Read about Cultural Studies dynamic group of students, their educational backgrounds, and research interests.
2012 Cohort
Christa Bell
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Undergraduate Institution: San Francisco State University
Undergraduate Degree: English
Research Interests: feminist cultural production, feminist theology, trauma studies, literary criticism, visual (representational) studies and performance studies
Snapshot: Christa is a Seattle native who earned her BA in English, with an emphasis in Creative Writing, from San Francisco State University. She is a performance artist and cultural activist.
Jun Chen
Undergraduate Institution: Wuhan University
Undergraduate Degree: Journalism
Research Interests: The cultural impact of mass media, global cultural flows and hybridity, Latin American studies, non-profit work
Snapshot: Jun has a passion for getting to know different people and how they make sense of their world. That's the primary reason for her to study culture. She believes that her happiness lies in meditating for life , and also in learning Tibetan Buddhism in the future. She hopes to apply her knowledge in culture to her future career in media sector.
Lisa Herriott
Undergraduate Institution: University of Georgia
Undergraduate Degree: Interior Design
Research Interests: Public health and how to provide social, economic, environmental design to the underserved communities through a participatory community design process
Snapshot: Lisa is a healthcare planner and interior designer at Harborview Medical Center. She has been creating welcoming healthcare environments most of her career and has a strong passion for creating spaces that contribute to the healing process and serve a culturally rich population. She has lived in Seattle for 17 years with her husband and two dogs and enjoys traveling and discovering new creative outlets.
Vanessa Hooper
Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington Seattle
Undergraduate Degree: Comparative History of Ideas
Research Interests: Sexual exploitation and sex trafficking, inequalities and discrimination in education, writing therapy, hip-hop culture and multi-cultural education
Snapshot: Vanessa graduated from the University of Washington in 2009, majoring in Comparative History of Ideas with a focus on conflict resolution and social justice. For the last couple years she has volunteered in the King County juvenile detention center, using poetry as a form of writing therapy for incarcerated youth. She is passionate about travel, writing and new experiences.
Gina Hutter
Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington Bothell
Undergraduate Degree: Global Studies, minor in Business and Human Rights
Research Interests: Migration patterns of healthcare workers in conjuncture with the ‘Brain Drain’ theory, globalization and the political economy, education methodologies and pedagogical theories, effects of modern society’s dependence on technology, human health and adequate access to healthcare, how U.S. policies affect the human rights of vulnerable populations
Snapshot: Gina spent her childhood in Florida, but has lived in the Seattle area for most of her life. Traveling the world is a personal interest and she feels fortunate to have visited many unique destinations. She is looking forward to studying abroad in the future or incorporating her research into her travels. Gina's educational journey has been a long tedious task as she balances full time work as a bartender to pay for school. This has increased her appreciation for dedicated professors who display a passion for learning. She finds herself to be very motivated and genuinely interested in helping others.
Nora Johnson
Undergraduate Institution: Linfield College
Undergraduate Degree: Social and Behavioral Sciences
Research Interests: Feminist models of empowerment, anti-racist white culture, emerging constructions of gender, the push-me-pull-you tensions between individuals and their communities in American society, and youth counter-culture movements
Snapshot: Nora Karena Johnson is a Family Advocate for YWCA Seattle/King/Snohomish. She lives with her partner, four dogs, three cats, and two birds, and is a kick-ass cook.
Judith Kuleta
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Undergraduate Institution: Marylhurst University
Undergraduate Degree: Interdisciplinary Studies, Communications, Management, Cultural Historical Studies
Research Interests: American fire service evolving from a trade to a profession. How similar professions (nursing) evolved from a trade into a profession requiring higher education. What benchmarks occurred along the way.
Snapshot: Currently Judith works as adjunct faculty and advisor for the fire science program at Bellevue College. She teaches a variety of fire science courses. In the winter she teaches skiing at Stevens Pass. Interests include good food, wine, gardening, biking, spending time with her children.
Bogdana Manole
Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington Seattle
Undergraduate Degree: Social Studies
Research Interests: Marine conservation, communication/social media power in small communities vs. corporate world, discourse formation
Snapshot: Bogdana is the mother of two teenage boys, owns a Montessori School in South Seattle, and is a student. She has two Aussie dogs , a bunny and a beautiful garden. She treasures her family and friends. Words that describe her: world traveler, scuba-diver, kayaker, mountaineer, dreamer,idealist. Sometimes funny. She advocates for environmental conservation through teaching, parenting and activism. Always up for something new.
Sofia Piel
Undergraduate Institution: University of New Hampshire
Undergraduate Degree: English Literature with focus on African American Literature, minor in Studio Art
Research Interests: Education and empowerment of immigrant cultures through the arts; photography, multimedia storytelling, holistic education
Snapshot: Sofia is a New England kid at heart, but loves to explore new places. She lived in Sweden for 8 years, and has worked as a photographer, journalist, and special education teacher. She is happiest when collaborating creatively, helping people see their strength and beauty, and walking in the woods.
Amber Rozier
Undergraduate Institution: Western Washington University
Undergraduate Degree: Sociology, American Cultural Studies
Research Interests: Racial identity formation of mixed race individuals, social inequality, race and ethnic relations, representations of people of color in pop culture, the culture of homelessness, the culture of chemical dependency, queer culture, the culture and history of HIV/AIDS, gang history and culture, colorism (racism within racial/ethnic groups)
Snapshot: Amber briefly worked as a residential counselor for incarcerated teenage boys in a minimum security facility that was focused on reintroducing them to live in the community at large while they finished up their sentences upon graduating from Western. She spent the last four years working as a case manager in a supportive housing facility developed for homeless men and women affected by HIV/AIDS, mental illness, and addiction. She enjoys going to concerts, boardgames, reading, writing, watching television and movies, and spending as much time as possible with loved ones and her cat.
Lauren Russell
Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington Seattle
Undergraduate Degree: Geography
Research Interests: Urban geography, community gardens and urban agriculture, African American studies, as well as gender, women and sexuality studies
Snapshot: Lauren recently graduated from the UW (Seattle Campus) with departmental Honors in geography. Her senior thesis was about the urban agricultural efforts of residents and non profit organizations in Detroit, NYC and Oakland which merged her interests in these three cities with urban geography, culture and community gardens. She hopes to teach community college upon graduation. Lauren also enjoys traveling and she has a wonderful eight year old son named Mahdi.
Nate Stout
Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington Bothell
Undergraduate Degree: Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences: Culture, Literature and the Arts
Research Interests: Art & Dissent, Communal Creativity, Social Influence of the Avant-Garde, Marxist Practice Across Cultures, Representation & Collective Memory
Snapshot: Nate is a fan of Joseph Campbell, Thomas Merton, and William Blake. He likes music too.
Ronnie Thibault
Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington Bothell
Undergraduate Degree: Interdisciplinary Studies: Society, Ethics, and Human Behavior, summa cum laude
Research Interests: Critical cultural studies, cultural geographies, mapping the construction of cultural spaces and landscapes, embodiment and identity politics, and the study of historical and geographical struggles over meaning, value, and autonomy in society. Current Research: Can Autistics Redefine Autism? The Cultural Politics of Autistic Activism. While engaged with autism personally and professionally for seven years, Ronnie’s interests in critical and cultural research strategies merge social activism with rigorous cultural methodologies.
Snapshot: In addition to her research, Ronnie works for, and with, the culture of developmental difference. Her service includes volunteer special education advocacy and individual education planning, social skills programs for autistic youth and volunteer duties for a local nonprofit dedicated to enriching the lives of adults with developmental differences. Her efforts encompass community programs and facility research development, agency and partnership collaboration, and social activism. Married for 21 years, Ronnie lives in Monroe and has an eleven-year old son.
Calvin Timmons
Undergraduate Institution: Evergreen State College
Undergraduate Degree: History
Research Interests: Community and participatory research, public history, oral history, cross-cultural exchange, ethnic conflict, Northern Ireland, API diaspora, Irish language revitalization, representations of marginalized groups in mediums of 'nerd culture'
Snapshot: Calvin is a native of the PNW who has a fascination with Ireland, Asia, and his home area. He enjoys hiking, reading, and film criticism. He aspires to become a teacher after his graduate studies.
Nicole Wilson
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Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington Bothell
Undergraduate Degree: Community Psychology; Society, Ethics, and Human Behavior
Research Interests: LGBTQ experiences, how colleges can support or hinder their LGBTQ communities on their campuses by the resources they do or do not provide, identity, sexuality studies, community psychology oriented approaches to collecting and creating data, LGBTQ history and finding ways to teach different age groups about the vastness of different sexual diversities and how they all interact
Snapshot: Nicole hails from the Pacific Northwest and has always been proud to call Seattle and the surrounding area her home. She is always willing to fight for a cause she believes in (after doing extensive research on which side she views as best) and aims for perfection in everything that she does. When she's not attempting to solve the world's problems, Nicole enjoys painting, exploring, being spontaneous, and spending time with her friends, family, and cats.
2011 Cohort
Leslie Albrecht
Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington Seattle
Undergraduate Degree: Humanities, English, minor in Art History
Research Interests: Art, music, literature, history
Snapshot: Leslie is an avid reader, cat lover, and occasional baker with a lifelong love of the arts, writing and editing, and is currently writing and editing at the Washington Poison Center.
Kaelyn Caldwell
Undergraduate Institution: University of Massachusetts
Undergraduate Degree: Psychology with a concentration in Neuroscience
Research Interests: Intersections of racism, sexism, and classism; undoing institutionalized oppression through consciousness raising and community collaboration; combining multicultural understanding with the development of a sense of agency and self-efficacy
Snapshot: Kaelyn is a Graduate Assistant for the Office of Community-Based Learning and Research at UW-Bothell. Her passion for multicultural education was cultivated during her work as a VISTA and GED Instructor at Shoreline CC. She enjoys speculative fiction, soccer, and the great outdoors.
Eliseo Juarez
Undergraduate Institution: Saint Martin's University
Undergraduate Degree: Community Services
Research Interests: Marginalized and minority communities interactions with power and the political process, social movements of the Americas, Cultural Identities, Pop Culture
Snapshot: EJ is currently the Development Associate for Statewide Poverty Action Network. He also serves on the Board of the Washington Bus, which engages tomorrow's leaders on their terms empowering them through civic and cultural engagement.
Amanda Kercmar
Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington Seattle
Undergraduate Degree: Geography
Research Interests: Travel and Tourism: trends and impacts
Snapshot: Amanda works as a geographer at Expedia, which has increased her desire to travel for leisure as well as to research sustainable travel/tourism trends and traditions.
Amy Patterson
Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington Seattle
Undergraduate Degrees: Communications, History
Research Interests: Institutionalization of children with disabilities internationally
Snapshot: Since her daughter was born with Down syndrome in 2002, Amy divides her time between parenting and working with disability advocacy organizations. She is a passionate advocate for inclusive education and community living for people with disabilities.
Jody Rauch
Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington Seattle
Undergraduate Degree: Nursing with a focus on community health
Research Interests: Jody wants to explore the concepts of community and health. Specifically how society defines and values these concepts and where they start to intersect and begin to affect the other.
Snapshot: Jody is an HIV nurse working with folks who are also struggling with mental health issues, addiction, and homelessness. She’d be a tattoo artist if she had any talent. Friends, family, photography and camping help keep her soul happy.
Erin Sanchez
Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington Seattle
Undergraduate Degree: Communication, minor in Art History
Research Interests: The philosophy of art, mass media effects on societies, symbolism and subliminals in advertising, generational change and influence, immigration issues, documentary film
Snapshot: Erin was raised in a small Eastern Washington town and loves the culture of the PNW. Among her many interests, she enjoys visiting museums, traveling, reading classic literature and experiencing the outdoors with her husband and Jack Russell Terriers.
Katherine Shaw
Undergraduate Institution: Western Washington University
Undergraduate Degree: Sociology
Research interests: Public health, human rights, non-profit work, domestic violence
Snapshot: Katherine recently completed a research paper on the Cinderella effect using cases in Whatcom County. She balances stress by reading interesting books, drinking coffee with friends, and searching for new recipes.
Jason Tentor
Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington Bothell
Undergraduate Degree: Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences: American Studies
Research Interests: The role urban music plays in social identity and cultural production, avant-garde practice of relational art within global culture
Snapshot: Jason lives in Seattle and is an active contributor to its relational aesthetic art scene. He enjoys writing short fictional stories.
Cora Thomas
Undergraduate Insitution: Western Washington University
Undergraduate Degree: Communication, minor in Film Studies
Research Interests: What if students (higher ed) gained more and more power over their own education? How would higher education and the learning environment be transformed and what would that look like?
Snapshot: Cora has a passion for the written word and would like to become a professional writer. Her undergraduate research on The Teaching-Learning Academy at WWU sparked a great interest in improving the learning environment within higher education. She appreciates any medium that tells a story especially film, photography, music, and dance. Cora considers herself to be a poet and is inspired by the natural world.
Rachel Tomczek
Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington Bothell
Undergraduate Degree: Nursing with a concentration in sex trafficking comparing Cambodia with the United States, specifically focusing on sex trafficking in Seattle.
Research Interests: Using farming/gardening programs in immigrant and youth populations to increase self-sufficiency, education and employment; building a program to assist and provide resources for teenagers with cardiac arrhythmias in the process of transitioning from pediatric care to adult care
Snapshot: Rachel is a nurse at Seattle Children’s Hospital where she works in the Outpatient Procedure Center. She is passionate about the environment, gardening, cycling, kids (specifically those wonderfully wacky teenagers!), reading and spending time with family and friends.
Brandon Yost
Undergraduate Institution: Gonzaga University
Undergraduate Degree: English Literature, Philosophy
Research Interests: Transnationalism, Borderlands Theory, Immigration studies, Power and Oppression, Refugeeism, Film and Literary Criticism and Continental Philosophy
Snapshot: Brandon is always up for good discussion about important issues. He is from the Northwest and very much believes in the value of criticism. Brandon hopes to write and perhaps teach one day.
Michelle Zebrowski
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Undergraduate Institution: Ohio University
Undergraduate Degree: Global Awareness and Accountability with focus on Cultural Anthropology, Communication and Political Science
Research Interests: Corporate Culture; Culture of Learning vs. Culture of Training, Critical Race Theory, comparison of marginalized/disenfranchised populations of Subsaharan Africa and Rural Appalachia
Snapshot: Michelle is continually energized by working for Apple, exploring the outdoors particularly skiing, kayaking and camping, jam bands and embarking on adventures in the wonderful world of wine and food.