Class of 1954 Achievement Awards
Sponsored by the University of Washington Alumni Class of 1954 in honor of their 50th Class Reunion, the Class of 1954 Achievement Scholarship will be awarded to outstanding students in their junior or senior year at the University of Washington (UW) who, by their achievements and goals, enrich society and themselves.
2023-2024 Scholars
Angelyiah Lim
Public Health – Global Health major
Hello! I am wrapping up my third year of undergrad in the College Honors Program, and I can’t believe it’s gone by so fast! After witnessing health disparities firsthand while volunteering at Swedish Hospital in my first year, I switched from biology into Public Health – Global Health (PH-GH) and I have never looked back. My hope was that this major would broaden my view of health beyond the biomedical lens and help me provide holistic patient-centered care in the future. I think it is safe to say it has prepared me for much more by challenging me to discover my own biases and privileges as a Chinese American, revealing the flaws of the healthcare system I aim to join, and encouraging me to think critically about how to dismantle medical racism and champion social justice. I no longer put the American medical system on a pedestal, and I intend to use my influence and position in medicine to advocate for health as a fundamental human right, rather than a commodity. This summer, I will be studying in London to gain firsthand experience of Britain’s National Health Service, compare it with U.S. safety-net hospitals, and critically evaluate its impact on public health. When I envision my future, I find the idea of serving in hospitals like Harborview Medical Center, which provides healthcare to those often neglected by society such as uninsured and underinsured patients, victims of sexual assault, individuals living homeless, and many others, to be the most rewarding. This scholarship will help fund my last year of studies, bringing me a step closer to achieving this goal. Beyond my Public Health coursework, I am the incoming director of the Residential Programming Board of UW’s Housing and Food Services, a student advocacy group that promotes an inclusive residential community through approximately 100 large-scale events annually. I am also a research assistant in UW’s PEARL Lab, where I investigate peer support interventions for caregivers in critical care settings, and the lead vocalist and songwriter for a local band, Raccoon Energy! My current personal project involves implementing suicide prevention trainings for students and faculty, in collaboration with Forefront Suicide Prevention and my professors.
Angelyiah’s near and long term goals: During my summer study abroad program, my goal is to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a universal healthcare system and use that to inform my future advocacy efforts as a physician. After college, I plan to join Public Health Americorps for my gap year and serve marginalized populations in the United States. Once I finish medical school, I want to work at a safety-net hospital that provides care to underserved communities.
Angelyiah’s tips include: Be genuine, concise, and believe that your hard work will pay off! I know it can be tiring to apply to so many scholarships and receive rejection letters but know that you deserve to and will be recognized for your accomplishments. Keep going, you got this!
Lily Myklebust
Political Science major
I am a current Sophomore at the University of Washington studying Political Science. I grew up in Spokane Washington and have always had a great appreciation for the outdoors. I grew up skiing, biking, climbing, and fly fishing and have deep reverence for nature. Spending so much time outside in my early life helped to develop a personal concern for our Earth and the challenges we face as a species in regards to climate change. When I began my studies I was convinced my intellect would be best suited for Environmental Science, but I have since learned that my passions lie in the humanities. I am concerned not only about the health of the Earth, but also the health, both physically and mentally, of the people who live on it. I aim to devote my efforts and education to changing policy and law in order to aid those most severely impacted by climate change. In addition to my studies, I am a member of Phi Alpha Delta, a pre law fraternity chapter, as well as being apart of the University of Washington Alpine Ski Team. To support myself, I work at a stand in Pike Place called Pappardelle’s Pasta where I sell products and build a connection with every customer in order to give them the personal shopping experience that is unique to Pike Place Market. I applied for this scholarship because I need assistance supporting myself in my undergraduate education. This scholarship will help me pay for my tuition so I can continue focusing on my studies. It will give me the opportunity to save money for law school so one day I can give back to my community by changing policy that will positively impact individual lives.
Lily’s short and long term goals: Following my undergrad studying Political Science, I hope to then attend law school. With a law degree I will aim to address inequities marginalized communities face amidst the climate crisis.
Lily’s tip: Connect with OMSFA counselors. These advisors have all the information and advice you could need and are more than willing to support you.
Thy Nguyen
Nursing major
Originally from Saigon, Vietnam, I am a rising senior studying nursing at the University of Washington – Seattle Campus. I go by she/her/hers pronouns and I am a proud first-generation college student. Witnessing my parent’s hard work to make ends meet as a child motivated me to do well in school and become a daughter they could rely on in the future. I became motivated to pursue nursing when my dad was hospitalized in 2018 and seeing how disconnected our healthcare system is to immigrants and specifically non-English speakers, I was determined to become part of the change and add diversity to the healthcare system workforce. I involved myself in multiple clubs at the University of Washington School of Nursing hoping to make the most out of my time as a nursing student. I serve as a Social Media and Marketing Officer of the Future Nurses Club that help maintain the club’s activities on social media and spread awareness of the club to pre-nursing students. I am also a part of the UW School of Nursing Diversity Awareness Group, serving as a co-lead that plans a week-long summer camp for disadvantaged high school students interested in nursing. To help lighten the burden of financial struggles for my parents, I was determined to help out by applying for scholarships and doing my best in school. With less financial burden, I’ll be able to focus solely on learning all my nursing school courses and maintain a high undergraduate GPA to pave the way for higher education for myself later. Being one of the recipients of this Gift from the Class of 1954 has allowed me to pursue my passion and get closer to my goal. I am delighted and feel privileged to have this opportunity.
Thy’s short and long term goals: My near goal, within the next 1-2 years, is to finish nursing school and pass the NCLEX so I can start working as an RN. My long term goal is to pursue higher nursing education and continue educating myself on the topic of health inequities and culture competency so I can further help advocating for my patients once I am a licensed professional working in the healthcare field.
Thy’s tip: Be true to yourself and allow the scholarship committee to see all that you have accomplished because of who you are!
Tashmee Sarwar
Public Health – Global Health major
My name is Tashmee Sarwar, and I am a first-generation eldest daughter of immigrants from Bothell, WA. My journey at UW began even before I was a true Husky. I took a UW in the High School course on Neurobiology during my senior year while writing my application to be an undergrad at UW Seattle. Fast forward to the end of my four years at UW, I have developed a deep passion for public health, health equity, and advocacy. Taking classes on climate change’s impact on health in the Global South, US Race and Ethnic Politics, and introductory courses in Public Health, I knew that I wanted to combine my passions for medicine and law. In my time at UW, I have been President of Students of Color for Public Health, Neurological Surgery Research Assistant, Washington Bus fellow as a campaign lead for equitable voting methods, SHPEP Scholar at UW School of Medicine, TB Research Scholar, Seattle Children’s Clinical Research Scholar, and ASUW Senator. These are a few of the opportunities that have led me to seek an interdisciplinary career.
My overarching goal is to bridge the gap between clinical care and public health by focusing on the correlation between environmental health and pediatric neurodevelopment through research and policy work as a public health professional. As a Public Health-Global Health major at UW, I learned about maternal and child health issues while obtaining analytic skills for epidemiology methods and public health core frameworks. Through my Bioethics minor, I learned that children, especially children with disabilities, are most vulnerable in any healthcare system because of their lack of autonomy.
I am honored to receive the UW Class of 1954 Endowed Scholarship, as it will help fund my undergraduate and graduate-level public health education. My grassroots community organizing and lobbying skills, paired with epidemiologist-level training, will equip me to enact public and global health policy.
Tashmee’s short and long term goals: I will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health-Global Health and a Minor in Bioethics in June 2024. I will then pursue a Master’s in Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with later goals of becoming a pediatric epidemiologist, physician, and policymaker.
Tashmee’s tips: Connect all your experiences at UW in a meaningful way and make sure your letter of recommendation writer knows your story well!
Scholarship Archive
Browse our archive for more of UW’s Class of 1954 Achievement Scholarship history.