Paw'd Defiance

In this episode of the podcast we're joined by UW Tacoma Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success, Bonnie Becker, and Senior Director, Student Transitions and Success, Amanda Figueroa. You may have already guessed (judging by their titles) that Becker and Figueroa do a lot of work around student success. We'll talk about what we mean when we say "student success." We'll also get into why college is important to individuals and to society. Research suggests that having a college degree impacts everything from social mobility to health. Becker and Figueroa will also outline UW Tacoma's revamped approach to student success including the importance of HIPs (no, not the thing connect to your torso).

Resources & Programs for students:
First Generation Initiatives
Office of Student Advocacy & Support
Teaching & Learning Centers

In this episode, we talk about Tacoma's Asia Pacific Cultural Center. We talk about the history of the Center and its role in the community. We also talk about mental health in Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. 

In this episode, Class of 2023 grad Angel Reddy reads from a letter she wrote to her future self. In the letter, The letter talks about her experience at UW Tacoma and includes a list of what she wants for her future self. Reddy's parents came to the United States from Fiji. They settled in Lakewood and ran their own business. Reddy and her older brother grew up in the area. 

Jai'Shon Berry and Exita Lealofi met four years ago at UW Tacoma. They didn't quite hit it off, but they did eventually become best friends. In this episode, Berry and Lealofi talk about why they're friends. They also talk about the importance of their friendship and how it helped them deal with the stress of college and with outside stress including break ups and family emergencies. 

Dr. Ronee K Wopsock Pawwinee recently completed her doctoral degree in educational leadership at UW Tacoma. Wopsock Pawwinee is one of 10 members of the inaugural Muckleshoot Cohort. She talks about her experience in the program, including her ups and downs as well as the connections she made to other members of the cohort. Wopsock Pawwinee also discusses the role of education in her life as well as how she plans to use her degree to help her tribe. 

Born in Fiji, Amy Maharaj lived through a coup on the island. Maharaj and her family eventually resettled in Canada. Maharaj initially struggled in school but overcame those struggles to earn a bachelor's, master's, and recently, a doctoral degree. In this episode Maharaj talks about her life and her experience in the Muckleshoot Ed.D. program. The cohort is a partnership between the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and UW Tacoma. The first cohort is set to officially graduate on June 9. 

The Milgard Women's Initiative in the Milgard School of Business at UW Tacoma works to advance women as leaders. The program does this in a number of ways, including through workshops and guest lectures. The biggest impact MWI has is through its mentorship program that connects students to community leaders. In this episode we talk about the program with Rachel Vaughn, Executive Director of the Center for Leadership & Social Responsibility in the Milgard School of Business, Sarah Kendall, former Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Weyerhaeuser Company, and UW Tacoma alumna Marion LaRocque.

In this episode UW Tacoma alumna Raihab Baig talks about her experience with Ramadan. Baig is Muslim and actively practices her faith. She talks about her connection to Islam as well as her relatively recent decision to start wearing a hijab. Baig also discusses what Ramadan means to her and how fasting helps her focus on things that really matter to her.

SIAS Dean Natalie Eschenbaum studies disgust, specifically disgust in early modern English literature.  In this episode, we hear about poems that feature maggots and eye infections. The poems are gross and important. We'll talk about the role of disgust in these poems and in other works. We'll also talk about the role of disgust in our lives including why a lack of disgust might be a sign of love. Finally, Eschenbaum tells us why disgust as an area of study has become popular in recent years.

UW Tacoma Associate Professor Danica Miller and UW Tacoma Assistant Professor Sara Eccleston are both members of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. UW Tacoma is situated on the ancestral homeland of the Puyallup. In this episode, Miller and Eccleston talk about the role of education in their lives. For both women, education didn't just happened in the classroom, it also happened in their community. The pair also discuss the challenges they've faced as Indigenous women in higher education. Finally, Miller and Eccleston talk about what colleges and universities need to do to attract and retain Native and Indigenous students.

In this episode, a conversation about death with UW Tacoma Assistant Teaching Professor Sarah A. Chavez. Chavez studies the performative aspects of death, namely the elegy, eulogy and obituary.  During the episode, Chavez talks about how she got interested in these forms, why they're important and the attributes of each. She also discusses what makes a "good" elegy, eulogy or obituary. Finally, Chavez ponders how she would like to be celebrated after she passes. 

Part II of our behind-the-scenes look at the process of bringing Rock of Ages to the stage. In this mini-episode we hear from four UW Tacoma students who have roles in the show. The group talk about their experience as well as their interest in performing. 

Get ready to rock! In this episode we go behind the scenes of "Rock of Ages." UW Tacoma's theater program and the Tacoma Little Theatre  collaborated to bring the jukebox musical to the local stage. The show's director Maria-Tania Bandes Becerra Weingarden as well as the show's musical director Kim Davenport, agreed to record a series of audio diaries from the first week of rehearsal to the last. The pair discuss the ups and downs of putting together a large-scale musical. They talk about everything from COVID to forgetting to block a scene to stripper poles. 

In this episode we talk with a group of five UW Tacoma alumni. The five work at Tacoma's Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center. The center provides a range of services including early learning and childcare. The group talks about what drew them to the work. They also talk about the ups and downs of the job. Finally, the five discuss the impact education had on their lives.

Annie Nguyen's parents fled Vietnam in 1975 and ultimately ended up living in Alabama. Growing up, Nguyen says she tried hard to fit in with everyone around her, and that meant suppressing her Vietnamese heritage. In this episode, Nguyen reads from an essay where she talks about embracing her heritage including learning how to celebrate the Lunar New Year. 

UW Tacoma Associate Professor Michelle Montgomery joins us in this episode of the podcast. Montgomery is here to talk about the book, "Re-Indigenizing Ecological Consciousness and The Interconnectedness To Indigenous Identities." Montgomery served as the book's editor. The book contains a number of essays written by Indigenous scholars. The authors write about different topics including Indigenous identity, nature, history and decolonizing education. We'll talk about the book and the process of putting it together. We also talk with what it means to decolonize education. Finally, Montgomery discusses her work with the School of Education's Muckleshoot Ed.D. cohort. That cohort is scheduled to complete their doctoral degrees in the spring.

More information about the Indigenous Speaker Series. 

UW Tacoma alumnus Peter Jung uses the board game Dungeons & Dragons to connect with neurodivergent kids. Jung was bullied as a kid and often felt isolated. He says gaming changed his life and helped him find a community. Jung is autistic and sees games, especially D & D as a great way to help build skills and relationships. 

KNKX News Director Florangela Davila stopped by the studio to talk about her experience in the news industry. Davila and the KNKX team recently launched an eight-part podcast series called "The Walk Home." The series details the life and death of Manny Ellis, a Tacoma man who died in police custody in 2020. We'll talk about the podcast, we'll also talk about the push to tell a more diverse range of stories as well as 
the challenges of reporting the news. Finally, we discuss the future of journalism as well as what students need to do to prepare themselves for a career in the industry.

Welcome to Paw’d Defiance where we don’t lecture but we do educate. I’m Eric Wilson-Edge. In this episode we hear from UW Tacoma Advisor Isabella Webb. Besides advising students, Webb runs the Husky Success Series which helps new students connect to campus. We’ll also hear from three UW Tacoma students who are part of the Husky Success Series. Eliza Gines, Kara Peterson and Jake Detert will talk about their experience in college, including their choice of major and challenges they’ve faced. They’ll also share some words of wisdom for future students. 

UW Tacoma Associate Professor and Ed.D. Director Robin Zape-tah-hol-ah Minthorn has collaborated on a new book called "Indigenous Motherhood in the Academy." The book is a collection of short essays written by Indigenous mothers who work in higher education. The stories from these mothers are honest, and at times, difficult. We'll talk about the book, the process of putting it together as well as the challenges facing Indigenous mothers in academia. We'll also talk about the process of writing a book during the pandemic as well as the pandemic's impact the contributors personal and professional lives.

Muckleshoot cohort:https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/soe/EdD/muckleshoot-cohort