Anna Johnson

Seattle Central Community College

2012 Martin Achievement Scholar

Anna is a sophomore at Seattle Central Community College Pursuing an Associate's Degree of Science. She intends to transfer to the University of Washington in the fall of 2013 to complete her bachelor's degree in Biology and finish pre-medical courses. Anna moved from Alaska to Washington the summer of 1999 with her family and has lived in and around the Seattle area ever since, excluding a year long tour of Europe in 2008 where she met her Iranian husband. Since high school, Anna has been searching for her role in the enrichment of her community, both local and global, and has found it in the sciences. She started by getting her certificate as an Emergency Medical Technician and has now moved onto a pre-medical track to further her ability to contribute. Her dedication to her work and studies comes from the desire to be part of and strengthen the forward progression of biological understanding. She currently works for the Biology Department at Seattle Central Community College. her long term goal is a career in medical research.

In addition to studying biology, Anna hopes gto participate in the UW's Near East Civilization and Lnaguage program to become fluent in Farsi, the native tongue of her husband and extended family. She believes that progress on a global scale is dependent on intercultural understadings and hopes that Farsi will be the first of many languages that she will be able to utilize in promoting that communication.

 

Siyu Lu

Edmonds Community College

2012 Martin Honors Scholar

Siyu Lu will be a junior at the University of Washington in the Winter quarter 2013, working towards a double major in accounting and finance.  Siyu grew up in Beijing, China, and moved to the United States at the age of 17.  Due to difficult family life, Siyu struggled with homelessness in high school.  While living on her own and managing her personal finances, Siyu became aware of her talents in mathematics, her interest in economics, and her thoughtful personality.  With the intent to become a financial analyst, Siyu started her higher education journey as a first-generation college student.  Siyu is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society and is in the Edmonds Community College Honors Program.  In 2012, Siyu was selected to represent Edmonds Community College and Washington State to compete in the All-USA & Coca-Cola Community College Academic Teams. 

Her extracurricular activities also include participating in various service projects to help facilitate a health society.  Siyu’s goals include achieving personal success as a financial analyst, obtaining the Certified Public Accountant certification; practicing in the field of financial planning, business consulting, and public accounting; and finally utilizing her strengths and knowledge to help people in financial hardships.  In ten to fifteen years, Siyu expects to establish her own non-profit organization to serve middle and low-income families with income tax preparation, financial management skills, debit elimination, and long-term financial planning. 

 

David Olsen

North Seattle Community College

2012 Martin Honors Scholar

David Olson was born in Caracas, Venezuela and moved to the US with his mother when he was four years old.  After becoming a husband and father, he provided for his family and supported his wife through college by being a carpenter.  Returning to college after an 18 year hiatus was difficult for him but has proven to be an extremely rewarding experience.  He originally endeavored to complete a simple one year certificate at North Seattle Community College in practical nursing.  However, after excelling in the prerequisites and receiving numerous words of encouragement from professors, David has decided to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in biology and later a M.D./Ph.D. degree in endocrinology.

David spent a year researching microplastic contaminants in Green Lake through an integrated studies class at NSCC, which helped him to realize his excitement for scientific research.  He also spent five quarters as a biology tutor at NSCC, which helped him strengthen his grasp of anatomy and physiology and taught him to convey my knowledge to other students in an effective manner.  His experience as a Hospice patient care volunteer has given him enough inspiration to complete ten doctoral programs.  Some of David’s extracurricular activities include singing as a tenor in the church choir at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church and playing soccer with the Seattle Soccer Club. 

 

Elizabeth Reid

Green River College

2012 Martin Achievement Scholar

Elizabeth intends to complete her Associates of Arts Transfer Degree and enter U. W. as an English Major. Ultimately, she would like to complete law school and use her skills for public interest and social justice issues. She has been a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Sorority, Alpha Chi Beta Chapter, since February, 2012.

Elizabeth volunteers with several organizations in the community, and particularly enjoys working with the Post-Prison Education Program. She is a member of the People with Convictions: Post-Prison community Collaboration Project at U.W. She enjoys advocating for those in the community that are victims of injustice. She also is working to promote awareness of the school-to-prison pipeline and the problems of mass incarceration. She believes interventino and mentoring of the youth in the community can make a significant difference in what they are able to accomplish during their lives. Elizabeth will soon be published by Harvard University, Harvard Educational Review, in their upcoming book regarding the school-to-prison pipeline.

 

Miriam Williamson

Seattle Central Community College

2012 Martin Achievement Scholar

Miriam is currently a sophomore at Seattle Central Community College where she is pursueing an Associates Degree of Science. At school, Miriam is engaged in the student body where she serves as Vice President of the Women in Science and Engineering club and Vice President of the Ready Set Transfer Academy. Through the undergraduate research program at Seattle Central, Miriam has been working on identifying genetic mutations in the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana and in the summer of 2012 she will be participating in the Building Bridges to Bioengineering research internship at the University of Washington.

In addition to school, Miriam works part time as a Program Assistant for the UWSOM and spends her free time developing an "urban homestead" at her Seattle home where she raises chickens, grows organic produce and brews beer. Miriam intends to transfer to the UW in the fall of 2013 to pursue a double major in Biochemistry and Neurobiology. Her plans for the future are to obtain a PhD in Genomic Sciences with the goal of going to Academic Medicine. Miriam wants to use her passion for scientific discovery and research to study the molecular and biochemical elements of neurological disease.