Congratulations to the College of Humanities’ Outstanding Senior for Spring 2018, Noah Timothy Gabrielsen!

Gabrielsen graduates with a 4.0 GPA, completing a triple major in Spanish, Political Science and Public Management and Policy.

Initially planning to minor in Spanish, Gabrielsen said he declared it a major after finding a home in the department, with “fantastic classmates and some of the finest professors this university has to offer,” he told fellow graduates at the college’s Spring 2018 Pre-Commencement Ceremony.

“I quickly began to realize just how meaningful Spanish truly was to me, but as my education has progressed, I’ve come to realize that the value in our studies is not limited to these most visible aspects,” he said. “At its core, Spanish, and any subject in Humanities for that matter, gives us a better understanding of people. Not just the people closest to us, but those the furthest from us; those with whom we might not share language, culture, geography, or ideas, but whose inherent importance in the world is nonetheless apparent in this age of growing connectivity.

In his time as a Wildcat, Gabrielsen has received numerous awards, including the Wildcat Excellence Award Scholarship. He has worked on campus as an undergraduate research assistant and off campus as a legal clerk, in addition to internships with Congressmen Ron Barber and Raúl Grijalva. He will attend law school in the fall.

“In studying the Humanities we have all become more empathetic and more effective communicators. We are increasingly cognizant of the challenges which people face every day; from those in our own neighborhoods to those on the opposite side of the globe. Perhaps more importantly, as students of the Humanities we have the drive and the knowledge necessary to address these challenges in a thoughtful and people-oriented manner,” he said.

Spanish Professor Antxon Olarrea, says he was ready to nominate Gabrielsen for Outstanding Senior two years ago, until realizing Gabrielsen was not even a senior yet.

“Noah is a superb student, one of the best undergraduates I have had in my classes in the 19 years I have bene teaching at this institution. He is extremely bright, mature, inquisitive, has an amazing capacity for tireless work and is well respected by his peers,” Olarrea wrote. “He has demonstrated abundantly his strong interested in public affairs, his commitment to the community, his social consciousness, his support of fellow students and his aptitude for leadership. Our society needs the promise of a brighter future that students like him represent.”