Meet David Liang, a Chinese national from Beijing who has been living in Seattle for the past eight years. After completing his high school education, David obtained a degree from the University of Washington and worked for over four years. David has now returned to UW and is pursuing another degree to improve himself more.

 

David is passionate about Seattle and hopes to continue living in the city. He values the friendships he has made and feels more connected to people in the US than he did in China. As a child, David experienced and noticed a lot of pressure and bullying in Chinese schools, which made him want to avoid social situations and keep to himself. However, he has found that he enjoys listening to and helping others and has been told that he is a good listener.

 

Currently, David works as a part-time freelance photographer specializing in portrait and car photography and shooting for small businesses and restaurants. He is a competitive person who strives to improve his craft and sees himself working in the creative industry in the future. David is also interested in using his skills to solve problems and positively impact the community, whether by making people around him happy or addressing larger social issues.

 

David believes that by capturing people's stories, he can bring attention to social issues and inspire change. As an Asian creative, he hopes to break stereotypes and show that people from all backgrounds can excel in the creative industry. Through his passion and dedication, David is a shining example of how resilience and hard work can lead to personal growth and success and even make the world a bit better.

This has fueled her desire to raise awareness among women about the importance of speaking up for themselves, uniting, and taking action to protect themselves and others. 

Kathy Ni is a passionate advocate for gender equality in the tech industry. Originally from Nanjing, China, Kathy has observed firsthand the bias against women in the tech industry, especially in terms of income and opportunities. Despite these challenges, Kathy is determined to be a role model for other women and make a career change to take on a more technical role in the industry. Kathy believes that advocating for diversity and inclusion is not only the right thing to do but also essential for the industry's success.

Currently, Kathy is exploring a career change that will allow her to take a more active role in advocating for women in tech. The issue of bias against women in tech is a cause that Kathy is deeply invested in. She believes that by advocating for women in the industry, she can make a real difference in the lives of countless individuals. This issue is not just important for women but also affects the entire population. Kathy believes that it is essential to advocate for ourselves and fight for our place in the industry. 

Regardless of the challenges she has faced, Kathy loves working in the tech industry. She is a creative problem solver who enjoys tackling issues that can affect people's lives in significant ways. She believes that technology can be used as a tool to create positive change and is excited about the opportunity to use her creativity to make the world a better place. By advocating for women in the industry and using her skills to solve complex problems, Kathy hopes to be part of a movement and use her voice to advocate for diversity, equality, and inclusion in tech and create a more equitable and just society.

With her drive to make a positive impact and advocate for women in the tech industry, Kathy demonstrates how one person's passion and determination can lead to meaningful change and a brighter future for all.

 

Besides the impact he could make by leveraging storytelling, UX design, and video production skills gained through the Comm Lead program, he is especially interested in challenging the climate status quo and wants to implement the cycle-friendly city plan in Seattle. He acknowledges that Americans are not huge cyclists. In fact, only about 1 percent of short trips are taken by bike. Therefore, he wants to encourage Seattleites to choose a bike over a car, especially when the commuting is within the city for various advantageous reasons described in the poster. Transportation research shows that in Seattle, it’s estimated that 18 percent of short car trips could be replaced by cycling.

 

His ideal city model that inspires him is the Bicycle Plan in the Dutch in Amsterdam, which is known to be the world’s most bike-friendly city. He strives to support this initiative by providing educational, visual content such as before-and-after imagery of Seattle U-District area that showcases the positive impacts of bicycles replacing cars. The video would depict less traffic on the road and less pollution caused by cars.

 

Hari’s ultimate UX design goal is to invent an app that serves in our daily life. At this point, we can hope to see some green apps for an eco-friendly lifestyle such as a revolutionary micro-mobility rental app. :-)

 

As a US Navy dependent, Izabella set foot in the Navy community where she met an inspiring woman who changed her entire perspective. This person whom Izabella likes to call her spiritual mentor drew Izabella’s attention to modern societal issues that women deal with such as pay inequality, underrepresentation as leaders, and navigating careers with motherhood. Izabella felt a strong urge to contribute to female empowerment, so she decided to conduct research on gender equality in the US military to learn more.

 

As an active feminist, Izabella’s ultimate dream is to break the social boundaries, especially in Eastern Asian culture, in which women are expected to have the stereotypical characteristics such as gentleness, obedience, and being “lady-like.” With social media marketing, branding, and content marketing skillsets gained through the Comm Lead program, Izabella wants to contribute to creating a world where women are treated equally, both professionally and personally.