Student Affairs Staff Spotlight

Student Affairs Staff Spotlight: Yanira Pacheco Ortiz (November 2021)

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Each month, Student Affairs recognizes one of its outstanding staff members for their hard work, dedication, and passion for serving the UW Tacoma community.

November Staff Spotlight

Name: Yanira Pacheco Ortiz

Unit: First Generation Student Initiatives

Hobby: I love gardening and music (especially if I can enjoy them at the same time since I know my plants love to hear salsa and merengue music); I also like watching anything from the MARVEL or DC series with my family; and of course, watching PBS series. Hopefully soon I can start traveling again and visit family and friends!

Favorite Place on UW Tacoma campus and Why: My favorite place on campus is the third floor of the University Y specifically room 304. From there you have an awesome view of the city of Tacoma and our campus. On clear days you can also see Mount Tahoma (Mt. Rainier), and the view is breathtaking!

Nominated By: Elizabeth Hansen

I would love to nominate Yanira Pacheco for the November Staff Spotlight! Yanira has been a huge champion for all students, but especially those that are first generation. Through her work with First Generation Initiatives, the First Gen Fellows cohort has continued to thrive, she has advocated for and received additional funding to hire Peer Success Mentors, and oversaw the development of the Financial Wellness Fellows program. First Generation Initiatives consistently produces high-quality workshops that help educate and empower students, and the yearly “We Are First Generation” poster campaign has quickly become a staple program that folks look forward to every year.

We are so lucky to have Yanira as part of the Student Affairs team, and I always appreciate her students-first attitude and the support I see her provide on a daily basis.

Student Affairs

Student Affairs Mission

Student Affairs champions holistic learning and success for UW Tacoma students. We remove barriers for students, engage them as partners to create an inclusive campus community and equip them for lives and careers that have meaning and impact.

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