Category Archives: Alumni Spotlight

Alumni Spotlight: Christopher Martinez, ’15

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Christopher Martinez, ’15

Christopher Martinez can confidently say that UW Tacoma was the right choice for him. “I made some lifelong friendships and met mentors that I still keep in touch with today,” he says. “My time at UW Tacoma had a huge impact on my career and education.” And his career and education are going far — currently, Christopher is in his third year at the University of Washington School of Law, and works in California with the Department of Justice’s Civil Division doing employment and labor litigation.

As a Politics, Philosophy, and Economics major with a minor in Human Rights, Christopher secured an internship through the Washington State Legislative Internship program at UW Tacoma, and he credits that experience with his subsequent job at the Attorney General’s Office. Continue reading →

Alumni Spotlight: Jackie Wheeler, ’13

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Jackie Wheeler, ’13

Congratulations to UWT alum Jackie Wheeler on her acceptance to the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University! 

Since graduating from the Politics, Philosophy & Economics program in 2013, Jackie has worked as a Program Specialist with the Office of the Secretary of State, Elections Division, in Olympia, WA. She also interned for the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. while still an undergraduate. Now returning to the D.C. for her Master’s, Jackie reflects on how UW Tacoma helped her along her path to a career she feels passionate about.

When she moved to Washington from North Carolina, Jackie originally intended to attend UW Seattle, but unexpectedly fell in love with UW Tacoma instead. “I love the small class sizes, the prestigious faculty, and the feeling of community that you get when being on campus,” she says. “I have many fond memories at UWT. I know that the friends I made while at UW Tacoma will be my friends for life.”  Continue reading →

Alumni Spotlight: Catherine Tonsberg, ’16

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Catherine Tonsberg, PPE ’16

Congratulations to Catherine Tonsberg on her recent acceptance to Brown University’s Master of Public Affairs program! Currently living and working in Rhode Island, Catherine answered a few questions for us about how her time at UW Tacoma prepared her for her career and, now, her graduate education.

Catherine majored in Politics, Philosophy, & Economics (PPE), with a Law and Policy minor. Describing her program, she says, “I was first drawn to UW Tacoma by the faculty who were active in their field and doing interesting and important work, but the PPE major is what cemented my decision to attend…. The PPE major provided me with analytical tools far beyond what any of these fields would have on their own, and has made me well prepared to think about the human and moral implications of political and economic issues.”  Continue reading →

Pam Nogueira Maneman (’12) Running for Pacific County Prosecutor

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Pam Nogueira Maneman, UWT ’12

Pam Nogueira Maneman, a graduate of UW Tacoma (’12) and the UW School of Law (’15), is running for prosecutor in Pacific County, WA. In the midst of her busy schedule working in a private law firm and serving on Grays Harbor County Drug Court, Pacific County Drug Court, and as a City Council member for the City of Raymond – in addition to running her campaign! – Pam was generous enough to answer some questions for us about her passion for law, her career ambitions, and her UW roots.  Continue reading →

Alumni Spotlight: Mohamed Rashed, PPPA ’11

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Mohamed Rashed, PPPA ’11

In 2006, already at work on his degree in business administration, Mohamed Rashed made the daunting decision to leave his home in Egypt and move to the United States. He arrived with little English skills, but enrolled in UW Tacoma just the next year. By 2011, he had graduated with dual Bachelors degrees in Politics and International Business, and then went on to Eastern Washington University for 2 Masters degrees in Business and Public Administration. Today, Mohamed is a Ph.D. candidate in Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, alongside working as a newly-hired Vice President and Branch Manager at Banner Bank in Spokane, WA and teaching financial literacy to refugees through World Relief.

Continue reading →

Our Alums Staff Legislators’ Offices

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UWT grads are increasingly walking the halls of the state capitol!  This year, three former students are employed as Legislative Assistants for members of the legislature.  All three got their feet wet in state politics through their participation in our internship courses. Anna Nepomuceno (far left) is the LA for Rep. Jake Fey (D-27th District).  Anna graduated last year with a major in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Derek Zable (second from left), is the LA for Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45th District).  He graduated five years ago, and also majored in PP&E.  Nick Russell (far right) works in Sen. Hans Zeiger (R-25th District). He too was a PP&E major, and graduated three years ago. Last month the three alums met with our current interns in the state legislature.  Shown here are Barbie Weaver (center) and Andy Brown (second from right).  Not shown are interns Adan Espino and Monica Cysensky.

Alum Lester Burkes Moderates City Club Event

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On Nov 1st, Lester Burkes (PPE, ’14) moderated a forum on Community Policing sponsored by City Club of Tacoma.  Community Policing brings police and citizens together to prevent crime and solves neighborhood problems. Panelists included Sue Rahr (former King County Sheriff), Rev. Gregory Christopher (Pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church and current President of the Tacoma branch of the NAACP), Don Ramsdell (Tacoma Chief of Police), and Marcus Rogers (Project Peace Executive Board and Tacoma Police Representative).

Sue Rahr (left), Don Ramsdell (c) and Lester Burkes (r).

Continue reading →

Applications now being accepted for The Hertog Foundation Fellowships and Seminars

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The Hertog Foundation is pleased to announce its 2018 fellowships and seminars for undergraduates and recent grads.

Visit hertogfoundation.org to learn more and apply.

As you can see on our website, the Foundation offers various fellowships on public policy and political thought in Washington, DC. Each carries funding for travel as well as housing accommodations. Fellows study with master teachers and hear from distinguished speakers drawn from academia, politics, journalism, and business. Current lecturers include Yuval Levin (National Affairs), General John Allen (Brookings), Robert Bartlett (Boston College), Vickie Sullivan (Tufts), Frederick Kagan (AEI), and many more.

We have four offerings next year: Continue reading →

Teaching in China: Spotlight on Ian Clogston

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After graduating from UWT in 2016 with a major in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and another in History, Ian Clogston wondered what was next. Graduate school? But in what?  Work?  He wound up applying to a job in China teaching English to college students.  Now at Wuyi University in Jiangmen, Guangdong Provence, Ian talks about his experiences below:

It is one thing to know about language barriers, it’s another thing to actually experience it yourself. It is a lot more difficult to communicate with people in another language than you would think. It is also more difficult to communicate with people who already speak some English, which I found to be surprising. It turns out we use a lot more cultural references and idioms in our language everyday than we realize.  Continue reading →