UW

Fifteen University of Washington students were recently awarded prestigious Bonderman Travel Fellowships, including one from the College of the Environment. The award will enable Program on the Environment‘s Frieda Luoma-Cohan to embark on a solo journey at least eight months long and take her to at least two regions and six countries around the world. The fellowship, established in 1995 and worth $20,000 each, aims to expose students to the intrinsic, often life-changing benefits of international travel.

Luoma-Cohan, whose hometown is Mt. Vernon, Washington, has been deeply influenced by her experiences in outdoor schools and field classes, as well as other instances of non-traditional experiential learning and she is thrilled to be given the opportunity to explore the world in an immersive education setting. As she travels, she hopes to explore the very different ways in which science education is presented in each community she visits, how this learning process inspires a connection with the natural world and how communities foster a sense of place in education. She is excited to be stretched out of her comfort zone, and to absorb, learn, be humbled and share. She plans to visit Morocco, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Bhutan, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.

Additionally, Louma-Cohan recently won a 2018 Green Husky Award for her role as a community leader of various student-led initiatives around campus, including the Student Association for Greener Environments (SAGE) and the Program on the Environment’s Sustainable Learning Space. Her contributions to SAGE include coordinating recycling efforts at Husky football games, which have paid off as UW football reached its highest-ever diversion rate during the 2017 season.