Recess Team Introductions
The Recess Media Blog is back — and we’re broadening our content! New stories up on Medium every Wednesday.
Today, we’d like to introduce you to the team behind the scenes that makes Recess possible, along with their favourite songs to listen to when getting into a creative grind.
Betty Lo, President
Favourite Song(s): “Thoughts” by In Love With a Ghost and “Susie Save Your Love” by Allie X ft. Mitskiway
Instagram: @bettyblo
Our president and founder, Betty, is a junior studying Interaction Design and is originally from San Francisco, CA. She started Recess with the goal of creating a space for students to discover new passions and career paths in the creative field, as well as a platform to celebrate the talent at UW. Betty had the privilege of attending high school with 24kGoldn, and is a proud Green Kirby main in Smash Bros.
Steven Kim, Vice President
Favourite Song(s): “Tweety” by Raveena and “Way Out” by Jack Harlow
Instagram: @stevenkimha
Steven is a current junior studying English, and is originally from Federal Way. In his words, “Recess is a dream to bring together creatives across the UW community. Being a creator and ‘figuring it out’ can be a lonely experience but I don’t think it has to be. I think a lot of people feel intimidated of doing creative things because many are just starting out or feel imposter syndrome. I sure did when I first started, I still feel it now sometimes. Our inner critics say that we’re not creative nor do we deserve to be. To those critics, I say this: why can’t we? I love Recess because it’s built on the foundation that we’re all children at heart and we have something valuable to offer to the world. It’s having the freedom to explore with no worries or expectations. It’s about having fun and recognizing that our expression deserves to be highlighted.” Outside of Recess, Steven loves photography and enjoys both matcha and oolong tea. He describes himself as having a type A work ethic with a type B attitude.
Anna Shimoda, Director of Marketing
Favourite Song(s): “Retro (Rough)” by Childish Gambino and “Waves” by Miguel but the Tame Impala Remix
Instagram: @anna.shimoda
Anna is a junior studying Marketing and Finance at Foster, and is originally from Palo Alto, CA. She joined Recess for the opportunity to get to know other people with similar interests and passions and learn from other creatives in the community. Anna claims immunity from jet-lag and has recently been getting into baking. She loves true crime TV but hates the horror genre and is a vegetarian.
Matilda Li, Director of Finance
Favourite Song(s): “Everything’s Fine” by Healy
Instagram: @matilda.li
Matilda is a junior studying Business with a focus in Finance and IS, and is originally from Germantown, Maryland. She loves recess because it’s an awesome opportunity to work alongside students with different interests and majors and support creatives. Matilda loves anything and everything coconut, and was named after the Roald Dahl book.
Kim Ha, Director of Operations
Favourite Song(s): “Throwaway” by SG Lewis ft Clairo
Instagram: @pikimchu
Kim is a junior studying Early Childhood and Family Studies plus a Diversity minor, and is originally from Kent, WA. Kim joined Recess because her close friends were founding it, and she loved seeing them so passionate about the idea of tapping into your child-like self and focusing on the fun of creating. She can sing the alphabet backwards, but probably didn’t when she met Ariana Grande. She thinks mint chocolate chip is the superior ice cream flavour, and used to be part of an Instagram collab account with Bretman Rock.
Adaline (Addy) Lee, Mentorship Lead
Favourite Song(s): “Breathe” by Umi and “Spotless Mind” by Jhene Aiko
Instagram: @adalineminalee
Addy is a senior studying Communication and Education, and is originally from Vancouver, WA. She joined Recess to be part of a community of fun and talented creatives, and loves how chill, hardworking, and multimodal the organisation is. Addy is ambidextrous and loves to hate taking apple cider vinegar shots everyday. She has a tattoo in Korean that she designed in Google Translate, started dancing at 10 years old, and her favourite words are “bashful” and “scamper”.
Louis Ta, Mentorship Lead
Favourite Song(s): “85%” by Loote
Instagram: @l.ta
Louis is a junior studying Informatics with a minor in Real Estate, and he’s from Mill Creek. Louis joined Recess in his role because he appreciates the importance of mentorship and wanted to share his insight on its impact through his college experience. He loves that Recess creates a unique space that allows creatives from different artistic displaces to come together and learn from one another. Louis likes to tour expensive houses for fun, and he’s originally from Hong Kong.
Leena Janmohamed, Content Writer
Favourite Song(s): “Summertime Sucks” by Slush Puppy and “Shelter” by Vic Mensa
Instagram: @leenas.art
Leena is a junior studying Marketing and Interdisciplinary Visual Arts, and is originally from Los Altos, CA. She joined Recess to meet and work with other creatives at UW, and loves how the organisation supports and uplifts all types of expression. Before 7th grade, Leena moved 8 times around the US and Canada. She loves spending free time at her ballet studio, and is a frequent customer of cafes with poetry nights.
Rianne Nelwan, Content Writer
Favourite Song(s): “Prototype” by Outkast
Instagram: @riannenelwan
Rianne is a sophomore studying English Language and Literature with a DXARTs & CHID minor, and she’s originally from South Everett. Rianne loves that even through COVID, Recess has provided an exciting creative community and outlet. She’s really into skincare, is hydrophobic, and says her vice is tattoos. Her mediums of choice are photography, digital art, and writing.
Cecilia Ward, Social Lead
Favourite Song(s): “The Number Thirteen” by Louis Prince and “Texas Sun” by Khruangbin and Leon Bridges
Instagram: @cecilia.k.ward
Cecilia is a junior studying Anthropology and French, and she’s originally from the Bay Area, CA. She joined Recess to meet a group of creatives who are passionate about a whole range of artistic things, since it felt like she’d been missing that in college. She’s usually into drawing and painting, but quarantine has given Cecilia time to experiment with new mediums like baking and sewing, and she has self admitted addictions to crime shows and coffee. If you ever meet her, make sure to ask her about the time she backpacked in a foreign country with friends, got lost, and had to hitchhike.
Lyann Gao, Event Lead
Favourite Song(s): “Astroboy” by Suggi and “Made in China” by Higher Brothers and Famous Dex
Instagram: @lyanngao
Lyann is a sophomore intending on majoring in Psychology, and she’s originally from Las Vegas, NV. She joined Recess to be a part of the diverse creative community at UW because she’s inspired by their passion and work. She got her first tattoo on her right ankle at a shop on the Ave, and has 6 piercings. Every time she goes to a new city, her first stop is a cafe or bakery because she loves pastries.
Angela Liu, Graphic Designer
Favourite Song(s): “Do You Light Up?” by Dijon
Instagram: @angelaaaaliu
Angela is a junior studying Interdisciplinary Visual Arts, and is originally from San Ramon, CA. She joined Recess to encourage herself to expand her creativity, and she loves that it’s a great platform to uplift other creatives and showcase their talents. She can crack her wrists on command and was born way down in Arizona.
Gulsima Young, Graphic Designer
Favourite Song(s): “Can I Call You Tonight?” by Dayglow and “Emotional” by okaywill
Instagram: @gulsimayoung
Gulsima is a freshman intending on majoring in Informatics, and she’s from Pullman. She loves Recess because it allows her to meet and learn from so many creative and kind people at UW. At one point, Gulsima had 3 pet ducks, and she’s originally from Kazakhstan. If you can believe it, Gulsima has never been Costco (and is seriously missing out).
Wynne Tseng, Web Creator / Graphic Designer
Favourite Song(s): “R&B All Night” by KnowKnow and “23” by Rejjie Snow
Wynne is a freshman in pre-science (for now) with the intent of going into Informatics, and she’s from Taiwan. She loves the philosophy of drawing outside the lines, and appreciates that Recess creates a safe space for all types of creatives. She’s never visited UW before, and considers Japan to be her second home. She can fall asleep anywhere (an admirable talent), and has two poodles.
Emily Wang, Fundraising Lead
Favourite Song(s): “Leo” by Eve
Instagram: @5u.yu
Emily is a freshman majoring in Business, and she’s originally from Oregon. She joined Recess because it keeps her involved in her creative passions through the school year, and she loves seeing the creative projects and events that the team comes up with. Her favourite Pokemon is Wooper, and she loves collecting Sanrio characters merch.
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