Student winter quarter showcase

The 2020 Winter Student Showcase is just around the corner. On Friday March 13, up at the University Y, students will have a chance to display their final projects which they have been working on throughout the quarter. Projects which students typically showcase include, but are not limited to, academic work, art and media. 

“We give students an opportunity to showcase or present projects that they have worked on all quarter,” said Paul Cigarruista, Program Support Supervisor for the Office of Undergraduate Education. “We usually have faculty that want their class, a specific group of students or individuals to participate.”

During the event, students have the opportunity to present their projects in a multitude of ways. According to Cigarruista, during previous showcases students have traditionally used poster boards to help show their work, However, other student presenters have experimented and innovated with how they exhibited their work.

“A majority of the content are easel and poster board presentations, but we have had plays, videos, artwork, poem readings and other forms of presentations,” Cigarruista said.

The Student Showcase started back in 2014 in fall quarter, making this the seventh year of the event. There are also three showcases during a school year, all of which are hosted at or near the end of the quarter. The event typically has a wide range of undergraduate project subjects, as any undergraduate student can apply for the showcase, regardless of class standing or major. As noted already by Cirgarruista, student application is not the only way projects are submitted. Faculty can recommend students for the showcase and can be involved in the application process as well.

The Office of Undergraduate Education’s role at UW Tacoma is to enable the success of undergraduate students, especially first-year and pre major students. There are several programs and events which they either host or endorse as a way to get undergraduates engaged with the campus community. 

Besides the Student Showcases, they host events such as information fairs for the different majors, as well as an event known as Spring Into Your Sophomore Year. Held during the spring quarter, the aim is to bring freshmen together with faculty who teach core classes as a way to celebrate the closing of their first year as a college student.

Students who are looking to be more engaged with the campus community can find the Office of Undergraduate Education in the Garretson Woodruff Pratt, GWP 102.