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 Over the past four years at the University of Washington my educational journey has

taken me many places. My time has been filled with a wondrous array of new experiences that

have culminated in both successes and failures. I have come to realize that my education is

solely mine to take control of, and that it encompasses all aspects of my life. The classes I have

chosen to take have provided me with numerous skills and, whether I loved them or not, have

all pointed me in the correct direction to get me to where I am today. I came into the university

unsure of what I wanted to focus my studies in and switched from engineering to architecture,

construction management, and business before finally finding my home in CEP. Within CEP I

have chosen to focus on Urban Development and Real Estate. I have also learned an enormous

amount outside of the classroom through extracurricular activities, internships, and the people

I have met and spent my time with. All of these experiences have come together to shape me

into the educated and thoughtful person I am today. I am graduating from college with a

bachelors in Community, Environment, and Planning, but I am also a musician, a boxer, a

mentor, a businessperson, a designer, and a student of the world. As I finish my senior year, I

use this document to reflect on these experiences as well as look forward to what the future

holds.

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ENGL 207 INTRO CULTURE STUDY - DIVERSITY

For my diversity credits I took an English class my freshman year called Hip Hop and Culture.
In this class we studied how hip hop emerged as a way for marginalized groups in the late 20 th
century to voice their opinions and fight against oppression. We read literature and listened to
music to analyze how hip hop music was a representation of this culture and what impact it has
had on society. I learned a great deal about the African-American communities in Los Angeles
and New York that helped to start the hip hop movement and this class made me look at this
culture with a new and educated perspective.

CEP 301 The Idea of Community (5)

Theories of community and communal rights and responsibilities. Experience building a learning
community within major. Explores struggles for community in every sector of life.

CEP 301 made me think about myself and the world around me in new ways while also building
my reading, writing, and discussion skills.

CEP 300 CEP Retreat (1, max. 4)

Focuses on planning analysis assessment and development of the major. Opportunities for
community building and all-major policy deliberation and decisions. Workshops for skill building
in consensus, facilitation, and for major-specific activities such as developing individual study
plans and study abroad experiences.

The retreats offer an opportunity to bond with my CEP community, further develop my
academic plan, and take some time for self-reflection.

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CEP 400 Governance Practicum (1, max. 6)
Emphasizes personal and collective leadership, democratic decision making, and learning
through direct action and reflection. Explores and develops students' personal skills as doers and
leaders, while also learning how to form and function as effective groups.

Governance is critical to maintaining and improving the CEP program as well as developing
myself as a responsible community member and leader. Throughout my junior year I was a
member of the Program Events and Student Engagement (PESE) committee. In fall quarter of
my senior year I will be a co-point of this committee.

DXARTS 200 Digital Art and New Media: History, Theory, and Practice (5) VLPA

Provides a historical and critical overview of artists and scientists pioneering the digital arts.
Discusses important digital media issues from aesthetics, creative strategies, emerging trends,
and socio-cultural aspirations.

This class provided a foundation in the theory and history of digital arts as well as hands on
experience with creating digital media projects. It also introduced me to the DXARTS
department, which I ended up taking more classes from in future quarters.

CEP 302 Environmental Response (5)

Explores issues of environmental crisis and societal responses. Readings and reflective analysis
from broad selection of authoritative sources to develop grounded perspective in ecological
literacy and consciousness. Concurrently, experiential education in challenges and practical
responses to building sustainable society through participation in community-based
environmental effort.

Acknowledging and addressing environmental issues is going to be a critical undertaking for my

generation. I took ENVIRONMENT 100 my freshman year and was struck by the scale and
urgency of many environmental problems and how closely they are tied to peoples everyday
lifestyle. In this class I learned more about the environment through a scientific perspective and
how to research and evaluate environmental projects.
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CEP 400 Governance Practicum

MUSIC 162 American Popular Song (5)

Historical, social, and stylistic study of popular idioms from the late nineteenth century to the
present. Most attention to contemporary idioms (rock, country-western, soul, hip-hop). Various
facets of the industry examined to learn how they influence taste and musical style.

MUSIC 116 Elementary Music Theory (2)

For nonmusic majors. For people with no hands-on music experience. Rudiments of music;
notation of time, small pitch structures (e.g., some scales, chords, rhythmic patterns), some
analysis.

Taking music 162 and 116 allowed me to explore my passion for music and have some fun with
my education. Although they are 100-level classes, they provided me with beneficial
background knowledge on music history and theory that I can take with me into future musical
endeavors.

CEP 303 Social Structures and Processes (5)

Investigates use of formal and informal social structures and processes within context of
community and environment. Looks at patterns and institutions of social organization and
relationships among different sectors. Issues of interrelatedness, citizenship, knowledge, and
communication.

As a member of modern society it is easy to just go through the motions without considering
the impact of your actions on the rest society. This class helped me think about my role as a
citizen in a more critical way and learn to develop myself as a better community member. I was
able to take the theories Ive learned about urban planning and community development and
use them in a real world situation to help a local client.

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CEP 300 CEP Retreat

CEP 400 Governance Practicum

DXARTS 460 Digital Sound (5) METHOD

Foundations of digital sound for digital arts applications. Project-based course focused on
creating experimental sound compositions. Overview of the history of electronic music and
analysis of important works from its cannon. Acoustics, psychoacoustics and digital sound
theory. Digital signal processing and recording techniques. Multi-track, recording, editing,
mixing, and mastering using Digital Audio Workstations (DAW). Offered: Sp.

Music and art are extremely important aspects of my life and I wanted to take DXARTS classes
at UW to gain a more professional understanding of these fields. In DXARTS 460 I learned how
to conceptualize, edit, and produce audio sound and digital art. The class was very rewarding
and I learned a lot of new skills while also meeting a variety of likeminded artists.

DXARTS 450 Digital Video Foundations (5) METHOD

An introduction to experimental video art. Provides a theoretical and practical foundation for
creating video for installation, performance, or screen. Students attend lectures and complete
assignments to create original video works. Workshops include hands-on introductions to digital
video production: cameras, lenses, sound, lighting, motion control, and non-linear editing.

Like 460, DXARTS 450 was also a very intense creative class. I learned all aspects of video
production, from storyboarding, to shooting, to editing and producing. Video production is a
skill I definitely wanted to have some general knowledge of because it can be used in a variety
of ways to create media in any field.

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CEP 460 Planning in Context (5)
Examines theory against backdrop of practice for broad historical understanding of social,
political, environmental planning. Critique from viewpoints, e.g., planning history, ethics,
ecofeminism, environmental justice, class and capitalism, planning and global economy.
Develop personalized history reflecting individual experience, professional experience, and
philosophical heritage of planning profession.

Planning is a strong interest of mine and part of what originally drew me to the CEP program.
Planning is integrated into almost every aspect of our lives and is therefore an integral part of
our society. This class partnered with the city of Auburn and provided us with real world
opportunities to use planning to benefit a community which was very rewarding.

CEP 300 CEP Retreat

CEP 400 Governance Practicum

CEP 490 Senior Project Prep Seminar I: Research and Project Scoping (1-3)
Supports the conceptualization and planning of senior project/capstone work. Focuses on
selecting a project, beginning a literature review, finding a mentor, and developing a plan.

This class helped me execute my senior project and produce it at the highest quality possible.
Through regular deadlines and check-ins it forced me to stay on task and the teachers provided
assistance and relevant lessons.

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ESRM 320 Marketing and Management from a Sustainability Perspective (5) METHOD

Introduction to business concepts relating to marketing, human resource management, small

businesses and entrepreneurship, and economics in the context of environmental resource
management.

This course combined my passion for sustainability with my interest in business by teaching me
modern business techniques that are geared towards facilitating sustainable companies. In
particular it focused on sustainable marketing and human resource strategies that build the
triple bottom line of environment, social, and financial gain.

CEP 461 Ethics and Identity (5)

Examination of personal, societal, vocational, environmental, planning ethics. Readings and
discourse on ethical foundations for public life. Individual and group readings on values, human
potential. Develops understanding of ecological context, moral responsibility, self-awareness.
Constructs positive, diverse view of humanity, environment regardless of race, gender, ethnicity,
beliefs. Offered: W.

Ethics is entwined in everything we do. It is important to examine the morals and beliefs that
guide our decisions in order to be aware of what shapes our choices and how they may be
perceived by others. This class taught me a variety of different ways to think about moral
decision making.

CEP 400 Governance Practicum

CEP 491 Senior Project Prep Seminar II: Methods and Actualization (1-3)
Focuses on implementing the senior project/capstone, including revisions and updates as seen
fit.

This class helped me execute my senior project and produce it at the highest quality possible.
Through regular deadlines and check-ins it forced me to stay on task and the teachers provided
assistance and relevant lessons.

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ESRM 321 Finance and Accounting from a Sustainability Perspective (5) METHOD

Introduction to business concepts relating to finance, accounting, and international business in

the context of environmental resource management.

This is the companion course for ESRM 320 that I took in the fall. This course is also about
sustainable business but focuses on finance and accounting. I took finance and accounting
courses as a sophomore so building on these skills through a sustainable lens was extremely
beneficial and definitely a skill I can use in future jobs.

R E 510 Intro to Real Estate (3) METHOD

Provides a basic overview of the participants, processes, workings of different components of

the real estate industry (including a variety of uses spanning from residential, office, retail and
industrial to specialized) as well as the quantitative components of the real estate decision-
making. Additionally, students are introduced to an overview of construction management,
sustainability, corporate services, property law and ethics.

Real Estate is a field I have become extremely interested in and potentially want to focus my
career in. Through this class I learned the basics of property valuation, investment, market
analysis, and financial modeling.

CEP 462 Community and Environment (5)

Capstone quarter merges core seminars, disciplinary courses in major, community field
experiences for mastery of personal knowledge and skills. Reflection and synthesis of themes in
major; engagement with contemporary issues. Compares theoretical definitions of community

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and environment with individual philosophies and knowledge within thoughtful, applied
context.

This final course allowed me to synthesize all of the material I have worked on throughout my
academic journey in CEP. It also gave me much needed time to work on finishing my senior
project and e-portfolio and get feedback from my peers on these projects.

CEP 300 CEP Retreat

CEP 400 Governance Practicum

CEP 446 Internship (5)

Connects core and individual courses with field work. Group and individual readings develop
understanding of how students' internships and field placements constitute particular element
of community and environmental planning. Explores how what we do for a living is part of our
lives as citizens and public service.

This class assisted me in turning my internship into a valuable piece of education. Bringing my
experiences at the work site back into the classroom facilitated discussion and analyzation that
I may have otherwise overlooked. Taking it in the spring of my senior year helped me to finalize
my resume and make a plan for post-graduation.

CEP 473 Digital Design Practicum (3) METHOD

Uses digital technologies for mapping, drafting, modeling, and communication. Includes real-
world case study projects that focus on urban design and planning issues.

Throughout my CEP curriculum I have learned a variety of different skills and concepts
regarding planning and urban development but felt that I lacked technical skills that may be
required in todays jobs. I took the Digital Design Practicum course to bolster my design and
technical skills and work on my portfolio.

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I spent the summer between my Junior and Senior year interning at Waterways Cruises and
Events. Waterways Cruises is a premier event company that offers luxurious dining cruises and
private events around the lakes of Seattle. At Waterways I worked in the sales and marketing
department and gained invaluable business skills and experience doing a wide range of tasks.
During my time with Waterways I handled over 300 sales accounts and helped to plan and
organize multiple large-scale events for hundreds of clients. I gained hands on experience with
accounting, customer service, event planning, sales, marketing, and account management.
Interning at a small, family-run business allowed me to participate in every part of the business.
I regularly got to work with the General Manager, CEO, and owners. This experience helped me
to connect what I was learning in the classroom to a real world situation and also inspired me
to take more business classes to grow these skills. This internship was my first experience
working 40 hours a week and was an amazing learning experience, resume builder, and
networking opportunity.

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I believe that getting involved in extracurricular activities is one of the most beneficial things
you can do at college. Gaining these hands-on, real-world experiences are a great supplement
to course work and can provide amazing opportunities for skill building and networking. Over
the past years I got involved in quite a few different activities outside of class. Two of the most
notable were being President of the UW Boxing Team and Build Coordinator of the UW Chapter
of Habitat for Humanity. Both of these positions allowed me to build my leadership traits and
teamwork skills while also getting to do things I was passionate about.

As president of the boxing team I helped to lead a national championship team of over 40
student boxers. In addition to facilitating the day to day operations of the team I also was in
charge of fundraising and acting as liaison between the team and the university. My time as a
UW boxer taught my irreplaceable traits of leadership and tenacity that I could not have
learned in only a classroom or professional setting.

During my freshman year I joined the UW Chapter of Habitat for Humanity as a way to give back
to my community and learn more about housing. I volunteered with them regularly to help
build affordable homes for families in King County. At the end of the year I became the build
coordinator. As an officer in the club I facilitated bi-weekly meetings, met with other officers to
decide the vision for the club, and worked to organize the house builds.

Some other activities I was involved in at UW was my fraternity Zeta Beta Tau where I was
social chair, UW Dream Project where I mentored high school students, and the UW Hip Hop
Club where I helped organize hip hop related events on campus.

For my senior project, I wanted to combine design and technology to make an impact in
my local community. I decided to focus on designing an app for college campuses. As mobile
technology grows at ever-expanding rates, smartphone apps are providing users with nearly
unlimited access to data in the palm of their hands. Universities can use these mobile apps to
effectively provide students with necessary resources in order to improve their college
experience. However, many university apps, such as the official University of Washington app,
are outdated, dysfunctional, and do not incorporate student feedback into the designs. Overall,
very little research has been done to determine the best way to design university apps and

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what specific content to include in them. My project addresses this issue by researching the
best way to design official university apps based off of student opinions and the most current
mobile app design principles and trends. Literary research on app design, case studies of
current university apps, and a combination of student surveys, interviews, and focus groups are
used to gather the information necessary to determine the most effective way to design these
university apps. My research findings are presented through this final report as well as a
presentation, poster, and mock app design. The results of this work will help the University of
Washington and all college campuses better understand how to design apps that are efficient,
useful, and needed by the students.

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