Itsumi Ishikawa-Peck, Instructor in the Department of East Asian Studies and interim director of the Japanese language program, is the recipient of the College of Humanities 2026 Distinguished Undergraduate Advising/Mentoring Award.

In a nomination letter, Wenhao Diao, Head of the Department of East Asian Studies, and Maggie Camp, Associate Professor of Practice and Director of Undergraduate Studies, wrote that “Itsumi (or Ishikawa sensei, as she’s known favorably among the students) not only teaches with care and excellence, but she has also been an amazing mentor to all the students, the instructors, and the graduate teaching assistants.”

“Itsumi has been a beloved Japanese language teacher for over two decades and a consistently dedicated teacher and mentor to thousands of the students who have gone through the program,” they wrote.

One student wrote in support of the nomination letter that Ishikawa-Peck was the first teacher she had at the U of A and despite the 9 a.m. start time, the Japanese 101 class was a delightful experience. And two years later in Japanese 202, also with Ishikawa-Peck, she was close to tears walking into the final class session.

“The support I was given by Ishikawa-sensei for the two years that it took to go through the Japanese courses for the minor enabled me to pursue my dream of understanding a language and culture that had fascinated me as a young child,” she wrote. “Ishikawa-sensei was an enthusiastic instructor each and every time she interacted with students. Across departments, across disciplines, and across language barriers, I do not think I have had a better professor in this whole university that has supported and been a mentor to me throughout my undergraduate career than Professor Ishikawa-Peck.”

Another student wrote that she had initially intended to take just two semesters of Japanese to fulfill graduation requirements, but instead decided to continue, even going to study abroad in Japan, with a new goal of reaching full fluency in the language.

“Professor Ishikawa’s unique and empathetic teaching style changed my view on language learning entirely and made me realize sides to learning I have never noticed before. She is the reason for me continuing to learn Japanese, declaring it as a minor, and going on to study abroad. She has done many things that changed my career trajectory,” the student wrote. “The more I work with her, the more my respect, admiration, and confidence in her grows. Her dedication to improving the Japanese Language program at this university is a gift to the department, and her commitment to helping every single student thrive in her classes cannot be understated.”

Undergraduate mentoring is more than just recruitment and numbers; it is also about caring, kindness, and community building, wrote Diao and Camp. As the interim Japanese language program director, she worked to attract many more students as majors and minors to the program. At one point, the number of minors increased by 54 percent in one week.

“Her combination of strategic vision, personal care, and sustained leadership has translated into measurable growth and student commitment to the program,” they wrote. “Itsumi’s outstanding mentorship extends far beyond effective classroom pedagogy and proven recruitment strategies; she models empathy, resilience, and care in ways that profoundly shape her students’ lives.”

Dorrance Dean Alain-Philippe Durand has announced the promotion of 14 faculty members from across the College of Humanities, each one demonstrating excellent performance in teaching, service and research. 

• Barbara Citera, promoted from Associate Professor of Practice to Professor of Practice, Department of German Studies
• Ana Cornide, promoted from Associate Professor of Practice to Professor of Practice, Department of Spanish and Portuguese 
• Lilia Coropceanu, promoted from Senior Lecturer to Principal Lecturer, Department of French and Italian
• Wenhao Diao, promoted from tenured Associate Professor to tenured Professor, Department of East Asian Studies
• Jaime Fatas, promoted from Associate Specialist, Continuing Status to Specialist, Continuing Status, Department of Spanish and Portuguese
• Robert Groves, promoted from Associate Professor of Practice to Professor of Practice, Department of Religious Studies and Classics
• Tania Leal, promoted from Assistant Professor to tenured Associate Professor, Department of Spanish and Portuguese
• Jasmine Linabary, promoted from Assistant Professor to tenured Associate Professor, Department of Public and Applied Humanities
• Victoria Meyer, promoted from Associate Professor of Practice to Professor of Practice, Interdisciplinary Studies Program
• Chieko Nakano, promoted from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer, Department of East Asian Studies
• Hester Oberman, promoted from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer, Department of Religious Studies and Classics
• Renee Reynolds, promoted from Assistant Professor of Practice to Associate Professor of Practice, Department of Public and Applied Humanities
• Joshua Schlachet, promoted from Assistant Professor to tenured Associate Professor, Department of East Asian Studies
• Joshua Zimmerman, promoted from Assistant Professor of Practice to Associate Professor of Practice, Department of Public and Applied Humanities

What does it look like to belong on campus? 

For underrepresented students, that question can be difficult to answer. For some, the answer might be that they don’t, or don’t feel like they do.

For Joanna Labija, the question represents the heart of her project, “Here to Stay,” supported by a JustArts Fellowship, in which she seeks to counteract real and perceived erasure of student cultural identity on campus. 

The project, which integrated data Labija collected in discussion groups with fellow students and photography, in a way illustrates Labija’s own academic journey toward Interdisciplinary Studies and the Arts, Media, and Entertainment emphasis, a major that has allowed her creativity to flourish. 

“I’ve always been a very creative person, whether through dance or singing or arts and crafts, but when it came to starting college, I never thought that I could go the creative route. I didn’t feel confident in that,” said Labija, who originally considered majoring in management information systems. “When I joined the College of Humanities as an IDS major, I was taking those bold steps to bet on myself and do the scary thing that I was passionate about. I wanted to get more involved in my interests rather than step into a field that could make me miserable and unfulfilled. At that time, I was having a lot of creative ideas and making sure to write and record them. One of those ideas was: ‘Here To Stay.’”

As a student, Labija had seen how Black students and others from racial minorities don’t necessarily feel as welcome on campus, but often worked together to create spaces to feel comfortable. A sense of belonging on campus is different for everyone, but some have to work to assert their right to spaces on campus. 

When she learned of the JustArts Fellowship, Labija went back to her initial notes on Here to Stay and revised it to fit the program. 

“I went with the project idea I’d had and it grew. Between the time I first had the idea and now, I have developed in so many different ways, which has made my project become bolder,” she said. “I tend to be a perfectionist and I can be very picky with my own work. In a lot of ways that causes me to hold myself back and not do the things I want to do. With this project, I had to start taking the steps, even if I didn’t have everything figured out.” 

To start gathering her data, Labija organized a discussion circle with other students in January, listening as they told of their experiences on campus and reflected on the experiences of others. That discussion circle led to two photo shoots, the first at the MLK Jr. Student Space, designed to show the different cultures and diversity within the Black community on campus. The second photo shoot involved students of Indian, Latin American and West African backgrounds and took place around the Mall, Bear Down Building and Main Library. 

Labija directed the photo shoots, illustrating specific stories and experiences she’d heard in the discussion circle. 

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“I’d asked participants what does it feel like to be minoritized on the U of A campus. There were different words, like isolated or conflicting or awkward. It was a very impactful and heavy conversation. During the photo shoot, you can see those different story lines,” she said. “Minority students on campus are here to stay, whether we’re come from a different country or have a different skin color, we matter as well.” 

In the course of her IDS studies, Labija developed the communication, creative storytelling and critical thinking skills that heled inform the scope of her project. 

“One thing that really drew me to IDS was the fact that it’s such a broad major. It’s perfect for those like me who are interested in so many different things,” she said. “I have a deep interest for community impact. Little by little, I’ve grasped different things from the classes that have impacted the way I’ve worked on my project. Being able to have that academic knowledge to back things up is important.” 

After presenting her project publicly at TENWEST and the JustArts showcase, Labija is working on a digital presentation so “Here to Stay” can live on and have a greater reach. Some photos and quotes with a QR code link to “Here To Stay” will be showcased this week in the Student Union Memorial Center. And she is working towards showing a photo with a quote on one of the food delivery robots in the fall.

“I began to feel that the results and the message and the impact of the project might end in the four walls of an art exhibit, and that’s not the point of the project. I want to get the message across even outside the U of A campus,” she said. “I don’t know if this project will ever really end because of the message and because of how far it can go.” 

For Applied Humanities major Nagasriya Ramisetty, the title of her poetry reading and art exhibition, “bit·ter·sweet,” reflects an essential theme in the writing: hunger. 

“It’s a hunger for knowledge, a hunger for growth, a hunger to always be more. It shows up in metaphorical and literal ways,” Ramisetty said. “This project has been a really awesome overlap of my interests in medicine, poetry, and art in a creative way.”

That hunger for knowledge and growth certainly defined her ambitious and multidisciplinary project, which both unites her various academic interests and applies an artistic lens. A junior in the Honors College, she is double majoring in Applied Humanities, with a Public Health emphasis, and Physiology and Medical Sciences, and minoring in Creative Writing, Education and a thematic minor of Self, Stories, and Society.

Her Applied Humanities thesis, “bit·ter·sweet” addresses mental health stigma among Asian Americans, but humanizes the statistical data with personal stories. “I really wanted to focus on highlighting narratives in the community and I wanted that to take a creative approach. I didn’t want to sanitize it down to numbers and instead chose to focus on the people affected and involved,” she said.

Ramisetty’s project has been supported by grants from the College of Humanities and W.A. Franke Honors College, and a JustArts Fellowship from the College of Fine Arts. Her “bit·ter·sweet” poetry reading and art exhibition, free and open to the public, will take place on Friday, April 17, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Health Sciences Innovation Building, 1670 E. Drachman St. 

The roots of Ramisetty’s project trace to high school, during the disruptions caused by COVID-19, when she saw a lack of structural support for students’ mental health, especially Asian American students and immigrant students. This current research serves as an extension of her advocacy for youth mental health support. 

With a Franke Honors Exploratory Mini Grant, she began researching the stigma against mental health in the Asian American community and how to make resources more accessible. She continued in exploring the intersection of health and humanities as one of the inaugural Health Humanities Hub Interdisciplinary Scholars. 

The artistic component of her project began coalescing in the Honors course “Living Poetry / The Poet’s Life and Work,” taught by Associate Professor of Practice Claire McLane, in conjunction with the UA Poetry Center and its Reading and Lecture Series. Students read the work of visiting poets, attended the Poetry Center readings and got to discuss those works with the poets themselves. 

“This class was a pivotal moment as I was writing poetry in reflection on other people’s works for the first time. I learned more about other people's writing philosophies as well, which really shaped my identity as a poet,” she said. 

A final component that helped focus the project arrived while Ramisetty was studying abroad in Greece last summer, and she began incorporating Greek mythology into her poetry, either in retelling or reimagining Greek myths in relation to her research, or poems written in conversation with Greek mythology. 

“My voice as a writer has grown a significant amount. Many of the poems are written after I had the opportunity to study abroad in Greece,” she said. “That experience really grounded my poetry and gave it a more tangible form as I examined Greek mythology and the Asian diaspora.”

Ramisetty has already shown here interdisciplinary approach to the project in public, delivering a hybrid presentation of her public health research and poetry at the Health Humanities Consortium conference in Indianapolis earlier this month. 

“The JustArts Fellowship and College of Humanities have truly shaped my development as an interdisciplinary scholar. I would not be who l am today without the support of every community I am a part of, and I am endlessly grateful to my peers, mentors, and loved ones,” she said. 

The College of Humanities is proud to announce the following recipients of the Spring 2026 COH Scholarships.

Please join us in congratulating them on their outstanding achievements!
 

Alene Kelsey Metcalf Family Scholarship
Bianka Lopez | Major: Interdisciplinary Studies

Dana and Jeffrey Vandersip Endowed Humanities Award
Chloe Thompson | Majors: Spanish; Biochemistry
Chase Valentine | Majors: East Asian Studies; Biochemistry

Dante S. Lauretta and M. Katherine Crombie Award
Alice Miranda | Majors: Italian; Biochemistry; Molecular & Cellular Biology

David Evans and Lucille C. Nutt Scholarship
Nicole Digonno | Majors: Spanish; Physiology & Medical Sciences
Alba Sabelli | Majors: French; Chemical Engineering

Gerard Agnieray Memorial Scholarship
Maria Mouza | Major: French

Humanities Matter Scholarship
Annie Chen | Majors: East Asian Studies; Psychology
Honorable Mention: Josephine Desmarais | Majors: Russian; French; Political Science

Mary Ann Farman Memorial Scholarship
Sydney Crouthers | Majors: Spanish; Global Studies; Latin American Studies

Misto-Ertz Scholarship
Alexis Bojorquez | Major: Spanish
Angie Oluwafemi | Majors: French; Architecture

Quiteria M. Nelson Scholarship
Alex Gardner | Majors: Italian; Creative Writing
Madeleine Housh | Major: Spanish

College of Humanities Scholarship
Anna Chen | Majors: East Asian Studies; Psychology
Alice Miranda | Majors: Italian; Biochemistry; Molecular & Cellular Biology

Stephen D. Todd Interdisciplinary Humanities Scholarship
Samantha Cottam | Majors: French; Environmental Science
Leslie Fraijo | Major: Spanish

Van de Verde Memorial Scholarship
Dorian Andrews | Majors: Classics; Landscape Architecture
Laurel Burkholder | Majors: German Studies; Speech, Language & Hearing Sci
Adiba Haque | Majors: German Studies; Biomedical Engineering
 

STUDY ABROAD SCHOLARSHIPS

Alfred and Mary Beigel Memorial Scholarship
Cade Young | Majors: German Studies; Architecture

Donna Dillon Manning and Larry Horner Endowed Humanities Award for Study Abroad
Elizabeth Lendo | Majors: Spanish; Art History
Skipper Vereen | Majors: East Asian Studies; Design Arts & Practice

Donna Swaim Study Abroad Award for Double Majors
Aryaman Elayadom | Majors: French; Neuroscience & Cognitive Sci
Elizabeth Ghartey | Majors: French; Biochemistry; Mathematics
Philip Kravtchenko | Majors: Russian; Intelligence & Info Ops

Kerr Family Endowment for Humanities Abroad
Alexa Garcia | Majors: Spanish; Psychology
Estrella Ruiz Romero | Majors: Spanish; Medicine

Waterfall Family Endowment for Humanities Abroad
Emely Trujillo | Majors: Spanish; Elementary Education

Werner Schirmer Memorial Scholarship
Ava Haga | Majors: French; Neuroscience & Cognitive Sci

 

Stephanie Springer, Principal Lecturer and Director of Internships and Career Readiness in the Department of Public and Applied Humanities, is the winner of the university’s 2026 Community Impact Faculty Award. 

The award was presented by Campus Community Connections during the 2nd Annual Community Impact Symposium on March 26. This award recognizes faculty who have “significantly contributed to embedding community and engagement into a structural or institutional aspect of the University through policies or practices. The recipient must demonstrate a commitment to retaining and recruiting faculty, staff and students from various backgrounds, promoting equality of opportunity, and fostering a welcoming and supportive campus environment.” 

Springer was honored for her leadership through the University of Arizona Internship Council, which began in 2017 as the result of a campus focus group and has grown into a campus-wide, cross-role body that brings faculty, staff and administrators into coordinated dialogue around internships—an uncommon model nationally

“Through sustained leadership of the U of A Internship Council, Stephanie Springer has strengthened the infrastructure that governs credit-bearing internships across the University of Arizona. As Internship Council Chair since 2019, Springer has cultivated a cross-campus community of practice that fosters trust, candor, and shared learning,” according to award nomination submitted by Matt Mars, Interim Head of the Department of Public and Applied Humanities. 

Under Springer’s leadership, membership has grown 150 percent and transformed previously decentralized work into a connected system. By securing approval from departments across campus and key U of A committees, she clarified credit standards, strengthened faculty oversight and established equitable guidelines for paid internships. 

“By reducing isolation and equipping colleagues to navigate complex internship issues with clarity and confidence, Springer strengthens professional support networks that contribute to faculty and staff retention and engagement,” the nomination said. 

Springer designed the Applied Humanities career readiness and internship program and has mentored more than 2,100 students, guiding them through the process of finding, securing and completing internships and building the confidence needed to launch and navigate their careers.

“The phrase ‘Community Impact’ feels especially meaningful because the work being recognized is the result of many people who care deeply about building initiatives that strengthen and connect our university community,” Springer said as she accepted the award. “One of the things I love most about the Internship Council is that it brings together faculty, staff, and administrators from across the university who are all tackling similar challenges. While many of these efforts began independently in different corners of campus, the Council provides a space for collaboration and shared problem-solving, allowing us to exchange ideas, to support one another, and to strengthen internship policy, pedagogy, and practices for students across the U of A.” 

Jacqueline Barrios, Assistant Professor in the Department of Public and Applied Humanities, was also a nominee for the Community Impact Faculty Award. 

Also announced at the symposium were Community Group Awardees, including two College of Humanities recipients. 

Harris Kornstein, Assistant Professor in the Department of Public and Applied Humanities, received the Disability Research Advancement Award from the Disabled Faculty and Staff Coalition. 

Praise Zenenga, Head of the Department of Africana Studies, was one of three recipients for the inaugural Leadership Excellence Award from the Sankofa Faculty and Staff Association. 

Dr. Andres D. Onate, who received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona and went on to become a foreign service officer, professor and department head, died in November. 

Onate published his first book right after completing his dissertation and subsequently he became an assistant professor and later department head of Oriental Studies from 1974-1978, said Chia-lin Pao Tao, Professor Emerita in the Department of East Asian Studies, who first met Onate in 1976 when she arrived at the U of A from Taiwan. 

“Not only was he a diligent scholar, but also an inspiring teacher. Even today we could find students now in their 60s reflecting how great a teacher he was in those years,” she said. 

Onate secured federal funding from the then U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to support programs in the Department of Oriental Studies, which later became the Department of East Asian Studies. He and Tim Light were instrumental in securing the external and institutional support in establishing the East Asian Center at the U of A in 1970s. 

Onate later left the university after accepting an offer from the U.S. Department of State. When Onate was assigned to be the Culture Attache in the American Embassy in Beijing, he continued to do his best to assist U of A faculty and students. 

In 1979, he wrote the book Chairman Mao and the Chinese Communist Party, published by Nelson-Hall, which analyzed the evolution of the Chinese Communist Party under Mao Zedong’s leadership. 

“When a faculty friend encountered difficulty in China, it was Andy who provided him with the best advice. When an engineering student, now a great scholar in the energy field, failed to get a visa to study here it was Andy who helped him secure the F-1 Visa,” she said. 

At the State Department, Onate wore many different hats, even serving in the White House with the National Security Council during President Ronald Reagan’s term, said his wife, Annie Reed. 

After retiring from the State Department in 2015, Onate led the U of A Study in China Program headquartered in Nanjing and served as an adjunct professor in the Department of East Asian Studies. 

“He was dedicated in sharing his knowledge with students who were interested in Chinese political theories, Chinese history, U.S.-China international relations or classical Confucianism. He was so proud of being a U of A professor,” she said. 

Dr. Elizabeth Chesney Zegura, Associate Professor Emerita in the Department of French and Italian, passed away in February. She was 76. 

Carine Bourget, Head of the Department of French and Italian, and Fabian Alfie, Professor of Italian, wrote a memorial on behalf of the department:  

From 1978 when she first joined the UA, till her retirement in 2015, Dr. Elizabeth Zegura was a pillar of our department, dedicating her professional life to the transformative power of education and the pursuit of knowledge. 

As a scholar, Elizabeth’s rigorous contributions have helped advance Early Modern French studies, and most notably enriched our understanding of Rabelais, Ariosto, Marguerite de Navarre, and gender issues during the Renaissance. 

Beyond her publications, Elizabeth embodied the very best of what it means to be an educator through her generous support and mentorship of students and colleagues. She taught over 30 different courses in both French and Italian languages and cultures, as well as General Education. In addition to guiding students as Director of Undergraduate Studies, then Director of Graduate Studies, she also served as Honors Advisor and Arizona Assurance Mentor. Her dedication to students was recognized by the COH Distinguished Advising/Mentoring Award in 2004.

To those of us who have been fortunate to work with her, Elizabeth was a model of collegiality. We remember fondly her uplifting presence and sound advice. She was always good-natured, and generous with her time, and she believed strongly in the mission of the Department of French and Italian. Through her work, she contributed to both the French and Italian Programs, and she was central to establishing Italian on its current sound footing. 

Her legacy will continue through her research that paved new ground, and the students who viewed their future more broadly thanks to her guidance and teaching. 

We extend our sincere condolences to Krista (whom we saw grow up through pictures that adorned Elizabeth’s office) and her family. She last joined us for an alumni recognition event in 2022, and shared that she was enjoying spending time with her baby granddaughter. May our cherished colleague rest in peace.

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An expert on the French and Italian Renaissance, Zegura taught courses on literature, theater and language and authored or edited several books, including Marguerite de Navarre’s Shifting Gaze (2017), The Rabelais Encyclopedia (2004), Rabelais Revisited (1993), and The Countervoyage of Rabelais and Ariosto (1982). She also taught in the Humanities Seminars Program. 

Zegura received her Ph.D. from Duke University in 1976 and her bachelor’s degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1971. Before joining the University of Arizona, she taught at Davidson College and Depauw University. See the published obituary for more information.