About Nate Bernitz

Proud 2014 graduate of The Evergreen State College. Working to engage alumni and future alumni as an Alumni Programs Officer.

Alumni to return for Sean-nós NW Festival

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Nate Bernitz

Almost 25 years ago, Sean Williams came to The Evergreen State College to teach ethnomusicology, and soon after launched an Irish Studies program that’s drawn students and alumni to campus ever since. Taught once every three years, the year-long program was started in 1994 by Williams and the late Patrick Hill. Over the years, Williams taught the program with Hill, Charles Teske, Rebecca Chamberlain and Tom Rainey. Over the past decade or so, Williams has taught the program by herself. “There are 25 spots available in the class, and four times as many typically write admittance essays,” Williams says of the process to enroll. With the popularity and uniqueness of the program, eight years ago Williams started the annual Sean-nós Northwest Festival, and this President’s day weekend it returns to Evergreen. Close to 100 Evergreen Irish Studies alumni and devotees are expected to attend the three-day festival from across North America. Continue reading →

Greeners Carrie Brownstein ’98 and Corin Tucker ’94 Reunite to Release Album

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Nate Bernitz

Left to right: drummer Janet Weiss, singer-guitarist Corin Tucker, singer-guitarist Carrie Brownstein. Brigitte Sire/Courtesy of the artist to NPR

Sleater-Kinney was formed in early 1994, while Carrie Brownstein ’98 and Corin Tucker ’94 were students at The Evergreen State College. The band’s new album, its first since 2005, is No Cities to Love. The band has announced a 2015 tour covering North America and western Europe.

Enjoy coverage by NPR.

Greener Scientists: Vinson Doyle ’04

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Nate Bernitz

Vinson Doyle ’04 recalls exactly when he realized he was going to be a Mycologist. Until winter 2004, just two quarters before graduation, Doyle had studied Botany and Organic Chemistry, but Fungal Kingdom was the “class that changed my life”. Doyle went on to earn a Ph.D at the City University of New York (CUNY) in 2012, and is already on a tenure track at Louisiana State University as an Assistant Professor of Mycology with a research emphasis on the biodiversity of fungi. Continue reading →

Finalists Announced for President Position at The Evergreen State College

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Nate Bernitz

As part of a national presidential search that has generated nearly a hundred applicants, the Board of Trustees of The Evergreen State College announced this week that it has selected four finalists for on-campus interviews in January and February. They include: Continue reading →

Foundation Launches Association With Ambitious Goals

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Nate Bernitz

A new organization was launched earlier this month to promote the long term success of The Evergreen State College, its students and alumni. The Associated Alumni and Friends of Evergreen is part of The Evergreen State College Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to building an outstanding future for Evergreen. Continue reading →

Alumni turn out for December event in Seattle

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Nate Bernitz

Greeners gather in Seattle on December 10th

On December 10th, 2014, winds projected up to 60 miles per hour didn’t stop 24 Greeners from turning out to The Ballard Loft in Seattle. The event, which was hosted by the upstart Alumni Circle in Seattle, was attended by Greeners from the ’70s and as recent as 2014, all showing up to meet and network with other alumni and friends. Continue reading →

Adam Fletcher ’02 Pioneers Youth Policy in Brazil

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Nate Bernitz

Center for Studies and Research in Education, Culture and Community Action (CENPEC) advertises November conference

Adam Fletcher ’02 is a consultant, author, and public speaker on topics including youth engagement, education policy, and community development. As a consultant, Fletcher has gotten used to “posing questions and challenging norms to which [he doesn’t] get to see outcomes.” But for eight days in November 2014, at a conference organized by the Center for Studies and Research in Education, Culture and Community Action (CENPEC), held in São Paulo, Brazil, his experience shattered that narrative. This is the story of how Adam Fletcher, a man who started his career as a youth worker at age 14, and at times lived homeless while growing up in Alberta, Canada and later in South Dakota, Montana and Nebraska, came to inspire and inform the creation of Brazil’s youth engagement programs. Continue reading →

Evergreen Student Civic Engagement Institute Wraps Up Successful Second Year

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Nate Bernitz

Group picture of the 1st ESCEI cohort from 2013. Photo: Shauna Bittle

On November 19th, 2014, graduates of the second annual Evergreen Student Civic Engagement Institute (ESCEI) gathered for their final cohort meeting to present and share their service projects. They first met in a five day pre-orientation program and under the leadership of Member of the Faculty Nancy Koppelman and Recreation and Athletics Director Matt Newman, they embarked on a journey that will define their academic and social experiences at Evergreen. Continue reading →

2014 Arts Innovator Award to Rodrigo Valenzuela ’10

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Nate Bernitz

Rodrigo Valenzuela ’10 photo: Robert Wade from artisttrust.org

Video artist and photographer Rodrigo Valenzuela ’10 already held a Bachelor’s Degree in Photography before moving to Boston from Chile, where his family still lives today. Valenzuela chose Evergreen, after several years working in the United States, to study philosophy in an uninhibited environment. Valenzuela credits his Evergreen experience for learning to have a better dialogue with the material and the subject in his art.

Continue reading →

Taylor Rose Nations ’12: Greener on Mars?

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Nate Bernitz

Taylor Rose Nations ’12

Taylor Rose Nations ’12 is one of 663 finalists in consideration to colonize Mars. The search, which began in 2013, started with over 200,000 applicants. The mission, which aims to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars, is called Mars One. Crews of four will depart every two years, starting in 2024. Continue reading →

The Evergreen Mind

The official alumni blog of The Evergreen State College

Author Archives: Nate Bernitz