As part of our continuing effort to promote labor studies among students at the University of Washington, the Bridges Center is adding a second permanent staff member to our office in 2018-2019.  We are excited to welcome Yasmin Ahmed to the new position of Coordinator, where she will assist in all aspects of the Bridges Center’s operations, particularly outreach and advising related to our growing list of student opportunities, including labor courses, scholarships, research grants, and internships.

Yasmin graduated from the University of Washington this past June with a major in Public Health and a minor in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies. As a student, she excelled both academically and as a leader organizing for social justice, often combining those roles in her research and studies. In 2018, Yasmin was recognized as the School of Public Health’s Outstanding Undergraduate Student of the Year, and in 2017 was among those chosen for the “Husky 100,” an honor given to students at the UW who demonstrate exceptional dedication to making a difference in diverse communities.

As a student activist and organizer, Yasmin led several student groups pressuring the University of Washington to make equitable and sustainable investments, including UW Confronting Climate Change and Huskies for Food Justice. Most recently she took part in the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO’s 2018 Union Summer internship program, gaining first-hand experience working on political campaigns and member outreach with multiple labor organizations in the Seattle area.

“As someone who has been involved in public health,” Yasmin writes, “I feel the urge to look as far back as possible to see where all movements intersect and have found labor to be at the crux of them.” To the Bridges Center, she will contribute her intersectional perspective along with a passion for social justice, an extensive background in student engagement and communications, including art and design, and the ability to collaborate with multiple diverse constituencies.