Three School of Social Work students—two students in the Bachelor of Social Welfare program and an MSW student following a Mental Health concentration—were selected to be part of the celebrated Husky 100 cohort.
The student recognition program acknowledges 100 undergraduate and graduate students in all disciplines from the Seattle, Tacoma and Bothell campuses who exemplify leadership, passion, creativity and commitment. In a highly competitive process, the selection committee chose this group from more than 1,800 nominees. Awardees will be recognized at an April 29 event.
Nebraska native and U.S. Navy veteran Siobhana R. McEwen (pictured, left) is a second-year day student in the MSW program. At the beginning of her studies, she was on target to become a community mental health clinician. But after her election to the Student Advisory Council she found that community organizing held a special meaning for her. Although still actively engaged in developing clinical skills, McEwen is now exploring ways to more seamlessly integrate community organizing, equity and justice, and law enforcement. “My goals now focus on decriminalizing mental illness by working to expand the number of mental health professionals in crisis response units and collaborating with law enforcement agencies on centering voices of marginalized communities in developing crisis-response protocol,” she said.
Stacie Tao, (pictured, right) a junior from Vancouver, Wash., with a double-major in Early Childhood and Family Studies and Social Welfare, has an interest in trauma-informed policies and practices that better serve children in the child welfare system. Tao wanted to become a pediatric nurse but several experiences at early learning sites around Seattle, including Childhaven, pointed her toward combining social work with education to create an interdisciplinary approach to equity. “This journey has brought me full-circle back to my initial desire to find healing for children,” said Tao. “I did not find my role as a healer through medicine as I initially intended but instead found hope in bringing healing through equitable and trauma-informed policies and practices to address the social determinants of a person’s well-being.”
Eugene Oh, (pictured, below) who grew up in Federal Way, Wash., is a senior with a double-major in social welfare and computer sciences. He believes his time at the UW has taught him to continually push himself in different areas, and the many challenges 
he has taken on while a UW student bear that out. Oh has mentored high-school youth, worked at local tech companies, focused on courses that present topics he feels passionate about, and volunteered in the community. “I have found ways to integrate and shift between these different spaces to learn how to better empower others,” said Oh. “I plan to move forward from the UW, combining my interests in education and technology to help empower the youth of tomorrow.”
The Husky 100 program demonstrates how education happens both inside and outside the classroom. By actively connecting these spheres and applying what they learn, Husky 100 students are making a difference on campus, in their communities and for the future.
Husky 100 nominees were judged by a committee of students and faculty in five categories, including having a discovery mindset, committed to be part of an inclusive community and capacity for leadership. A complete look at the 2019 Husky 100 is available here.
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Norma Purdom, MSW student, Social Work Program, UW Tacoma, joins the Husky 100