Below are biographies on the members of the research team that contributed to the 2006 World Information Access Report.
Sarah Barnes is a senior at the University of Washington, double majoring in communication and political science. She is also a member of Alpha Chi Omega where she has spent her four years of college. After graduation she would love to find a job in event planning, advertising or layout design. Barnes would like to spend some times traveling or live outside Washington for a few years but eventually come back to Seattle where she was raised. She is very close to her family, which is one reason why she wants to come back to Seattle to settle down. She also thinks Seattle is a beautiful city and has so much to offer. Barnes has never traveled outside of North America but is excited to learn about other countries and their way of life, specifically the European countries.
Yingzi Cao was born in Shanghai, China on January 30th, 1984. She immigrated to Seattle, Washington in 1989 at the age of four. She currently attends the University of Washington and is planning to graduate in the spring of 2006 with a degree in communication, and a minor in international studies: China. Cao really enjoys traveling and has been lucky enough to have seen many places in the world including many small rural towns in mainland China. Also in the winter of 2004 she traveled to Sydney, Australia, and to central Australia to Ayres Rock, and The Olgas. In the Spring of 2004, she had the opportunity to travel to Paris, where her cousin was attending graduate school, and was able to get a very local, realistic impression of life in Paris. Cao also speaks Mandarin Chinese fluently, which has aided her in many of her travels in China. She is now attempting to learn how to read and write in Chinese. She is uncertain what she will pursue after graduation, but is hoping to go into something that will allow her to utilize her ability to speak Chinese and her understanding of Chinese culture.
Michele Churchley is a senior at the University of Washington. She will graduate with a double Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and international studies, focusing on Europe with minors in law, societies and justice and human rights. She plans on studying international and comparative law at a school yet to be determined. Churchley is writing her senior thesis this year comparing refugee law and policy in the United States and France. She has spent a year studying at the University Paul Valery in Montpellier, France and is proficient in the French language. She has also traveled extensively in Western Europe and Morocco and is interested in traveling to more of Africa as well as India. Churchley is originally from Yakima, Washington.
Erin Clowes is currently a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in international studies through the University of Washington’s Jackson School. She hopes to lead international study-abroad programs after graduating in 2007. Clowes’ history with international education began in 1998, through the University of Washington’s Comparative History of Ideas, (CHID), program in South Africa. Clowes assisted in the development of that program in Capetown alongside her late husband, CHID Director James Clowes. She was also involved in CHID’s year-abroad venture in 2001-2002 which included quarter-long programs in Northern Ireland, South Africa and Cyprus. Excursions from Cyprus to the nearby nations of Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Egypt initiated Clowes’ interest in countries of the Middle East and her recognition of the misrepresentation of these cultures in the American media. Erin Clowes’ long-term ambitions include leading international study-abroad programs to facilitate student exposure to the beauty of Arab cultures.
Kristin Cook is a senior at the University of Washington, majoring in communication. She has lived in Washington state her whole life and grew up in the small town of Duvall. She would love to travel and visit many countries upon graduation. So far she has only made it to the Caribbean and Puerto Rico. She loved the clear water and sandy beaches there and desires to go back one day. She is interested in learning about other countries especially Europe, Australia and France. Currently, she is learning French and hopes to visit France one day.
Erin Danforth is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in communication. She plans on graduating in June of 2006 and attending Seattle University where she will get her master in teaching for elementary education. Danforth works at a local elementary school and is excited to pursue her career in teaching. She currently lives in Seattle in her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. However, she originally grew up in Redmond, WA, with her parents, Ron and Gail, and brother, Jeff. Danforth spends much of her time with her friends and family, and at her lake cabin near Couerd’Alene, ID. She enjoys traveling and has spent a little over a month in various parts of Europe including Spain, Switzerland, Germany and France. In addition, she has visited family in Canada many times and traveled to Cancun and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Tyler Evans is a senior at the University of Washington. He is currently finishing up his degree in communications and sociology. He chose to major in communications because he believes that he will be exposed to a variety of new media technologies that benefit his future endeavors. He is originally from Kennewick, Washington where he lived for 15 years. He moved to Vancouver, Washington where he finished high school at 2001. He then proceeded to the University of Washington to earn his bachelor’s degree. Upon graduation, Tyler plans on traveling to Tennessee, Washington D.C., and New Mexico, to visit friends and family. In his free time Tyler enjoys playing basketball and football. He prefers to watch television and read literature of a sports nature. For the past two years Tyler has been working in downtown Seattle at the Cheesecake Factory. He enjoys the fast-paced working environment of servicing customers and contributing to a team.
Emily Fewel is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in political communication with a minor in international studies. Fewel studied abroad in Rome during winter of 2005 through the UW. She later went on to work and live in London during the summer of 2005 where she developed a passion for international studies. Fewel is currently interning at the World Affairs Council in Seattle and has enjoyed internationalizing Seattle and her college community. After graduation in June 2006, she is planning on attending graduate school in order to obtain a Masters degree in intercultural communication. During the summer of 2006 she will intern at the Department of State. She is interested in pursuing a career in international relations with aspirations to work in the government after graduate school.
Heidi Harrison is currently a senior at the University of Washington double-majoring in political science and communication. She is originally from Puyallup, WA, where she attended Puyallup High School and was very active in ASB leadership. Harrison will be graduating from college in the spring of 2006 and plans to remain in the Seattle area and work in public relations. During her college years, she has been very active in her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, where she served as an executive board officer for two years. Academically, Harrison’s interests have mainly focused on the legal issues involved in the mass media and the globalization of media companies. In her free time, Harrison enjoys spending time with her friends and family, watching movies and skiing.
Philip Howard is an assistant professor in the Communication Department at the University of Washington. His book New Media Campaigns and the Managed Citizen (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006) is about the role of information technology in campaign strategy and political culture. He has published a co-edited collection entitled Society Online: The Internet In Context (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2003) as well as articles in New Media & Society, the American Behavioral Scientist, and the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Howard has been a Fellow at the Pew Internet & American Life Project in Washington, D.C., and the Stanhope Centre for Communications Policy Research in London. He served on the advisory board of the Survey2000 and Survey2001 Projects, and as co-PI on the large project called Information and Communication Technologies in Central Asia. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and Pew Charitable Trusts. He has worked as a consultant to the World Resources Institute, the Canadian International Development Agency, and development assistance projects for Haiti and Mexico. His current research and teaching interests include political communication and the role of new media in social movements and deliberative democracy, work in new economy and e-commerce firms, and the application of new media technologies in addressing social inequalities in the developing world. He teaches courses on research methods, politics online, organizational behavior and international media systems.
Soyoung Ihm has spent most of her life in Korea. She came to the University of Washington this September as an international exchange student from Seoul National University in Korea majoring in communication. Ihm wants to study more about her field in foreign countries after graduation. Afterwards, she plans to work in broadcasting companies. Ihm spent a few weeks in many countries in Europe and visited Brazil last winter. She is interested in international issues and wants to understand cultural, societal and political differences between different countries.
Trevor Jue is a senior in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington. He expects to graduate in the spring of 2006. Currently he works as
a runner, server assistant, and trainer at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Bellevue. He is pursuing a career in public relations at a local, professional athletic team. Born in Redmond, he is the youngest of three. His hobbies include excelling in nearly any major competitive sport, playing video games (xbox), chatting, socializing, and most importantly, sleeping.
Hollie Leonard was born in Seattle, Washington on April 4th 1984. She is currently a senior at the University of Washington. She is double-majoring in Communications and Political Science. She hopes to one day use her background in these fields to become a news anchor and investigative reporter. During the course of her career, she hopes to change the face of local news broadcasting and deliver to the public stories which have substance and do not merely involve crime and car accidents.
In her spare time, Hollie enjoys hiking and distance running. She plans to one day travel to Europe and Japan. Specifically, she would like to visit the Louvre in Paris, watch the sun set in the Greek Isles overlooking the Mediterranean, view the works of Bernini and other Italian artists in Italy, take the Eurorail across Europe and become immersed in the culture and fashion of Japan.
Raymond Look is a 5th year senior at the University of Washington who is studying economics and communications. He will be graduating in March of 2006. He will be looking for a job that he will like and enjoy. He likes the simple things of life.
Cole Murray is a vivacious, young, go-getter who has spent the last 4 years of his life at the University of Washington. As a young man, Murray spent the majority of his adolescence growing up in the rural town of Yakima, WA. When not bull riding or branding steers, Murray often practiced playing the violin, which skills he inherited from his great uncle, Sebastian Murray. Currently, Murray is planned to graduate from the University of Washington in the spring of 2006 with a B.A. in Comparative History of Ideas and Comparative Religion. Following graduation, Murray has scheduled a date with what is commonly known as reality. With pressures from every direction (primarily family members), Murray is expected to graduate and immediately start working a 9 to 5 job in order to support himself. Murray, on the other hand plans on once again traveling in order to find his potential. When asked what he plans on doing for a career, Murray responded, “Hopefully, it will all just fall into place.” His long term goals include owning his personal nutrition business and training athletes at a professionally level.
Nicole Nava was born on November 11th, 1983 and is the youngest of four children. She grew up in Vancouver, Washington, before moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington. Nava is currently a senior and will be graduating in March with a major in communication and a minor in public health. Upon graduation, Nava plans to work full-time to save money and travel during the summer of 2006. She is interested in traveling to tropical locations. After her travels, Nava plans to enter either the field of sales or human resources. She hopes to use her passion and skills with people to make a successful career for herself. Nava is very outgoing and enjoys having an active lifestyle. Eventually, Nava hopes to reside and a raise a family in southern California.
Ruby Palanca is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in political science and journalism. Her main interests of study are the effects of globalization on the relationship between media organizations and governmental policy making. After graduation, she will be doing an editorial internship with Alaska Airlines Magazine and plans on pursuing a career in the magazine industry or public relations. A native of Everett, WA, Palanca has traveled to the Philippines and hopes to one day do extensive travel around southeast Asia and Europe.
Sharee Pierceis a graduating senior at the University of Washington majoring in political science with an emphasis on political communication. Some of her favorite topics studied at U.W. have been mass media effects on racial minorities and changes in political rhetoric targeted towards African American women. She intends to spend next year in Botswana and South Africa helping students and children in rural villages realize the higher education opportunities available to them. She also plans to attend law school in the United States, focusing her education on mass media law and ethics.
Patrick Schaefer is a senior at the University of Washington graduating in the spring of 2006 with a double degree in Cinema Studies and Communication. He is a born and bred Washingtonian interested in anything and everything elated to movies. He looks forward to going to film school in California and becoming vigorously involved in the film industry upon getting his degree. His current interests aside from taking advantage of the great academics available at UW include Husky basketball, running, and Scrabble and crossword puzzles.
During his four years at college he has been involved with groups on campus such as the Associated Students of the University of Washington Arts and Entertainment and the Film Club, served as a resident advisor in the residence hall for two years, and worked on creative writing and home made films to help blossom the inner filmmaker. While he has not traveled outside of the United States, besides the obligatory visit to Vancouver, British Columbia by all Washington residents, he hopes to go out and explore the world once issues such as money and time are not so complicated. Upon completion of Communications 420, he hopes to broaden his knowledge on issues and policies in the world that will assist in being a global citizen in the 21st century.
Karl Smith is a senior at the University of Washington pursuing a double degree in International Studies and Business Administration. In addition to general studies of a variety of regions, he has also informally focused much of his scholarship on the Republic of Turkey. Outside the classroom, Karl has been active as a leader in student government, where he served on the Board of Directors, and the American Civil Liberties Union at the University of Washington, where he served as president. Upon completion of his undergraduate degrees, Karl intends to attend law school and pursue a career as an attorney in the public interest field.
Tasha Thomas was born and raised in Juneau, Alaska, where she lived for more than 12 years before moving to Washington. After graduating from high school in Lake Stevens, she began her studies at the University of Washington. At the university, Thomas combined her love of writing with her strong curiosity of the world and joined the Department of Communications as a journalism major. Her favorite areas of study are international relations, communications, and literature. Her ideal job would include writing and free international travel, especially to exotic places. Although she has only seen select areas of Great Britain, she hopes to add several countries and continents to her list. Thomas plans to study abroad in Spain next fall, and graduate either in the winter or spring of 2007, depending on the availability of communications classes and her attention span.
Zachary Tobin is a senior in the Jackson School of International Studies focusing on Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Tobin is also double majoring in Political Science and hopes to work for the State department after he graduates. His international experience includes a study abroad program in Prague, Czech Republic as well as extensive travel to more than ten countries in Western and Eastern Europe. These experiences have tremendously beneficial for Tobin, as they have allowed him to broaden his perspectives and experience cultures and customs unlike his own. By taking courses related to possible international work such as American Foreign Policy, Russian Foreign Policy, and International Political Economy, Tobin hopes to better prepare himself for a more globalized and integrated economy. Tobin enjoys politics and keeping up with current events through the New York Times and BBC News. His special areas of focus are Slovak Nationalism and development as well as Russia’s relationship to its fellow members of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Tobin also enjoys playing and watching basketball and listening to music when he is not busy with school.
Holly Towner is currently a senior at the University of Washington, where she is studying Psychology and Communications. After graduation she is planning on attending law school, in hopes of studying corporate law. Her intentions are to someday practice corporate law for Starbucks where she is currently a part-time barista. Besides being a student and holding a part-time job, she is also a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, where she has held various offices including Executive Vice President. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, her family moved to Olympia, Washington when she was young, but she still enjoys visiting her friends and family back in Chicago. During her spare time she enjoys various activities such as running, shopping, traveling, and reading.
Jill Wicklund is an original Seattelite that grew up in south Seattle with her family of two brothers and parents. Wicklund is a senior undergraduate at the University of Washington. She has spent her years at the University of Washington studying Political Science and Communications. Wicklund spent her junior year living in Spain with a Spanish family. She studied Spanish for three hours every day and traveled all throughout Spain during her time there. After living in Spain she traveled for a month throughout Italy, parts of France, England and the Netherlands. Wicklund is currently acquiring her real estate license through North Seattle community college. She will graduate in June with a double major and will have completed her real estate license exam and hopefully will be beginning a career in Seattle Real Estate.
Heather Wildeis a senior at the University of Washington and will be graduating in June 2006 with a degree in political science and international studies. Originally from Scottsdale, AZ, she has lived in Seattle, Washington since the fall of 2002. She is an active member of Delta Gamma Fraternity and has held several leadership positions over the past three years. She has also worked for a fashion magazine selling advertising in Los Angeles for the summer of 2004 before going on to intern with a public relations firm in Washington, DC last winter. After graduation she intends to travel through Europe and then work for a year, before attending Law School at Arizona State University in Phoenix.
Robert Wong is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in communication with a minor in political science. Currently, he is studying for his bachelor’s degree and contemplating graduate school. He will be graduating in June of 2006 and plans to go into the healthcare information industry although journalism and politics are in his interests. Wong is an active member of the University of Washington’s PRSSA chapter and is also involved in on-campus sports. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf and tennis.