Linda Costa

A bernese mountain dog mix shown sitting snow with mountain peak behind him.
Miles looking regal while backpacking out within the Koma Kulshan wilderness.

Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, I have resided in Washington State for six years. I currently am a senior at the University of Washington, attending the Foster School of Business, with a track in Accounting. While back in Boston, I studied communications and professional writing.

I have recently accepted an offer with Moss Adams, a public accounting firm which specializes in segmenting middle-market industries. I will be working in Business Assurance, and I am proud to be contributing, in particular, to the Tribal Government team.

I love to travel. I have been to all but five states, but am planning to study for my CPA exams in one of the remaining states: New Mexico. I will be spending about a month on a Goji Berry Farm outside of Taos, where famous writers, such as Aldous Huxley, have stayed. It will be a perfect culmination of my history as an English major turned Business student.

My hobbies include mountain biking, snowboarding, and long-distance backpacking. This upcoming April, I will begin the 2,650 mile journey of walking along the Pacific Crest Trail. I will be essentially walking home to Bellingham, WA, where my future career (and great biking) will become my next adventure. My Bernese/Aussie mix, Miles, will be joining me for the Washington section; he is pictured above.

Reidar Kelstrup

An undergraduate student at the University of Washington, I am a double major in American Indian Studies and History. My primary interests are in Native American and Polynesian history and language especially as relates to treaty rights, governance, and language revitalization. I am currently studying the Hawaiian and Lushootseed languages. Born in the midwest to descendants of Norwegian immigrants, my interest in Native American history (a question I get frequently asked) comes from a desire to understand and share the truth about a part of American history and culture about which people are frequently misinformed and which still affects the lives of countless people today, indigenous and non-indigenous alike.

Myself (right) and a friend on a hiking trip in the Queets River Valley (Olympic National Park).

Otherwise, I am an avid outdoorsman with a goal to make it to every national park in my lifetime. Practically speaking, I am currently at four of fifty-nine (there are three or four others that I have been to in passing or when I was much younger, so I will be revisiting those), and I will be visiting Glacier Bay and Wrangell-St. Elias in Alaska this upcoming summer. I am also an Eagle Scout and a member of the Order of the Arrow.

Howard Echo-Hawk

Howard Echo-Hawk (Pawnee) is a American Indian Studies major. Echo-Hawk was raised in Alaska, around the Athabaskan village of Mentasta–home to the matriarchal chief, and late Native rights activist, Katie John. As the youngest sibling of five sisters and two brothers, Howard learned early on that listening first was the best way to be heard. Steeped in indigenous culture, Howard’s passion for social justice and activism has always been at the forefront, passed on to him through storytelling and indigenous ways of knowing. A writer and storyteller, he is passionate about using his abilities to give voice to good causes, and to change the colonial narrative for authentic indigenous stories. Howard has been fortunate enough to do a lot of traveling, and enjoys playing music and performing in any capacity.

Hat that says
Me wearing my favorite hat.

Tyler Simpson

image of Tyler Simpson
Me

I grew up in West Seattle and I’m a second year student at the University Washington. A graduate of Nova Project alternative high school, I’m going into the Community and Environmental Planning program in the college of built environments–designing our environments, housing, and transportation to improve equity, community, sustainability, and and accessibility, while minoring in Geography and Comparative History of Ideas. I hope to do work that fights against the hierarchies of capitalism, gender roles, patriarchy, racism, homophobia, and transphobia. I publish articles, primarily focused on Seattle politics and housing, on my own site.  I’m a member of Tent City Collective: a group of UW students, Tent City 3 encampment residents, and broader Seattle community members working together to address the housing justice crisis in Seattle. In the past, TCC lobbied for and facilitated the hosting of TC3 on UW’s campus, and we hope to do the same again.

Kristen Linden

This is my first quarter at the University of Washington. I am junior withstanding in credits because I previously graduated with my associates in arts from Clark College. I am currently completing prerequisites to apply for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. This class has opened me up to a new interest and I would also like to obtain a diversity minor from the University of Washington as well.

 

Arthur Setiawan

I am currently a Junior studying Informatics in the University of Washington. I was born on 13 February 1999 in Jakarta, Indonesia. I consider myself as a Chinese Indonesian, a minority ethnic group which is five percent of Indonesia’s total population.

I am pursing Informatics as a major because I aspire to help advance the technological deficiencies that Indonesia has in comparison to other neighboring nations. Being an international student, I’ve had the opportunity to have visited more than ten countries and hundreds of unique cities which has contributed immensely to my understanding of foreign cultures and their societies.

Being the eldest son in a very capitalist-minded family, taking this Indigenous Leaders and Activists class has opened my eyes to more in-depth and unique aspects of the cultural world that I very greatly enjoy. Being inexperienced with U.S. history, this class has offered me a lot of knowledge and improvement for my understanding on this developing country and how it has came to be.

I'm in there somewhere
Me with my friends on a Catholic spiritual retreat

 

 

 

 

 

Jareese Espinosa

I am a third generation Filipino Korean American, and have lived in Maple Valley Washington for the past 14 years of my life after moving from Seattle Washington where I lived for my first 4 years. I went to Tahoma Senior High school where my graduating class was near 750 students. However the year I graduated was the year the new high school was finished, it’s the biggest one in the state. Also for my junior and senior year I participated in my school’s running start program (or dual credit program for out of state people) at Green River College to take easier course loads, have more down time, and to of course save money and get some easy free college credit. During my time through high school school was relatively easy and manageable, but here at the University of Washington it’s a new kind of impossible.

I am very passionate about taking naps and eating food, usually consecutively  but then again life is always about adapting so not always in that order. I love all asian foods, probably cause I am asian and probably cause it’s amazing.

This is my spirit animal, pandas are a gift to the world.

Continuing with the Asian theme I love and admire Pandas, they are my spirit animal. I know there are other endangered animals that we could be putting money into saving that are I guess more beneficial to the ecosystem and society, but  Pandas are Pandas and it would be inhuman to essentially kill such magnificent gentle balls of yin-yang fluff.

Elizabeth Leighty

Originally from Austin, Texas, I am a first year student attending the University of Washington. I plan on studying biology here and hopefully attending medical school in the future to become a doctor. When I lived in Austin I was an avid lacrosse player and participated in events promoting women’s and LGBTQ+ rights. I still have many friends and family living in Austin, including my twin brother attending UT Austin.

Jo Wellington

I am a History major and an American Indian studies minor. I have been interested in Native American history for many years, now applying my hobby to the academic field. I am considering a graduate degree in museum studies or medieval history.

Born and raised in the pacific northwest, I love the weather and landscapes here. In my free time, I’m usually out driving through the cascades or holed up in a coffee shop with my laptop.

 

Kathy Xu

I am an undergraduate students at the University of Washington, majoring  in computer science. I am interested in discovering the difference between different cultures as an international student from China. I am familiar with almost all Asian history and cultures, but the indigenous Americans are definitely the blank page for me. I want to compare the Asian culture to western culture, understanding the qualities of leaders as well. Additionally, I want to improve my reading comprehension and the writing skills which is another reason to choose a history class.

Also, I love reading books and watching movies about technology, especially the application of  artificial  intelligence. I am a fan of Elon Musk.