Leah Pistorius
June 15, 2026
On June 12, 2026, the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering celebrated the accomplishments of the Class of 2026 at the annual Graduation & Awards Ceremony in the Husky Union Building on the University of Washington Seattle campus.
The ceremony recognized graduating students across our bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs; celebrated recipients of the HCDE Awards of Excellence and Capstone Awards; honored Professor Emerita Cecilia Aragon with the 2026 Mikey Award; and featured a graduation address from Ram Shankar Siva Kumar.
Watch the ceremony recording, view photos from the event, and explore this year's award recipients below.
Photo gallery
Watch the ceremony
Graduation address
By Ram Shankar Siva Kumar
Step back from Certainty. Step out of Center. Step into Humanity.
Student Video: What is HCDE?
Members of the graduating Class of 2026 created a short film exploring a question many students hear throughout their time at UW: What is HCDE? Created by master's graduate Anita Nwude-Chenge with support from HCDE's Student Association and Graduate Student Association, the video premiered during the graduation ceremony.
Awards
Awards of Excellence
The HCDE Awards of Excellence recognize graduating students who have distinguished themselves through academic achievement, innovation, leadership, engagement, research, and contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Bachelor's awards
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Sushma Shankar
INNOVATION
Cody Trinkaus
LEADERSHIP & ENGAGEMENT
Rhiannon Hayes-McQueen
Athena Ortega
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
Zahra Jamal Hassan
Master's awards
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Michelle Northfield
INNOVATION
Dina Chawla
LEADERSHIP & ENGAGEMENT
Trushaa Ramanan
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
Reshma Lokanathan
M'Nya Preston
PhD awards
LEADERSHIP & ENGAGEMENT
Sourojit Ghosh
RESEARCH
Aayushi Dangol
Ridley LeDoux
2026 Capstone Awards
Voted on by guest judges from industry, the Capstone Awards recognize exceptional student projects showcased at the 2026 HCDE Capstone Showcase.
Creativity award
UNDERGRADUATE
Sieg MakeLab: Redesigning for Community Building and Inclusive STEM Education
Darby Moore, Sehrish Daud, Jordyn Padzensky, and Rhiannon Hayes-McQueen
GRADUATE
Sony Tailgate: Your Gameday Amplified
Courtney Mills, Soheil Abdmousavi, Vinh Trinh, and Leah Chen
Engagement award
UNDERGRADUATE
Covalence: Pioneering Outreach Strategies for the Rainier Valley Food Bank
Michelle Nguyen, Wenyi Tsai, Justis Peppin, and Angel Torres
GRADUATE (TIE)
Brave Steps: Empowering Culturally Isolated Families to Self Advocate at Pediatric Hospitals
Katherine Hess, Jackie Greisen, Samantha Uppalapati, and Julie Wang
Miliki
M'Nya Preston
Leadership award
UNDERGRADUATE
From Interest to Impact: Improving Engagement for Acting Globally
Kristine Cho, Joey Choi, Katherine Kang, and Cara Huynh
GRADUATE
Designing for 2035–2040: Shaping Healthier Transportation Choices in Our Cities
Inhauck Choi, Ruthvik Panchakshari, Jesse Yu, and Ambika Ramesh Menon
2026 Mikey Award
Cecilia Aragon, Professor Emerita
Named for department co-founder Myron L. White, the Mikey Award is presented annually to a leader in the field and a dedicated friend of HCDE.
This year's award recognizes Professor Emerita Cecilia Aragon for her extraordinary contributions to HCDE, her pioneering role in shaping the field of human-centered data science, and her lasting impact as a teacher and mentor. Through her research, teaching, and leadership, Aragon helped demonstrate that data science is not only about algorithms and computation, but also about the people who collect, interpret, and act on data. Her commitment to accessible education and thoughtful mentorship has inspired generations of HCDE students.
Gif recording by Professor Cindy Atman
Congratulations HCDE Class of 2026!