PreCEP:Years13

WhenIfirstenteredtheUniversityofWashington,Iwasononetrack.Thistrackwasa
singleandveryspecificengineeringprogram,BioresourceScienceandEngineering
(BSE).ThereasonwhyIwasdoingthisprogramwasbecauseafriendsdadcameto
myhighschoolandpromotedtheprogram.Beingfromasmalltown,Iwasintriguedby
movingtoSeattleandmylifeafterhighschool.Thisprogramexcitedmewithasecure
roleintheprogram,ajobafterwards,andafairpaycheck.

MyfirstquarterhereatUWwasrough.Reallyrough.Ihadhitoneonthebiggest
transitionsIhadeverfacedinmylifethetransitionfromhighschooltocollege.Ihadto
movefromarelaxedruraltowntoanupbeatbigcity.Ihadtotransitionfromrelatively
easyclassesinhighschooltorigorouscourseworkatUW.Yet,thebiggesttransition
wasinthewaythatclasseswerestructured,andthefreedomthatthisbroughtto
students.Itransitionedintothemindsetthatthreeexamsdeterminedthemajorityof
onesgradeforanentirequarter.ThiswasinclassessuchasIntrotoChemistry,
PrecalculusandPhysics.Iwasinthemindsetwheremultiplegradesdeterminedthe
grade,suchasavarietyofhomework,assignments,labs,andexams,notjustthree
tests.

Ontheotherhand,IdidverywellinanEnglishCompositionclassmyfirstquarter.AsI
struggledwithwritinginhighschool,IwantedtotakeanEnglishclassatthebeginning
ofmycollegecareertostartlearningandimprovingrightaway.Eventhoughsomeof
theclassworkwasverydifficultandchallengingforme,Ididverywellintheclass
becauseofthewaythatitwasstructured.Assignmentsweredueeveryotherweek,and
deadlinesandmilestoneswereconsistentalongtheway.Thislearningstyleliesatthe
oppositeendofthespectrumofthemathandchemistryclassesthatIwastaking.
Theseothersortsofclassesfeaturedthreeweeksofinstruction,withanexamatthe
end,wherethestudentwasresponsibleforallthematerialbythemselves.Thiswasa
largestruggleforme.

OvermyfirstyearIlearnedthehardway,Ilearnedbyfailing.Iwasforcedtolearn
disciplineandresponsibility.AsIlookbackonthistime,IamgladthatIdidtryandfail.
Itwasadefiningtimeinmylife.Icontinuedintomysecondyear,andthefallquarterof
mythirdyear.Stilltryingtomoveon,gainconfidenceintheseclassandjuststayafloat
attheUniversityofWashington.

ItookyetanotherquarterofOrganicChemistryandPhysicsintheFallquarterofmy
thirdyearandfinallydecidedthatIhadhadenough.Irealizedthatthisengineering

programwasjustnotforme.Thisdecisiontosaythatengineeringwasnotformewas
verydifficult,asIreallydidnotknowwhatotheroptionswereoutthereforme.Coming
fromasmalltown,Ithoughtthatthethreeprimarycareeroptionsweretobecomean
engineer,lawyer,oradoctor.Ofcourse,Iknewandrealizedthattherewereother
careersandjobs,butIthoughtthatthesewerethebestorprimarymajorsinwhichI
shouldstrivefor.Ididnotknowoftheover150majorsatUWthatIhadnotyetthought
about.

AsIstartedregisteringforclassesinthewinterquarterofmythirdyear,Isoughtouta
lotofadviceandhelpfromadvisorsandmentors.Iwasencouragedtotakeafewmore
generalclassesthatwerenotinthemath,science,orengineeringprograms.Iwas
excitedforthischange,buthadabsolutelynoideawhatIshouldtake,orwhatelseI
wouldbeinterestedin.ItwasveryeasyformetoclingontotheBSEprogrambecause
itwassomewhatfamiliarasIhadaconnectiontoitthroughafewfriends.Intakingnew
classesindifferentdepartments,IhadtobranchoutofmycomfortzoneinhopethatI
mightfindsomethingthatwasnewandbetterthanmysituationatthetime.

Iwasdirectedtowardstwodifferentareasofstudy,thesubjectsofSociologyand
Community,Environment,andPlanning(CEP).Thatquarter,ItookSociology270:
SocialProblems,andCEP200:IntrotoCommunity,Environment,andPlanning.This
quarterwasabigstepintotheunknownforme.Howeveritprovedtobeagreat
success,verymuchworththerisk.

ThefirstchangeformewasintheCEPclass.Thisclasswasmoreofadiscussion
basedclassinsteadofamoreclassiclecturestructure.Thisclassdelvedintoabasic
understandingofwhatcommunitiesareandhowtheyareformed,theenvironment,and
urbanplanning.AnotherbigchangefromthehardsciencetotheCEPclasseswasthe
classsize.Mathandchemistryclassesoftenhadupwardsof300people,whereasthe
CEP200classhadlessthan40students.ThiswasabigdealformeasIgottoknow
boththeinstructor,ChrisCampbell,andmyfellowstudentsfairlywelloverthecourseof
elevenshortweeks.ComingfromasmalltownwhereIknewalargepercentageofmy
fellowstudents,beingabletoknowmostifnotallofthestudentsbynamewasabig
plusforme.

TheotherclassthathadahugeimpactofmewasaSociologyclass.Inhighschool,my
focusandforteseemedtobeinthemathandscienceclasses.Lookingbackonit,this
flippedwhenIcametocollege.ThroughtheSociologyandCEPclasses,IfoundthatI
wasabletosucceedinthem,enjoytheclasses,anddowellinothersubjectsbesides
mathandscience.Iwasengagedandcontributedtoclassdiscussionsbothinthelarger

lectureclassesandsmallerquizsectioninthesocialproblemsclass.Thisclasswas
alsoanewexperienceoffellowstudentsandmindsets.Frommyexperience,the
engineeringstudentsthatIworkedwithallvoicedmostlythesameopinions.Onthe
otherhand,thissociologyclassfeaturedhighlydebatabletopicssuchasrace,
HIV/AIDS,andtheincarcerationsystem.Itquicklybecameapparenttomethat
everyonehadadifferentopinionorexperiencewitheachofthesubjectsthatwere
featuredinclass.Sometimes,questionsorcommentsarosethatwereheatedor
controversial.Thisdidnothappenveryofteninacalculusclass,soIadjustedtoanew
aspectoflearning.Comingfromaruralenvironment,Irealizedthatmyupbringingand
pastweredifferentfrommanyothersintheclass.So,whenIvoicedmyopinionsor
ideas,IwasverycarefulofthelanguageandwaysthatIspokeasawhite,male.

Comingoutofthisquarter,IreceivedsomeofthebestgradesthusfarattheUniversity
ofWashington.Iwasveryproudofthis,butIwasalsoveryhappythatIwaslearning
moreaboutmyself,bothinmylearningstylesandwithinmyareaofstudyatUW.Ithen
appliedtoCEPasawhole,feelingthatthiswasthenextstepofmystudies.

ThephysicalactofgettingintotheCommunity,Environment,andPlanningmajorwas
hugeforme.Itfeltlikethecorrectnextstepforme.Iinterviewedwiththreecurrent
students,andthenwaitedtohearback.IwasveryhappyandrelievedthatIhadbeen
accepted.Iknewthatitwasgoingtobeachangeinmanyways,butneveranythinglike
itactuallywas.

JuniorYear:My4thYear
OvermytimeatUW,Ihavedevelopedthesoftskillsofworkingwithpeopleextensively.
IcanremembermyfirstdayinCEP,atthenewstudentorientation.Wedida
communicationstylesactivity,whereeachstudentidentifiedthewayinwhichthey
communicatebest.Wethengotintogroupsofourindividualstyles,andcollaborated
aboutourcommonalitiesanddifferences.Personally,Iammoreoutgoing,andItendto
speakupfirstwhenaquestionisposedinclass.Ialsoamveryaware,soduringthe
firstquarteroftheprogram,Iwasabletoobserveandhelpthosewhodidnotspeakup
asquickly.Ienjoymakingsureothershaveachancetospeakaswell.Sometimes,
otherstudentsneedmoretimetogathertheirthoughtsonthesubject,butwhentheydo
speak,therepointsareveryimportantandcontentfilled.Thus,itwasimportanttome
tomakesurethatallthestudentsintheclasswereabletocontributeequally.

OvermyfirstyearinCEP,Itookclasseswithafocusontheenvironmentandplanning.
Iwantedtofocusonopenspaces,suchasalleyways,andparks.Thiswasinspiredbya
landscapearchitecturecourseinthewinter.Iwasintriguedaboutthewaysthatpeople
usedthesespaces,andhowtheyweredesigned.AnotherclassthatIreallyenjoyed
wasreadingthecity.ThisclasswastaughtbyonethefoundersofCEP,DennisRyan,
andthiswashislastquarterteachingbeforeretiring.Itseemedsmarttometotakea
classthatwassohighlyregardedbymypeers,andsorelevanttomystudies.Through
thisclass,Iworkedinagroupofthree,exploringtheEastCapitolHillneighborhoodof
Seattle.Ilearnedalotaboutthecity,andhowtoexploreandcriticallythinkaboutit.I
alsoreflectedalotuponmychildhood,myfirstfewyearsattheUniversity,andhow
theseinfluencedmycurrentthinking.Allinall,thiswasoneofmyfavoriteclassesat
UW.

Oneclassthatwasalittlebitmoredifficultwasduringmyjunioryear,winterquarter.
ThiscoreCEPclasshadjustundergoneaprofessorchange,sotheinstructorwasnew
totheclass.Assomestudentsdidnotliketheteachingstylenorcontentoftheclass,I
foundmyselffollowingthemandnotcompletingtheworkrequiredofus.Afterawhile,I
realizedthatIshouldnotbasemyactionsontheactionsandopinionsofothers.Ithen
wasabletolearnandgrowthroughouttheclassbasedontheseprinciplesofonly
basingmyworkonmyself,notothers.Eventhoughsomeoftheworkwasnotfun,oras
interestingasotherclasses,Istillperseveredandtriedtoproducethebestcontentthat
Icould.Thislessonofmebeingonlyresponsibleformyselfwasvaluableformeto
learn,asithelpedmethroughtherestofmyschoolinginindividualworkandingroup
projects.

OnekeypartoftheCEPprogramiscollaborationandgroupwork.Frommyexperience
workingattheShawAquaticCenter,andfromgoingthroughtheBoyScoutprogram,I
wasalreadyfamiliarwithworkinginbothsmallandlargegroups.Iwaseasilyableto
adapttoothersandthey'reworkingstyles,eventhoughtheyvaried.

SeniorYear:My5thYear
ThefifthandfinalyearformeattheUniversityofWashingtonwasfocusedonmy
capstoneprojects.IneededtocompleteoneprojectforbothCEP,andformyEllisCivic
FellowshipthroughtheCarlsonCenter.Inmyjunioryear,Istartedtobecomeinterested
intheideasofpublicspaceandalleyways.Thiscarriedthrough,andbecamethebasis
formycapstones.Atthebeginningoftheyear,Iwantedtomakeadifference.Iwanted
tomakeachange,aphysicalchange.Myideawastoresearchandplananalleyway

activationformyCEPSeniorProject,andthenactuallycarryitoutthroughmyEllis
FellowshipCapstone.Ifiguredoutratherquicklythatthisprocessofresearchingand
implementingcouldnotbedoneatthesametime.So,Icontinuedresearchingthebest
practicesforanalleywayactivationformyCEPproject,andtransitionedtheother
capstoneintoworkingwithlocalbusinessesoncommunityinvolvementanddecision
making,specificallythosethatdonotspeakenglishasafirstlanguage.

Inthewinterquarterofmysenioryear,ItookaclassintheUrbanPlanningdepartment
titled,
HazardMitigationPlanning
.Thisclasswasanotherturningeventinmyschooling,
asthesubjectandcareerfieldhighlyintriguedme.Thisgraduatelevelclasswassmall,
withonlyabout15people,whichmadediscussionsandconversationsrichanddiverse
inclass.Ilearnedhowtoprofileadisasterbylookingatthechanges,impacts,andthe
capabilities.MyexperiencewithlifesafetyattheShawAquaticCenterofovereight
seasonshelpedmequicklygaintheskillsneededtolookatdisasterswiththesame
lens.Ilookedthroughalensoftakingthetimebeforeaneventhappens,theactions
takenduringtheevent,andrecoveryafteradisaster.Icouldrelatethistoincidentsthat
happenatthepool,suchasthecommonoccurrenceofapatronrunningonthedeck,or
amuchmoreseriousdisastersuchasahead,neck,orbackinjury.Drawingthese
connectionsbetweenmyinterestsofsafetyandplanning,Ienjoyedthisclass.

PostCEP
IntheHazardMitigationclass,Iwasveryinterestedinoneguestspeakerwhoworked
intheBusinessContinuityfieldforAmazon.Iwasveryfascinatedbybothherjoband
theindustryfromjusthershorttalk.Ithenconnectedwithherafterwardsforan
informationalinterviewtolearnmoreaboutherworkandplaceintheindustry,aswell
astogetabetterideatoseeifthefieldwouldbeanoptionforme.Sincethen,Ihave
beenlookingmoreintothefield,andpursuingjobandinternshipopportunities.The
broadersubject,riskmanagement,interestsmethemost.Thisincludeslifesafety,
hazardmitigation,financialplanning,businesscontinuity,andmanyotherrealms.Ilike
thevarietyofpathsthatthisfieldbrings,andIamexcitedtopursuethemafterI
graduate.Iammostinterestedinaninternshipfirst.Onereasonwhyisbecauseofmy
experiencewithmajorsandprogramscomingintoUW.IacceptedtheBSEprogram
rightoffthebat,bothwantingtryitout,butalsofeelinglikethatwastheonlythingthatI
couldclingtoorfallbackon.

Thisbeingsaid,IhaverecentlyacceptedasummerinternshipwithPremeraBlue
Cross,asaBusinessContinuity/RiskManagementIntern.Thispositionislocatedjust

northofSeattleinMountlakeTerrace.OneoftheprojectsthatIwillbeworkingonis
focusedonpersonalpreparedness,whereIwillberejuvenatingandrebrandingthis
projectforPremerasemployees.

Withmyprofessionalcareer,IwanttomakesurethatIdonotrushintoajobforthe
wrongreasons.IwouldliketobesurethatthisisthedirectionthatIwanttogobefore
acceptingafulltimeposition.OnewaythatIbelievethatIcandothisisthroughan
internship.Withashortertimelimit,aninternshiportwocouldgivemeagoodidea
whetherornotIwanttotakeafulltimejobfromacompanyorinafield.

OneofthegreatpartsaboutCEPisthequestion,WhatisCEP?Manypeopleaskthis,
includingmyparents,friendsandotherstudents,aswellasprofessorsandfuture
employers.Inmyshoes,thebeautyofthisquestionisthattherearemanyanswers,and
manyofthemarecorrectaseachstudenthasadifferentexperiencewhileinCEP.
SomepeopleexplainthecorecourseworkwithinCEP.Othersexplaintheirmethods
coursesthattheytookoutsideofthemajor.Othersexplainhowthestudentrunmajor
makesdecisionsinaconsensusbasedformat.Stillothersexplaintheirexperiencein
otherway.Allofthesearecorrect!

SinceeveryoneisdifferentwithinCEP,andeveryonehasslightly,orlargely,different
focuses,eachpersonisnotcompetingagainstoneanother.Wearenotalltryingtobeat
thecurve,orgetahighergradethanthenextperson.Thismeansthatiteveryoneis
helpingoneanother,andencouragingthem,weareateamandafamilyofsorts.In
otherprogramsandmajors,theabilitytopickyourownfocusisnotavailable.Then,
aftereveryonegraduatesandissearchingforjobs,individualsarecompetingformany
ofthesamepositions.Ontheotherhand,peopleinCEPdonotusuallyhavethis
problemasthestudentsinterestsaresowidespread.Forexample,Iaminterestedin
riskmanagement,whileanotherstudentisinterestedinfoodsystems,whileyetanother
studentisinterestedintransportationplanning.Allinall,Ihaveverymuchenjoyedthe
uniqueprogramcalledCEP,andwhatIhavelearnedfromit.