Alumni Success

REDHAWKS SUCCEED IN COLLEGE AND BEYOND

JOSEPH NGUYEN, ’06

PUBLIC SERVANT JOSEPH NGUYEN, ’06

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A beacon of hope and a voice for his community and district, Joseph Nguyen, ’06, is the first person of color to win a seat in Washington state’s 34th District and the first Vietnamese American state senator. A legislative newcomer who is a deeply committed servant-leader focused on issues of social justice, Nguyen is determined to use his platform to elevate voices and ideas that have, in the past, been left out of the conversation. He is also a senior program manager at Microsoft and Nguyen serves on the Wellspring Family Services Board of Directors.

AERICA SHIMIZU BANKS, ’10

ADVOCATE AERICA SHIMIZU BANKS, ’10

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A vibrant leader and advocate for underrepresented communities, Aerica Shimizu Banks, ’10, has worked both in and alongside government to drive sustainable change for communities of color and women. Through her policy work in the Obama administration, the Pew Charitable Trust, Google and Pinterest, she strives to keep the marginalized at the fore. A Forbes magazine "30 Under 30" list-maker, her many achievements include co-founding BEACON, a campaign to make Washington, D.C., the most influential city for women entrepreneurs and passing legislation addressing inequities in inventorship.

MOHAMED ALABBAR, ’81

BUSINESS LEADER MOHAMED ALABBAR, ’81

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How do you boost the economy of Dubai and transform it into a world-class city? Start by getting a business degree from Seattle University, of course. After graduating from the Albers School of Business & Economics, Mohamed Alabbar built an impressive career working closely with the Sheikh of Dubai. Eventually he founded Emaar Properties—one of the largest real estate development companies in the Middle East—that developed Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building and largest shopping mall.