Learn Something New...
Built in 1903, the Security Building at 917 Pacific Ave was one of two locations UWT occupied before the permanent campus opened in 1996.
Built in 1903, the Security Building at 917 Pacific Ave was one of two locations UWT occupied before the permanent campus opened in 1996.
Diane (Johnston) Merkel came to UW Tacoma for the prestige the name "UW" carried. She had no idea that the "T" would end up being just as important.
Merkel returned to school at age 49 to fulfill her life-long dream of earning a bachelor’s degree. UW Tacoma’s array of evening classes was an important factor in her college choice, since she held a full-time job and commuted from Bremerton.
"At UW Tacoma I rediscovered a freshness in life I’d forgotten," Merkel says, remembering the excitement of participating in classroom discussions and exploring the world of ideas. She says the small classes forced her to be engaged.
"In my classes at UWT, I was steeped in the notion of social responsibility," she explains, referring to a favorite class, "AIDS in American Society" in her final year. As part of her coursework, Merkel volunteered at Three Cedars, a home for people with HIV/AIDS run by the AIDS Housing Association of Tacoma. She was reluctant to become too involved at first, but she soon developed a deep bond with the residents there. “They enlarged my life,” says Merkel, who is still visibly touched by the experience.
"UW Tacoma led me to my last job," Merkel says, referring to her work as the emergency services/disaster manager for the Red Cross’s Kitsap County Chapter.
She began volunteering at the Red Cross after graduation. Though she had no formal experience in the area, she eventually applied for a job. The position paid less than her previous job as a safety officer at Johnson Controls, but her experience at UW Tacoma had taught her the value of community involvement.
"Being alive is being part of your community," Merkel says, adding, “Non-profit does not pay well but what you get out of it is huge."
When the Red Cross board interviewed her, quizzing her about her lack of experience, she explained with conviction that she was kind, perceptive, a quick learner, a hard worker and never, ever sick. She got the job, and stayed at the Red Cross for five years. “It was the most satisfying work I’d ever done," Merkel says.
"Being a student at UW Tacoma was the best time in my life,” she says, smiling. “UW Tacoma's combination of curriculum and professors is just unbeatable. The worry and the work and the sweat and the fun, it was the best time."
But maybe the best is yet to be. Merkel is by no means ready to give up trying new things. "I want everything life has to offer. I'm going to live to be 96," she states, and adds, "I may have to go back to school when I am 70."
If UW Tacoma fits your academic goals and life situation, take the next step. Check out the degrees open to you and then visit the campus for a true UW Tacoma experience.
