b'Chancellors MedalThe Chancellors Medal recognizes an individual who has been a consistent source of inspiration for faculty and fellow students alike, and who has overcome significant obstacles in order to complete a degree.Leticia Y. Romo Bueno is the first person in her family to attend and graduate from college. Her educational journey has been long and arduous. Born in Mexico, Romo Bueno grew up in what she calls extreme poverty. Her early life consisted of school, long days working alongside her parents harvesting seafood and helping raise her younger siblings. Romo Bueno came to the United States at the age of 13. Once here, she endured homelessness and abuse by her then boyfriend. Romo Bueno overcame those hardships and found stability in the classroom. Education has always been a constant in my life, she said. Its always been the thing keeping me together. Romo Bueno completed her associates degree at Green River College before transferring to UW Tacoma. The mother of two will graduate today with a degree in criminal justice and is this years Chancellors Medalist. presidents MedalThe Presidents Medal recipient is selected from graduating seniors with the most distinguished academic record.This years medalist earned a 4.0 GPA. Brooke Nicole Carlaw started her collegiate journey at Colorado State University (CSU) where she intended to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine. Along the way, Carlaw took a psychology course and found she had a passion for the subject. I really wanted to understand why people think the way they do and so thats why I ultimately made the leap of faith and switched to psychology, she said. A Washington native, Carlaw moved back to the Pacific Northwest to attend UW Tacoma. While on campus she has been busy researching eyewitness misidentification in Dr. Stephen Ross Center for Applied Social Cognition Research. Carlaw committed herself to academics while at UW Tacoma. Her hard work paid off. Carlaw is this years Presidents Medalist for the Tacoma campus. Carlaw plans to continue her education in the fall at CSU where she will begin work on a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology.Student speakerAmica G. Atienza came to the United States from the Philippines at the age of four. The oldest of three siblings, Atienza grew up in Federal Way. She attended Highline College during her junior and senior years in high school through the Running Start program before transferring to UW Tacoma. Atienza graduates with a degree in biomedical sciences, a path she decided on after considerable deliberation. I had to find out what I was passionate about, she said. As it turns out, Im really interested in early childhood development, prenatal care and womens health. Atienza plans to spend the next year working before applying to graduate schools. Her long-term goal is to become an obstetrician.3'