He who knows others is learned;
He who knows himself is wise.
~Lao-tzu, Tao te Ching

One needn’t have their name penned into history books to claim “I am.” Yet, we have limited ourselves to only share the stories presented in mass media. iAM, the efforts of students from the Supraprint course at the University of Washington, proposes that each individual has a face, a story and an identity. The project’s goal is to share our identity, and to encourage you to discover who you are.

Please click on a story to view:

The Grape Whisperer
-By Lisa Porter

A Big Change: Life in the Dorms
-By Angela Moorer

Real Change
-By Jonathan King

A Teenaged Mother’s Tough Transition
-By Cody Brazen

Husky Stadium: The Man Who Makes it Happen
-By Kyle Simon

The Ugly Mug Cafe in Your Grandparents’ Living Room
-By Arlene Carvalho

RA on (and off) Duty
-By Kiki Horas

Life as a Resident Advisor
-By Bethany Wojtanowicz

Structural Instability
-By Andrew Hart

Riding in the City
-By Livia Lee

House Mom
-By Monica Nelson

The New Generation of Bike Polo: No Horses Required
-By Delaney Bolin

Where there’s design, there’s art.
-By Milcah Tesfaye

Identity Un-Cut
-By Brooke Simpson

Being in the Dawg Pack
-By Charmin Flojo

Achieving Balance
-By Samuel Han

Bikini Barista: A Modern Working Mom
-By Stephanie Ellendt

Mission for Mars Hill
-By Grace Yang

A Fluid Identity
-By Robert Devenuti

Everything but Scraps
-By Daniela Rossi

Kelly McCall: Not your Average Office Assistant
-By Brynn Cellan

Cultural Studies: A UW Student’s Pursuit of Art and Music Through Salsa
-By Nicole Ciridon

The Art of Parkour: A Sport for the City
-By Ivana Cheong

Somebody’s Mama Lives Here
-By Stacy Branum

Multimedia story by Lisa M. Porter. Click here to view.

Text by Jonathan King

Brennon Leighton’s unique approach to winemaking has earned him multiple awards, including “Winemaker to Watch”.

“You use the art side of yourself, the creative part of yourself, and you also use the knowledgeable science part of yourself as well…you have to become one with what Mother Nature or God has given you.” – Brennon Leighton

After being a member of a punk rock band, Brennon Leighton switched his focus to the world of wine. The up-and-coming winemaker was introduced to wine while working as a waiter at an upscale restaurant in northern California, and thus he pursued a degree in oenology at the University of California at Davis.

Leighton is a pro at using a forklift, as he spends much of his day operating one while crushing and pressing grapes. The work for the winemaker gets even busier, especially in autumn, as he has to process, crush and press nearly 80 tons of grapes. During the crush season he spends up to 70 hours per week in the winery. In addition to managing the whole winemaking process, he oversees the Efeste staff, maintains relationships with suppliers, and regularly promotes Efeste wines at industry and winery functions.

The interns at Efeste assist Leighton with all facets of the winemaking process. As the winemaker continues to get his shirt covered with grape stains, he’s helping future winemakers in getting their hands a little messy as well. Maybe one of them will be the next “Winemaker to Watch”.

Multimedia story by Angela Moorer.  Click here to view.

Text by Bethany Wojtanowicz

Featuring double and triple dorm rooms, Terry Hall consists of 11 floors and houses over 680 students.– UW Food and Housing

“It is definitely an experience. I shared a room at home with my little sister but it was nothing like this. 18-year-olds are a lot different than 9-year-olds.” – Autumn Peterson, Terry Hall resident

Whether they are challenging their roommates to a sweat-breaking game of ping-pong, logging on to Skype to chat with friends from home or walking to Red Robin for a friends’ birthday dinner, it’s a wonder that residents of Terry Hall have any time for school work. To residents Autumn Peterson and Penny Outhichamphone, college has presented many lessons outside of the lecture hall.

“I mean, I’m partially to blame for it, when the trash isn’t taken out and there’s like fresh fruits and vegetables in there and the fruit flies start coming. Oh my goodness,” says Autumn Peterson. Apart from the technicalities of housekeeping, dorm life offers up relational lessons also.

The general consensus is that it was not easy sharing such a small space with another person.  Although Autumn Peterson shared a room at home with her sister,  she says, “18-year-olds are definitely a lot different than 9-year-olds,” and that the double rooms in Terry Hall gets a little cramped.

Eventually, the students work out the kinks of living in the residence halls as the dorms start to feel like a home away from home.

Multimedia story by Jonathan King,  click here to view.

Text by Lisa Porter

Fourteen Years of Real Change
Real Change vendors, many of whom were previously homeless, sell nearly 18,000 papers per week. — Real Change

“There ain’t no way I am going to make $1,300 a month—doing anything—and be homeless. It ain’t that kind of party.” –Edward McClain

Sixty-six-year-old Edward McClain is a veteran presence among the many colorful characters in Seattle’s University District. Stationed outside the Safeway store at 47th Street and Brooklyn Avenue, he sells copies of Real Change, a Seattle-based newspaper advocating for the city’s homeless.

A graduate of Northern Illinois University, Edward holds degrees in sociology and political science. His education helps in his job, he says, because he approaches everyone with an open mind and can see people for who they really are.

He moved to Seattle from Chicago to be near his son. Although he had plenty of money when he arrived, he soon found himself without enough to pay for an apartment. That’s when he became a vendor for Real Change. He coined his trademark phrase “Real Change sir, have a good day sir,” very early in his career, and has used it successfully for 14 years.

Despite the grueling 8-hour days, McClain loves his job and can’t imagine doing anything else. McClain particularly admires the fact that Real Change does not receive support from large corporations. The man and the paper are both independent institutions, and it’s easy to see why they are such a good fit.

Multimedia story by Cody Brazen. Click here to view

Text by Stacy Branum

In America, “More than 750,000 teens become pregnant each year, 80 percent of them unintentionally (Planned Parenthood).”

“I Used to Believe in Happily Ever After, But Then Came Reality” – Amy McGee

When 19-year-old Seattleite Amy McGee took her first home pregnancy test, the result was negative.  So was that of the second home test, which she took only weeks later. Unconvinced that either result was conclusive, Amy decided to go to her local Planned Parenthood for a professional opinion.  It was there that her suspicions were confirmed:   she was pregnant.

“I don’t even know if there’s a word to describe how I felt,” says McGee.  She knew that for her, abortion would not be an option.  McGee also knew that the father of her child would not welcome the news.  She was simultaneously overwhelmed, confused and frightened.

Not long after hearing he would become a father, McGee’s boyfriend abandoned her.  McGee is now a single mother – according to the National Center for Health Statistics, one of nearly 1.7 million single mothers living in America today.

McGee and her daughter, Jayden, now live with McGee’s parents.   Despite their support, McGee describes single motherhood as a lonely experience.   “The situation is that you’re supposed to be in a home, with a husband, and you have him here with you as your partner.”  While McGee delights in her daughter’s easy smile, she no longer smiles so easily.  “I used to believe in happily ever after,” says McGee. “But then came reality.”

Multimedia story by Kyle L. Simon, click here to view.

Text by Kiki C. Horas

A seating capacity of 72,500 allows Husky Stadium to rank as the nation’s 15th largest on-campus facility. It is the largest stadium, college or professional, in the Pacific Northwest. (Official Athletic Website of the University of Washington)

“That’s definitely what I do, y’know. And they love it.” – Kelvin Palfrey

As spectators stream out of the University of Washington’s Husky Stadium after a football game, Kelvin Palfrey, 48, stays behind and looks on at the post-game band and cheerleading show. Palfrey is not your typical Husky fan. He is the one who makes that football game, and any other games in the Husky Stadium, happen.

Palfrey is the utility lead worker at Husky stadium. He prepares the facilities for training and games—football, volleyball, softball, track and the list goes on. He can be found in his John Deere vehicle, which he uses to move around the huge stadium, or a forklift. The forklift requires training and a license to operate. His duties include making sure that the training fields are usable, supervising the maintenance of the stadium, repairing bleachers, supporting UW’s recycling program and many others. Without Palfrey, the facilities at Husky Stadium would be at a standstill.

When spectators pour into the stadium for a day of excitement, the thoughtful and humorous Palfrey has been at work for hours already. Palfrey has the “roughest …hardest job”, especially during football season because he has to work outside in cold weather. “[But]it’s a job,” Palfrey says, and being able to watch Husky Football makes all his work worthwhile.

Multimedia story by Arlene Carvalho Click here to view

Text by Daniela Rossi

Fifty per cent of the American population, approximately 150 million people, drink some type of coffee.

“When you come into The Ugly Mug cafe you leave all your worries behind…” – Chi Nguyen, barista.

The door opens and a bell chimes to signal the customers arrival. The sound of steaming milk and chatter fills the small cafe on NE 43rd Street. Tables and chairs are decorated with postcards from customers travels and original paintings line the walls above comfy couches, a style that has been described by customers to be “like your grandparents living room.” – Chi Nguyen. All the paintings were painted by the owners and their friends, giving a bit of themselves over to the customer, something they hope to be reciprocated. They give out postcards to each customer in the hope that they can fill their cafe with stories.

The Ugly Mug is not a large chain cafe like the one’s that dominate the main shopping strips of Seattle. It is housed in a 1920′s building which immediately gives it an old world feel, distinctly different from modern establishments. It’s a quaint, family owned business in the University District around the corner from the University of Washington. It has gained a following of loyal customers who like its welcoming and laid back atmosphere – and the fine art of the latte.

Chi Nguyen has worked at The Ugly Mug for over a year and recommends the “amazing” sandwiches which contain secret ingredients – only a select few are allowed to make them. In addition to the special sandwiches they have a large range of over 50 coffees and teas available. Nguyen insists that they “can make anything you want!”

Multimedia story by Kiki C. Horas . Click here to view.

Text by Kyle Simon

The national mean hourly wage for a resident adviser is $12.17. –Bureau of Labor Statistics

“Despite being a lot of work, I really enjoy being a resident adviser because it lets me help a lot of people.” –Robert Matlock

Robert Matlock, 20,  is a trained student leader who works as a resident adviser (RA) at the University of Washington. He is a junior majoring in Molecular Biology. Music is a big part of his life and Matlock loves the show “Glee.”

RAs have many duties at the University of Washington. Matlock and other RAs patrol the student living areas every night. They are not deterred by the dark, cold, rainy weather. Instead, they are determined to complete their tasks and provide safety and peace of mind for student residents.

Matlock is required to meet with residents to discuss problems or issues and is the one who fixes them. He handles resident concerns as efficiently as possible, but if needed, he can bring their concerns to a higher faculty member. Matlock says his job is an around-the-clock commitment. He lives in Stevens Court which makes him accessible to students. Most RAs begin working in their second year of college and continue through graduation.

Multimedia story by Andrew Hart. Click here to view.

Text by Nicole Ciridon

The U.S. employment of scientists and engineers has fallen by 6.3 percent in the last year. But overall employment has fallen only 4.1 percent. (BusinessWeek)

“Currently in our office we’re only working 20 hours a week unless we have a project to work on. So that’s basically half a salary and for a young family that’s not gonna cut it.” – Peter J. Hart Jr.

Civil engineer Peter J. Hart Jr. enjoys watching sports, making bad jokes and telling his sons what to do. An outdoorsmen, Hart spends his time going on walks with his wife Martha, doing chores and working.
These days, Hart has more leisure time on his hands. A civil engineer with CT Engineering, he works with contractors and architects to make sure buildings are built safe, strong and according to building codes. But due to the recession his company has seen a sharp decline in projects.
Banks have become more restrictive in issuing loans, which has decreased the amount of construction projects being undertaken. The impact is being felt across the construction industry. The lack of work hit the company hard last summer and now production is almost at a standstill.
Hart has seen several coworkers ask their wives to return to work, and although Hart maintains a 40-hour workweek, he only gets paid for about half of that. In addition, engineers are faced with an uncharacteristically high unemployment rate.
Despite the struggle, he remains positive, reflecting on how his work and house environment is more relaxing. Hart has taken time off to travel with his family and completed projects around the house.