UW Tacoma admissions advisors visit high schools, community colleges and participate in college fairs regionally throughout the year. They are also available for one-on-one consultations to answer your questions and help you navigate the admission process.
Megan Cooley
Associate Director of University Recruitment
B.A. in Social Studies Education, Washington State University, 2005
M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration, Washington State University, 2007
Hometown: Maple Valley, Washington
Favorite place in Tacoma: Tacoma coffee shops! Anthem, Metronome, Valhalla, Blue Beard. . . On warm and cold days, I know the coffee shops of Tacoma can all give me a hug in a cup.
Favorite class in college: History of American Immigration
What makes UW Tacoma special? UW Tacoma is empowering, sassy, and dedicated. We care and give with everything we have. We help our neighbors, we celebrate together, we weep together. UW Tacoma is the definition of “Community.” I love it here.
Territories:
Megan oversees our admissions advisors and campus visitation team. She works closely with high school counselors and other guidance professionals.
Janet De La Cruz
Admissions Advisor
B.A. in History and Literature, Pacific Lutheran University, 2016
Hablo Español
Hometown: Tacoma, Washington
Favorite place in Tacoma: My favorite place in Tacoma is the Grand Cinema. This is a great place to watch independent, foreign, and local films while having the best popcorn in town!
Favorite class in college: The Art of Brevity: Latin American Short Story Narratives
What makes UW Tacoma special? One of my favorite things about UW Tacoma is the community on and off campus. Students, faculty, staff and surrounding community have created an inclusive environment where it is easy to feel welcome and supported.
Territories:
- Bethel, Fife, Franklin Pierce, Seattle, Highline and Tukwilla School Districts
- Tacoma and Seattle private schools
- Kitsap County
- Central Washington
- Eastern Washington
Malik Farr
Admissions Advisor
B.A. in Sociology, University of Wisconsin Madison, 2016
Hometown: New Hope, Minnesota
Favorite place in Tacoma: Farmers Market!
Favorite class in college: ILS 275: Narratives of Justice and Equality in Multicultural America
What makes UW Tacoma special? I love how UW Tacoma is about access: if you want to get a degree here, regardless of educational history, theres a pathway to start over with us.
Territories:
Prospective Freshmen and Running Start students from the following school districts and regions:
- Auburn School District
- Clover Park School District
- Federal Way School District
- Kent School District
- Peninsula School District
- University Place School District
- Mason County
- North East King County
- Northwest Washington
Steve Fontana
Tacoma Community College-to-UW Tacoma Transfer Academic Advisor
B.A. in English Literature, Seattle University, 2003
M.B.A., University of Phoenix, 2007
Hometown: Olympia, Washington
Favorite place/thing to do in Tacoma: Lunch at the farmers market. Movies at The Grand. Seven Seas Brewery!
What was your favorite class in college: Philosophy, Creative Writing
What do you think makes UW Tacoma special? Campus size, urban serving and access!
Territory: Transfer, international and Running Start students who attend Tacoma Community College. Steve’s office is in TCC’s academic advising center. He is there to help current TCC students make their way to UW Tacoma. You can also meet with Steve at UW Tacoma on Tuesdays.
Jorge Martinez
Admissions Advisor
B.A. in Criminal Justice, University of Washington Tacoma, 2016
Marine Corps veteran
Hablo Español
Hablo Español / Military veteran
Hometown: New York, New York
Favorite place/thing to do in Tacoma: My family and I enjoy walking up and down the Tacoma waterfront on Ruston Way. We enjoy the sights and sounds of the majestic Puget Sound area.
What was your favorite class in college: Diversity and Social Justice in Criminology
What do you think makes UW Tacoma special? UW Tacoma is special because of its size, location and its close ties to the community. The campus’ size is perfect for building partnerships and networking with the professors. Located downtown Tacoma, UW Tacoma’s centralized location makes it convenient for students and staff to explore the outdoors, visit the variety of museums and a short distance from Seattle.
Territories:
Transfer students, international students and Running Start students attending the following community colleges:
- Bates Technical College
- Big Bend Community College
- Centralia Community College
- Clark College
- Clover Park Technical College
- Columbia Basin College
- Grays Harbor Community College
- Highline College
- Lake Washington Technical College
- Lower Columbia Community College
- North Seattle College
- Olympic College
- Peninsula College
- Pierce College
- Renton Technical College
- Seattle Central College
- South Seattle College
- Wenatchee College
- Yakima Valley College
Maria Reyes
Pierce College-to-UW Tacoma Transfer Academic Advisor
Degrees: B.A. in Social Welfare University of Washington Tacoma, 2015; Master of Social Work (MSW), University of Washington Tacoma, 2018
Hometown: Tacoma, WA
Favorite place/thing to do in Tacoma: I love to explore the great places Tacoma has to offer such as the Farmer's Market, Point Ruston and the Point Defiance Zoo!
What was your favorite class in college: T HISP 355 Latino Literature Migration/Family in the U.S.
What do you think makes UW Tacoma special? What makes UW Tacoma special would definitely be the campus community, once you step foot on campus you feel a sense of community, a sense of belonging. The faculty here really care about their students and want them to succeed, they go the extra mile to get to know their students.
Territory: Transfer, international and Running Start students who attend Pierce College. Maria is on the Pierce Fort Steilacoom campus on Mondays and Tuesdays and the Pierce Puyallup campus on Thursdays and Fridays. She is there to help current Pierce students make their way to UW Tacoma. You can also meet with Maria at UW Tacoma on Wednesdays.
Kynze Rogers
Admissions Advisor
B.A. in Ethnic, Gender, and Labor Studies, University of Washington Tacoma, 2017
Hometown: Vancouver, Washington
Favorite place/thing to do in Tacoma: Seeing a performance at the Pantages Theater, or going to any community organized events, such as the Hilltop Street Fair or Ethnic Fest in the Summer.
What was your favorite class in college: While studying abroad in Brazil, I took a class called Popular Movements in Latin America, as well as studying Portuguese, those were my favorites!
What do you think makes UW Tacoma special? Our students and the perspectives they bring to the classroom. Your experience in the classroom is truly enhanced by your peers here.
Territories:
Prospective freshmen and Running Start students from the following school districts and regions:
- Eatonville School District
- Enumclaw School District
- Orting School District
- Puyallup School District
- Renton School District
- Sumner School District
- Tacoma School District
- Tahoma School District
- Vashon Island School District
- White River School District
- Southwest Washington
- Olympic Peninsula and Washington coast
Noelle Wilson
Senior Admissions Advisor for Campus Visitation
B.A. in Communication, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), 2005
M.S.W., Mental health and addictions, IUPUI, 2011
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
Favorite place/thing to do in Tacoma: Spend time at Point Defiance Park and the Zoo/Aquarium with my family.
What was your favorite class in college: Western Civilization - the professor made it great!
What do you think makes UW Tacoma special? UW Tacoma is special because of the ability to go to school in an urban setting and all the opportunities that come with that. It’s also special because of the ability to earn a prestigious degree at an intimate campus.
Territory:
Noelle manages campus visitation and events. She supervises our campus ambassadors and works to assure all who visit UW Tacoma have a meaningful experience.
Navia Winderling
Admissions Advisor
B.A. in Communication, University of Washington Tacoma, 2014
M.Ed., Higher and Postsecondary Education, Arizona State University, 2017
Hometown: Steilacoom Washington
Favorite place/thing to do in Tacoma: Nothing beats a Tacoma Rainier’s game at Cheney Stadium! The stadium has a lot of local food options like The Red Hot (my favorite) and it’s just a great place to be on a bright, summer day!
What was your favorite class in college: I took News Writing while at UWT and loved it! The class strengthened my writing skills and gave me insight into what a career as a journalist might look like. We got to take a tour of The News Tribune and chat with some of the writing staff. While in the class I wrote an article about UWT’s Pathways to Promise partnership and got the opportunity to interview our former chancellor.
What do you think makes UW Tacoma special? UW Tacoma is special because of its size. It is such a close-knit campus community. As a student you are able to establish meaningful connections not only with peers, but with faculty , staff, and other community members who engage with UWT.
Territories:
Transfer Students, International Students, and Running Start students attending the following community colleges:
- Bellevue College
- Bellingham Technical College
- Cascadia Community College
- Edmonds Community College
- Everett Community College
- Green River College
- North Seattle College
- Northwest Indian College
- Shoreline Community College
- Skagit Valley College
- South Puget Sound Community College
- Spokane Community College
- Spokane Falls Community College
- Tacoma Community College
- Whatcom Community College