CPP Student Spotlight: Ryan Finner

By Brynne Irish

The College of Professional Programs is excited to recognize Ryan Finner for March’s Student Spotlight. Ryan is a junior in the Interdisciplinary Studies program. 

Ryan is in his junior year here at EWU, he is majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Sociocultural Anthropology and minoring in Africana Studies. He plans to receive his Bachelor’s degree in June of 2026. Ryan is also a student council member in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion where he shows his dedication to fostering inclusive environments for marginalized communities.

After growing up in Ontario, California, Ryan and his family moved to the Spokane area when he was 11-12 years old. He attended middle school and high school locally which is where he then got the chance to attend EWU as a Running Start student. Ryan decided to continue his studies here because he had found his community and felt engaged in the environment here at EWU. One of the reasons Ryan was interested in the Interdisciplinary Studies program is because of the flexibility it gives him. He expressed that since he is a person who has multiple different interests, this program allows him to combine all his interests into a degree that will help him in the future since he will have multiple skills from different disciplines.

Through his experience at EWU so far, Ryan shared that he has had multiple great mentors at Eastern.

Thanks to Dr. Okera Nsombi (Africana Studies Department) and Cori Jaeger (McNair Student Advisor) I have been able to get where I am. They have encouraged me every step of the way to authentically myself and to put my all into everything I do.

One challenge that Ryan faced during his journey was finding a community that he felt truly a part of. When he first became a college student here, he was trying out several different ways to find his community here at EWU. After so long, he thought about giving up, however, Ryan did overcome the feeling of not being a part of a community by being a part of multiple.

Getting the opportunity to be a part of multiple different communities and organizations has truly helped me develop a diverse lens and perspective on the things I do every day.

Now, Ryan’s greatest accomplishment is being able to become a McNair Scholar here at Eastern Washington University. This is the federally-funded TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU. For Ryan’s McNair research, he will be focusing on how bilingual and multilingual undergraduate students are navigating their academic spaces. His research interests also include multicultural identity, cultural interpretation, environmental justice, and linguistic variations across cultures.

Something Ryan shared that he has learned during his program is to take advantage of the opportunities of experiential learning.

Having the opportunity to participate in experiential learning is extremely important and allows you to test out different professional and/or academic fields.

Ryan believes this will apply to his professional future as he already has knowledge and skills in the field he is going into, which is Sociocultural Anthropology and higher education. Additionally, he has done internships, seminars, and been a teaching assistant, which have helped him become more passionate about using research and teaching to make a meaningful impact.

His advice for others interested in the Interdisciplinary Studies Program is to consider your future goals and interests and ask yourself “what do you hope to do with this degree?” Ryan said that once you figure that out then consider if having multiple skills from different disciplines could be helpful as a working professional.

Ryan also recommends becoming a part of Psi Chi to those who are a psychology major/minor or just interested in psychology. He emphasized that It will definitely help in your studies and allow you to make connections with others in the field. Another place Ryan encourages other students to check out is the JLR Multicultural Center in the PUB. “Everyone there is extremely welcoming, and it is a fun spot to hang out or relax.”

Lastly, 5 years from now Ryan sees himself two years away from completing his Ph.D. in Sociocultural Anthropology and being a part-time professor while doing his studies!

The College of Professional Programs is pleased to acknowledge Ryan Finner for his achievements, aspirations, and efforts as CPPs March Student Spotlight!