News

Alumni and Student News: November 2021

Written by Karen L. Bystom
November 18, 2021

Alumni

Toshiko Grace Hasegawa, BACJ '10 and MACJ ’19,  was elected to the Port of Seattle Commission.

Sonia Nelson, MFA ’16, was named the first Development Coordinator for Donkey Mill Art Center in Holualoa, Hawaii.

Janelle Simms, MFA ’16, joined SU Advancement as Assistant Director. Previously, she worked with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) where she served as a Development Manager, and an Associate Manager of Donor Relations, for the past four years. She also managed Tour de Cure—the ADA’s big giving-day style event—honing complex project and event management, volunteer coordination, and multi-channel marketing skills.

Melissa Stuart, MNPL ’15, was elected to the Redmond City Council.  As a nonprofit leader, Melissa has championed the well-being of kids and families in our region.

Stephanie Verdoia, Political Science, ’15, was interviewed for “Prepare, work hard, learn and grow: Life lessons learned by former Brighton athlete.” She was a award-winning SU soccer player and is now a lawyer with a Seattle firm.

Debra Webb, MFA'13 has co-founded Future Arts, a hybrid non-profit/creative agency bridging art, technology, and community. The mission of Future Arts is to unleash a pulse of togetherness that cultivates cultural and creative disturbances.

Charlotte West, History and International Studies, ’02, joined Open Campus in their first cohort of national reporters. She will cover the future of postsecondary education in prisons, writing in-depth stories, publishing a regular newsletter, and collaborating on projects with their Local Network of higher education reporters.

Students

Bree Calhoun, major in Communication and Media, Strategic Communication, and McKenzi Williams, Bachelor of Social Work Candidate, were both honored by the Western Athletic Conference preseason awards. Calhoun earned Preseason All-WAC Second Team in both coaches' and media voting, while Williams earned Second Team in the coaches' voting.

Amanda Feng, MFA'21 recently joined Future Arts (co-founded by MFA alum Debra Webb), bringing strategic marketing and social media acumen to our team of womxn-led creative disruptors.