Congratulations to the College of Humanities’ Outstanding Senior for Spring 2026, Marisol Marquez Perez!

A first-generation student, Marquez Perez is graduating with a B.A. in Applied Humanities, Public Health emphasis, and a minor in Classics, with plans to continue to graduate school in public policy. 

Matt Mars, Professor and Head of the Department of Public and Applied Humanities, nominated Marquez Perez for the award, writing that he first met her when he was lead faculty for the Dorrance Scholarship Innovation Program, and she and her group developed an AI-driven model for providing first-generation college students with timely support within resource scarce university environments.

“Marisol consistently pushed herself and her teammates to take on the intellectual challenge and rigor of leading innovation and change,” he wrote. “She consistently demonstrated a range of humanities-based skills, such as compassion and empathy, critical thinking, and strategic storytelling, throughout the development and presentation phases of the project. Marisol clearly and convincingly showed that the humanities are be not only relevant, but highly effective devices relative to entrepreneurship and innovation.”

Outside the classroom, Marquez Perez served over the last year as Chief of Staff & Policy Director for the Associated Students of the University of Arizona. Last summer, she interned in the Phoenix office of Sen. Ruben Gallego, providing bilingual assistance and tracking constituent casework files and assisting with issues involving federal agencies. In spring 2025, she was an intern at the Arizona State Senate, staffing the Military Affairs and Border Security Committees. 

“In my career I want to build public policy that actually works for people, specifically by expanding healthcare access and protecting immigrant families,” she said. “As an Applied Humanities major with a public health emphasis, I’ve learned that you can’t fix a system if you don’t understand the humans inside it. My studies have pushed me to look past what a policy says on paper and ask ‘Who does this leave behind? And why? This human-centered lens is exactly what I plan to bring to graduate studies in public policy.” 

In her convocation address, Marquez Perez told fellow graduates about studying abroad during her sophomore year, walking into Sainte-Chapelle in France for the first time, not realizing at the time how much that experience would shift the way she sees the world.

“What stood out was not just the beauty, but the weight of what was being communicated without a single word. Every window panel told a story. Every deep blue and vibrant red had meaning, even if I did not fully understand the history,” she said. “That moment taught me that understanding isn't always about having every answer. Sometimes it’s about being present enough to notice, to sit with something beautiful or uncomfortable, and to recognize meaning even when you don’t fully understand it yet.

“It is one thing to learn about history, culture, or inequality in a classroom. It is another to stand in a place where those realities exist and recognize that your perspective is only one version of a much bigger story. And that is when it really clicked for me. This is what the humanities are about.” 

Alicia Salazar Contreras, who is graduating with dual degrees in speech, language, and hearing sciences and Spanish, is one of two recipients of the University of Arizona’s Robert Logan Nugent Award.

The Nugent Award goes to students who display a record of accomplishments that exemplifies the high ideals of Robert Logan Nugent, a former U of A executive vice president, which include active, enthusiastic participation in campus life, and dedicated service to the university and community.

A first-generation Hispanic student born and raised in Tucson, Salazar Contreras has witnessed firsthand the gaps in resources available to Spanish-speaking communities, particularly for individuals in need of speech and language services. These experiences inspired her commitment to advocating for her community and working to expand research and clinical representation for Spanish-speaking populations in the United States.

During her time as an undergraduate, Salazar Contreras participated in research as both a McNair and FUERZA Scholar. Through this work, she helped develop Sopa de Pescado, a Spanish-language diagnostic passage designed to support the differential diagnosis of motor speech disorders. Created with Spanish speakers in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands in mind, the passage aims to encourage more culturally and linguistically responsive clinical practices.

Beyond research, Salazar Contreras has demonstrated a strong commitment to service. She served as an interpreting lead team member for ARSOBO, a humanitarian aid organization based in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, that provides free monthly audiological services to individuals in need. She also completed a year-long internship with the Tucson Unified School District, where she assisted a bilingual speech-language pathologist in providing services for bilingual children throughout the Tucson area.

After graduation, Salazar Contreras plans to pursue a master's degree in speech-language pathology and become a clinically certified bilingual speech-language pathologist. Her goal is to support and advocate for underserved Spanish-English bilingual communities in Tucson by providing culturally responsive speech and language services.

Additionally, two students with minors in the College of Humanities will receive university-wide awards: 

• Lane Vazquez Luna, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and a minor in classics, is the other recipient of the Nugent Award. A Hispanic first-generation college student from El Mirage, Arizona, Vazquez Luna found a home in Tucson, where he developed a deep commitment to service, inclusion, and mentorship at the U of A.
   
• Gabriel Trinidad, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in physiology and medical sciences and minors in Spanish and biochemistry, is being awarded the Robie Gold Medal, which honor Wendell T. Robie, Class of 1917, and Inez Benzie Robie, Class of 1916, and recognize two students who exemplify personal integrity, initiative and a breadth of interests. Born and raised in Tucson, Trinidad is a first-generation college student from the city's west side whose experiences have shaped his commitment to health equity and service.

Daniel Rojas Arroyo, who is completing his M.A. in Hispanic Linguistics, is the College of Humanities 2026 Outstanding Graduate Assistant in Teaching Award recipient.

Since fall 2025, Rojas Arroyo has taught Spanish 101 in person, hybrid and online, the intensive Spanish 205 course, which combines two beginning semesters into one semester, and Spanish 253, Intermediate Spanish for the heritage learner. 

“Daniel has stood out as one of the most highly motivated, enthusiastic, engaged and collegial members of the teaching team—his passion for teaching, ability to successfully teach different course levels and modalities, energetic collaboration with colleagues, and investment in learning and implementing new techniques to improve student learning continue to shine in every semester that I have worked with Daniel,” wrote Cassidy Reis, Interim Director of the Spanish Language Program, in a nomination letter.

“Daniel’s dedication to student success, eager participation in retention and recruitment efforts, strong and consistent work ethic, and commitment to professional development and growth make him a deserving recipient of the COH Outstanding Graduate Assistant in Teaching Award,” Reis wrote.

Associate Professor Tania Leal wrote that in working with Rojas Arroyo in multiple capacities — a mentor, instructor in graduate coursework and the faculty observer of his Spanish heritage language class — she has seen his “exceptional dedication to teaching, reflective practice, and student-centered pedagogy.” 

“Daniel is a thoughtful and well-prepared instructor who designs lessons with clear objectives, strong internal coherence, and a careful progression of activities,” she wrote. “Equally impressive is Daniel’s ability to cultivate a supportive and respectful classroom climate. Students appear comfortable taking risks, asking questions, and experimenting with new language forms—an essential condition for successful language learning. Daniel responds to student errors with sensitivity and encouragement, guiding learners toward more accurate forms while maintaining their confidence and motivation.” 

One student in the accelerated Spanish 205 class wrote that Rojas Arroyo is an approachable and kind instructor who created an environment in which students felt comfortable asking questions and didn’t fear making mistakes. 

“I walked away with a passion for learning the Spanish language and now I practice Spanish every day in a variety of ways. I attribute most of my present habits, dispositions, and enthusiastic attitude towards Spanish to my experience in Daniel’s class,” the student wrote. “The activities and lessons were a perfect balance of education and activity. They were fun, and often involved collaborating with other students in the class, which helped to create a really lively learning environment and contributed to a classroom experience that always felt exciting.” 

Another student nominator, whose family comes from Sonora, Mexico, wrote that Rojas Arroyo, a native of Colombia, frequently encouraged discussion about regional differences in vocabulary and tone, which fostered engagement in the classroom. 

“Daniel teaches with genuine care and intentionality. In our relatively small class, he created an environment where students felt seen and encouraged, even when some struggled with motivation or confidence,” the student wrote. “As a first-generation college student who also felt disconnected from my native language, I entered the course with both excitement and uncertainty. Daniel immediately recognized and supported that experience in a way that made learning feel both personal and empowering. During my time as one of Daniel’s students, I not only strengthened my Spanish skills but also gained a deeper understanding of myself as a learner.”

Nathaniel Katz, Lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies and Classics, is the recipient of the College of Humanities 2026 Distinguished Teaching Award.

Since joining the U of A in 2022, Katz has taught more than 5,000 students in a wide range of courses and modalities, from large gen-ed courses such as Classical Mythology (both in person and online) to upper-level courses on ancient empires, and even courses for the Arizona in Orvieto study abroad program and the Dorrance Scholarship Program, said Karen Seat, Head of the Department of Religious Studies and Classics.

“Dr. Katz has proven himself to be an outstanding teacher in all these courses, with many students continuing their studies with him and declaring the Classics major or minor as a result of the passion he inspires,” wrote Seat in nominating Katz for the award. “Dr. Katz is dedicated to continually improving his courses to create meaningful learning experiences and to connect with students, no matter the size or modality of the course.”

Even with his heavy teaching load and the large number of students he teaches, Katz is fully committed to student success and makes himself available to students outside of class to support them in their learning processes, Seat wrote, with student nomination letters speaking to their own experiences learning with Katz.

One student wrote about how taking a gen-ed course with Katz made him fall in love with Classics and declare a minor, which led him to taking courses with Katz for two more semesters in a row.

“If it weren’t for how entertaining and engaging Dr. Katz’s lectures were, I would never have found my passion for classics. Dr. Katz always brought an unmatched level of enthusiasm to his lectures, which always brightened my day,” he wrote. “While some of my other courses gave me mundane assignments that felt like busy work, each assignment from Dr. Katz was thought provoking and I genuinely loved doing them. The prompts he had for our weekly discussion posts were perfectly made to get students thinking about important questions and practice argumentative writing.”

Another student wrote that “Dr. Katz has been one of the most inspiring professors and orators I know.”

“He has an incredible charm and cadence to his lectures that would always keep the class entertained, engaged, and curious about what aspect of history or art we would learn next. He would also allow for open discussions surrounding individual interpretations of works, sparking individual connections and mutual growth with my classmates,” the student wrote. “My favorite part of having Dr. Katz as a teacher, however, was not his rousing talks, but instead, the moments spent outside of lecture. Dr. Katz is truly passionate about what he teaches and also has a great aptitude for understanding the goals and preferences of each one of his students.”

Seat wrote that she was able to witness Katz’s teaching mastery herself co-teaching a summer course with him in 2025. Students bound for Orvieto in the Dorrance Scholars Program take two Classics courses to prepare, which Katz taught back to back, with Seat joining in part of the second course.

“I was inspired and not a little dumbfounded at his excitement and joy in teaching each class session, as well as his ability to keep students engaged, hour after hour, day after day,” she wrote. “He showed no signs of losing his energy or enthusiasm as he led the second course of the day—and the students showed no signs of tiring of him. Dr. Katz is a master teacher.”

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.