Graduating Informatics students Ethan Anderson and Joycie Yu will represent the Information School as gonfalonieres — banner carriers — at the University of Washington Commencement ceremony on June 9 at Husky Stadium.
Gonfalonieres are nominated by their program advisors and must exemplify graduate education at the UW: excellence in learning, teaching, mentoring and/or research. They are announced by name as they lead their school’s graduates into the stadium. They are also featured in the commencement program and sent to the news media for recognition.
![Ethan Anderson](/sites/default/files/inline-images/2018_Gonfaloniere_EthanAnderson_200.jpg)
Anderson describes himself as “a proud dual citizen of Canada and the United States.” He served as president of the Informatics Undergraduate Association, and as a member of the Informatics admissions committee and program committee. He has also been a teaching assistant for development courses in Informatics.
“Solving problems with information technology has always been fascinating to me, especially thinking about the human interaction intrinsic to all computing,” he said.
![Joycie Yu](/sites/default/files/inline-images/2018_Gonfaloniere_JoycieAnnaYu_2001.jpg)
Yu, a native of Clackamas, Ore., was co-president of Women in Informatics and is a former chair of the Student Philanthropy Education Program.
“I knew I was home when I found the Informatics community,” she said. “Alongside my peers, I am able to make a difference in the world by connecting information, people, and technology.”
During the Commencement ceremonies, alumni volunteers — called “Guardians of the Gonfalo” — watch over the banners, so that the gonfalonieres can enjoy their graduation experience. Stan Kabacheuski, ’15, and Hiram Munn, ’16, will serve as guardians for the iSchool.