Paw'd Defiance

In this episode, a conversation about death with UW Tacoma Assistant Teaching Professor Sarah A. Chavez. Chavez studies the performative aspects of death, namely the elegy, eulogy and obituary.  During the episode, Chavez talks about how she got interested in these forms, why they're important and the attributes of each. She also discusses what makes a "good" elegy, eulogy or obituary. Finally, Chavez ponders how she would like to be celebrated after she passes. 

Part II of our behind-the-scenes look at the process of bringing Rock of Ages to the stage. In this mini-episode we hear from four UW Tacoma students who have roles in the show. The group talk about their experience as well as their interest in performing. 

Get ready to rock! In this episode we go behind the scenes of "Rock of Ages." UW Tacoma's theater program and the Tacoma Little Theatre  collaborated to bring the jukebox musical to the local stage. The show's director Maria-Tania Bandes Becerra Weingarden as well as the show's musical director Kim Davenport, agreed to record a series of audio diaries from the first week of rehearsal to the last. The pair discuss the ups and downs of putting together a large-scale musical. They talk about everything from COVID to forgetting to block a scene to stripper poles. 

In this episode we talk with a group of five UW Tacoma alumni. The five work at Tacoma's Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center. The center provides a range of services including early learning and childcare. The group talks about what drew them to the work. They also talk about the ups and downs of the job. Finally, the five discuss the impact education had on their lives.

Annie Nguyen's parents fled Vietnam in 1975 and ultimately ended up living in Alabama. Growing up, Nguyen says she tried hard to fit in with everyone around her, and that meant suppressing her Vietnamese heritage. In this episode, Nguyen reads from an essay where she talks about embracing her heritage including learning how to celebrate the Lunar New Year. 

UW Tacoma Associate Professor Michelle Montgomery joins us in this episode of the podcast. Montgomery is here to talk about the book, "Re-Indigenizing Ecological Consciousness and The Interconnectedness To Indigenous Identities." Montgomery served as the book's editor. The book contains a number of essays written by Indigenous scholars. The authors write about different topics including Indigenous identity, nature, history and decolonizing education. We'll talk about the book and the process of putting it together. We also talk with what it means to decolonize education. Finally, Montgomery discusses her work with the School of Education's Muckleshoot Ed.D. cohort. That cohort is scheduled to complete their doctoral degrees in the spring.

More information about the Indigenous Speaker Series. 

UW Tacoma alumnus Peter Jung uses the board game Dungeons & Dragons to connect with neurodivergent kids. Jung was bullied as a kid and often felt isolated. He says gaming changed his life and helped him find a community. Jung is autistic and sees games, especially D & D as a great way to help build skills and relationships. 

KNKX News Director Florangela Davila stopped by the studio to talk about her experience in the news industry. Davila and the KNKX team recently launched an eight-part podcast series called "The Walk Home." The series details the life and death of Manny Ellis, a Tacoma man who died in police custody in 2020. We'll talk about the podcast, we'll also talk about the push to tell a more diverse range of stories as well as 
the challenges of reporting the news. Finally, we discuss the future of journalism as well as what students need to do to prepare themselves for a career in the industry.

Welcome to Paw’d Defiance where we don’t lecture but we do educate. I’m Eric Wilson-Edge. In this episode we hear from UW Tacoma Advisor Isabella Webb. Besides advising students, Webb runs the Husky Success Series which helps new students connect to campus. We’ll also hear from three UW Tacoma students who are part of the Husky Success Series. Eliza Gines, Kara Peterson and Jake Detert will talk about their experience in college, including their choice of major and challenges they’ve faced. They’ll also share some words of wisdom for future students. 

UW Tacoma Associate Professor and Ed.D. Director Robin Zape-tah-hol-ah Minthorn has collaborated on a new book called "Indigenous Motherhood in the Academy." The book is a collection of short essays written by Indigenous mothers who work in higher education. The stories from these mothers are honest, and at times, difficult. We'll talk about the book, the process of putting it together as well as the challenges facing Indigenous mothers in academia. We'll also talk about the process of writing a book during the pandemic as well as the pandemic's impact the contributors personal and professional lives.

Muckleshoot cohort:https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/soe/EdD/muckleshoot-cohort