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Alumni
Recent Alumni News
On May 18, 2008, the University of Washington bestowed honorary baccalaureate degrees to 449 Japanese American students from the class of 1941- 42 who, due to Executive Order 9066, were banished from the University campus in early May 1942. This long-overdue ceremony, “The Long Journey Home,” was an inflection point for alumnus Allen Shimada.
“The recognition reinforced my pride in being a Husky,” says Shimada (BS, Fisheries, 1978; MMA, Marine Affairs, 1985). “That was when I first…
The University of Washington Tacoma recently held a launch for the Talanoa Series and Dr. David Ga'oupu Matthew Palaita attended as the keynote speaker. Dr. Palaita’s talk entitled, “VASA (Ocean): The Space that is Sacred--An Interdisciplinary & Decolonial Framework for Critical Pacific Islands & Oceania Studies,” explores the power of Pasefika/Oceania languages in a place like higher education. The talk shares the story of City College of San Francisco students and their…
In the Spring 2025 College of Arts & Sciences Stories, Professor Emeritus Tetsuden Kashima's gift story is featured on LinkedIn. The post can be found here, The Long Journey Home Challenge | University of Washington - College of Arts & Sciences, and to learn more about Professor Kashima's legacy, follow this link The Long Journey Home Challenge.
Professor Tetsuden Kashima spent his academic career advocating for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and…
New York University's English Department is hosting a book launch for Professor Pacharee Sudhinaraset's new book, Worlds at the End: Los Angeles, Infrastructure, and the Apocalyptic Imagination. Pacharee was a teaching assistant with the American Ethnic Studies Department. Read more about her book on Temple University's website Temple University Press and feel free to check out details of the book launch Worlds at the End: Los Angeles, Infrastructure, and the…
In the January 2025 College of Arts & Sciences Perspectives Newsletter, AES alumnus Paulo Pontemayor was highlighted in a story titled, "Advocating for Better Health Care". Pontemayor is currently senior director of government relations at the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA), the national leadership organization of more than 2,200 Catholic health care systems, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and related organizations. An important focus of CHA is…
American Ethnic Studies had the pleasure of hosting visits from Highline Public School's 8th graders. Students from several schools in the district visited the campus as part of an introduction to student life at the University of Washington. Chris Carr, and Carolyn Pinedo-Turnovsky, AES staff and faculty, respectively, presented information about the origins of AES. They helped students envision the pathway towards a career and lifestyle that would support ideas for a potential career.
AES…
The Autumn Quarter 2024 APPI Thrive Newsletter was recently posted. In this newsletter, AES alumnus Nestor Enguerra, Jr. shares his Director's Message. There are also additional newsworthy sections to read through, like AAPI Thrive Project's impact, their new location, welcoming the 2024-2025 cohort, and much more! AAPI THRIVE Newsletter - Autumn 2024 | AAPI THRIVE | University of Washington Tacoma
Welcome to a brand new schoolyear – 2024-2025 – and warm hugs to our new and returning students, our faculty and staff, and you, the members of our set of collectives in AES! As the lead positive thinker and doer in our department, I always try to embrace whatever comes our way, whether they’re opportunities that are waiting for us to take on, or a couple of bumps on the road needing our engagement. The theme of our recent departmental retreat surely embodies this ethos: …
Francisco “Frank” Irigon died Thursday, September 12, 2024, at age 77. He passed away surrounded by his family.
Irigon had many identities. He was a family man, a husband, father and grandfather. He was a veteran, executive director, newspaper founder, community builder and political candidate. He will be remembered by many as an activist, first and foremost, champion of civil rights and social justice, and a lifelong advocate for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Island (AANHPI…
Congratulations to AES alumnus Paulo Pontemayor (graduating class of 2004) for making it as a delegate in the 2024 Filipino Young Leaders Immersion Program. He will join a cohort of leaders from across the U.S. who will embark on a week-long immersion trip to the Philippines. This year’s program aims to provide a fresh perspective on the Philippines, immersing delegates in both the rich history of the capital and the vibrant culture of the Visayas.
You can read more about this program and…