Quick Notes
Kunal Nayyar ‘03 Challenge Gift for Performing Arts
Kunal Nayyar ’03, star from the Big Bang Theory, has pledged to give $200,000 to support the Performing Arts Department in the College of Arts and Sciences. Kunal hopes to inspire at least 100 donors to make a gift to any designation in the College of Arts and Sciences campaign. When this goal is reached, his gift will provide support for performing arts students and programs.
Join the challenge starting tomorrow at 12:00 p.m.! On April 4-5 from noon to noon, the UP community will come together for our first ever day of giving:#PilotsGive. With nearly $400,000 in challenge funds available, University of Portland has an ambitious goal of securing 1000 donors in one day! #PilotsGive is OUR chance to make UP stronger. pilotsgive.up.edu Together we all add UP!
Becca Van Drimmelen
Becca Van Drimmelen
Academic Program Counselor
Q: Hello, Becca! Where are you from originally?
I am a Portland, Oregon native
Q: What is your educational background?
I have a BS in Human Development and Family Science from Oregon State University and a M.Ed. in Student Development Administration from Seattle University
Q: What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited?
Canterbury, England
Q: Favorite pastime or hobby?
Hiking
Q: Favorite on-campus spot?
The bluff in the summertime
Q: Cake or Pie?
Cake
Q: Early bird or Night owl?
I like a nice 1:30pm
Q: Book or Movie?
Book
Q: Coffee or Juice?
Coffee
Q: Dogs or Cats?
Dogs
Q: Oceans or Mountains?
Ocean
Q: Hotel or Camping?
Camping–unless it’s the Disneyland Hotel…
Q: Coca-Cola or Pepsi?
Coca-Cola
Q: Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter?
Harry Potter
Q: What if your favorite season?
Fall
Q: What challenges did you encounter in your studies?
I was very intimidated by my professors for a long time so I didn’t take advantage of things like office hours or just talking with my professors after class right away. Later on, I got to know my professors much better and not only were they super helpful about course content and how I was doing in their class, they were also just really cool people! I wish that I had been braver and gone to office hours earlier on in my college career so I could have developed that relationship with them sooner.
Q: What advice would you give to our students?
Be bold. Get involved, talk to people, use your resources! UP offers so many forms of support and opportunities for you to try something new – take advantage of them. You don’t have to do this whole college thing alone, your staff and faculty are here to help, you just have to reach out!
Katie Richardson
Heading into the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, we were able to give thanks for the addition of the newest member of the CAS Advising team: Katie Richardson.
In the spirit of building community, we sat down with Katie to find out more about her, thus, kicking off a new segment titled: “Get to Know Your CAS”!
Katie Richardson
Academic Program Counselor
Q: Hello, Katie! Where are you from originally?
I’m originally from Denton, TX but I’ve spent the last 10 years mostly in the Seattle area
Q: What is your educational background?
I graduated from Western Washington University with a BA in Cultural Anthropology and then from Seattle University with a Master of Education
Q: What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited?
I spent two weeks exploring the Canary Islands!
Q: Favorite pastime or hobby?
Snowboarding and Camping
Q: What is your favorite season?
Fall
Q: Favorite on-campus spot?
Pilot House
Q: Cake or Pie?
Pie
Q: Early bird or Night owl?
Early bird
Q: Book or Movie?
Book
Q: Coffee or Juice?
COFFEE
Q: Dogs or Cats?
Cats
Q: Oceans or Mountains?
I love both!
Q: Hotel or Camping?
Camping
Q: City or Country?
City
Q: Coca-Cola or Pepsi?
Coca-Cola
Q: Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter?
Harry Potter
Q: What challenges did you encounter in your studies?
I was the first person in my family to go to college so everything about the college experience was new for me. At first, I didn’t utilize my advisor or my professor’s office hours so I missed a lot of opportunities and resources that would have made my transition to college less stressful!
Q: What advice would you give to our students?
Make the most out of the opportunities available to you at UP. Explore classes and activities outside of your comfort zone and always keep an open mind!
Stay tuned for the next installment of this on-going series as we get to know our very own Academic Program Counselor in Pre-Health, Becca Van Drimmelen!!