Eight global health students, ranging from undergraduate to PhD, made this year’s prestigious University of Washington Husky 100.
The Husky 100 recognizes 100 undergraduate and graduate students from the UW Bothell, Seattle, and Tacoma campuses who actively connect what happens inside and outside of the classroom and apply what they learn to make a difference on campus, in their communities and for the future. Members of the Husky 100 are eligible to receive exciting benefits and to participate in a range of activities and opportunities.
The selection process this year was highly competitive, with 1,729 nominations and 597 applications from all three UW campuses. Students were evaluated based on how well they connect the dots, embrace a discovery mindset, demonstrate commitment to inclusive community, exhibit a capacity for leadership, and show they’re ready for what’s next. The global health students on the list include a Soros Fellow who has made a name for herself as an outspoken advocate for race and medicine, a Magnuson Scholar investigating the intersection of intimate partner violence and HIV, and a PhD student committed to disrupting the "single story" often told about Africa.
Below, the eight remarkable global health students included on the 2021 Husky 100 share more about their backgrounds and aspirations in their own words.
Avneet K. Bhullar
B.S.: Biology (Physiology), Global Health, Anthropology
UW and its community have shown me how to effectively advocate for and empower the patients and communities I will continue to serve as a physician. As the daughter of Indian and Southeast Asian Immigrants, I am devoted to creating a space where communities of color can thrive. Read more
Debora Ferede
B.S.: Biology (Physiology), Global Health
My Husky experience has emphasized the roles that inequity and disparity play in society, but has also sparked my passion to demolish them. As a first-generation college student, daughter of Ethiopian immigrants, and a future physician, I am optimistic for the future. Read more
Sumaya Mohamed
M.P.H.: Global Health, Ph.D.: Sociocultural Anthropology
I am truly grateful to have found people at UW who put all their effort and energy into decolonizing academia and revolutionizing research methodology by shifting the paradigm to incorporate the philosophy of community-led research. Read more
Juan Sebastian Osorio-Valencia
MPH: Global Health; Leadership, Policy, and Management TRACK
A proud Colombian and Latino. Passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship in health, and strong advocate of social justice and multidisciplinary collaboration to solve problems and empower communities through STEAM education. Read more
Evalynn Fae Taganna Romano
M.P.H.: Global Health; M.S.W.: Clinical Social Work
I am a proud daughter of two University of Washington custodians and a first-generation graduate student. I honor my ancestors from the Philippines and Turkey through storytelling in the Waray-Waray language, community organizing for custodial workers’ rights, and providing therapy to Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islander survivors of violence. Read more
Beatrice Wamuti
Ph.D.: Global Health; Implementation Science
My student experience – first as a master’s student in public health (MPH) and later on as a PhD student – has helped me disrupt the single story often told about Africa: the poverty-stricken continent full of diseased people needing external support from high-income countries. Read more
Dorothy Thomas
Ph.D.: Global Health, Implementation Science
The UW has been a deeply enriching environment for researching conditions of accumulated risk and behavior that threaten individual and population health. Read more
Naomi Nkinsi
M.D: Medicine and M.P.H: Global Health
My work with under-served and under-represented communities has always been and will continue to be empowerment centered. Read more