Profiles

At the beginning of September, a press release announced that Sylvia Wolf, the director of the Henry Art Gallery since 2008, will be retiring in spring 2023. Across her career, Wolf held a distinct and profound love for the gallery, as well as the university and city with which the gallery’s art, artists, and curators are in relentless dialogue.

Abdiel Jacobsen, a graduate in the Department of Dance and a former Martha Graham dancer, found freedom in hustle, which offers a progressive, gender-neutral vision of partnered social dance.

As co-founder of Noveltease Theatre, Stevi Costa (PhD, English) offers fresh takes on beloved books through burlesque. 

Her exploration at the UW has led Stephanie Masterman (BA, American Indian Studies; Arctic Studies minor; 2022) to leadership roles in her tribal community.

Despite the pandemic, Darby Sherwood (BA, Drama; Political Science minor, 2022) graduated with a robust resume that includes directing, acting, and playwriting experience.

Will Sanchez (BA, Comparative History of Ideas, 2022) has developed connections to build on — with leaders in nonprofit, tech, and political circles.

During her time at the UW, Ava Kloss-Schmidt (BS, Biology, 2022) has surrounded herself with plants — in a lab, in a greenhouse, and on mountaintops.

The CAS Dean’s Office conference room will now be named in honor of McElroy, the UW’s first full-time African American female faculty member.

Ukraine's national language is Ukrainian, but many citizens grew up speaking Russian. Does that matter? Professor Laada Bilaniuk studies language and Ukrainian identity.

UW Drama professor Valerie Curtis-Newton (MFA, 1996), who will present the University Faculty Lecture on May 3, has been stirring up "good trouble" and courageously unmasking uncomfortable truths for decades. 

A new generation of scientists is challenging the biased, hierarchical status quo in astronomy. The UW's Jessica Werk, Sarah Tuttle, and Emily Levesque, discuss.

When exhibition spaces closed due to COVID, artist and alum Anna Mlasowsky found another way to share artists' work.

In her work, artist and alum Barbara Earl Thomas "offers a lovingly tender elevation of Black people and their stories."

Danni Lin (2011, 2013) finds her statistics and computational finance & risk management degrees helpful as a wine entrepreneur in the US and China. 

His knowledge of ancient languages led Andrew Glass (2006) to a specialized technology job at Microsoft.