Poet, songwriter, musician, and creator: these are some of the ways to describe Hollis Wong-Wear. As a Seattle University alumna from the graduating class of 2009, Hollis has made incredible efforts in this community. As such, she is the recipient of this year’s Seattle University Outstanding Recent Alumna Award.
During her time at SU, Hollis was a Sullivan Scholar and majored in history while minoring in philosophy and global African studies. In addition to excelling in academics, Hollis also found creative outlets such as participating in Youth Speaks as a slam poet. To this day, whether in her poetry or music, it is evident that Hollis uses these creative platforms to talk about social justice and the issues that prevail in our society.
In a blog post, Hollis wrote, “Poetry – especially bombastic spoken word – is where I found center as a teenager and as an artist, although I now write songs and sing instead of spit poetry, the grounding is the same.”
Now, Hollis is the lead vocalist of Seattle-based R&B group, The Flavr Blue, and has also collaborated with many artists, both locally (Macklemore and Ryan Lewis in “White Walls”) and nationally (YMTK). She serves as a producer, singer, songwriter, and innovator in Seattle’s music scene. However, even with her success, she still avidly advocates for more creative opportunities and platforms for the youth, as that is where she, too, got her start. Her passion for the music industry has led her to serve on the Seattle Music Commission and the Board of Directors for 4Culture, which is King County’s public arts agency.
We are honored to have Hollis Wong-Wear as an alumna of Seattle University, as she serves as a leader and visionary to many women like us. In just 6 years, Hollis has already left a major mark on Seattle’s creative scene. We would like to offer our greatest congratulations to Hollis for all of her accomplishments, and we cannot wait to see what comes next!