News

Alumni and Student News: October 21

Written by Karen L. Bystrom
October 21, 2021

Alumni

Derrick Belgarde, BA, Public Affairs, ’03 and MPA, ’15, talked about his personal and professional journey in “Chief Seattle Club executive director shares journey from sobriety to leadership.”

Allison Decker, LMFTA, MACFT, ’19 and Kathryn McNiel, LMFT, MACFT ’19, presented “Interpersonal Genogram: A Tool for Assessment and Intervention” at the Washington Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (WAMFT) Conference.

Bob Frause, Journalism, ’68, APR, Fellow PRSA, of Langley, Washington, received the highest honor bestowed by the Public Relations Society of America College of Fellows, the Outstanding Leadership Award, presented for only the second time since it was first presented in 2009. The College of Fellows is the gold standard of public relations professionals and is an active organization comprised of more than 350 leading practitioners and educators, each of whom has left a significant footprint on the public relations profession. The Outstanding Leadership Award was presented at the virtual induction ceremony for the 2021 College of Fellows class.

Clarissa Y. Malinao, BA, Criminal Justice, ’00, was appointed to the Circuit Court of the First Circuit (Oʻahu). Malinao is a solo practitioner focusing on criminal law in both state and federal courts. Since 2019, she has been a per diem District Court Judge of the First Circuit. Malinao was recognized in 2020 as Outstanding Pro Bono Attorney Honoree for her volunteer work with Volunteer Legal Services of Hawai‘i. She earned her JD from Whittier Law School in California.

Chrisetta Mosely, BA, Journalism, ’06, is profiled in “Meet the entrepreneur whose end game is a grocery store that caters to Black Portlanders,” published by Portland Inno, a feature of the Portland Business Journal.

Students

Ha’aheo Auwae-Dekker, Film Studies ’22 and Secretary of the Indigenous Student Association, had their film, Malihini, accepted for the Hawai'i International Film Festival. The film will play online November 4 through 28. The dates for in-person screening are TBD.

Madeline Berkman, Jackson Cooper, Stefanie Fatooh, Carol Rosco and Kati Simek, all MFA ’22, have worked to update the "Seattle Arts Voter Guide (SAVG)" for the upcoming Seattle and King County elections.  The nonpartisan SAVG was launched in 2019 as a part of former Seattle U professor Dr. Jasmine Mahmoud's "Public Policy and Advocacy in the Arts" course and has continued since then with contributions from MFA students.

Hallie Bergford, Kinesiology and Seattle U Soccer, and Regie Grady, Kinesiology and SU Track and Field, are nominated for Women’s Sports Star of the Year (College) by the Olympia and Beyond Sports Commission. Tickets for the free virtual event on November 3 are available here.

Jackson Cooper. MFA ’22, was also part of the team working with Inspire Washington to plan the recent Seattle Candidate Forum moderated by Marcie Silverman and Vivian Phillips.

Trés McMichael and Jackson Cooper (both MFA '22) were featured in a recent article where they shared their personal reflections on pursuing a career and degree in the arts, their reasons for choosing Seattle U to do so, and their future career goals.  Here are excerpts of what they had to say:

Trés McMichael: "I chose to pursue my MFA at Seattle University because of the focus on social justice at its core. The topics of anti-racism, intersectionality, and decolonization have shown up during each of my courses. We engage in thoughtful and challenging discourse about these subjects and discuss how to create a more just and liberated world through our work in the arts. I have been able to show up fully and authentically as a queer Black man since my first class. It has been freeing for me as I continue to grow in the field and work towards the change I know we need in the world with others who want to see that same change."

Jackson Cooper: "Be constantly curious and always center the work. Remind yourself of why you are doing it — go into the rehearsal room, watch a dress rehearsal, go see the shows you’re promoting. Always have the art at the center of what you do."

Read the full article here.