Student Services

Diversity & Access Team

Our mission is to attract and support the next generation of outstanding computer scientists and computer engineers who reflect the many dimensions of diversity in Washington state and the diverse needs, backgrounds, and experiences of technology users around the world.

We do this through K-12 outreach and recruitment efforts aimed at broadening participation in computing and through undergraduate retention efforts aimed at ensuring that students of all backgrounds feel like they can belong and can thrive in the Allen School.

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The Diversity & Access team reflects a commitment to supporting students from groups who are underrepresented in computing. We use the National Science Foundation definition of underrepresented in the computing field including students who are women, African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Native Pacific Islander, and students with disabilities.

Our definition is more expansive, however, and includes but is not limited to students who have different gender identities, who identify as LGBTQ+, who are Black and Latine, who are from low-income backgrounds, and who are first-generation college students. We also consider the intersectionality of different identity dimensions. Our activities and programs are open to anyone who shares the goal of providing a supportive environment for students who are underrepresented in computing.

Our Outreach Work

Allen School K-12 Programs:

• CS Education Week A series of events for K-12 students & teachers to learn more about computer science, usually the first or second week of December.
• K-12 Outreach List of Allen School K-12 education programs for high school students!
• Ambassadors Ambassadors are current UW students studying Computer Science or Computer Engineering who meet with prospective students. Check-out our ambassador page to schedule an appointment with an ambassador!
• Changemakers in Computing During our CIC summer program, high school students develop coding skills, explore the changemaking impact through technology, learn about post-high school pathways, and build community with other changemakers.
• Student Recruitment Representatives The Allen School Student Recruitment Representatives aim to expand access to the Allen School through increasing the visibility of our Direct to Major and Transfer admissions pathways in underserved communities and connecting prospective students with admissions counseling resources.

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Recruitment

We seek to recruit diverse undergraduate direct-to-major (freshman) and transfer students including those who have been historically underrepresented in computing. Our approach focuses on offering multiple ways to access information about the Allen School, providing quality application advising and support to direct-to-major applicants, and engaging admitted students throughout their decision-making process.

Core Programs & Webpages

• Apply to the Allen School This webpage serves as a first stop for prospective students to learn about undergraduate and graduate admissions pathways, get to know the Allen School, and find other resources on the UW campus.
• Information Sessions We offer monthly high school and transfer information sessions that help prospective students to learn about our undergraduate program, what it is like to be a student at the UW, and how to apply.
• Direct-to-Major Admissions This page explains the admissions process for high school and running start students interested in applying directly to the Allen School.
• Transfer Admissions The Transfer Admissions page focuses on the process of applying to the Allen School as a transfer student. It includes frequently asked questions and other important information about transferring.
• School Visits This webpage helps high school counselors, community college advisers, and community partners throughout Washington state to provide the most up to date advising to their students. They are also able to request a variety of different recruitment and outreach visits.
• Admitted Student Day We participate each year in the Admitted Student Day event hosted by the Office of Admissions. Our sessions serve freshman applicants who are directly admitted to the Allen School.
• MOR Events We participate in a number of events hosted by the Multicultural Outreach & Recruitment (MOR) team including Shades of Purple, Native American Student Day, the Young, Gifted, and Black Conference, and more!

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Retention

We believe that we need to actively work toward an inclusive community where all students – from all different backgrounds and experiences – feel like they belong, can succeed, and thrive in the Allen School. We provide spaces for students to engage in intentional community building. As such, our retention efforts are focused on students who are underrepresented in the computing field; however, we believe that our retention efforts will benefit all students in the Allen School.

Core Programs & Webpages:

Allen School-Affiliated Student Organizations Currently there are 19 Allen School-Affiliated Student Organizations, which include five identity based organizations focused on fostering community within shared affinity spaces. Student Organizations provide departmental socials, networking events, mentorship programming, and much more!

Allen School Scholars Program The Allen School Scholars Program (Allen Scholars) is a one-year cohort-based program that focuses on supporting emerging leaders from first generation, low-income, and underserved communities from Washington state who are pursuing a degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering. All students who select Computer Science or Computer Engineering as their first-choice major on the UW freshman application are considered for Allen Scholars by the Office of Admissions. Allen Scholars provides additional intensive academic skill building and holistic support for students to build a strong first-year foundation in the Allen School and beyond.

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Diversity & Access Spaces

Diversity & Access Lounge (CSE1 202)

The Diversity & Access Lounge is located in Allen Center Room 202. The lounge is intended for students who are underrepresented in the computing field to feel less isolated and have a physical space to share and celebrate with other students with similar experiences. Students are welcome to use this space 24/7 to meet with other students, study, and relax.

Allen School Meditation Room (CSE1 027B)

The Meditation Room is located within the Allen School Undergraduate Student Lounge in Room CSE 027B. This is a dedicated community space for all Allen School students who seek a quiet place to reflect, meditate, or pray. Students seeking additional quiet spaces across campus can visit the HUB Meditation Room and the ECC Serenity Space.

Guidelines

• The Meditation Room may only be used by Allen School community members with active Husky Cards.
• Use of the Meditation Room is on a first-come, first-served basis
• Please keep speaking, chanting, music, and other activities that might disturb others to a minimum.
• Only food or drinks for meditation/prayer purposes are permitted. General eating is not permitted.
• The burning of incense and candles is not permitted.
• General study, other than that related to reflection, meditation, or prayer is not permitted.

Questions or Concerns

If you have questions about our spaces and/or there are problems with the rooms, please reach out to our team at ugrad-diversity@cs.washington.edu. Community members may also find the Allen School Feedback Mechanisms page helpful when concerns arise.

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Meet The Diversity & Access Team

The Diversity & Access (D&A) team at the Allen School is part of the Undergraduate Student Services Team (USST). All staff members on the D&A team have distinct roles that focus on different aspects of our mission. You can read our bios below.

Chloe's Expanded Bio

Chloe's Expanded Bio

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I was born and raised on Bainbridge Island, WA and am a proud “double dawg” receiving both my bachelor’s degree in Psychology and my master’s degree in Leadership in Higher Education from the UW. My academic experiences have led me to take a community-based approach to the work that I do. During my freshman year of college at the University of Michigan, I did not find a community on campus and ultimately transferred to UW. Intent on finding a community, I joined the UW Dream Project which supports high school students with college and postsecondary planning. My experience in Dream Project provided a welcoming space on campus and also sparked a passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion work. When I graduated from UW, I worked in the Office of Admissions before joining the Allen School in 2016. More recently, I had the opportunity to attend graduate school in the UW College of Education. During that time, I relied heavily on my communities as I learned how to juggle being a full-time student while working full-time, started exploring my identity as a biracial Indonesian-White American, and began to develop my scholarly identity by studying how to improve access to computing in higher education. These experiences and my communities have helped shape my professional practice and are applied to how I approach my work with students and my team. I firmly believe that forming a community is an essential foundation for the work we do together! In my free time, you will find me rock climbing or hiking with my husband, spending time with my family, and spending time with my black lab named Harlow!

Chloe Dolese Mandeville

Title: Assistant Director for Diversity & Access
Email: cdolese(at)cs.uw.edu
Name Pronunciation: Clo-E Doe-lee-see Man-de-ville
Pronouns: she/her
Fun Facts: I was on Team USA for jump rope in 2010. Additionally, I love to read! You can always find an education-related book and a fiction book in my bag!

Leslie's Expanded Bio

Lesli's Expanded Bio

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I am a proud 206-Seattle local where the mountains, evergreen trees and rainy seasons have always been my home. I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington in American Ethnic Studies and my master’s Degree in education at Seattle University. As a yonsei fourth generation Japanese American woman, granddaughter of Executive Order 9066 internees, first-generation college student, and women’s youth basketball coach, I draw upon my personal and professional experiences in working with students. I joined the Allen School in October 2018 and have loved supporting students in pursuing their CS endeavors. I enjoy playing, watching and coaching basketball (BRING BACK THE SONICS), snuggling with my two cats (Kaelo and Miyu), and experiencing all of life’s adventures with my partner, Garrett.

Leslie Ikeda

Title: Senior Allen Scholars Program Manager
Name Pronunciation: l EH s – l ee EE kee dah
Pronouns: she/her
Fun Facts: I was on the Bravo TV show, Top Chef Seattle Restaurant Wars episode and I met my lifelong partner (who also happens to be an Allen School alum) during our first week of college at UW.

Christina's Expanded Bio

Christina's Expanded Bio

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I was born and raised in Los Angeles County and moved to Bremerton, WA from San Diego in March 2022. I received my bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics with a minor in Education Studies of University of California, San Diego. I also completed my master’s degree in Education Psychology – Learning Analytics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. I started my work in higher education as a student ranging from being a math tutor, workshop facilitator, and mentor, and after graduating, I started my professional role as a Supplemental Instruction Coordinator where I grew my passion for higher education and supporting students throughout the academic journey. In my free time, I do a lot of different crafts, for example, LEGOs, crocheting, knitting, painting or watercoloring. If I am not crafting, I’m spending my time cuddling with my two cats Mango and Mimo.

Christina Huynh

Title: Allen Scholars Academic Adviser
Name Pronunciation: k r iss – t EE – n uh h w ih n
Pronouns: she/her
Fun Facts: I am semi-ambidextrous. I write with my right but I do most other things with my left (basketball, volleyball, opening jars).

EJ's Expanded Bio

EJ's Expanded Bio

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I am a first-generation graduate from Seattle University, where I majored in Psychology. While in college, I wanted to explore opportunities to help me engage with my identity as a low-income, bi-racial man of color, which led me to serve in a first grade Extended Learning Program at Bailey Gatzert Elementary for 2.5 years. I fell in love with working in extracurricular academic work, and after completing my degree worked at Rainier Scholars as an Academic Counselor. I am very passionate about working to empower and advocate for underrepresented young folks, which led me to this amazing opportunity to work with the Diversity & Access Team! Outside of work, I typically enjoy attempting recipes from cooking tutorials on YouTube, writing music, going for walks/jogs, binging shows with my partner, and spending time with family & friends.

EJ Pinera

Title: Student Leadership Development Coordinator
Name Pronunciation: Ee Jay Pin-YE-ruh
Pronouns: he/him
Fun Facts: I can be found on most music platforms (including Spotify) under the artist name Elijah James, which is what ‘EJ’ stands for. My goal is to become a more developed recording artist, so hopefully by the time you read this I’ve uploaded more songs online!

Fernanda's Expanded Bio

Fernanda's Expanded Bio

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I’m a first-generation college student and graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism from a university in Brazil and an associate’s in Business from North Seattle College. I’m also the first person in my family to visit and immigrate to a different country. I have a diverse professional background – ranging from program management around EDI, STEM, event planning to the travel industry – A constant in my life has been my passion for working and connecting with people.
In my free time, I enjoy being outdoors, volunteering, reading books, finding yummy food around Seattle and scrolling through social media. I’m beyond excited to be a part of the Diversity & Access team and work together to continue to further its mission!

Fernanda Jardim

Title: Senior K-12 Outreach Specialist
Name Pronunciation: Fer-nahn-dah J are- jeen
Pronouns: she/her
Fun Facts: I’m a dog mom to Ivy (as in Poison Ivy from the DC comics), I have taught her multiple tricks, including giving me hugs (she probably regrets learning it). I enjoy spending time in nature and I’m a certified Wilderness First Responder. I have the goal of climbing all 5 Washington volcanoes (I have climbed 3 of them). I enjoy using parenthesis (a lot!).

Agaziyan's Expanded Bio

Agaziyan's Expanded Bio

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I was born and raised in South Seattle to Ethiopian and Bosnian immigrants, and I’m proud to be a first-generation college graduate. I earned my undergraduate degree from the University of Washington, having previously attended Cleveland High School and Asa Mercer Middle School. Before returning to UW, I worked as a Program Manager at Amazon, where I developed my passion for supporting diverse teams and initiatives. My academic journey has taken me through various fields, including communications, business, software, psychology, history, and music. I truly believe that while school may end, learning never does, and I’m excited to continue growing alongside the students I support.

Agaziyan Mengesha

Title: Recruiter for Diversity & Access
Name Pronunciation: A-ga-zee-yahn Men-geh-sha
Pronouns: he/him
Fun Facts: My name means “liberate” or “free” in the Amharic language, and I’m ambidextrous! Outside of my work at UW, you can usually find me playing sports, exploring new interests, or on the hunt for the One Piece!

Kayla's Expanded Bio

Kayla's Expanded Bio

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I was an East Coaster for 22 years before I flew to Seattle in Spring 2020. I had just graduated from Ithaca College with a double major in Music Theory and Social Psychology and minors in Education and Gender Studies. In college, I discovered my passion for college access work which inspired me to start an M.A. in Higher and Postsecondary Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Shortly after arriving in Washington, my graduate program announced that the next academic year would be online, so naturally, I never booked a return flight and proceeded to live out of a suitcase for the year. Through what felt like a million zoom meetings, I got to dive deep into the issues and barriers surrounding college access for underrepresented student populations. After 18 months, I decided to move the rest of my belongings to Seattle and put down some roots here. I am thrilled to be on the Allen School’s Diversity & Access team as a Recruiter where I can apply my graduate research and continue to work toward building pathways to college in a city I have come to adore. Outside of work, I enjoy dog training, using TikTok for disability advocacy and raising awareness about service dogs, cooking, and learning guitar.

Kayla Shuster Sasaki

Title: Senior Program Manager for Recruitment & Admissions
Name Pronunciation: KAY-luh SHOOS-ter Suh-SAH-Kee
Fun Facts: I have a service dog named Sailor and we frequently go dinghy sailing with my partner, Clayton, who is a Ph.D. candidate at UW.

Sailors' Expanded Bio

Sailor's Expanded Bio

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Hi! I’m Sailor and I am a psychiatric service dog. Service dogs are task-trained to help one person with disabilities. They are different from Emotional Support Animals and Therapy dogs – Emotional Support Animals are often for one person who has a disability but do not have to be trained, and Therapy dogs are trained to help groups of people, often in hospital and school settings. Service dogs usually go through 1.5 – 2 years of training before they begin working with their handler full-time. The training includes two types of training: public access, which means being able to be focused and obedient in public places, and task training which is the unique training done to help them mitigate their handlers’ disability. There is no official registration or certification process and sometimes people put service dog vests on untrained dogs to try and use our public access rights, which can be dangerous and distracting for us and scary for the untrained dog. I was born in Mexico where there are lots of stray dogs but I was lucky to be rescued and brought to the US where I was adopted. It is rare for a rescue dog to make it through service dog training but I did and now I come to the Allen School to help my mom stay safe every day!

Sailor Shuster Sasaki

Title: Service Dog
Pronouns: he/him
Fun Facts: I post service dog advocacy content on both Instagram and TikTok