UW Tacoma students and faculty at Convocation

New Faces of 2015: Students

October 2, 2015

The new academic year kicks off with Convocation, and we are proud to introduce some of the new faces on campus in 2015.

Convocation is a coming-together. At UW Tacoma, it’s a welcome to those new to campus and to those coming back to campus. It’s a chance to anticipate the year ahead, to gird one’s resolve for the coming academic year.

UW Tacoma’s fourth annual convocation ceremony, held on October 2, 2015, continues a tradition started in 2012. Groups of students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni and community members meet at the location of a key community partner and process through the streets of Tacoma to campus.

Over the coming year we will profile some of the new faces on campus, starting with a group of amazing students below. Everyone on this campus has a story worth hearing — those presented below are just a small fraction of a wealth of experience and inspiration walking through our hallways every day.

Christie Peralta

Christie Peralta
First-year student
Born: Federal Way
Alumna of: Todd Beamer High School, Federal Way
Intended major: Freshman Direct admit to Milgard School of Business
Quote: “Why not try it? It’s better to accept an opportunity than to reject it.”

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Lorenzo Giampietro

Lorenzo Giampietro
First-year student
Born: Havre de Grace, MD
Alumnus of: Bethel High School
Intended major: Urban Studies
Quote: “Anyone is capable of anything. If you don’t try, you won’t ever succeed.”

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Chalaya Miller

Chalaya Miller
First-year student
Born: Seattle
Alumna of: Renton High School
At age 10: Was acting and modeling, dreamt of becoming famous
Intended major: Business

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Chris Minish

Chris Minish
First-year student
Born: Olympia
Alumna of: CHOICE Alternative School in Shelton, Wash.
Intended major: Computer Engineering
Quote: “I learned a lot about how hard work will get you where you want to go.”

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Nasro Omar

Nasro Omar
Transfer student
Born: Somalia
Transferred from: South Seattle College
At age 10: family expected would become a medical doctor
Intended major: Health Care Leadership; wants to run a non-profit devoted to helping others
Quote: “You can do anything you put your mind to. Don’t ever give up.”

Jessie McHenry

Jesse McHenry
Transfer student
Born: Oakland, Calif.
Transferred from: Pierce College
High school: Foss High School (Tacoma)
At age 10: imagined becoming a lawyer
Intended major: Computer Science; wants to become a programmer (but he is taking political science classes “because you never know”)
Quote: “Attitude is everything. It’s never too late.”

Bambi May

Bambi May
Transfer student
Born: Nebraska
Transferred from: Green River College
Goal after degree: Now that her two sons are grown (one graduated from WWU, the other in military), she wants to finish her undergraduate degree. She sees herself in a large corporate setting like Boeing.
Quote: “Follow your dream. It all starts with an idea.”

Written by John Burkhardt
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