{"id":30971,"date":"2024-06-21T12:39:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T19:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/?p=30971"},"modified":"2024-06-21T12:39:02","modified_gmt":"2024-06-21T19:39:02","slug":"an-inspiration-to-classmates-and-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2024\/06\/21\/an-inspiration-to-classmates-and-community","title":{"rendered":"An inspiration to classmates and community\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
In May, UW Bothell senior Puneet Birk was awarded the Chancellor\u2019s Medal, an award that recognizes graduating students who have inspired their peers and faculty by overcoming significant obstacles while completing their degree or certificate program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was in shock,\u201d said Birk, a first-generation college student. \u201cYou always think about how other people feel when they win an award, but I was bringing this home to my house. It felt surreal.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recipients of the Chancellor\u2019s Medal are nominated by UW Bothell faculty, staff or fellow students, and those in this 20-year-old\u2019s circle were unanimous: She\u2019s been an inspiration to those around her through academic excellence, her resilience in the face of family hardship and her work as an influential student leader. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPuneet embodies the very essence of the Chancellor’s Medal \u2014 she\u2019s an inspiration, overcoming profound personal challenges to not only succeed but also uplift those around her,\u201d said Ahmed Mohamad, a senior majoring in Business Administration who served as ASUWB vice president. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pushing for more<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Birk, who was a Running Start student, joined UW Bothell as a junior. She sought to challenge herself, taking a full load of classes and applying to become a legislative liaison for the Associated 足彩app哪个是正规的s of the University of Washington Bothell. 足彩app哪个是正规的 student lobbyist position required her to temporarily relocate to Olympia and inspired her to declare her major in Law, Economics & Public Policy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter working with the legislature and working with an entire team at a lobbying firm, I just fell in love with policy and the entire process of it,\u201d said Birk. \u201cAlso, my dad is a businessman and I\u2019ve seen him work with legal parties. It\u2019s always interested me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aside from her studies, Birk has held two part-time jobs as a student leader. In spring 2023, she became the youngest-ever elected president of the ASUWB. Meanwhile, she also served as president of the Washington 足彩app哪个是正规的 Association, a student-led nonprofit organization that facilitates statewide student organizing and advocacy at colleges and universities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor nearly two years, I\u2019ve watched Puneet triumph as a student leader,\u201d said Brittany Mayes, Birk\u2019s adviser and associate director of 足彩app哪个是正规的 Engagement & Activities. \u201cAs ASUWB liaison, she really trailblazed best lobby practices for her team members and advocated for her fellow students in Olympia. She took her role as president very seriously, too.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Fostering student joy and inclusion<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Birk researched the feasibility of creating a \u201ccommon hour\u201d on campus when she served as ASUWB president. During this hour, the hope is that no classes will be scheduled so that students can have more time to engage with student clubs and enjoy their college experience. Over this summer quarter, the registrar\u2019s office will begin analyzing how this blocked hour can be effectively implemented. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To deepen student representation and to establish more checks and balances for the ASUWB team, Birk helped build up a student senate after it was dismantled during the coronavirus pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith our growing population, I realized we were a team often trying our best to represent nearly 6,000 students. It\u2019s just not an equitable representation of all the demographics. 足彩app哪个是正规的re are just not physically enough hands,\u201d Birk said. \u201cSo, our vice president, our policy and personnel coordinator and I \u2014 each of us \u2014 did a lot of work on creating the bylaws and structure for recreating a student senate.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Birk also worked to help improve campus safety and expand food options in the new campus dining hall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHer presidency was about creating a more engaged, inclusive and supportive campus community,\u201d said Mohamad. \u201cShe wanted every student to feel seen, heard and valued.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meeting hardship with grace<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Even as she\u2019s triumphed as a student and a student leader, Birk has faced some personal challenges. When she started at UW Bothell, her mother was dealing with a series of critical health issues that forced Birk to take on more responsibilities at home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c足彩app哪个是正规的 biggest challenge was navigating my mom\u2019s mental health, especially because mental health is a completely different thing for her generation,\u201d Birk said. \u201cMy caretaking involved trying to explain what these challenges can look like, such as what anxiety truly is. So, I was not only trying to make sure that everybody was on the same page of how we could help mom get better but also ensuring that we were actively helping her to get better.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
足彩app哪个是正规的n, in April 2023, Birk lost her \u201cBig Dad,\u201d her beloved grandfather who was a fixture of their family and of their larger Sikh and Punjabi communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe practically raised us. I feel losing him really opened my eyes to grief, and it also brought me closer to my religion\u201d she said. \u201cBut it was a lot, and as a student, the homework never stops, so I really had to push through.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Birk has not only overcome, but she has excelled. She made the dean\u2019s list this year and has continued to stay involved with numerous school clubs and mentor fellow ASUWB members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c足彩app哪个是正规的 loss she endured could have dimmed any spirit, but Puneet\u2019s resolve only grew stronger,\u201d said Mohamad. <\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/06\/240609A_145-Large-1024x768.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n