#studentspotlight2021

Claire is a third-year student from the suburbs of Lacey/Olympia WA studying Clinical Physiology with an emphasis on Pre-PA. For her capstone project, Claire is currently researching the accessibility of alternative non-opioid treatments available to post-surgical patients. She just joined Clinical Physiology Club and started as a medical scribe at Yakima Memorial Hospital. She is also an ambassador for the DHC and helps recruit students! When she's not working or studying, Claire can be found adventuring in the outdoors. She is an avid hiker and climber (both indoor bouldering and outdoor climbing). When asked how the DHC enhanced her experience at CWU, she replied, "The DHC is my undergrad family. The people (both faculty and students) are amazing and give me support whether it is personal, academic, or work-related. The DHC makes my academic experience at central more personalized and provides me a variety of different learning environments that I may not have experienced otherwise at central." We are very thankful for you, Claire!! Claire's top five Clifton Strengths: 1. Discipline 2. Learner 3. Achiever 4. Harmony 5. Focus

Leaning into his love for the cold, next fall Chisty will move to Iceland and attend Reykjavik University for a graduate degree in Sustainable Energy. Until then, Christy will be working in the King Street Brewing Company labs and finishing his honors capstone project. Collaborating with Lenny Sullivan, the pair have written, directed, starred in, and filmed a mini-series “Craft a Cold One.” They aim to arm the layman with the knowledge needed to brew beer from home.

Although she loves to travel, COVID has clipped Triana’s wings. She supplements her wanderlust by staying creative -- writing, painting, photography, D&D -- and watching an excessive amount of television.

When he isn’t contemplating human chemistry, Messier favors recipe-testing, reading Brandon Sanderson novels, and -- on courage highs -- writing. 

The mountain fieldwork, combined with quarantine, has given Taracka a great excuse to go hiking often. To stay connected with CWU, she works in the biology department caring for their scaly creatures. Off-campus, Taracka works at the I-90 Wildlife Overcrossing at Snoqualmie Pass collecting data on -- you guessed it -- reptiles and amphibians.