Student Bios

Marian Abdirahman, TCOM 347

My name is Marian Abdirahman. I identify as a Black, Somali, cisgender woman and my pronouns are she/her. I am a first-generation college student and I grew up in a low-income family that is now a working-class family. I have four sisters and three brothers. My parents are from Somalia and I am bilingual and speak Somali. I am a senior student that is majoring in communications. My academic interests are media and the platform it provides for others. Also, the different forms of media that are used and how to use them to the best of their abilities when you are advertising something.

Lynese Cammack, TSOC 265

My name is Lynese Cammack, I am a freshman at the University of Washington Tacoma campus and I have the intended major of Politics Philosophy and Economics. To me, my involvement with the black lives matter movement here in Tacoma has become more than just a fight but a constant dedication to the movement. I am the Tacoma branch NAACP youth council’s community outreach chair coordinator and an intern at United Advocates for Justice. In these groups we protest weekly, also a select few and I do constant voter registration at these protest as we value the saying, “turning protest into policy”. Continuing to move forward for me means continuing to amplify the people community who are willing to congregate and put our voices together to take a stance, work with other anti-racist organizations to help provide that space and opportunity, and continuing to provide education to those who need it.

Elion C. Chong, TSOC 265

My name is Elion Chong and I am currently a senior at the University of Washington pursuing a degree in Finance. I am a first-generation Korean-American student that grew up in a lower-income household. My parents did not pursue a college education but have worked hard by owning their own restaurant and providing for me and my two older sisters. This is a huge reason why I have a passion for financial literacy and I hope to better myself and those around me in the future.

Brendan Collins, TCOM 347

My name is Brendan Collins. I identify as a young White cisgender man and I use the pronouns he/him. I am a second-generation student who grew up in a working-class family and I have two adopted younger sisters. My ethnicity is Irish and German, and I identify as a heterosexual, I am leaning toward agnostic even though I was raised in a Catholic family. I have ADHD and my nationality is US. I believe I align within the Agent Group because I am a straight white male that is a part of the working class, but it is an honest middle class.  Currently, I don’t really know what year I identify with in college. I have gone to three different colleges in the state of Washington and I am finally starting to find my groove and rhythm that is allowing me to finish school. I am majoring in Communications and on my way to receive a Minor in Marketing. My academic interests revolve around the idea of mass communications and reporting/journalism. I am currently a subpar writer, but I try to read at least once a day to improve on this lacking skill. I am also looking forward to the relationship between the music industry and cultural identity which is something that we went through during the music video assignment.

Tarik Cruz, TCOM 347

Hey! My name is Tarik Cruz, and identify as a black and Asian male and go by the pronouns of he/him/his. I was born in Japan and am a first-generation who grew up in a retired military family. My mother’s side is from Japan, and I speak fluent Japanese with her as well. My father’s side comes from Brooklyn, New York. I am currently studying to major in the film track of the Arts, Media, and Culture program. My professional interests include anything to do with cameras and storytelling, and throughout my time here at school, I hope to learn to tell better visual stories through moving pictures we call film!

Ashley Dembroski, TSOC 265

My name is Ashley Dembroski I am a senior at the University of Tacoma Milgard School of Business. My major is General Business, my hope is to one day work at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. I love the work they do and the values they observe. I identify as a white American woman, my grandmother was full Hispanic, though I don’t fully identify Hispanic because I am mixed with Polish and Norwegian as well.

Bianca Dinis, TCOM 347

My name is Bianca Dinis. I identify as a European cisgender woman and I use the pronouns she/her. I am a student who grew up in a middle-class family, and I have one younger brother. My parents are from Paris and Germany and I speak French with my dad, brother, and all of my dad’s family. Currently, I am a senior majoring in Communication. My academic interests are in the advertising / social media realm. My ideal job would be doing advertising remotely for nonprofits or brands that are making a difference in the world. I am also interested in learning about digital video production since visual content is great to advertise certain things.

Ron E. Eisman, TCOM 347

My name is Ron E. Eisman. I identify as a middle-aged Caucasian cisgender man and I use the pronouns he/his. I am a first-generation student who grew up in a lower-class family, and I have three siblings. My family is from California, moving up and down the west coast until settling in Washington State. Currently, I am a Junior student majoring in Communication. My academic interests revolve around understanding the relationship between media and society, especially the understanding and creation of our beliefs through the film industry and cultural identity. I am interested in learning about digital video production since I hope to produce movies and videos in the future.

Oluwaseyi Faleke, TCOM 347 

My name is Oluwaseyi Faleke. I identify as an African-American woman and I use she/her pronouns. I am originally from Nigeria. I am currently a Senior majoring in Technical Communication. My academic interests encompass fiction writing, as well as user experience and design. I hope to further study interactivity in relationship to user experience and design something wonderful.

Daisy Flores, TCOM 347

My name is Daisy Flores. I identify as a young Mexican-American woman and I use the pronouns she/her. I grew up in a single-household working-class family and am the youngest and only female in my family. I was born and raised in Nevada but moved to Washington state when I was sixteen. Currently, I am a Junior student majoring in Communication. My academic interest revolves around digital video production and during my free time I enjoy watching different types of films. I also enjoy listening to music, spending time with my family and friends, watching sports, and trying new things.

RG, TCOM 347

My name is RG. I identify as a young, cisgender white woman. The pronouns I use and identify with are she/her. I am a second-generation UW student. My mom attended the Seattle campus and encouraged me to study here at UW Tacoma, as I could save money by commuting to classes. I am a Junior pursuing a Communications degree. My academic interests revolve around the role that social media and traditional media play in our daily lives. I am also interested in how both social and traditional media are evolving to be more inclusive of different identities.

Aiyanna Gutema, TSOC 265

Aiyanna Gutema was born in Burlington, VT, to a first-generation immigrant father and a mother raised on a foreign US Army base. Growing up, she and her two siblings were immersed in Ethiopian, German, and American cultures. Originally studying Economics at Dartmouth College, she transferred to the University of Washington Tacoma to pursue a BA in Business Administration to serve her passion for people and the advancement of young, Black leaders.

Elena Ho, TCOM 347

My name is Elena Ho. I am a young Asian American woman and I use she/her pronouns. I come from a family of immigrants, and am a part of the first generation of my family to go to college. I am currently a Communications major with an emphasis and interest in film. My academic interests and passion lie in film production. I like to learn a little bit of everything in the field, as I’m very interested in producing, but I also enjoy writing and drafting scripts in my spare time.

Sierra Kratsch, TCOM 347

My name is Sierra Kratsch and I identify as a young cisgender woman and I use she/her pronouns. I grew up in the Tacoma area with my parents and three older siblings. I am a Senior student at UWT majoring in Arts, Media, and Culture on the Film Track and working towards a minor in Business Administration. Academically I’m focused on theorizing films in relation to mise-en-scene and themes in film across the past century. I’m also focused on how film plays a role in politics, society, and identity on an individual and a wider scale. Stemming from this I hope to learn more about digital video production to one day start my own creative video work.

Lucy Malone, TCOM 347

My name is Lucy Malone. I identify as a white woman and I use she/her pronouns. I am a first-generation college student that grew up in a upper middle class family with one older brother. My family is very business orientated as my mom started her own construction business and my brother is now part owner. We are looking to start another business building and remodeling houses. I have my real estate license and my dad is a general contractor so we are excited to blend our areas of expertise to create beautiful and functional homes for families to cherish. I am currently in my third year at UWT majoring in Communications with a minor in Business Administration. My academic interest is to learn how communication effects all cultures and apply this knowledge to properly communicate, understand and relate to future clients and all members of my community.

Sreymoon Mao, TSOC 265

Sreymoon Mao is majoring in Neuropsychology. My interests are in Human behavior, mental illness, disorders and criminology. My family is from Battambang, Cambodia. In 1980, my family fled Khmer rouge and came to America. I grew up in Tacoma, Washington.

Olivier Matendo, TCOM 347

My name is Olivier Matendo. I identify as an African- American man. I use he/him pronouns. I was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but I grew up in a refugee camp located in Malawi, a country in southern part of Africa. I am a first-generation college student who grew up in a very poor family that could barely make ends meet. I left my country of origin when I was eight years old and went to a refugee camp where I lived for nine years from 2007 to October 19th, 2015. I arrived in the United States on October 21st, 2015. I attended Highline College where I received my high school diploma and an Associate degree with emphasis in Political Science. I am currently attending school at UW Tacoma where I am majoring in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. I am also thinking about minoring in Public Policy. My interests is to understand International politics and work with the refugees and immigrants in the future.

LaKeisha Morris, TSOC 265

I am LaKeisha Morris. As of Fall 2020, I am a senior in the Computer Science and Systems major, with a minor in Technical Communications. I am interested in art, video games, other forms of media, computer science, and how these can be used to communicate ideas to others.

Cory Newton, T SOC 265

My name is Cory Newton (He/Him) and I am a Senior at UWT studying criminal justice. I am from Dallas Texas and during my transition from the military my wife and I decided that the PNW would be our home. After graduation I plan on working for a local police department.

Analise Nyland, TSOC 265

My name is Analise Nyland, I am an EGL major, the closer I’m coming to graduation the more lost I’m feeling about career goals, but my interests are in art and sociology. My ancestry is rooted in Mormon Utah even though my immediate family no longer practices, my grandma grew up on a farm in a tiny town called Paradise.

Kiya, TCOM 347

My name is Kiya and I identify as a young, black Muslim American woman from Washington State and my pronouns are she/her. I come from a middle-upper class family and I am a second-generation college student. I am currently a Junior majoring in Psychology and I hope to graduate with a Bachelors next year! I plan on becoming a therapist of some sort and help children and teens in struggling neighborhoods.

Asha Lorraine Richardson, TSOC 265

My name is Asha Lorraine Richardson, and this is my last year at UWT! I am an Ethnic, Gender, and Labor Studies major with a minor in Sociology. I am still considering where I want to go next in terms of my career and further education. I hope to pursue a career in the realm of non-profit and community-based organizations. I come from my mother of East Indian descent and my father from the Haliwa-Saponi Native American tribe (Haliwa band of the Saponi Nation) and Black descent.

J.S., TCOM 347

My name is J.S.  I identify as a young American man with some Asian heritage and I use he/him pronouns.  I am a second-generation student at the UW who grew up in a working-class family and I have three younger siblings. I am currently a Senior majoring in Communication.  My academic interest revolves around storytelling, in order to make myself a better writer, and I am also interested in photography. My goal is to someday become a journalist for a magazine company.

Lore A. Zent, TCOM 347

Hello, my name is Lore A. Zent. I am a young nonbinary individual who uses they/them pronouns. I am a third-generation student who grew up in an upper middle-class environment, with my step-father being an electrician and my mother a professor. I have one younger sibling who is now a mechanic. As a student living on my own off-campus, working a pink-collar job, I consider myself now to be lower-middle class. I am a white individual who is majorly European descent. I feel homage to my German, Polish and Russian roots primarily. Both sides of my family have migrated to the U.S. from Ukraine. Through my father’s and mother’s side, I am third and fourth generation American respectively.  Currently, I am a senior majoring in Communication at the University of Washington Tacoma. I also have a vocational degree in Game Art and Animation. My academic interests majorly revolve on the ethics and narrative of media, with a focus on cyberpsychology, virtual reality and television. I believe that media can be a great tool for sharing different perspectives and creating more understanding throughout different communities.