Cool Cat: Patrick Carepenter

By: Yoo Young Lee

Full name: Patrick Michael Carpenter

Goes by Pat or bear

Patrick gets himself involved in a lot of different things he is passionate about. He is a study abroad assistant at the international center, student in Douglas Honor’s college; doing research through them, and active social justice advocate on campus as the V.P. of Equal. He also participates in other organizations from time to time; such as office assistant for Latin American Studies department, tutor for Spanish and involvement with CWU bilingual learning program.

He has big passion for language and culture, and the importance of people being able to communicate and think cross-culturally; stepping out of themselves into someone else’s world. He says that “a lot of the issues we face as a society right now come from people not having experiences that allow them to emphasize with people”, and that is what he is striving for his academic and professional life.

When he is not in class, not worrying about getting grades or saving the world, he paints (used to have his own business, selling his art; silk scarves, paint, cards, photography). Even though he doesn’t sell them anymore, he still enjoys art from time to time. Also, he reads and writes a lot of poetry along with cooking, listening to music and reading cartoons.

You can probably find Patrick anywhere, but if not, you can find him, resting at his apartment (don’t just show up at his apartment door though, that's creepy), going on a walk in nature, or just quiet places in general with his beloved ones who will make the moment more meaningful.