consequences and long-term effects of poverty. I realized that I wanted to learn how to address poverty by dismantling barriers to economic mobility, especially as it pertains to the Black community. Food justice in particular opens up bigger avenues of impact because of the ways creation of and access to food has historically been connected to economic market interactions and social determinants of health, both of which influences socioeconomic status. I hope to pursue a Ph.D. so that I can better develop a framework for understanding how issues related to food justice are connected to economic empowerment and mobility, as well as transform the ways that the fields of economics and public policy approach tackling these issues.

What path did you take when you first started college?

As a Bonner Scholar, I pledged to commit over 1,000 hours to community service, engagement and leadership development. As part of that commitment, I participated in a pre-orientation program called Volunteer Venture that introduced me to the nuanced issues of food and housing insecurity – specifically the intentional systemic policies that have caused Black generational poverty and continue to perpetuate inequities long after such laws have been overturned. I knew from then that I wanted to focus on social justice issues, so I chose two minors that would allow me to explore those issues academically and continued to work in the food justice space by volunteering at the local food pantry and taking on leadership positions with Campus Kitchen at W&L.

What made you consider a career in public policy/public service/international affairs?

I have always wanted to pursue a career in public service in some capacity. I started high school thinking that I wanted to go into law enforcement and entered college knowing that I preferred government work – but without any real understanding of what that meant or could look like. It was through the Bonner Program that I started to refine my understanding of ways to think about addressing society’s most pressing issues, whether domestically or internationally. I always knew that I wanted to.

Who inspires you to think about public service?

My parents inspire me. Because of them, public service has been a core part of my being. They raised my siblings and I to always be conscious of the ways we can give back and leave our community better off, and that has translated into my academic, extracurricular, and career pursuits as well.

What are you most excited about the JSI program at UW?

I am most excited to be given the opportunity to engage with regional and community leaders, especially in a new setting as I have never been on the west coast. I have so much to learn from people who have already dedicated their lives to public policy, so I look forward to hearing from professionals and experts about the ways they engage with critical social issues to implement effective, informed policies and create long-lasting change.

JSI Scholar: Ben Justice

Tell us about your story

My name is Ben Justice and I’m from Western Kentucky. I was raised Pentecostal in a small town of 3,000. Neither of my parents graduated high school. Growing up, I didn’t always have electricity or running water but the people were always nice. I transferred to Kentucky School for the Deaf during high school and learned sign language. Because I was high achieving, my public school neglected to provide appropriate accommodation so I could have equal access in the classroom. Now I focus on education policy and advancement of the language rights of Deaf people. I am so happy to be blessed with opportunity to attend college. Now I am a politics major and education minor that values volunteering and working with communities.

What path did you take when you first started college?

When I first started college, I knew I already wanted to be engaged in some form of activism. I chose Centre College so I could be close to Kentucky School for the Deaf. At first I thought I was going to be a chemistry major but I changed my mind after taking a class on Fake News.

What made you consider a career in public policy/public service/international affairs?

I was deeply engaged with the 2016 election even though I was a minor. Many of the issues that came up directly impacted me. The coal mines in Kentucky were shutting down and my parents food stamps were cut. I also knew from the internet that many issues affected others directly. My freshman and sophomore year of college helped me discover ways to create meaningful change. I thought getting involved in public policy and public service was one significant way I could do that.

What are you most excited about the JSI program at UW?

I’m really excited about the classes and doing coursework with my peers. I already jotted down everyone’s majors so I could have an idea of what they might know that I don’t. I consider myself a lifelong learner, so this opportunity to engage in lessons on leadership and tools for change means a lot to me.