Meet Our Student Ambassadors
Student ambassadors are here to help prospective students learn about the MHA program at the University of Washington. They have a wide variety of experience and interest in health care. If you are interested in connecting one-on-one with a student ambassador, please email hmigradinfo@uw.edu.
Class of 2023
Roxy Badiee, MHA Candidate
Hello! My name is Roxy, and I’m excited to serve as an ambassador for the MHA program this year. As a “Double Dawg” (with my bachelor’s in health studies from UW), I have a lot of pride for our wonderful university. While I was born and briefly lived in Chicago, my most formative years have been spent in Bellevue, Washington. Although my interest in health care started at a young age, my clinical experience at Virginia Mason Medical Center really formed my interest in health care administration. Providers focus on patients, but it's the job of administration to focus on providers and patients, ensuring both are having safe, equitable and quality experiences.
Ultimately, my decision to enroll in the MHA program at the University of Washington stemmed from its well-rounded curriculum. Now being in the program, and having peers, professors and staff who are just as excited about the future of health care as I am, makes my growing process so much more valuable. Furthermore, the opportunity to work with local organizations in our courses provides context and real-world application for the skills we learn in the classroom. I'm grateful to be in this program more and more each day. I'm truly excited to be a resource for incoming students looking to further their education with UW’s MHA program. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or if you’d just like to have a conversation with a current student in the program — I would love be part of your journey!
Nikita Daharia, MHA Candidate
Hello! I am excited to be a student ambassador for the UW MHA program. As a clinician, I've been passionate about improving health care for as long as I can remember. I grew up in India, and for my undergraduate degree, I attended dental school. It was undeniably rewarding to witness the positive impact I was making on my patients, but these experiences also revealed the shortcomings in the health care system. I felt I couldn't do much to bring about the desperately needed systemic changes; thus, I gravitated toward health care leadership to make health care more accessible and affordable for everyone. I envision combining health and technology to influence a positive change in society. I want to focus on bolstering telehealth because it provides an opportunity to reach more people while lowering costs, avoiding delays and creating a platform to maximize physical and mental wellness.
The UW MHA program offers excellent opportunities for students to learn and grow through mentorship and real-life experiences incorporated into the assignments. Coming from a different country, I felt right at home, and the program provided resources that helped me adapt and excel. I consider myself fortunate to be a part of this program, and I've made some lifelong friends here. The MHA program It is more than just a graduate program; it will prepare you for professional and personal success. I'm truly excited to act as a student ambassador for this program and look forward to speaking with you!
Tim Ho, MHA Candidate
Hello there! My name is Tim Ho, and I am excited to represent the UW MHA program as a student ambassador. I am a first-generation Asian American man, born and raised in Washington, and graduated from Seattle Central College with a bachelor's degree in allied health respiratory care. From there, I worked at Harborview Medical Center and Seattle Children's as a respiratory therapist. My experiences as a bedside provider over the last 5 years taught me that beyond the bedside, I wanted to improve patient care further.
The UW MHA program has expanded my health care knowledge and provided me with the resources and tools to further my goals to be a health care leader. This program has a commitment to its students to help them grow into health care leaders, and my experience so far has been so rewarding. Along with the material, the faculty members have been essential to my growth as a future leader. Outside of academia, I enjoy going outdoors with a challenging hike, playing tennis and exploring many cultures and food from all over the world. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about the MHA program or would like to connect!
Jash Reshamwala, MHA Candidate
Hello! My name is Jash and I am excited to be a student ambassador for UW MHA program. I completed my undergraduate education in India in dentistry and practiced for a year as an intern and then as a clinic administrator. Coming from a family with a business background, I was always intrigued by the business aspect of things, which is why I chose health administration as my career option. My goals in health care are to contribute toward building a society with affordable care.
I chose the UW MHA program because of its strong emphasis on teamwork and leadership. At all times in our careers, we are going to be working in teams, and that is what this program is getting us ready for. The professors have rich industry experience in their respective fields and good networks. Strong leaders in the health care industry regularly visit us for guest lectures and provide us a great insight. On top of that, the class is tightly knit and overall makes a great environment to learn together.
Winnie Schuster, MHA Candidate
Hi, my name is Winnie! I am originally from Southern California but have also lived in Arizona and upstate New York. I graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering in 2017. During that time, I volunteered as the first clinic manager of a student-run health clinic in Orange County, an incredible experience that jump-started my career in health care administration. Since then, I worked as an office manager, an MCAT and SAT teacher at Kaplan, and finally a patient care coordinator at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. These experiences all contributed to my interest in developing my skillset in health care administration, and the UW MHA program was the obvious next step in my career.
The UW MHA program has opened my eyes to the ways we can help advance health equity and helped me focus on developing myself as a service leader. This program encourages students to develop the skills necessary to address broad health care issues as a leader. I am excited to share my experiences and be a resource to prospective students as a student ambassador!
Jacqueline Tse, MHA Candidate
Hello! My name is Jacqueline, and I'm excited to be a student ambassador for the UW MHA program. Born and raised in Seattle, I received my bachelor's degree in medical anthropology and global health from the University of Washington. I worked as a pharmacy technician before currently working at Swedish Medical Center as a patient representative. These experiences allowed me to understand the inequities of the current health care system, which really piqued my interest in health care administration, as it would allow me to change the health care system. One of my main focuses is to address health care disparities among marginalized communities and build the relationship between patients and providers for a better outcome of the patient’s care.
The UW MHA program allows you to work with an eclectic group of individuals and provides real-life experiences working on projects with local organizations. The program truly allows you to practice and learn techniques to hone your skills in becoming a health care leader. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the MHA program. I'd be more than happy to connect with you!