Gazing at an ice fjord on a study abroad trip to Greenland, Cillian Elise Mullen, ’26, felt like an astronaut staring at the Earth from space. “You see this huge, beautiful thing that’s constantly active,” he says, “and you feel so small compared to everything going on outside of you.”

Mesmerized by “the wonder of the world,” Mullen believes we should interact with, adapt to and support the environment in the same way that it supports us. Mullen brings this holistic, caring perspective to his whole Husky experience, from researching climate change in the Arctic to rowing to a Big Ten championship and training for the 2028 Olympics. 

For Mullen, the ultimate goal is a more inclusive society, one where everyone has a place and a voice and is honored in their full complexity. This goal started to take shape for him in his sophomore year, when he moved from Virginia to the University of Washington.  

“I had been constantly evaluated on the basis of who I was only as a trans athlete at a Southern university, rather than who I was as a student, leader, friend and person more holistically,” Mullen says. That all changed at the UW. 

With the change in his immediate environment, Mullen was able to start shaping his world to match his worldview. And he started with his major. 

Initially intending to study environmental science, Mullen took an Arctic studies class about climate change and its impact on Indigenous communities. The course opened his eyes to how Indigenous communities are the experts on their own survival and adapt by using Indigenous knowledge practices — but often don’t have representation. 

Mullen changed his major to environmental studies and added Arctic studies as a minor, hoping to help shape more equitable policy.

He had the opportunity to study abroad in Greenland with the UW Department of Earth and Space Sciences, researching challenges affecting the Arctic including rising sea levels, and meeting people who would be impacted by climate change. This research allowed Mullen to better understand the bridge between Western and Indigenous knowledge practices.  

Since returning from Greenland, he has continued his advocacy in an internship with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Alaska Fisheries Science Center, where he transcribes, edits and reviews oral histories.

Mullen was recently named one of the Husky 100 — undergrad and grad students recognized for making the most of their time at the UW. He says his superpower is “to lead from a place of love and be there for my teammates” on the UW women’s rowing team, where he competes in accordance with NCAA rules. More than anything, Mullen cherishes the bonds and connections he’s made with others.

These connections would never have happened without his UW athletic scholarship. “I don’t think I would have ever gone to university without the scholarship, and opportunities like Greenland and NOAA would not have been possible,” Mullen affirms. “The UW scholarship has opened doors for me that I haven’t even walked through yet.”

His next goal after graduation? Qualifying for the 2028 Olympics by training with the Green Racing Project in Vermont. The training program combines environmental sustainability and stewardship with world-class conditioning.   

If successful, Mullen would become the first openly transgender athlete to compete in Olympic rowing for the United States. “The experiences I’ve had as a student-athlete at the UW,” says Mullen, “have cultivated the future that the child within me envisioned.”  

Mullen (top) participates in sweep rowing, when rowers use a single oar with both hands. This spring, the UW women's team rowed to their second straight Big Ten Championship.

Story by Lincoln McElwee // Photos courtesy of UW Photo and Cillian Mullen
Originally published June 2026