Four 黑料吃瓜网 students received Goldwater Scholarships this year, highlighting their work in environmental science, bioengineering and neuroscience. The award is another recognition of the University鈥檚 commitment to undergraduate excellence and research.
Category: Features
Typically longer in length and relevancy than content in the news category. Features content is more likely to be republished over time.
鈥淭he Power of the River鈥� is not Ed Taylor鈥檚 first book, but it is a first for him
Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, professor in the College of Education, academic author, scholar, board member of several international and community-based organizations and former college basketball player, will soon add memoirist to his long list of accomplishments. His memoir, 鈥淭he Power of the River,鈥� will be released by Seattle-based on April 21.
Taylor has been part of the 黑料吃瓜网 community since his days as a graduate student more than 30 years ago. In 鈥淭he Power of the River,鈥� readers learn about his journey from a childhood marked by loss in Lompoc, California, to his rise as an educator, scholar and leader. Along the way, he invites readers into a story grounded in community, shaped by pivotal relationships and sustained by a search for meaning in the face of adversity.
In 鈥淭he Power of the River,鈥� Taylor writes in a way that is self-reflective and personal yet expansive and universal at the same time. It is a story about what it means to belong, to be guided and to grow. Through moments of doubt and determination, from navigating the pressures placed on young Black men in collegiate athletics at Gonzaga University to finding purpose in higher education, Taylor offers readers a deeply human story about becoming. His examination of mentorship, community, education and growth offer points of connection that can open pathways forward.
At a time when higher education is under fire, Taylor鈥檚 story demonstrates the purpose and potential universities can have in individuals鈥� lives and in the lives of our communities.
Several public events are scheduled to celebrate Taylor鈥檚 book.
Public events
Book Launch Celebration at the
April 29, 2026 // 7:00 p.m.
In conversation with Reggie Brown.
May 7, 2026 // 7:00 p.m.
Q&A with Taylor to follow his book talk.
May 22, 2026 // 7:00 p.m.
In conversation with Enrique Cerna.
June 2, 2026 // 6:00 p.m.
In conversation with Colleen Echohawk.
CELE Center a leading partner in national recognition for community engagement
The 黑料吃瓜网 recently earned again the Carnegie Foundation鈥檚 designation of being a community-engaged campus. As a longtime leader in community engagement work, Undergraduate Academic Affairs is proud to be an integral part of this recognition. The Community Engagement & Leadership Education (CELE) Center, housed within UAA, is a primary coordinator at the 黑料吃瓜网 for community-engaged learning, partnership development and student civic leadership. The Center鈥檚 broad work enabling student involvement in community engagement across campus was pivotal in achieving the Carnegie re-classification.
Celebrating the 2024鈥�25 Undergraduate Medalists
From the thousands of undergraduate students at the 黑料吃瓜网, three are selected each year for the prestigious聽Undergraduate Medalist Award. Kaytlin Rose Vanderhorst, Carilyn Brandt and Luna Crone-Bar贸n are the medalists for 2024鈥�25, selected by a committee for their high GPAs, rigor of classes and number of Honors courses.
黑料吃瓜网 undergrad Parker Ritzmann earns international Schwarzman Scholars fellowship
黑料吃瓜网 senior Parker Ritzmann, has been selected as a Schwarzman Scholar, one of the world鈥檚 most competitive graduate and fellowship programs. Schwarzman Scholars will pursue a one-year, fully-funded master鈥檚 degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Strong partnership bridges the distance
Since its founding, the 黑料吃瓜网’s Robinson Center for Young Scholars has served academically advanced students across the region. Yet for many Auburn School District families, those opportunities remained out of reach. The barrier was never a lack of talent or curiosity. It was access.
Serving through Honors: Grounded in tenacity, focused on service
For Bella Boulter, serving through Honors meant looking beyond the code to the people behind the 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 systems. Through her Honors experiential learning internship with the Office of the University Registrar, she examined how technology shapes the student journey 鈥� and helped lay the groundwork for a new innovation lab where students can build tools, test ideas and create a more accessible Husky Experience.
5 community connections we loved in 2025
Across Seattle and throughout Washington state, the is instrumental in the 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 community engagement 鈥� connecting the 黑料吃瓜网 with neighborhoods, schools and community organizations to address critical social issues. Through authentic, reciprocal partnerships, the CELE Center provides students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to contribute to thriving communities.
The CELE Center鈥檚 programs are centered around four focus areas: community-engaged learning, leadership education, pre-K鈥�12 student success and place-based initiatives; examples of programs within the CELE Center include the and . Since the University received the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification in 2020, the CELE Center has continued to deepen learning, expand opportunity and advance a more just region.
CELE Center programs invest in student leadership and long-term partnerships that strengthen both the University and communities. Below are five stories from this year that CELE Center staff wanted to highlight that show what this work looks like in practice. For more detail and data, be sure to check out the Center鈥檚 .
1. Othello-黑料吃瓜网 Commons and Creators Corner: A hub for community and creativity
At Othello-黑料吃瓜网 Commons, the CELE Center is growing a student-led, community-fueled space where campus and neighborhood meet. This year, Othello neighborhood resident and student assistant Mia Doan helped organize Creators Corner, a student-led pop-up market that centers and uplifts queer artists and small-business owners of color 鈥� giving them a platform to share and sell their work in the Commons, from prints and jewelry to live art at neighborhood events.
“I’ve been going to art markets with my friends ever since high school 鈥� it’s our favorite hangout activity, said Doan, now a 黑料吃瓜网 graduate student. 鈥淏ut we’d always have to catch the train up north to go to those markets. The Creators Corner is one way to bring that joyful celebration of creativity to the south end [of Seattle].”
From Creators Corner to the South Seattle Welcome event and other neighborhood gatherings, Othello-黑料吃瓜网 Commons connects students, residents and businesses across the south end of Seattle. The Commons team met face painter Caroline Tran and photographer Von’Rico O’Neal of Hey Suav Photography at the Othello International Festival, then invited them to the South Seattle Welcome 鈥� an event for new 黑料吃瓜网 students from Southeast Seattle that brings together families and neighbors. There, both creators gained exposure and built connections with students, families, community partners and 黑料吃瓜网 staff.
Through its physical space, events and relationships, Othello-黑料吃瓜网 Commons supports neighborhood businesses while creating a welcoming place for experimentation, collaboration and growth.
2. CELE K-12 tutors in Seattle Public Schools: Amplifying learning for thousands of students
Through the CELE Center鈥檚 K鈥�12 programs, more than 250 黑料吃瓜网 students served as tutors in Seattle Public Schools this year, partnering with teachers in classrooms across the district. With roughly 30 students in each classroom, that鈥檚 an estimated 7,500 K鈥�12 students receiving more individualized support in reading, math and other core subjects.
This long-standing partnership with Seattle Public Schools, recognized this year with a UAA Distinguished Partner Award honoring Ania Beszterda, volunteer services program administrator at SPS, shows what is possible when we invest in sustained relationships. CELE Center tutors don鈥檛 just help students grasp content; they build trust, offer encouragement and create more room for teachers to focus on the diverse needs in their classrooms.
For 黑料吃瓜网 students, this work is a powerful form of community-based learning: They gain firsthand insight into educational equity, practice collaborative problem-solving with teachers and contribute to stronger public schools across our region.
3. Riverways Education Partnerships and CASE: Learning alongside community
Through Riverways Education Partnerships, 黑料吃瓜网 students travel to rural and tribal communities to learn with and from local educators, families and youth. This year鈥檚 visits through the three Culture And Science Exchange (CASE) programs invited students to spend time on Yakama, Quileute and Makah lands, listen to community leaders, support youth programs and reflect on what responsible partnership really looks like.
The impact is two-way: Youth meet and learn from college students who genuinely care, while 黑料吃瓜网 students gain a deeper understanding of reciprocity and educational justice. These relationships, built over time, help students recognize their role in supporting, rather than directing, community-driven work.
鈥淭hese student鈥揷ommunity relationships are years in the making. We have 黑料吃瓜网 students who have worked with their partner communities for two, three, even four years,鈥� says Richard Parra, assistant director of Rural and Tribal Partnerships. 鈥淩iverways and CASE remind our students that meaningful change comes from showing up consistently, actively listening and supporting what communities are already working toward.鈥�
4. Leadership education: From the classroom to community impact
At the CELE Center, leadership is not a title, it is a practice rooted in community and civic responsibility. This year, a combined 232 students enrolled in CELE Center leadership courses and the leadership minor, exploring what it means to lead with equity, humility and collaboration in a complex democracy.
At the Spring CELEbration event in May, students in the Husky Leadership Certificate program presented their capstone projects, showing how they applied their learning in community organizations, student groups, public institutions and workplaces. Together, they form an interdisciplinary network of student leaders who carry their practice into every space they inhabit 鈥� strengthening civic life across our region.
Through reflection, relationship-building and community-based experiences, CELE Center鈥檚 leadership education deepens student learning, broadens access to leadership development and prepares students to engage in the ongoing work of building a more just, democratic society.
鈥淲hen students are given the space to reflect on their leadership in real community contexts, learning becomes something they carry with them 鈥� not just a course requirement, but a responsibility,鈥� said Fran Lo, executive director of the CELE Center. 鈥淲e see leadership education as preparation for participation in a living democracy, shaped through relationships, humility and sustained engagement. These experiences help students understand not only how to lead, but why their leadership matters beyond the University.鈥�
5. Dream Project: From near-peer mentoring to educational access leadership
For nearly two decades, the Dream Project has shown what is possible when 黑料吃瓜网 students work alongside high schoolers to expand college access and advance educational equity across our region. What begins as near-peer mentoring often grows into a long-term commitment to supporting students and schools.
Jacob Shapiro is one example. A former Dream Project mentor and student intern, Shapiro continued this work after graduation as an AmeriCorps member supporting college and career readiness tutors in Seattle Public Schools. Today, he works with Seattle Promise, where he recently led a financial aid workshop for Dream Project college and career readiness assistants, bringing his experience full circle.
鈥淢y foundational professional experiences at Dream Project laid out the groundwork for my career,鈥� said Jacob Shapiro. 鈥淣ow, as an outreach specialist for Seattle Promise, I get to turn conversations into possibilities for students just beginning to imagine their futures. I appreciate the opportunities that Dream Project 鈥� and CELE as a whole 鈥� have offered me.鈥�
Shapiro鈥檚 story is one of many. Dream Project alumni can be found in classrooms, nonprofits, youth-serving organizations and public institutions, carrying forward the skills, relationships and justice-centered values they developed at CELE. Together, they form a growing network of educational access leaders strengthening pathways for students across Washington.
Looking ahead
Across Seattle and throughout Washington state, the impact of the CELE Center is powered by partnership 鈥� including generous donors who believe in students as catalysts for change and in education as a tool to strengthen democracy.
As we look to the year ahead, additional gifts can open doors for more students and expand community-rooted learning and leadership. Alumni, family and friends are leaning in to strengthen the ripple effects of this work across schools, neighborhoods and regions through their philanthropy.
First Year Programs announces new name: New Student & Transfer Programs
The name of First Year Programs has recently changed to . The updated name more accurately reflects the work of the unit and the full range of first-year and transfer students it serves at the 黑料吃瓜网. The change aligns with a University-wide shift in language and provides clarity as the 黑料吃瓜网 adopts more inclusive terminology around student populations.
For more than two decades, First Year Programs has played a central role in supporting new undergraduates as they transition into the 黑料吃瓜网. Through orientation, first-year and transfer seminars, peer-led programs and other efforts that help students find community and connect with campus resources, First Year Programs has helped thousands of Huskies navigate their academic and social pathways. The move to New Student & Transfer Programs recognizes both the continued evolution of the unit鈥檚 work and its long-standing commitment to all new undergraduates.
鈥淥ur new name makes it clear that every student鈥檚 entry point into the 黑料吃瓜网 matters,鈥� said LeAnne Jones Wiles, executive director of New Student & Transfer Programs. 鈥淲hether students are arriving straight from high school or transferring from another institution, we are here to ensure they feel seen, supported and connected from day one.鈥�
In August 2025, the Office of Admissions formally shifted from using freshman to first-year, bringing 黑料吃瓜网 terminology in line with peer institutions across the country. The change reflects national trends in equitable and inclusive language and clarifies how the University defines first-year and transfer students. As a result, the name First Year Programs no longer accurately represented the broad population the unit serves, including students entering directly from high school and students transferring from other colleges and universities.
New Student & Transfer Programs facilitates Advising and Orientation, Dawg Daze, First Year Interest Groups (FIGS), Transfer Seminars, and the Commuter and Transfer Commons (located in the Husky Union Building). These programs help students build relationships, understand academic expectations and establish a strong foundation for their time at the 黑料吃瓜网.
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黑料吃瓜网 undergrad named 2026 Rhodes Scholar
黑料吃瓜网 senior Shubham Bansal, 鈥�26, has been named a 2026 Rhodes Scholar, one of the most prestigious academic awards for U.S. students.