Daily Wildcat | Commencement 2021 | Tuesday, May 10, 2021

THE DAILY WILDCAT VOLUME 114 | ISSUE 170 | SPRING 2021 UA COMMENCEMENT & YEAR-IN-REVIEW EDITION | TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2021

SINCE 1899, THE STUDENT VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA & TUCSON • ONLINE, ALL THE TIME, AT DAILYWILDCAT.COM

Looking Back ...Yet

Forging Ahead For reasons we never would have predicted, 2020-21 proved to be the year none of us will ever forget

Outstanding graduates

The stories and faces that shaped the year

Commencement back on campus

More

2 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

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May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

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4 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

More at DailyWildcat.com/Commencement Congratulations to not only the 2021 graduates but all University of Arizona students, faculty, staff, families, alumni and supporters making it to the conclusion of this most-unique academic year! This Daily Wildcat keepsake “Commencement & Year-In-Review” publication is here to commemorate the last 12 months, and highlight how we all got through this past year! But these 40 pages are just the start: Find these additional “Commencement & Year-In-Review” stories now at DailyWildcat.com/Commencement!

NOW ONLINE | YEAR-IN-REVIEW:

NOW ONLINE | YEAR-IN-REVIEW:

From Diversity, Equity & Inclusion efforts, to elections, funding and future plans: ASUA’s 2020-21 timeline

2020-21 Police Beat Highlights: ‘The Cheese Touch,’ ‘Classified Information’ and ‘The Case of the Underwhelming Package’ NOW ONLINE | YEAR-IN-REVIEW:

NOW ONLINE | COMMENCEMENT:

Q&A with Arizona senior swimmer Brooks Fail: From growing up in Tucson, to being named a triple-All-American

NOW ONLINE | YEAR-IN-REVIEW:

NOW ONLINE | YEAR-IN-REVIEW:

Catching up with ‘Students by Day, Entrepreneurs by Night,’ the future of Dusk Music Festival and more...

How Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won 2020’s race for the White House

Volume 114 • Issue 170 Editor-in-Chief Sam Burdette editor@dailywildcat.com

Sports Editor Jacob Mennuti sports@dailywildcat.com

Opinions Editor Kayleigh Cook opinion@dailywildcat.com

Managing Editor Pascal Albright pascal@dailywildcat.com

Assistant Sports Editor Ari Koslow arikoslow@dailywildcat.com

Assistant Opinions Editor Aidan Rhodes aidanr@dailywildcat.com

News Editor Priya Jandu news@dailywildcat.com

Enterprise Editor Capri Fain caprif@dailywildcat.com

Copy Chief JT Thorpe copy@dailywildcat.com

Science Editor Amit Syal science@dailywildcat.com

Arts & Life Editor Ella McCarville arts@dailywildcat.com

Assistant Copy Chief Grant Forgues GrantF@dailywildcat.com

Assistant News/ Science Editor(s) Maggie Rockwell maggier@dailywildcat.com Jillian Bartsch jillianb@dailywildcat.com

Assistant Arts & Life Editor Katie Beauford katieb@dailywildcat.com

Writing Coach Amber Soland ambers@dailywildcat.com

Mikayla Kaber mikaylak@dailywildcat.com

The University of Arizona was at the forefront of out-of-thisworld space research in 2020-21

THE DAILY WILDCAT

News Reporters Kristijan Barnjak Briana Aguilar Hillary Schiff Sean Collins Elvia Verdugo Sydney Jones Noah Cullen

Sports Reporters Johnnie Mitchell Jake Faigus Ryan Wohl CJ Lala Devin Homer Seth Litwin Patrick Carr Jordan White Sean Fagan Bryan Savic

Science Reporters Udbhav Venkataraman Andres Diaz Vivian Alonso Briana Aguilar

Enterprise Reporters Grant Hoover Elle Nangia Vic Verbalaitis Arts & Life Reporters Diana Ramos Gabriella Cobian Allison Fagan Abbie Kosoc Jane Florance Tia Stephens Bellah Nelson

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Opinion Writers Mandy Betz Selena Kuikahi Geraldine Espinosa Andrea Moreno Lauren Borelli Aidan Rhodes Payton Toomey Sean Fagan

Copy Editors Hannah Martuscello Frances Drye Anais Martinez Sohi Kang

Photographers/ Multimedia Reporters Megan Ewing Chloe Hislop Nathaniel Stenchover Caitlin Claypool Emily Ellis

Business Development Gracie Munson Johnny Tackitt Ian Green

Design Chief Pascal Albright

UATV 3 General Manager Joseph Rogers gm@UATV.arizona.edu

KAMP Student Radio General Manager Brody Dryden gm@KAMP.arizona.edu

Advertising Design Katie Yung

ABOUT THE DAILY WILDCAT: The Daily Wildcat is the University of Arizona’s student-run, independent news source. While publishing daily online at DailyWildcat.com, its print edition is distributed on campus and throughout Tucson during fall and spring semesters. The function of the Wildcat is to disseminate news to the community and to encourage an exchange of ideas. The Daily Wildcat was founded in 1899. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in the newspaper or DailyWildcat.com are the sole property of the Daily Wildcat and may not be reproduced without the specific consent of the editor-in-chief. A single print copy of the Daily Wildcat is free from newsstands. Unauthorized removal of multiple copies will be considered theft and may be prosecuted. Additional print copies of the Daily Wildcat are available from the Arizona Student Media office. The Daily Wildcat is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the Arizona Newspapers Association.

EDITORIAL POLICY: Daily Wildcat

editorials represent the official opinion of the Daily Wildcat opinions board, which is determined at opinions board meetings. Opinion columns, guest commentary, cartoons, online comments and letters to the editors do not represent the opinion of the publication, but that of the author.

CORRECTIONS: Corrections or complaints concerning Daily Wildcat content should be directed to the editor-in-chief. For further information on the Daily Wildcat’s approved grievance policy, readers may contact Brett Fera, director of Arizona Student Media, in the Sherman R. Miller 3rd Newsroom at the University Services Building.

NEWS TIPS: (520) 621-3193 The Daily Wildcat is always interested in story ideas and tips from readers. If you see something deserving of coverage, contact the newsroom at storyideas@dailywildcat.com or call 621-3193.

Cover Illustration by Ella McCarville

DailyWildcat.com • 5

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

Congrats to all our Housing and Residential Life graduates!

BACHELOR’S Taylor Albert Sam Alberts Erin Allen Rebecca Auslander Shubhangi Awasthi Cazamere Bailey Kate Bartles Jessica Bauer Michael Blandeburgo Julia Bonnici Hailey Bowers Kaleb Bowers Alyssa Briere Kizzy Brooks Will Brooks Josh Brown Lauren Brown Shelby Carlson Dominic Cervantes Abril Chavez Lizzie Church

Megan Colburn Katie Corbin Armando “Mando” Coronado Maria Cubillas Flores Martha Dallman Leanne De Castro Victoria De La Riva Sarah Diener Joanna Eckhardt Trey Elletson Claudia Eribes Bennett Estrada Danni Fenton Mackenzie Giguere Hannah Gill Jocelyn Gonzalez Rylie Gosiak Rachel Greenberg Jordanne Hare Adrianna Harris Breann Henry

Aleesia Hernandez Allie Higgins Jacob Hilgendorf Theresa Hinds Jarred Holland Ally Jersual Jaclyn John McKenzie Jones Ashna Kapoor Alexander Katek Nicole Kim Kavitha Koshkarian Jason Kronenfeld Evan Lincoln Tiffany Ma Kenzie Maddox Tyler Maley Shaimaa Masri Kelsey McClellan Morgan McMillan Nick Meyers

Delaney Nowlan Itay Ozer Yulissa Pacheco Trujillo Ziah Patrick Ayla Patton Brandon Perez Rachael Perez Davian Peterson Logan Porrazzo Nayleth Ramirez Nicky Ramos Kayla Renner Nathan Rix Trey Saari Dianne Saez Kaitlin Slepian Gwyneth Smith Nathon Smith Andrew Stafford Michael Strenta Natasha Stuart

Meg Sullivan Izzy Thesz Norman Tibajia Kayla Tilicki Erik Tollefson Clarizza Mae Tumpap Lynnette Valencia

Carlos Omar Venegas Peter Vollmer Nancy Weiler Chloe Wiley Ethan Winkler Erika Yadron

MASTER’S Paloma Alvarez Sierra Combelic Rachel Finnegan Lindsay March Ke’Waun Smith

CONGRATULATIONS, WILDCATS!

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6 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

2021 COMMENCEMENT | CEREMONIES

This year brings commencement ceremonies like no other

BY SYDNEY JONES @sydney_jones21

The University of Arizona’s 2021 graduates and their families can look forward to safe in-person commencement ceremonies held from May 11 to May 18 this year.

Compared to last year’s fully-virtual ceremonies, this year will allow for students to RSVP up to four guests to attend in-person ceremonies at either Davis Sports Center, Arizona Stadium, Veterans Memorial Stadium or Phoenix Biomedical Campus depending on their college’s scheduled graduation.

Heather Lukach is the assistant vice president of Presidential Events & University Ceremonies here at the university. She and her team have been planning for commencement since January in hopes of having it take place in person.

“Commencement just could not happen the way we have traditionally planned it before [COVID-19], so we had to really think of ways that we could celebrate the students in a manner that they still had their moment,” Lukach said.

Ceremonies will be split by academic program or college. All ceremonies will be livestreamed and recorded for those who are unable to attend in person.

“We’ve really partnered with all of the

colleges, so basically it’s not the traditional commencement but a combination of commencement and convocation,” Lukach said.

While speeches will be cut down for the sake of time, this year’s graduates will be able to walk across the stage with pride as they hear their names called.

“This year we’re able to recognize our students individually, and that was something we were hearing loud and clear that was very important,” Lukach said. “We are going to be shortening it to keep the speeches to maybe the first 30 minutes and then the rest of the time as that moment for the students to be able to do their walk.”

Students who attend in-person commencement ceremonies are required to take a COVID-19 test through the university’s testing system within 72 hours of the ceremony. They must test negative or have an approved exemption (e.g. recent past infection or COVID-19 vaccination) to be allowed entry.

Students will not be required to test if they have had a positive antigen test result between 14 and 90 days prior to the ceremony or if two weeks has passed since their final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Both instances require students to upload documentation to Campus Health for proof.

Schedule of Ceremonies: Monday, May 10 College of Medicine Phoenix Location: Phoenix Biomedical Campus Time: 8 a.m.

Monday, May 17 College of Social & Behavioral Sciences (graduate) Location: Davis Sports Center Time: 9 a.m.

College of Science Location Arizona Stadium Time: 7 p.m.

Tuesday, May 11 Honors College Location: Arizona Stadium Time: 7 p.m.

College of Law Location: Davis Sports Center Time: 7 p.m.

Tuesday, May 18 VETS Center Location: Davis Sports Center Time: 9 a.m.

College of Social & Behavioral Sciences (undergraduate) Location: Arizona Stadium Time: 7 p.m.

Wednesday, May 12 College of Medicine – Tucson

GRAPHIC BY PASCAL ALBRIGHT | THE DAILY WILDCAT

Thursday, May 13 Arizona Athletics Student Athletes

Location: Davis Sports Center Time: 9 a.m.

Location: Davis Sports Center Time 9 a.m.

College of Medicine – Tucson (undergraduate), College of Public Health and College of Applied Science & Technology

College of Education and College of Agriculture & Life Sciences

Location: Arizona Stadium Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Arizona Stadium Time: 7 p.m.

The University of Arizona Yuma Location: Veterans Memorial Stadium Time: 7 p.m.

Friday, May 14 College of Pharmacy Location: Davis Sports Center Time: 9 a.m.

College of Engineering and College of Optical Sciences Location: Arizona Stadium Time: 7 p.m.

Saturday, May 15 College of Nursing Location: Davis Sports Center Time: 9 a.m.

Eller College of Management Location: Arizona Stadium Time: 7 p.m.

Sunday, May 16 Interdisciplinary & Biomedical Sciences (graduate) Location: Davis Sports Center Time: 9 a.m.

College of Humanities, College of Fine Arts and College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture Location: Arizona Stadium Time: 7 p.m.

DailyWildcat.com • 7

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

2021 COMMENCEMENT | OUSTANDING SENIORS

Medical research field to gain ‘outstanding’ grads Daniel Wieland, Emily Allerton and Jason Kronenfeld were named some of the University of Arizona’s Outstanding Seniors for their academic achievements and involvement in the UA community and beyond. As graduation comes closer, these three students are excitedly awaiting their future education in the medical research fields Stories by Bellah Nelson | @dailywildcat Biochemistry Outstanding Senior: Daniel Wieland Daniel Wieland was announced the biochemistry Outstanding Senior, as a triple major in biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology and biomedical engineering.

Having previously established credits helped him to finish three majors and a math minor in the typical four-year time frame.

“I took so many AP [courses] in high school. I was that kid,” Wieland said.

Initially, Wieland started his time at university as solely a biochemistry major. But with just biochemistry courses, his class schedule would have averaged about 12 credits a semester,

which was not even enough to keep his scholarship.

After taking on two more majors, Wieland had semesters where he was taking 25 credits.

“It’s definitely a challenge, you make sacrifices,” Wieland said.

Wieland has been involved in research at the UA as well as other campuses including Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania.

“Making good connections is always really essential,” Wieland said.

In the midst of his senior final project, Wieland was working on coding for a web application, which can be used for uploading information from sequencing data. When applied to lung samples of those affected by

COVID-19 and intubation, the sequencing data depicts certain bacteria.

The app will then create a report based on the sequencing to show what bacteria is present.

“For a physician, looking at it, they can immediately tell what [the patient] is infected with and how they should proceed,” Wieland said.

Wieland described this senior engineering project as translational and time-relevant.

As for after graduation, Wieland said he was hoping to attend the Mayo Clinic for their M.D.Ph.D. program, where he was waitlisted.

“I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do, I guess that all depends on the next couple of months,” Wieland said.

COURTESY DANIEL WIELAND

Chemistry Outstanding Senior: Jason Kronenfeld Jason Kronenfeld began as a chemistry major at the UA in 2017.

Throughout his four years, Kronenfeld conducted research with the Renquist research group and already published work for one research project with another one in the publication process.

Kronenfeld appreciated being able to take some of the mystery out of science.

“Science isn’t magic,” Kronenfeld said. “As long as we can communicate science in a way that others can understand, that’s how we go on from here.”

For the first two and a half years of his research, Kronenfeld studied the effect that cows get during heat stress, in which the cows do not produce as much milk and therefore its efficacy is lower than one would need for average production.

“This is a major problem with global warming. We’re seeing milk production go down,” Kronenfeld said.

Kronenfeld also researched the association of two negative side effects of some obese individuals: type 2 diabetes and hypertension. He said his research involvement has made his UA experience his own.

“I’ve always found a way to balance school, having friends, having a worklife balance and doing plenty of things

College of Humanities Outstanding Senior: Emily Allerton

COURTESY JASON KRONENFELD

outside of class,” Kronenfeld said.

Even with a French and a math minor, Kronenfeld said that because of AP and dual credit in high school, he was able to finish his two minors by the beginning of junior year.

Kronenfeld was a Resident Assistant at the UA for most of his time in undergrad. The group of resident assistants frequently went hiking on the weekends.

“It’s just nice to get out and explore the mountains around here,” Kronenfeld said.

Kronenfeld just recently accepted an offer of admission for a Ph.D. in chemistry at Stanford University.

Kronenfeld said he would probably be continuing in chemical biology but will have the option to explore other subjects like organic chemistry.

Emily Allerton grew up in Tucson, homeschooled by her parents who emphasized pursuing personal interests.

Allerton had the flexibility to explore science, linguistics and different forms of art and storytelling.

Allerton pursued the same childhood interests through her triple major in Neuroscience and cognitive science, Russian and Slavic studies and creative writing.

Allerton had to work hard as a student due to her struggles with dyslexia and encephalitis that affected her cognitive ability for two years.

When Allerton’s health was affected and school was difficult, she said that staying connected with the UA community and getting support from close friends and family were what kept her going.

After high school, Allerton took a gap year to work in Ecuador in the humanitarian field. Allerton returned to Tucson, working 80 hours a week to save money for college.

But after becoming ill, Allerton’s

financial debt rose from the cost of medical bills. Educational loans were not an option.

“I’ve been blessed beyond belief to have been able to find jobs and have aid like the Pell grant and other scholarships to make graduating a possibility,” Allerton said.

Allerton has taken advantage of the UA’s broad array of extracurricular programs including joining leadership of Tau Sigma National Honor Society, research at the SanGiovanni Laboratory, shadowing doctors and even an independent study on traditional medicinal plants.

To squeeze three majors into a four-year span, Allerton took 21-24 credits for a few semesters.

Spreading classes out over the summer and winter also helped to alleviate the course load.

Additionally, Allerton took classes at Pima Community College while she was still in high school.

Allerton’s last year in undergrad was affected by COVID-19, but despite the virtual barrier, Allerton made fun memories even in Zoom class. While quarantining, Allerton got pet ducks.

“When they were ducklings,” Allerton said, “they required

COURTESY EMILY ALLERTON

around-the-clock care so they lived in my room and made both planned appearances and unplanned noises in my classes.”

After graduation, Allerton said that she wants to become a physician-scientist in integrative psychiatry specifically wanting to research traditional plant medicine for the treatment of neuroinfectious and neurological diseases.

“Plant medicine is an amazing resource in biomedical and environmental sciences that deserves respect and consideration,” Allerton said.

As a semi-finalist for the Fulbright Scholarship, Allerton may have the opportunity to study medical ethnobotany in Kazakhstan.

“Keep your fingers crossed,” Allerton said.

8 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

2021 COMMENCEMENT | LETTERS FROM OUR EDITORS

DW graduating editors reflect on their time at the UA and the student newspaper

BY SAM BURDETTE @SuperSafetySam

I

have to say, this isn’t how I expected my college graduation to go. I never expected in the very last weeks of my senior semester to be thinking of the huge board game nights I hosted, or hours of time I spent playing the paper’s Sudoku in the Daily Wildcat newsroom, or going out and meeting new, amazing people every week as if they were distant memories.

I never thought I’d be taking my final communication exam from a computer, or submitting a thesis with video recording conducted over Zoom instead of in-person.

And I never would have imagined this newspaper, the final print edition I’ll work on as editor-in-chief of the Daily Wildcat, would be written, designed and edited completely virtually.

I happen to be one of the lucky few graduating who will get to return next semester as a graduate student.

I’m happy I’ll get a second chance at a fun, engaging final year, but I feel deeply for those who are not so fortunate.

As we all walk across the stage this year, separated by college and with only four (max) loved ones cheering for us in the audience, we are starting to have hope for the end of this pandemic, but more than that, we’re gaining hope for our future.

Our lives have only just begun, and while the pandemic may have put some of it on hold, we soon will get it back again.

It has been a pleasure to work and study alongside you, fellow senior Wildcats, and I’ve so enjoyed and treasured the experience of serving the University of Arizona community as the editor-in-chief of the Daily Wildcat.

Bear Down Wildcats and get that degree!

– Sam Burdette, editor-in-chief

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/THE DAILY WILDCAT

Daily Wildcat editors participated in twice-weekly, multiple-hour Zoom meetings where they’d discuss important topics and ideas for the upcoming week.

BY AMIT SYAL @ASyal21

I

had the pleasure of working as a sports, news and science reporter and editor throughout my time here at the Daily Wildcat. The past four years have been an amazing ride from covering Arizona football, to the pandemic and everything in between. The ability to have a platform to share such crucial information, especially during the unprecedented year it has been, is truly such a blessing, and it wouldn’t have been possible without such a loyal audience.

I know that the skills I have garnered from my time as a student journalist will help me in the future as a physician. I hope to one day make an impact on people’s health similarly to how I was able to make an impact while covering science and health during my career at the Daily Wildcat. Thank you to everyone here and all the amazing people I was fortunate enough to meet for making the journey so much fun and teaching me such invaluable lessons. Congratulations to everyone graduating this year, and to all, Bear Down and go Wildcats!

– Amit Syal, Science desk editor

BY PRIYA JANDU @Priya_J11

B

efore entering college, I always thought the sentiment “the next four years will pass by in the blink of an eye” was cliché but unfortunately, it rang true. I still remember the feeling of being a clueless, eager freshman; writing this now – a senior about to graduate – is surreal.

Even though the pandemic affected the last year and a half of my university experience, I’m still looking back on it fondly. I’m very grateful to my friends I met along the way; college wouldn’t have been nearly as fun without them. I’m also privileged to have taken classes from and worked directly with professors in my majors. I literally wouldn’t be in this position without their expertise and willingness to teach.

Working at the Wildcat was definitely a cornerstone of my college experience – I met some of the most talented and brilliant people I know in our newsroom, and I’m beyond lucky to call them my friends. In my time, I also had incredible opportunities that enabled me to learn about the UA community and grow as a reporter. I can’t wait to see where the Wildcat goes from here (I know it’ll be great).

– Priya Jandu, News desk editor

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

DailyWildcat.com • 9

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10 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

CONGRATULATIONS CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR GRADUATING STUDENT WORKERS!

Congratulations to the 2020/2021

SENIOR AWARD AND CENTENNIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS

The recipients of these awards embody the academic pursuit of excellence, scholarship, and leadership, and the best that the University of Arizona has to offer.

24/7 IT Support Center Kaden Frazier

BSBA in Management Information Systems and Entrepreneurship

ROBIE MEDALS Precious Craig Brennen Feder

NUGENT AWARD Akshay Nathan Alyssa Jean Peterson PROVOST AWARD Enrique Alan Olivares-Pelayo

Office of Student Computing Resources

MS in Electrical & Computer Engineering

BA in Communication

Campus Web Services

BS in Nutritional Sciences

Abdi Tasir

Rex Flores

BSBA in Management Information Systems and Economics

Corbin Schiffli

BSBA in Management Information Systems

Research Computing MS in Genetics

Cole Tucker

BS in Information Science & Technology

Trellis CRM

BA in Journalism

Griffin Gabler

BSBA in Management Information Systems

Charles J Gallego

BS in Neuroscience & Cognitive Science

Alessandro Gonzalez BA in Communication

Maksim Dmitrievich Gusev

BS in Electrical & Computer Engineering

Cesar S Martinez

BSBA in Business Administration

Riley McCarty

BS in Electrical Engineering

Estefania Munguia

BS in Optical Sciences and Engineering

Marisol Ortiz

MS in Marketing

BSBA in Business Management BS in Computer Science

BSBA in Management Information Systems

Nathan Ngo

Emily Rodriguez Ravi Rouvier

Noah Sugden

BS in Computer Science

Jonathan Vasquez

BA in Information Science & Arts

AND OUR GRADUATING STAFF! 24/7 IT Support Center

Network Operations Aaron Finocchiaro

BS in Information Science & Technology

BAS in Network Operations

Administrative Technologies

University Analytics & Institutional Research

Priyamvadha Gopalakrishnan MS in Computer Science

Campus Web Services

DOCTORATE Ashley Anne Lowe Valerie Madera-Garcia Cesar Augusto Medina

Amber C DiDomenico

Cyrus Madrone

BSBA in Marketing

Kayla Marquez

MASTERS DeLorean L. Forbes Andrea Sharp

Baylee Bishopp

BA in Psychology

David Zhong

UNDERGRADUATE Derek M. Foehrkolb Armando Gavin Ramírez

Anabelle Barron

Jaclyn Kelly

BSBA in Management Information Systems and Operations & Supply Chain Management

CENTENNIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Hope Bentley

BAS in Cyber Operations

BSBA in Marketing

Amanda Gonzalez

Sateesh Peri

FREEMAN MEDAL Nikita Ganesh Daniel Robert Wieland

Information Security Office

Kevin Cooper

BS in Computer Science

Casey Miller

MS in Management Information Systems

Jessica Zozaya

MS in Business Analytics

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

DailyWildcat.com • 11

2021 COMMENCEMENT | MEDICINE

Reflecting on medical education: ‘The pandemic helped remind me why I chose this career.’

BY ANDRES DIAZ @DailyWildcat

The path to becoming a physician has seen unprecedented changes during the pandemic. For incoming medical students, the journey has been complicated by limited access to clinical encounters, uncertainty about testing and grades, as well as decreased exposure to other specialties. This uncertainty is compounded by the advent of virtual education in medical training.

Graduating medical students starting their residency — the in-depth specialty training following medical school — are not immune to these obstacles. Changes to licensing assessments and requirements, shortened clerkship rotations and virtual interviews have all altered the way students transition into their careers.

Riyasha Daulat, a graduating medical student from the University of Arizona College of Medicine — Tucson, reflected on these obstacles and how the pandemic affected her last year of medical school.

“The pandemic interrupted my clinical year, away rotations, global health track and schedule for electives. However, I was grateful that the administration and my mentors helped me adjust these deadlines accordingly,” Daulat said.

While medical schools across the nation have been mostly able to address rescheduling issues, missed deadlines and altered medical training, a recent report has shown that many medical students are concerned about delays in their graduation, their standardized exams and their clinical training.

This report also revealed that two in five medical students think COVID-19 interruptions and changes to their education will have at least a moderately negative effect on their ability to practice medicine as they launch their careers.

Naturally, this added stress has compounded feelings of burnout that are all too common in medical school and the medical profession. One study revealed that 76% of medical students felt burned out and unprepared. These feelings were more common among third and fourth-year medical students (88% and 77% respectively)

compared to first-year students (68%).

To ease these concerns, Daulat has begun to focus on the positive by reflecting on how the pandemic has allowed her to grow personally and has given her the opportunity to spend more time with her family.

“The biggest benefit of the pandemic has been all the time that I can spend with my family while completing online work. I have also been able to take courses online that I otherwise would not have been able to take.

These include inequalities in healthcare, integrative medicine and Spanish medical terminology,” Daulat said.

The pandemic has also given medical students greater insight on the execution of public health endeavors as well as glimpse into the world of health policy.

Moreover, students have felt that they have a responsibility to help alleviate and support an overwhelmed medical system. Many have participated in COVID-19 hotline services, vaccination drives and telemedicine efforts. Others have volunteered their time to simply visit hospitalized patients who are alone and unable to have visitors as a result of social distancing efforts.

For Daulat, the pandemic was a call to service and an opportunity to make a difference for others.

“As medical students and future physicians, we have the responsibility to care for others. Working and volunteering during the pandemic helped remind me of why I chose this career,” Daulat said.

Despite pandemic-related hardships, many graduating medical students have expressed that the pandemic has reinforced their decisions to become physicians.

Across the nation, students have been eager to contribute during the crisis, with some choosing to graduate early to enter the frontlines sooner.

“The pandemic only strengthened my desire to pursue internal medicine. Now, I want to train in a program with a strong inpatient medicine and critical care,” Daulat said. “I’m excited to soon be back in the hospital and learn. It will be a steep learning curve to start as an intern, but I’m looking forward to rising to the challenge.”

COURTESY RIYASHA DAULAT

RIYASHA DAULAT IS A graduating medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine — Tucson.

Daulat talks about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected her medical education.

GO ONLINE: SCIENCE The University of Arizona was at the forefront of out-of-this-world space research in 202021 | DailyWildcat.com/commencement

12 • The Daily Wildcat

Spring 2021 Outstanding Senior EMILY ALLERTON Russian, Creative Writing and Neuroscience & Cognitive Science

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

Centennial Achievement Award DEREK M. FOEHRKOLB Russian and Public Management & Policy

Congratulations to our 2020-21 Award-Winning Seniors and Spring 2021 Humanities Ambassador Graduates!

We are proud of you and know you will make a lasting impact on the world!

NASA Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award KHAREN MORGAN Applied Humanities - Public Health and East Asian Studies - Chinese Language

Nugent Award ALYSSA PETERSON Religious Studies, Molecular & Cellular Biology and Biochemistry

Centennial Achievement Award ARMANDO GAVIN RAMÍREZ Spanish and Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences

AMBASSADOR ZCHEECID AGUIRRE East Asian Studies - Japanese Culture

AMBASSADOR SAVANNAH DILLER French

AMBASSADOR KIANA DIXON General Studies - Social Behavior & Human Understanding

AMBASSADOR NOAH HUANG East Asian Studies - Japanese Language and Dance

AMBASSADOR ALEXANDRA JOHNSON German and Anthropology

AMBASSADOR TAYLOR MANDELL Applied Humanities - Fashion Studies

AMBASSADOR REMY MATULEWIC French, Arabic and Political Science

AMBASSADOR BRIANA SANCHEZ East Asian Studies - EAS Cultural Studies

Freeman Award NIKITA GANESH East Asian Studies - Chinese Culture and Psychology

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

DailyWildcat.com • 13

2021 COMMENCEMENT | UA SPORTS SENIOR

Thriving as a SandCat brings Lowry’s love for Tucson full circle

BY SEAN FAGAN @SeanSoCal

It has been a year to remember for the Arizona beach volleyball team. They are one of the top teams in the country, they dominate practically every invitational they play in and the team is full of experienced veterans.

One of those seasoned vets is fifth-year senior Carly Lowry, who’s had a long journey getting to the University of Arizona despite being very familiar with the Tucson area.

Lowry was born in Sacramento, Calif., but her family moved to Tucson when she was young and she was raised in Arizona most of her adult life.

“The majority of my family lives in California and we ended up moving back up north to Auburn, [Calif.] about three years ago,” Lowry said. “My dad moved me and my two brothers to Tucson for a job opportunity, but now we are back in California. I have an identity crisis when people ask me where I am from because I never know what to say.”

Even though Lowry missed her home state of California, she does not regret the fact that she grew up in Tucson. It was also when her MARISON BILAGODY | THE DAILY WILDCAT love for the University of Arizona began.

CARLY LOWRY, SENIOR, JUMPS up to spike the ball as a Colorado Mesa player attempts to block it. Lowry is a “It was a great place to grow up,” Lowry said. blocker for the Arizona beach volleyball team.

“Many of my childhood experiences were surrounded by being a UA fan. It was [fun] that if I did not live in Tucson, the first school some of the sport before I started to play.” going to the basketball games every season, I would have been in contact with was UA While she was in high school, Lowry had support UA and wear UA. If I saw a UA athlete, because I love the atmosphere.” difficulty finding schools that wanted her for I was starstruck by them, because I thought Lowry ended up coming home to California indoor volleyball because, at the time, she did that UA was the greatest thing ever. Growing and committed to the University of San not want to play beach volleyball. up in Tucson at a young age is very different Francisco, where she played both indoor and “It was a tough recruiting process,” Lowry from being a student in Tucson … and for as beach volleyball. From the first day she set foot said. “Schools were telling me that their indoor big of a population as Tucson is, it is a small in the city, Lowry said she was happy. [volleyball] roster was full, but they had spots community which is very nice.”

“San Francisco is such a fun place to be as on their beach [volleyball] roster and asked me Lowry grew to love the community of a young student,” Lowry said. “I enjoyed the if I was interested in playing beach volleyball.

Tucson and embrace the city, but one thing energy of San Francisco because there is so I said no because I was trying to play indoor she did not immediately embrace was beach much going on all the time. One memory I will volleyball because that is my sport.” volleyball. Lowry did play indoor volleyball, never forget is the first time my partner Anna After graduating high school, Lowry had but she did not start playing beach volleyball Dalla Vecchia and I beat Utah on court one. It found a school that she was excited to play until she attended a high school camp at the was a big deal at the time because they were for and was already in love with the city.

UA. Pac-12 and we were WCC. It was the greatest Surprisingly enough, it was not Arizona.

“The first time I set foot in the sand was feeling ever because we played our hearts out.”

“If I am being completely honest, I had Bear Down Beach at a Steve Walker volleyball Lowry was at USF for three years, playing already grown up in Arizona and was ready camp,” Lowry said. “When I was in high school, to leave,” Lowry said. “I wanted to go to both beach and indoor volleyball. During that one of my friends asked me if I wanted to play time, she was one of the most successful beach California. I did not reach out to any of the for fun and I had no idea what I was doing. I volleyball pairs for her then head coach Frank Arizona schools only because I was interested went to a Steve Walker volleyball camp to learn Lavrisha. Before her senior year, she decided to in going somewhere different. I always said

transfer to a familiar school that at first, she was not interested in going to originally.

“I felt that I was not using my full potential athletically,” Lowry said. “I wanted to challenge myself. I had a great experience in San Francisco and I loved being in the city … but I took a risk and put myself in the transfer portal to see if I could find a new opportunity.”

Arizona has lived up to expectations as Lowry and the SandCats are one of the best teams in the country. Lowry also attributed a lot of that success to her partner, fifth-year senior Natalie Anselmo. Lowry said she understands how hard it is to find a good partner and she is glad that she and Anselmo work so well together.

“We both work hard for each other,” Lowry said. “I see [Anselmo] running around and it makes me want to work harder and do better for her. We are both very intense and competitive players … we respect and trust each other. I think creating that bond is very important in beach volleyball because it is only you two out there.”

Since this is her last year at Arizona, Lowry has had a lot to reflect on. Most athletes’ best memories come from their experiences in games. Lowry’s best memories at the UA have come from the times she has spent with her teammates.

“Bonding with my teammates outside of the court have been some of my best memories,” Lowry said. “It is not even the oncourt experiences that I have had. [Outside the court with my teammates] is definitely when I laugh the hardest.”

Many athletes are unsure of whether they want to make a career out of their sport after graduation. Lowry has already made that decision.

“I do not have a plan to make a career out of my sports,” Lowry said. “I love that [beach volleyball] has given me opportunities in college. My plan is to further my education. I am not exactly sure what I want to do, but a lot of the advice that I have gotten from people is to take a year off. I do not know if I want to go to law school or get my masters. I want to take a year off because being a student-athlete is a lot of [activity.] I want to travel because it has always been my dream, so hopefully, everything opens up soon so I can do that.”

GO ONLINE: Arizona senior swimmer Brooks Fall: From growing up in Tucson, to earning triple All-American honors | DailyWildcat.com/commencement

14 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

2021 COMMENCEMENT | OPINION

OPINION: Graduation and moving ahead – through the eyes of a digital senior

BY SELENA KUIKAHI @femcelforum

I

t would be an understatement to say that my senior year of college did not go as I expected it to. With the help of understanding and accommodating professors, I do feel like I have been able to salvage a worthwhile academic experience, even if it involved investing in blue light glasses. This is not to say that this past year and a half didn’t come with an immense amount of challenges.

I remember where I was when it was announced that school was going to be postponed for two weeks. I was in Los Angeles for spring break, driving down Sepulveda Boulevard with a beautiful friend of mine. The day before, their university announced that they were also prolonging spring break. At this point, my understanding of COVID-19 was limited to the headlines of outbreaks in other countries.

I got the email while listening to “All Eyes On You”

by Meek Mill (for some reason) and yelling along from the passenger seat. I was so excited to spend more time visiting old pals in California and enjoy a classless March that I didn’t even notice how panicked my friend was. It was in that very misread and misunderstood moment that it started to sink in just how serious this could potentially be. As silly and unthinking as it sounds in hindsight, I spent the rest of the car ride finally looking up all of the questions I hadn’t bothered to ask yet. I left for Tucson the next morning and my yearlong isolation began.

The initial start of my lockdown ended up setting the tone for the following year. Spurts of optimism led to nearly instantaneous dread and anxiety. Nothing could quell the immense bleakness that I, and every other student that I knew, felt at the time. Even now it creeps back up on me if I get too nostalgic.

But I couldn’t complain, right? Although I couldn’t be with my family, my roommate and I kept each other company. Both of us were on the same page in regard to the strict precautions we were prepared to take. I had wonderfully supportive professors that were willing to do whatever it took to ease our stress and keep learning possible. I got financial aid from the school and poured myself into my classes and work at the Daily Wildcat. I was privileged enough to attend school while riding out quarantine in a safe environment. In comparison to the

people suffering all over the world, I didn’t have much to whine about.

This thinking ended up being my downfall. I had to reteach myself how to accommodate my own emotional and physical needs. Creepy walks around the neighborhood and late-night drives were treated as an escape from my house. However, I did not have the coping mechanisms necessary to deal with the emotional escapism I was actively objecting myself to.

No matter how many hikes I took or sweaters I crocheted, I couldn’t get away from myself. And like many of my peers, I had to deal with the passing of loved ones, the fizzling-out of friendships and relationships, and what felt like an unending inner (and existential) crisis. All this while trying to maintain my GPA. My smoking habit quickly turned from social to nearly two packs a week.

What used to be a glass of wine at dinner turned into hard alcohol right when I could log out of Zoom for the day.

Anything I could do to stop existing in the headspace I was in was worth a shot, but my options were limited to what was available at the drive-through liquor store.

Other than my roommate, I’ve never admitted to anyone how unhealthy my coping mechanisms got during those first four months. When I was finally able to get tested and go home to California, I had a very hard time weaning off of my whole-bottle-of-wine nightly routine. And it wasn’t comforting to know that I wasn’t alone. Many of my friends had expressed to me how this unending pause had grown their affinity for substance use. The only thing we had to do was wait and figure out how to make the time go by faster.

By summertime, I had landed a remote internship and took on the role of the Opinions desk editor here at the Wildcat. I spent every minute of every day at my computer in my childhood bedroom. Again, I had so much to be thankful for. I had the means to get tested regularly to attend protests and time at home to work with local grassroots organizations. My parents worked from home, and I finally started seeing a psychiatrist. However, the anxiety and hopelessness were always around the corner.

Every time I looked on social media, there was another spike in COVID-19 cases, another social injustice, another political nightmare. The weight of the world was broadcasted in Technicolor every time I looked at a screen (which we all know was unavoidable).

I would love to believe that there was a silver lining to all of this. I want nothing more than to be able to say that all the suffering everyone endured was not for naught and that some greater, beautiful lesson was taught that made it all worth it. But this past year was a hellscape, and I

commend anyone who stayed sane through the entire ordeal. I cannot properly express how deeply saddening and earth-shattering this entire experience has been for the world. But speaking directly to the students reading this: I am so immensely proud of you. I am so heartened at the resilience and fortitude you have all displayed. My peers have been the most shining examples of strength and endurance that I didn’t even know I needed.

As soon-to-be college grads, we sit in a very privileged seat. However, you are allowed to feel disheartened or anxious or burnt out. We are allowed to feel any parts grateful and discouraged.

The biggest lesson I have learned in my last year and a half of undergrad is to allow my emotions room to breathe. I’ve spent most of my academic career compartmentalizing negativity in the name of academic achievement. I didn’t make time in my schedule for tears.

In my defense, this worked as long as it needed to. But in the wake of medical, social and political anarchy, I had to learn how to be a person again, not just a GPA and resume.

I walk away from my undergraduate education with a reinvigorated sense of self. Although I can thank the tired and sterilely professional version of me for getting me as far as she did, this is not a goodbye I am saddened to make.

Moving forward, I hope this sense of compassion and empathy I have found sustains itself. I hope that all of the students graduating this semester find what they are looking for, even if it didn’t fit within the confines of their original four-year plan. I wish you all mental soundness and radical acceptance when it runs out. Most of all — and please allow me to be corny as graduation makes me overly sentimental — I wish you hope.

Hope isn’t blind optimism or unrealistic expectations.

Hope isn’t relinquishing control or turning a blind eye to reality. If I have realized anything from my senior year, it’s that hope is the thing that allows me to be honest with myself.

Consider what pushes you to apply for jobs that you’re underqualified for or show up to a professional event full of strangers. There’s a part of you that wants something enough to take a risk. Ambition and competitiveness all funnels back to a little seed of hope. And in the event that hope’s directions bring you to an unideal destination, you can move forward with clarity and know, at the very least, that you put yourself out there. At least you kept going.

Congratulations on continuing to hope. Happy graduation, you deserve to be here!

— Selena Kuikahi (she/her) is a senior studying both film and television and law

IAN GREEN | THE DAILY WILDCAT

A VIEW OF TUCSON and the Sonoran Desert landscape from the Tumamoc Hill hiking trail.

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

Congratulations!

CLASS OF

2021 Parking & Transportation Services congratulates the outgoing Class of 2021. We want to especially acknowledge the students that were part of the PTS family. Thank you and we wish you the best of luck going forward!

Alexis Ahumada Yulissa Barcelo Zachary Crawford Alexia Enriquez Christina Fischer Geovana Garcia

Logan Kiefer Martin Landon Paige Langford Miah McCallister Sabrena Mckenzie

DailyWildcat.com • 15

16 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

DailyWildcat.com • 17

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

2021 COMMENCEMENT | CROSSING THE STAGE

Wanting to see grads honored on campus, families face ticket limits, travel concerns and more

BY MADISON BEVERIDGE @maddiebev

Over the past year, Zoom has become the norm for almost everyone. From classes to celebrations, clicking “join Zoom” on our computers to participate in major events has become habit. For the class of 2020, this was the case for their graduation ceremony. Students across the United States virtually congratulated one another through their computer screens as their time in college came to an end. The class of 2021 has undergone similar struggles throughout the semester, but they’ll have more options for their graduation this May. For University of Arizona graduates, there will be an in-person graduation this spring, although it will look vastly different from those of the past. According to the UA’s commencement webpage, the UA will “celebrate the Class of 2021 with a series of in-person ceremonies between May 11 and May 18. Up to four guests will be allowed per graduate.”

This news comes with mixed emotions from students. Some feel that the prospect of walking across the stage is cause for celebration and others are frustrated with the limit of four guests per graduate.

Marin Almendarez is a senior studying film and television, and this May she will join her classmates to graduate in person. Almendarez is an out-of-state student who decided to stay at home this semester, a choice that will cause the upcoming graduation to be her first time back on campus in months.

“I will be coming back to walk in person. I figured I would at least allow myself that one bit of normalcy this semester,” Almendarez said.

When asked if friends and family would be joining her, Almendarez explained that because she is out of state and getting to Tucson requires travel, only a couple family members will be able to make it.

“My dad will be coming, but my mom is pretty weary of traveling. She hasn’t traveled yet during [COVID-19], but my dad has traveled for business throughout this entire thing, so he is less worried about that,” Almendarez said.

When asked about ways in which she plans to celebrate, Almendarez explained that she knows it won’t be a normal celebration, but she is hopeful to at least see some friends.

“I have the first dose of the vaccine and by the time graduation comes around, I will have the second dose. I hope that a lot of my friends who have the second dose as well will maybe

go out to dinner with me,” Almendarez said. “I know that after graduation, my dad wants to get food but that’s pretty much all. Being out-ofstate, it’s hard. I have to get back to Texas safely somehow, so I really won’t be on campus that long.”

In general, Almendarez said she is excited to have a relatively traditional time and walk across the stage, but she touched on her shock that the UA is allowing for such a large event.

“I am really excited that it’s all in person, but I am super surprised. I am happy that they are allowing guests, but I am pretty shocked so many will be allowed into the stadium. I like the relative normalness of it and the fact my dad will get to see me walk across the stage is cool,” Almendarez said.

Even with the ability to participate in inperson commencement, Almendarez did not hesitate to mention the sadness she feels ending the school year on such abnormal terms.

“It has been a really weird senior year not being on campus and not even being in Arizona. I guess my main gripe with the whole year is that I know that I could have come back but for so many out-of-state students it just isn’t that easy. I do feel a little bit lost in the fact that I never had that normal senior year experience.

I never saw friends or professors or campus,” Almendarez said.

Almendarez’s mother, Keri Almendarez, had a similar response to the situation. Keri Almendarez reflected on how upsetting it is watching her children graduate in such strange circumstances.

“My heart aches for 2020-21 seniors.

Although I know they’re trying to have inperson graduations, it will not feel the same as in the past. But I’m grateful that the school is moving forward with an in-person graduation so that some of those memories or moments can be captured, even if they’ll be different,” Keri Almendarez said.

Keri Almendarez said she wishes attending in-person graduation was an option, however she feels certain precautions would need to be in place for that to happen.

“I would love to attend, but since it’s out of state for me and I’m a teacher, it’s just not possible. I would only want to attend if certain restrictions are kept in place, though,” Keri Almendarez said.

Marin Almendarez’s father, Mack Almendarez, will attend graduation and he remarked on his excitement for the celebration.

“Because of the pandemic, it doesn’t seem

COURTESY MARIN ALMENDAREZ

MARIN ALMENDAREZ WILL BE graduating with a BA in film and television this May.

to be as extravagant or as large as a normal graduation. Regardless, it’s still such an important day, and I’m excited that I’m able to attend,” Mack Almendarez said.

Marin Almendarez and her families’ views are just one in a sea of students facing the challenges that graduating during the 202021 school year bring. With remote learning, a limited social scene and little access to a normal graduation, this year’s seniors are

battling an issue that will likely affect them for years.

As the first day of commencement festivities grows closer, the UA prepares for a safe celebrations. With thousands of vaccines distributed and plans for social distancing in place, it appears this year’s graduation will be a small glimpse of normal. More information on graduation restrictions and general comments can be found at commencement.arizona.edu.

18 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

Feeling anxious about graduating?

You’re not alone

BY TIA STEPHENS @tia_stephens_

being a foreigner,” Acosta said.

Francisco Romero, a graduating senior majoring in general studies with an emphasis in art and entertainment, also expressed dismay at graduating during the pandemic.

“It’s a little bit of a bummer, to be honest,” he said, “I’m happy to finally graduate, it just isn’t the way that I thought it was going to be.”

For Romero, the path to graduation has taken six years and been full of much strife.

“In my journey to graduation, I’ve had a lot

The excitement of graduating can become muddled by post-grad anxieties about what comes next. This spring, the class of 2021 will be graduating into a world even more uncertain than usual, and the mental health struggles associated with graduating are very real for many seniors.

“It comes in waves. Sometimes I think ‘oh I’m going to graduate soon, my life is about to change’ and other times I just don’t think about it,” said Yasmin Acosta, a senior graduating — FRANCISCO ROMERO, 2021 GRAD fall 2021 with a double major in French and Journalism. of bad paths I took. As a young child, these Acosta’s plans to move to France after are things we learn; like hanging out with the graduation has been a bit thrown off by the wrong group, or wasting time, or getting in pandemic. She is unsure what the travel your own way. Little things like that. Every restrictions are going to look like and the decision matters and I think the earlier we uncertainty of today has made the already learn this the better. So now, having gone difficult move much more daunting. through some bad paths, I’m looking to only “Moving to a different country during this go down positive paths. And I’m hoping that time, even though there’s a good reason why through the experience that I’ve gained that I I’m doing it, it does feel a little stressful because can find those right paths and avoid the bad I don’t know what the job opportunities are ones,” he said. going to be like with the pandemic, and also Romero said that the anxieties associated

“

Just rock on, kick ass and take the world; it’s yours.”

with choosing the next step in his life are further complicated by family.

“I get anxious because there’s so much pressure from the outside world. There are parents, there are siblings looking at me as an example, so my moves do matter and affect others. It’s not just me, it’s the people that will be affected by what I decide,” he said.

Debra Cox-Howard, supervisor of Administrative Operations and Outreach Faculty Advisor for CAPS, said in an email, “One of the most frequent struggles that students that are on the brink of graduation have expressed is a feeling of failure if they have been unable to find work in their area of study in a reasonable length of time.”

Acosta shared her own doubts about finding work after graduation.

“Even though I love what I’ve been studying, I’ve also been able to work in the field and realize how time-consuming and challenging the work can be. So I’ve realized that maybe it might not be exactly what I want to do right after I graduate. That is something that I think about; I worry about finding a job that I’m happy with immediately after graduation,” she said.

Romero said that he worried about being stuck in a job he was not happy with. “I just want to find something I love and also be able to help those around me. I have a little sister, and I want to be an example for her,” he said.

In choosing a career path after college,

REBECCA NOBLE/THE DAILY WILDCAT

2021 COMMENCEMENT | LIFE AFTER GRADUATION

there is often a struggle between passion and stability.

Romero explained, “It’s either: do I go with the risk? Or do I go the safe route? And I’ve heard both sides of the story; you can risk it and fail in doing something you love, or you can fail in doing something that you don’t love.”

Cox-Howard gave advice to seniors struggling with post-grad anxieties. In an email, she said, “Allow yourself to take a deep breath and think about all that you have accomplished. Don’t compare yourself to others. Stay focused on the present. Take care of your mind, body, and spirit. Take time out for yourself.”

Acosta said, “I think graduation is a very beautiful experience. I feel like that in itself is a huge accomplishment. I think that life after that, even though we think that life is supposed to be this narrow path, sometimes it doesn’t happen that way. Even if I’m studying journalism and French, other doors can open in the future, so I’m excited for whatever’s up ahead.”

To his fellow seniors, Romero said, “It gets really stressful, and there’s pressure from different angles everywhere, but don’t let it get to you. Just rock on, kick ass and take the world; it’s yours.”

If you are struggling with your mental health during this graduation period, be sure to check out the CAPS resources available at health.arizona.edu/counseling-psych-services.

GO ONLINE: [OPINION Light at the end of the tunnel | OPINION Catastrophic debt in graduation is crushing new graduates | DailyWildcat.com/commencement

DailyWildcat.com • 19

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

THANK YOU

MAY 2021 GRADUATES! Campus Recreation recognizes our valuable team members: Andrew Aguilera Robert Asman Levi Behrens Katie Bennett Joseph Chamul Kendall Colell Alyssa Colvin Courtney Cornish Armando Coronado Alexa Coronado Gallardo Tara Doyle Lani Dumas Jack Engstrom Fabiola Gonzalez Kiara Herrera David Holbrook Lexi (Alexandra) Horsey Sheeda Hosseini Spencer Hubler Alexus Hurtado Jacqueline Iafarte Kenzie Jackson Elizabeth Kappel Jack Keys Skylar Le Duc Savanah Lowe Brian Lundblom David Lyons Sydney Madrid

Sophia McCoy Kristi McLaughlin Garrett Miller Jake Moran Kiah Morris Lyzbeth Navarro Robles Ariana Olmos Kaylyn Peterson Matthew Phillips Zachary Philpot Jessica Powell Paige Renaldo Analy Rodriguez Jacob Romo Katherine Schmidt Hanna Schneider Allison Serrano Sarah Sexton Addison Shinn Spencer Sylvester Arlene Tamayo Parker James Torok Kira Tucker Kimberly Varela Vanessa Vega Alexander Williams Wesley Williams Kenneth Wortley

All your hard work and dedication is greatly appreciated.

We wish you the very best in your future endeavors!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR SPRING 2021 GRADUATES

OUTSTANDING GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS

OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENTS

Mohsen Azimi, Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Qiuchen Zhang, Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Jiayan Huo, Biomedical Engineering Alanna Zubler, Biosystems Engineering Connor Stahl, Chemical & Environmental Engineering Spencer Browne, Civil & Architectural Engineering & Mechanics Dhruv Gajaria, Electrical & Computer Engineering Maisha Hafiz, Electrical & Computer Engineering Jiajia Wu, Mining & Geological Engineering Ravn Jenkins, Optical Sciences & Engineering Khawlah Al Yahyaei, Optical Sciences & Engineering Chad George, Systems & Industrial Engineering Youssef Elsakkary, Systems & Industrial Engineering

Ashish Singh, Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Novonil Sen, Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Alex Alvarez, Biomedical Engineering KC Shasteen, Biosystems Engineering Jonathan Harris, Chemical & Environmental Engineering Ali Hossein Mardi, Chemical & Environmental Engineering Abolfazl Karimpour, Civil Engineering & Engineering Mechanics Terrance Pat, Electrical & Computer Engineering Catherine Klesner, Materials Science & Engineering Patrick Essay, Systems & Industrial Engineering Jude Alawadhi, Systems & Industrial Engineering

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY AEROSPACE ENGINEERING Anthony Paul Haas Shirzad Hosseinverdi

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING Marwan M Abduljawad Abdulmonam Aldhaif Alexis Gray Jonathan Harris BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING Connor Thomas Stahl Alex Alvarez Chris Camp CIVIL ENGINEERING & Andrea Elizabeth Deranek ENGINEERING MECHANICS Loi Do Xiaofeng Li Vic Panil Keschrumrus Brian Snider-Simon David Storms Knoff Danya Pradeep Kumar ELECTRICAL & Chet Preston COMPUTER ENGINEERING Nadir Amin Rascon Mete Eray BIOSYSTEMS Xin Gao ENGINEERING Samuel Thomas Hess Kattika Kaarj Adnan Kantemur Hadiqa Maqsood Kyle Kuan Rebekah Waller

Teh Lai Li Li Heng Liu Nathan M. Madsen Jean de Dieu Mutangana Ture Peken Aakarsh Rao Nithin Raveendran Islam Samy Mohamed Shaban Sicong Shao Mingshun Sun Bruce Webb Xin Xiao Jiakai Yu JianBo Zhao Tianchi Zhao Ahmed Mahmoud Salama Ziane

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING Alberto Cuevas Robles Ali Hossein Mardi Luis Huizar Jr. Kalyani Vikas Jog Nivrutti Hitendra Lakhey

MINING, GEOLOGICAL & GEOPHYSICAL ENGINEERING Gail Heath Hyeongmin Kang Fatemeh Molaei Jiajia Wu Metin Yildirim

MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING Catherine Klesner Taehee Lee

SYSTEMS & INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING Niraj Vasant Altekar Meysam Cheramin Bijoy Dripta Barua Chowdhury Patrick Thomas Essay Jiali Han Saurabh Jain Yifei Yuan Daniel Alberto Zuniga Vazquez

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Seyed Saeed Ahmadisoleymani Ladan Bahrainirad Mohammad Maadani Sahand Sabet

MASTER OF ENGINEERING AEROSPACE SYSTEMS Alvaro de Lera Alvarez Dominic Rey Valverde Luis Vaquero Garcia

CIVIL ENGINEERING & ENGINEERING MECHANICS Cokola Jack Lukeba

INNOVATION, SUSTAINABILITY & ENTREPRENEURSHIP Jennifer J. Wong

AEROSPACE ENGINEERING Steven Dominic Anderson Wesley Ronald Bohult Jorge Alberto Castro Maldonado Garrett Andrew Kay Arth Pande

Jorge Armando Sugich Prandini Alanna Victoria Zubler

Michael Patrick Feldt Sahachel Jesus Flores Dema Nua Govalla Srishti Gupta Milan Christiana Higgs Michael Inouye Robert Cole Kirk Wesley Preston Krafft Henry Lee Joel F. Marquez Jared Alan Marrs Maclain Andrew Marsh John Morgan Jacob Henry Niccum Paul Niman Andrew Mark Rathbun Tierny Jaqueline Rubenow Rory Hewitt Scobie Rachael Trucell Seedenburg Daniyal Uzair Siddiqui Kaden Jacob Skow Abdi Tasir Robert Patrick Tellander David Allen Tondre Christine Elisabeth Wiltbank

MINING, GEOLOGICAL & GEOPHYSICAL ENGINEERING Shayna Tawny Avila Francis Anthony Dello Buono Kimberly Denise Dodson Sandro Abdon Ferrarone

Karl Stephen Francisque Ian Mawuli Gidigasu Maxim Roman Liber Thanri Johanna Meyers Hossein Siavoshi Joshua Woosley Morgan Zhao

Drew Clayton Rowe Nicole Marie Santimauro Preston Conley Shelton Oleksandr Vladyka Andrew Keith Webb

Mingi Kang Fabian Medina Sean Rowlands Homa Shayan Brandon Thomas Swartz Laqshya Taneja Harrison Taylor Thurgood

MASTER OF SCIENCE

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING Patarajarin Akarapipad Amirhossein Azami Audrey Tamra Cohen Miguel Fermaint Andrew Peter Filiberti Sohil Gopal Gianna Alexandria Jordan Angela Rae MacIsaac Jen Ngo Charles Brigham Perkins Frederick Schroeder Jack Patrick Vincent Ryan Stephen Zenhausern BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING Justin Hyunjae Chung Lia Noel Crocker Antonio Gutierrez-Jaramillo Danielle Samantha-Louise Hoare Caroline Claire Schulte KC Shasteen Hailey Alixandra Stock

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING Jessica Lynn Peebles Devon Julius Schmitt Andrew David Smith Vivian Trinh CIVIL ENGINEERING & ENGINEERING MECHANICS Ammon Cadoga ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING Almutasim Billa Abdullah Alanazi Mohammad Safayat Ali Sulaiman Ashraf Odet Augustin Michael Thomas Bahns Christian Adolfo Becerra Paul A Biho Mbog Jacob Bourgogne Greg Brandelli Zhaoyang Bu Michelle Carroll David Chong Chan Manuelito Tahlowah Chief James A. Cole Alex Colpo Heriberto De La Cruz Amanda Lenn Denton Mitchell James Dzurick James Felderhoff

ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT Rakan Alsheail Zijin Chen Nathan Anthony Klinicki Mustafa Khalid Mamerji Shepherd Ikaikakeikilani Okamura Micah Orr Holly Nicole Pendexter

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING Anton Gomeniuc Joleen Maile Iwako Liftee Shiroma Shruti Singh Erica Vanover Stanley Wong INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING Dalal Alashour Yujie Chen Chad George Jerri-Lynn Kincade Tu Minh Le Sayali Aravind Mangale Henry Tran MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING Chayla M. Lee Justin Matthew Palacios Boshen Yang MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Eli Ruben Barber Kyle Jacob Daniels Andrew Bryan Hartman Youra Jun

MINING, GEOLOGICAL & GEOPHYSICAL ENGINEERING Myagmarjav Battur Mohit Gurmukh Butani Veronica Amanda Cordova Rubina Echo Li Klaus Pacheco Hague Orlando Palomino Marc Philipp Peters Julio Quijas de Lara Molly R. Radwany Maria Nathalie Risso Thomas Derwin Tuten SYSTEMS ENGINEERING Niraj Vasant Altekar Daniel Joseph Barnhart Kayla Mae Capps Jeffrey Demieville Sara Hohenstein Kelsey Anne Ingerson McKenna James Adrianna Ortiz-Flores Jeffrey Michael Perschon Austin Smith Iniese Bernard Umah

Note: This list does not include students who applied for graduation late or who were updated from a previous term.

20 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

DailyWildcat.com • 21

VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY | 2020-21 YEAR IN REVIEW

2020-21 YEAR IN REVIEW | VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY

Creative adaptation necessary in online classes

2020-21 Year In Review Giorgia Menetre

Sharon Hom

dance student

nursing professor

At the end of classes last fall, clinical assistant professor Sharon Hom watched as many of her 80+ students raised handwritten thank you cards in their Zoom windows. They were too small on the screen for her to read, but Hom said she realized in that moment that she had connected with her students, even during the pandemic.

“All last semester I had not even had the opportunity to meet them in person; it’s all been on a screen,” Hom said. “So to know that, you know, they feel enough to go through the trouble to let you know that they appreciate the experience and what you’ve given them is really moving. And so I think that sort of, for me, just makes this job worth it. I still feel like, kind of emotional about it.”

Online classes have changed Hom’s favorite part of teaching her pathophysiology class: interacting with students. Faced with dozens of Zoom boxes every day, she had to find another way to reach the people behind them.

“I think the lack of connection is probably where isolation begins, and I think, as faculty, what I recognized over the course of the last year was how important it was for me to check in with my students, to actually ask them, ‘how are you doing, how are you feeling, is there anything I can do to help,’” Hom said.

Hom would meet with students if they were struggling with mental and physical health as well as academics.

She said it really helped to support them and connect them with resources.

Another way to keep students connected was providing routine and predictable communication, Hom said.

It gave them much needed consistency when everything else was in flux.

COURTESY SHARON HOM

While she went through a lot with her lecture-based course, Hom praised her colleagues teaching clinical classes that depend on hands-on instruction for their innovation with even tougher challenges.

“To do a more invasive technique like … how to insert a catheter, how to start an IV — those are things that are, you know, a little bit difficult to master unless you actually do them, and you can’t always recreate something like that in a teddy bear,” Hom said, noting that some students did practice on teddy bears.

Hom said she looks forward to classes going back in person, including her own, which will be a flex in-person course. Though the pandemic has been hard, she said that it has taught us many lessons.

Nursing students are getting a different perspective on healthcare now, Hom said, as she thinks we are really seeing how fragile and important life is.

Hom said that students graduating now will have had to grow much more and much faster than those before them.

“I feel like I’m a much more insightful, more flexible educator than I was before this,” Hom said. “I’ve had to rise to a different level, and that has really been a very positive thing, I feel, for myself.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, dance students at the University of Arizona have turned a social art form into a socially distanced learning experience.

“In the beginning, [class] looked like us setting up our computers and using the back of a chair or kitchen countertop and taking a ballet class in our houses,” said Giorgia Menetre, a dance major with a specialization in ballet.

The school of dance has followed all of the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The dancers started the year with a two week quarantine period along with COVID-19 testing every Monday.

“We are dancing in 12-by-12 squares with masks on, and we have awesome facility people come in and clean in between each class,” Menetre explained.

The type of space the dancers can use and interactions with their peers have changed. Dance is a hands-on course, whether it be a professor’s corrections or partnered dancing.

Having dance class online has led to new forms of participation.

As the students danced through their homes, “You got to meet their dogs on Zoom, and their parents

Dirk Bernhardt

Jacob Bricca

BY ELLE NANGIA @Ellen_Nangia

BY CAPRI FAIN @Capri_Fain

Taking classes during the pandemic has not been easy, but we have gotten through it. For the year in review edition of the Daily Wildcat, the enterprise desk presents a handful of stories out of the many lived this year that show the variety of experiences people had in online and COVID-19 precautioned classes. Here are four of those stories, representing the College of Nursing, the School of Dance, the School of Theatre, Film & Television from the College of Fine Arts and the James E. Rogers College of Law. More stories are available now at DailyWildcat.com/commencement. law student

film professor

COURTESY GIORGIA MENETRE

would run through the back and do a little ballet,” Menetre said.

“We have forgotten what it used to be like … to dance without a care in the world,” Mentere said.

Menetre explained that the program is able to effectively teach their students, but she believes

the dancers are not progressing as artists due to the lack of spatial freedom.

She said she the professors have remained optimistic and praiseworthy of their students as they persevere through the pandemic.

For more stories from students and professors about their experiences in the last year, visit DailyWildcat.com/commencement

BY VIC VERBALAITIS @vcinoh

BY GRANT HOOVER @GSHoover

Theatre, film and television professor Jacob Bricca has worked at the University of Arizona for eight years, teaching everything from documentary production to editing fundamentals.

However he, like many other professors here at the university, has faced many challenges in overcoming the obstacles set in place by COVID-19.

The typical film student engages in various creative projects, whether it be working on film sets, studying past films or exploring the ins and outs of the film industry. Bricca noted that the new COVID-19 protocols have created challenges for students trying to complete their projects or gain real world experience in their field.

“The most challenging thing was probably dealing with these shutdowns.

It was just hard knowing how much work went into these films. They are shot over three or four day periods, and there have been months of work just leading to that,” Bricca said. “Every hour is precious and suddenly you’ve just lost an entire day, and you’re gonna somehow have to get all of these people back together with all of the elements and so just dealing with the emotional realities of that as part of the students’ experience was something that I just tried to be as supportive as I could.”

As a film professor, Bricca had to make distinct changes to his curriculum in order to accommodate the changing circumstances implemented as a result of the pandemic. He noted that he has had to alter his teaching style during lectures in order to keep students more engaged in class.

“I’ve been trying to be more

For Dirk Bernhardt, a first-year J.D. graduate student at the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law, the transition from undergraduate to graduate has been an unusual one.

Bernhardt, 23, graduated from the University with a B.S. in mechanical engineering in the spring of 2020 just as COVID-19 was beginning to seriously wreak havoc across the globe.

Due to the subsequent lockdowns that were put in place nationwide to slow the spread of the virus, Bernhardt was not able to have a normal graduation experience.

“I didn’t have a graduation ceremony or anything,” Bernhardt remarked. “It was like going out with a whimper.”

Originally from the Philadelphia area, Bernhardt came to the UA in the fall of 2016 after having spent a few years attending high school in Scottsdale, Ariz. Upon entering the university, he said he had what could be described as the standard college experience up until COVID-19 began to shut things down.

By the time Bernhardt entered law school, instructors had fully established remote learning. To this day, he has still not had an in-person law class.

Due to the lack of in-person instruction, Bernhardt said he feels like he has missed out on some aspects of the law school experience, like professors randomly calling on students during class to make sure they are up-to-date on the readings.

COURTESY JACOB BRICCA

energetic because I feel like maybe 40% of the energy that your brain has just gets sucked into the screen … and I have just done much more preparation with PowerPoint presentations, you know, I have to sort of give up some of the improvisatory nature of those lectures,” Bricca said. “But the result is arguably better because I’ve actually had to really sift through my thoughts and figure out what’s the most important thing to get across and then what order that ought to happen, so that’s been another result, having much more detailed, streamlined lectures and discussions.”

Despite the challenges and complications from the pandemic, Bricca remains optimistic about his students and their progress in becoming successful in their film careers. He is confident in the skills they’ve learned and is excited to see what they do next.

Bricca said, “I’m very proud of a lot of what our students have accomplished this year. The result was still far superior to just not doing anything at all, and we never really did have to fully pull the plug on anything. We always found a way to get it done.”

COURTESY DIRK BERNHARDT

According to Bernhardt, the students he has talked to who have had inperson classes say it adds a certain intensity that just isn’t there during online classes.

Another aspect Bernhardt said he feels he has missed out on is having his initial exposure to his classmates be in person instead of over Zoom.

One thing he has noticed is that the online personalities of their classmates are different from how they are in real life.

“Some people, their personalities carry over,” Bernhardt said. “But there’s a lot of people where you’re like, ‘wow, your personality is so different.’ It’s strange.”

Due to what Bernhardt described as the tight-knit nature of the law school, he actually gets a decent

amount of face-to-face interaction with his classmates. In addition to study sessions, he has been able to meet fellow law students through social activities like hikes and restaurant outings.

Apart from extracurricular events with classmates, Bernhardt has also attended online events hosted by the law school. One of these was a talk

by Vox co-founder Ezra Klein, who discussed political polarization within the American political system.

In terms of classwork, Bernhardt said that he feels COVID-19 has generally made things a bit easier for him personally.

“I think I’m better at learning on my own,” Bernhardt noted. “But overall I think the law school didn’t learn as much.”

22 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY CONGRATULATES OUR SPRING 2021 GRADUATES! Department of Physiology Outstanding Senior

Emily deStefano Nayla Acosta Elisa Acosta Jose Aguilar Neida Anaya Enriquez Christian Caburian Angeles Krishna Babaria Rachel Badalov Antonio Baldini Adrielle Barcibal John Baron Maxwell Barrett Dhanielle Bartolome Zachary Bartoszek Damon Beam Jr. Olivia Bellantoni Brenn Belone Emmanuel Benjamin Chasity Bilbrey Carolyn Blake* Sarah Blilie Alisha Bocanegra Delaney Boehlert Emma Bogan Rachel Boullion Megan Bounds Alyssa Briere Estelle Brugere Kamil Brzozowski Christopher Burch Mia Burch Linnea Butler Casey Calderon Ariana Calvin Jaclyn Campbell Nicholas Caniglia Emma Carlton Delores Carrasco Cody Casserly Kaleigh Catt* Jose Cazares Alyssa Cerna Hassan Chamas Tess Champ Marc Chastain* Angel Chavez Del Nawaz Choudri Jinwon Chung Elizabeth Church* Tudor Ciocanel Jason Collins Aaron Combs Kelly Conard Robin Cooper Ryan Constantini Samantha Court Cesar Coutino-Villarreal Trisha Crawford Traci Curley Emily Cusumano Justine Danielson Samantha Darza Susan Dauz Roman De La Cruz Sydney DeFrancis Christopher Delgado Melissa Dennis Emily deStefano* Ava Dickerson Savannah Diller Alena Dillon Matthew Dinh Kennedy Diorio Manuel Dominguez Ruiz Paige Doolittle Leo Doppelt* Kevin Drake Anna Driesen Kara Dunn Danny Duong*

Kendel Duran Barrett Elletson Chukwunonso Emeka Alyssa Enriquez Jennifer Enriquez Devin Espinoza Sadia Falana Meghan Fenske Jacob Forstrom Alexa Frederique* Leslye Fregoso Mackenzie Frey Katie Funk Charley Furrey Alisa Gage Tyler Gallagher Yash Gandhi Jamie Ganem Diego Garcia Cassandra Garza Marlena Gayler Taylor Gercone Joey Ghotmi Hannah Godfrey* Riley Goldsmith Hailey Gonzales Nicholas Guest Jessie Guise Joseph Gulotta Buddi Gurung Katrina Hage Mele Hala’ufia* Hope Hamilton Caitlin Handy* Luke Hardy Kylar Harrah Julianna Haug Andrew Hayden Yasmine Hefer Ashley Hegarty Gissel Heraldez Riley Herman* Austin Hernandez Gwen Herzberg Megan Hillier* Madison Hillis* Lily Hoke Justin Hooks Alexandria Horton Mohammad Hossain Sierra Howard Marisol Ibarra Leena Idris Christian Imbus Jenna Inman Emily Jacob Nicholas Johnston Dylan Joule Maryam Kadhim Brayden Kaiser Elizabeth Kappel Brij Kathuria Robert Kelly III Ahmed Khaled Muhammad Khan Caroline Killeen Sara Kisiel Andrew Klein Noelle Kolessar Hunter Korbin

Kora Kostiew Alexis Kowalski Nicole Kummet* Paige Langford Audrey Larsen Christian Leber* Justin Lee Khloe Leon Samantha Liets JingYu Ling Michelle Liu Savannah Lloyd Trevor Lohr Anitza Lopez* Diego Lopez John Lopez Joaquin Lopez Rosales Lauren Loreto* Sean Losik Stephanie Lowe Kenneth Ly Triston Mabry Ben Macofsky Zain Majeed Alexis Malkoff Taylor Mann Natalie Marcantonio Ashley Marino Paige Martin Abigail Martinez Luisa Martinez Samantha Marx* Madison Matthews Kiley McCombs Meghan McGrath* Joshua McGregor Elizabeth Merritt Kyrsten Milatz Indira Miles Daisy Millan Carsten Miller Erin Mills Matthew Mitchell Alisha Molett Ashlee Morgan Harris Mujkanovic Madison Newman* Chynna Nguyen Eric Nguyen Sage Nye* Kennedy O’Neill Ryan Ochoa John Omta Lauren Ondrejka Abigail Ong Chidera Onyeonwu Emalee Orcutt Marissa Orosco Jordan Osness Tristan Owens Yulissa Pacheco Trujillo Caleb Paine Serena Panzero Prince Patel Brendan Patterson Lukas Pawlowski Jade Pedersen Rosie Pedrego Murrieta Cameron Peraza-Corr Karolina Perez

Tyler Peters Brittany Petersen Kaylyn Petersen Anastasia Pickett Heidi Piña Noah Pittenger Julia Podgorski Felipe Polk Hannah Pusateri Tiffany Pushkar Dianara Ramirez Taylor Randolph Joshua Rangel-Almendarez Kaylee Ratcliff Richard Redondo Isabella Redpath Jacob Ref* Dustin Rehnke Laura Reyes Victoria Rivera Larissa Rocha Adam Rodriguez Basilio Roman, Jr. Anthony Rossi* Dakota Rubie Sydney Rummel Dianne Saez Mohammad Safdar Victoria Salcedo Kobe Saldana* Estevan Sandoval Audrey Scalia* Kaitlyn Schaff Kaylah Scharf* David Schaub Eryn Schmisseur Allison Serrano Sarah Sexton Nila Shayan Ryan Silva* Diego Silva-Mendoza* Shaylee Sipple Kaleesha Smith-Lopez Nandini Sodhi* Ya Song Adrian Soto Sierra Spinazzola Henry Stanley* Makena Stinger Asher Stock Michael Strenta Kaitlin Swanson Amit Syal* Allana Tagaban Stephenie Thai Isadora Thesz Albiya Thomas Connor Torio Anne Tran Kira Tucker Lynette Valencia John Walsh Bradlee Ward Kate Weyhrich Kristia Wilhelm Jeremy Wilson Meghan Wilson Gena Winke Brittany Wright Brandon Yi Presley Yost Dillon Young Elisse Young Sawsan Zamzeer Damaris Zapien Mikala Zimmer *Honors Students

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE 2021 GRADUATES!

DailyWildcat.com • 23

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

Congratulations

Nutritional Sciences Graduates!

Bachelor of Science Nutritional Sciences Marissa Feliz Abeyta Nicholas Alexander Ahumada Jumana Al Faraj Mohammad Mostafa Alarbash Alaa A Kh Alkhader Abdulaziz Khalid Alobaid Lucia Alonso Amigo Sr Neida Anaya Enriquez Rodolfo Anaya Nicole Elizabeth Antes Ricardo Armenta Jacobo Arveen Saeideh Asghar Lauren Haley Auditore Abbigail Leigh Ballard Maddison Elaine Ballard Madison Jean Barker Savannah S. Bartilomo Payton Ann Bellows Tayler Jolynn Bingham Baylee Dee Bishopp Bryanna Catherine Blackwell Ivan Bojorquez Sydney Lynn Brod Lauren Michelle Brown Loreal Melissa Brown Ty Merrill Brown Evangelina Ruby Bulkley Olivia Lynn Cain Sonja Elin Lisabet Carlson Abigail Catharine Charles Alisa Meriel Chen Ashley Claire Christensen Cierra Marie Colell Kieran Lee Conner Kaylen Haleigh Connors Kendal Morgan Contardo Christine Julianne Cornish

Pearl Kehinde Craig Sebastian Curiel Mya M. Dang Jazmyne Daniels Mohammad Darwish Emily Skylar Davis Melissa Kristina Davis Maddalyn La rae Deitchman Fabiola Marie Del Valle Adam Derrick Lani Michele Dumas Emily Patricia Edenfield Colleen Diann Effinger Karli Rae Epstein Analise Maria Espinoza-Guerrero Christopher Malohi Fagan Kolton Yance Frazier Sydney Michelle Freidin Robert Alexander Gerriets Alyssa Marie Glenn Melissa Brigit Gomez Nia Janae Gordon Sarah Elizabeth Graham Isla Elizabeth Griffin Victoria Guzman-Grass Dulce Maria Guzman Hanna Mary Hall Jordanne Hailey Hare Yara Helmy Ashley Elizabeth Hughes Reagan Elizabeth Hughes Jennifer Lee Hulbert Christina Huynh Abdulhakim Eman Ibrahim Elizabeth Louise Jobst Julie Estella Jones Marlee Beth Kellman Nora McHugh Kelly Nicole Haesun Kim Vanessa Jayne Koop

Christian Dominic Kruszewski Garrett Geoffrey Kull Mya Rose Kyler Clare Drake Lawless Grace A. Lawson Amanda Ryann Lewis JingYu Ling Julianna Litorovich Yilan Liu Olivia Nichole Lychock Megan Cari Lynn Carson Anthony Macias Matthew Mai Alexis Rae Malkoff Ben Mangels Destiny-Maricela Hernandez Mankel Alan Mata Megan Barrett Mauck Meghan Kathleen McGhee Tina Messineo Kaelyn Monica Minor Joel Andrew Morgan Gabrielle Mikayla Moroni Connor Clay Muirhead Ashley Jordan Murdock Amber Rochelle Neece Hunter Nicole Nier Dalya Elena Parker William Christopher Paulson Andie Elise Pedersen Jessica Lynn Penners Caroline Sue Priester Savannah Marie Ramos Heidi Roiseanne Reeves Rachel Cayenne Robinson Isabela Rodriguez Garret Joseph Rohan Katherine Constance Roll Madison Grace Rose Dominike Rose Rounds

Cameron James Runyan Jaclyn L. Rybin Lilli Caroline Sanchez Deserai Amani Sarzoza Megan Patricia Schmidt Ryan Calder Shipp Shelly Shmariahu Andre Malcolm Shook Hallie Lanice Shupe Anali Silva Ballesteros Sophia Samadhi Rae Slen Tiffany Lane Smith Nicole Natalia Sobczak Lindsey Soltis Marangeli Soto Brooke Lisa Stowe Taylor Marie Strasser Liliana Isabella Tomas Skylar Anne Tynan Ambar Eliza Valencia Isabella Maria Valenzuela Marco Antonio Vazquez Luis Richardo Velazquez Carlos William Villanueva Savannah Voss Josie Isabella Wakser John Henry Walsh Jazmine Noowien Weathersby Mitchell Eric Weinberg Sydney Lynne Wilkerson

Bachelor of Science Nutrition and Food Systems Zachary Edward Biegel Mariah Yessenia Braeseker Leila E. Daahir Kyle Field Fulton Haley Michelle Mohler

Brandon Perez Maria Youvanna Rodriguez Morgan Kaitlynn Saucedo McKaylee James Taylor

Master of Science Jamie Lee Elliott Guadalupe Anaid Serrano

Doctor of Philosophy Victoria Leigh Bland Kristy Ellen Gilman Creitz Preston Royal Harris

Professional Science Masters in

Applied Nutrition Caitlin McKenna Kaydi Williams

Individual Supervised Practice Pathway Matthew Davenport Kaylee Haddad Melissa Lopez-Pentacost Julian Manzanares AnaSofia Martinez Almonese Ramirez Emna Trimech Mason Zuniga

24 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

2020-21 YEAR IN REVIEW | SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS Gymnastics’ first victory of the season

BY SEAN FAGAN @SeanSoCal

After starting the season 0-5 with multiple meets canceled, it was tough watching the Arizona gymnastics team lose week after week. I was hoping the next week would be different and they would walk away with a victory, but it was not happening. I did not know

if they were ever going to win a meet.

Then, the GymCats finally had their day atop the podium. On Sunday, Feb. 28, the GymCats were in Colorado for a Tri-Meet against Air Force and Texas Woman’s University. The GymCats finished with an overall score of 194.350.

Covering Arizona men’s golf at the Omni Tucson National

BY SETH LITWIN @seth_litwin

My favorite moment covering Arizona sports was when I was able to go to Omni Tucson National to cover the men’s golf team this spring. They were participating in the National Invitational Tournament which is one of the better college golf tournaments, so

the level of play was stellar.

Omni Tucson National is also a beautiful golf course so getting the opportunity to walk it and watch some amazing golf was an amazing experience. It was great getting to be able to see the guys who I have talked to through Zoom screens in person doing what they do best.

Arizona soccer’s first win over Arizona State

BY BRYAN SAVIC @bryan_savic

There have been a lot of exciting moments in the realm of University of Arizona athletics this year. The most memorable and thrilling moment for me personally was when I got to cover Arizona soccer’s first match against Arizona State back in mid-March. This was the first time that I have been a part of the Territorial Cup rivalry since I have been a student at UA. When I arrived at Mulcahy Stadium, I could immediately feel that this game was going to be different than all the other games I had covered for the soccer team in the past.

There was this certain electricity and ambiance from the crowd. Arizona would go on to win 1-0 and

secure their fourth clean sheet of the season.

What made this game even more enjoyable for me is that I got to observe the match with Arizona State’s data analyst. It was fun picking his brain about soccer and hearing each other’s critiques as the game developed. What was also interesting that night was how four members of the Arizona men’s basketball team just so happened to be sitting two rows in front of me. It was hilarious because one of them was giving the head referee a hard time and gave the fans in attendance some hilarious antidotes. He made it tough on me because I was trying so hard to hold in my laughter while hiding behind my laptop. It was a memorable night indeed and one that I will never forget.

Women’s basketball Pac-12 tournament game vs. UCLA

BY DEVIN HOMER @DevinHomer

My favorite Arizona sports moment from this past season has to be from the Pac-12 tournament against UCLA. Even though Arizona lost this game and were knocked out of the tournament.

This was the first time I encountered a good size crowd in over a year.

Arizona had their section rocking. This game was back and forth between the teams and UCLA’s and Arizona’s fans started to heckle with each other.

This game had everything that was missing throughout the past year. It was great seeing passionate fans back in a arena cheering for their program.

What was the best UA sports moment of the year?

This year was one to remember for a variety of different reasons in regards to University of Arizona sports.

Our Daily Wildcat sports staff shared their favorite moment in UA sports this past year Covering the women’s basketball team

BY JAKE FAIGUS @jake_faigus

My favorite moment of the year has been covering the women’s basketball team on their historic run.

Being the beat writer for the team this year, I never would have guessed what would end up happening with the team. The team was very talented all year, and only stumbled a few times which left people wondering if the team is going to meet their expectations in

the postseason. Once the postseason hit, the legend of McDonald took off, and the Wildcats accomplished the unthinkable.

It was amazing watching not just McDonald in the NCAA tournament, but also Barnes at work. I loved covering this run because of how special it was, and it seems to be the start of a dominant run for Barnes’ program, and now the ground-work has been laid for the future.

Women’s basketball NCAA Tournament win over UConn

BY JORDAN WHITE @Jordan_white13

My favorite moment for Wildcat sports this year, as is a lot of people’s, is when the women’s basketball team beat UConn. Though it is a very mainstream moment for me to choose, it is the most meaningful.

Women’s basketball is one of the most disrespected sports whether it be professional, collegiate, high school, etc. However, this year I saw more hype and attention around the sport than in my entire life.

I was more invested while watching the game against UConn than when I went to watch the men’s basketball team play at USC in person.

That game was simply historic for the program and the school and I am glad that I was able to be a student and member of the Daily Wildcat when it happened. This is a game that Wildcat fans and women’s basketball fans will be talking about for many years to come.

Oh, and not to mention Aari McDonald! I am now a fan of hers for life.

I am definitely going to miss watching her play for Arizona, but I will be following her career in the WNBA. Thanks to her and head coach Adia Barnes, many more stars will go through Tucson on their path to the WNBA.

Covering Arizona softball exhibition against Team Mexico

BY CJ LALA @cjlala43

Covering live sporting events was an interesting challenge in the year 2021. Early on this year, we had no access to the games in person and had to use livestream or other ways to cover the games. Then we moved into the phase where the only people allowed in the stadium were the media personnel, eventually they allowed friends and family and now a limited number of fans are allowed to attend the games.

My favorite memory from an Arizona game this season was the softball team’s exhibition game against Mexico. This game was played as the last game in the

Wildcat Fiesta, the thing that made this game great was there were three former Wildcats returning to Tucson as part of Mexico’s Olympic roster. Brigette Del Ponte (2009-13) Danielle O’Toole (2016-17) and Taylor McQuillin (201619) all made their return to Hillenbrand Stadium in front of a limited capacity crowd, but if your eye were closed and you could not see the size of the crowd, you would have thought the game was full.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats they did end up on the losing end 3-2 but the atmosphere that was created by the fans was incredible for an exhibition game.

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

DailyWildcat.com • 25

2020-21 YEAR IN REVIEW | OPINION

OPINION: Social justice continues in community despite pandemic limitations

BY SELENA KUIKAHI @femcelforum

S

hort of the pandemic, the demand for social justice that the past year has awakened was one of the most prolific calls to action in recent history.

After the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, Americans were shaken out of their quarantine with passionate anger and sadness.

Unfortunately, police brutality and racism seem just as American as baseball. However, something about this level of violence in the midst of a global health crisis drove many to movement.

“Black Lives Matter” became a rallying cry against racism and police brutality all over the world. Protests were held in London, England to Brussels, Belgium, all the way to Korea, Australia and Syria. Across the United States, a minimum count of 140 cities have hosted demonstrations in support of the BLM movement. Likewise, the National Guard has been activated in at least 21 states. The division grew between well-meaning Americans and those who can most simply be referred to as racist bigots.

After a summer of government officials trying to bandage the wound of chauvinism and violence with performative tweets and “acts of solidarity,” things began to simmer down with the temperature. Although many activists kept their boots on the ground, many turned their efforts to grassroots organizing, community outreach, and education. Then, the election came.

Stress levels were high, and the internet was hot with voting information and think pieces.

Some were actively trying to get new voters registered; others were just learning about voter suppression. Fast forward to Jan. 6, 2021.

The final electoral count was violently disturbed by a mob of loyalists, storming the Capitol building and causing yet another embarrassing display of misled “patriotism” by MAGA touting rioters. The senate chamber was turned into an Instagram museum, sieged and

used as a backdrop for photo-ops as elected officials fearfully evacuated the premises.

Social media was flooded with pictures, videos, and live streams of the event, a lot of which was provided by the insurgents.

Justice and defense department officials claimed that they had planned for a protest but were severely overwhelmed by the turnout and violent actions of the attendees. Doors and windows were broken down, walls were scaled and blows of teargas were exchanged between pro-Trumpers and security. For a country that prides itself on its defense, we sure did drop the ball on what should have been a protocol dismissal. After all, the summer of 2020 proved that America isn’t a stranger to rubber bullets and chemical warfare.

The harsh reality of what fueled the rioters is chilling — but not surprising. The last successful coup in American history was the 1898 Wilmington insurrection, performed 91 years after the Insurrection Act was introduced.

In this case, a biracial government was overthrown by a militia of white supremacists.

Although this current insurrection did not lead to a direct alteration of government proceedings, the reasons behind the attack on the Capitol are similar.

It is not a coincidence that on the last day of Trump’s presidency and following the election of Georgia’s first Black senator that there was violent rioting by Trump-heads. That day wasn’t about upholding American democracy or protesting an unfair election but rather to do with America’s failure to properly address white supremacy.

As I write this, the final verdict of the Derek Chauvin trial has been announced. A murderer who was caught on camera murdering someone was convicted of murder. Although many have referred to George Floyd as a martyr — thanking him for his sacrifice and opening our eyes to police brutality — his death was not an alarm to all of us.

The same alarm of injustice has been ringing for decades, but this particular instance was one that finally went un-snoozed by the public.

Yes, Chauvin’s conviction was just in the eyes of the American judicial system. But, nothing about this situation says “justice”. Some may think that accountability lives where true justice lacks, but even that is arguable. Chauvin

JILLIAN BARTSCH | THE DAILY WILDCAT

THE COALITION OF BLACK STUDENTS AND ALLIES marched through the University of Arizona campus to decriminalize Black lives Aug. 28, 2020.

has not taken accountability, and government officials are regarding Floyd’s murder as a wakeup call of sorts. This conviction is not satisfying in the eyes of those who understand the gravity of police brutality and racism and how these issues have continued on even throughout the duration of the trial.

Since the beginning of the trial on March 19, 2020, at least 62 people have died at the hands of law enforcement. That is an overwhelming average of three people per day. From that average, Black and Latinx victims make up more than half of this disheartening statistic.

New cases of violence and hate crimes arise every day. The Stop AAPI Hate National Report released a record of nearly 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents that were reported over the course of roughly a year during the pandemic. This number is considerably higher than last year’s count of 2,600 anti-Asian hate incidents.

Racism and xenophobia are nothing new for America, but the invigoration of social justice that we have experienced in the past year is a heartening sight to see. As vaccines

are rolled out and businesses open back up, I fear that many will lose sight of the bigger picture activists have painted for us. I urge you all to not forget how long people have marched, protested and fought for our nation’s marginalized communities. As we go into the summer, continue to support your neighbors and educate yourself from whatever platform of privilege you may stand on.

Whether it’s supporting the families impacted by violence directly (via crowdfunding) or donating to organizations that will do the work for you, your dollar is always a worthy political token.

The same can be said for supporting businesses owned by BIPOC individuals and people of color. Sign petitions, show your support on social media, put a mask on and head to a protest. There is always a way to lift up those around you. Allyship is proven through action.

— Selena Kuikahi (she/her) is a senior studying both film and television and law

GO ONLINE: OPINION Catastrophic debt in graduation is crushing new graduates | [OPINION Light at the end of the tunnel | DailyWildcat.com/commencement

26 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

2020-21 YEAR IN REVIEW | STUDENT ACTIVISM COURTESY SEAN GUNDU

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA STUDENTS held up clenched fists during the Black Lives Matter silent protest on Feb. 5, 2020.

ALLISON FAGAN | THE DAILY WILDCAT

THIS 2020 ARTISTIC COLLABORATION between Joe Pagac and Robbie Lee Harris sits on the side of the Rialto Theatre and was painted during the height of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in June 2020.

2020: A year of activism in the UA community

BY JILLIAN BARTSCH & ELVIA VERDUGO @_thisisjillian_ & @elviaverdugo

The 2020-21 academic year has come with a lot of changes, including a lot of new programs and advocacy that started at the University of Arizona. Here’s a look back at newly established groups, and what they’ve accomplished so far in their short time on campus.

The Coalition of Black Students and Allies COBA was created “in response to the systemic and interpersonal anti-Blackness that Black students at the University of Arizona have faced under the hands of the administration,” according to their website.

Since its beginning, COBA has been involved with various solidarity events and campaigns, including the UA’s Campus Pantry donation drives, webinars with the UA’s Vietnamese Student Association and numerous rallies and protests on campus.

Most notably, COBA’s following substantially grew in days after the June 6, 2020 Celebration of Black Lives event, where “approximately 50 uniformed officers from the University of Arizona Police Department marched into the Student Union dressed in heavy riot gear,” despite event coordinators being told that there would be no police presence, according to COBA’s letter to the UA administration on June 24, 2020.

In response to the events at the Celebration of Black Lives, COBA created a 13-page letter to the UA administration, including UA President Dr. Robert C. Robbins and UAPD Chief Brian Seastone. The letter contained Black student testimonies and a list of 21 demands.

Some of the demands included the UA cutting ties with the Tucson Police Department, Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and an increase in

mental health resources for LGBTQ and BIPOC students.

Since the letter, COBA has met with the UA administration twice in hopes of invoking change on the UA campus and helping to dismantle oppressive systems.

“COBA’s goal for the march is to create visibility and exposure of our goal of holding central administration accountable in the ways they participate in systems that continue to reduce the value of Black people on our campus,” Maryan Hassan, a COBA member, told the Daily Wildcat back in August at their rally and protest on Aug. 28, 2020.

The Coalition for Academic Justice at UArizona CAJUA, which started in 2020, has the mission that they “are dedicated to fair, inclusive, and transparent governance on campus. We call for transparency in the university administration’s decision making related to finances and safety concerns,” according to their website.

CAJUA held a public forum with United Campus Workers Arizona where speakers presented an overview of the UA’s significant challenges. They also made it a goal to call for solidarity and a reimagining of the UA, according to their website.

They also held a faculty open house on April 23. They stated in their tweet, “join us for our … open house … an open conversation about union membership, what we’re working on, and how we’re building power.”

The group also investigated Ashford University after the UA’s Global Campus was announced and helped with the university’s reentry.

“CAJUA foregrounds the goal of social justice for the most vulnerable and marginalized. For example, we reject the administration’s framing of the Ashford acquisition as serving ‘diversity,’”

CAJUA stated on their website.

They volunteer with local immigration rights organizations, plant community gardens, organize film festivals and lecture series for the Tucson community. Their goal is to create solutions towards local issues such as water use, public art, mental health resources, housing, transportation and education, according to their website.

“We know that fighting for the health and well-being of UArizona students and workers is fighting for the health and well-being of all of Tucson,” CAJUA stated on their website.

The Coalition for Academic Justice at UArizona — Graduate and Professional Student Action Group Within CAJUA, the Grads Action Group is committed to addressing issues between the University of Arizona administration and the graduate student community.

In their first meeting on July 17, 2020, the Graduate and Professional Student action group discussed “a clear trend indicating that many graduate and professional students felt pressure to return to the classroom for the sake of their employment/funding,” according to a CAJUA action report.

In August 2020, the Graduate and Professional Student action group began protesting the UA’s decision to reopen the university’s campus despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

On Aug. 14, 2020, the group held a die-in protest across from Centennial Hall on the UA campus, as previously reported by the Wildcat.

The CAJUA Graduate and Professional Student action group continues to identify and address campus re-entry issues and how re-entry can affect graduate and professional students.

“I’m just very concerned for those who don’t have the same health and financial privileges

that I do and what a potential [COVID-19] outbreak would do to this community … I’m not concerned for just those at UA, but for the larger Tucson community,” a graduate student affiliated with the Grads Action Group said at the Aug. 14, 2020 protest, as initially reported by the Wildcat.

Ashford University The UA announced in August a plan to acquire Ashford University in pursuit of creating UA Global Campus. Ashford University was surrounded by controversies due to the original company, Zovio Inc. According to CAJUA’s website, “CAJUA is working alongside Faculty Senate on investigations into the legality of this transaction in an attempt to mitigate any potential harm to students and our university’s mission and integrity.”

The faculty senate letters discussed the issues that occurred with Zovio Inc. as well as the information they were asking from Robbins.

They were wanting to see the documents of the deal so that they could ensure there was no conflict of interest or trademark infringement.

“The most important takeaway comes from comparing the August 8k with another Zovio 8k filed in January 2020, just before the [COVID-19] pandemic upended our lives. A nearly identical deal was planned as a conversion of Ashford from a for-profit to a non-profit university Ashford NFP with no involvement of the U of A,” the letter stated.

Ashford University became the UA Global Campus towards the end of 2020.

According to the UA Global Campus website, “Ashford University became the University of Arizona Global Campus, an independent accredited online institution affiliated with the University of Arizona.”

DailyWildcat.com • 27

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR SPRING 2021 GRADUATES

ENGINEERING AMBASSADORS Andrew Bradley, Aerospace Engineering Amanda Fordyce, Aerospace Engineering Kailie Szewczyk, Aerospace Engineering Shiann Claridge, Architectural Engineering Emma Kelley, Architectural Engineering Kirsten Bassett, Biomedical Engineering Grace Heffernon, Biomedical Engineering AEROSPACE ENGINEERING Eric Aguilar Robert Andrew Asman Matt Banko Drew Bradley Jake Thomas Brazelton Isaac Bonrostro Charcos Amanda Jae Fordyce Matt Gillies Sarah Ann Giroux Roman Alexander Gonzalez Matthew Richard Johnson Sydney Magrit Kilen Lindsey Rose Koelbel Kyle William McHugh Scott Ladd Omo Dashiel Pudwill Eric James Rembelski Victor Roty Phil Sjoquist Joshua Kristopher Smith George Stancu Kailie Szewczyk Paxton T. Tomooka Cody Watson Alexa McKenna Wilder ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING Michael Anthony Acosta Shiann McInzy Claridge Emma Katherine Kelley Maria Jose Quintero Yepes Emmanuel Romero Dylan Jeffrey Telford Hayden Mackenzie Young BACHELOR OF SCIENCE BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING Hameeda Muneer Al Saif Shubhangi Awasthi Nick Bai Jakob Adam Olof Bakall Loewgren Kirsten Lynn Bassett Kaleb James Bowers Shaun Michael Brown Ben Carpenter Carmela Compuesto Karam Samer Elali Gerardo Figueroa Austin Edward Fisher Sarah Alison Gilliam Alexandra Marie Heald Amanda Lynn Heald Grace Marie Heffernon Tyler Donald Hertenstein Destiny Starr Hodges Hannah Rose Johnson Megan Ann Johnson Thomas Christopher LaMantia Jr. Cassidy Marie Mannier Monique Martinez Andrew Phillip Masciola Kelly Flynn McCarthy Logan James Morales Federico Pederson Valeria Guadalupe Rascon Melissa Rose Requist Jocelyne Rivera Rafael Romero Kayleigh Ruberto Babak Safavinia Natalie Michelle Sampson Alexis Algeria Silver Nate Smith Joshua Thomas Somerville-Shull Simon Teweldemedhin Tecle Thomas Avery Telles Gabriela Ohlmaier Thornton Erik Scott Tollefson Daniel Robert Wieland Brian Lu Zhang Avory Zhou BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING Gustavo Aguilar Velez Nujud Saud M Alharbi Elena Ruth Ball Ryan Thomas Bente Torin Hodge Emma Rose Huffman

engineering.arizona.edu

Monique Martinez, Biomedical Engineering Kelly McCarthy, Biomedical Engineering Rafael Romero, Biomedical Engineering Kayleigh Ruberto, Biomedical Engineering Meghan Marlowe, Biosystems Engineering Sami Batyour, Chemical Engineering Mirella Vindiola, Chemical Engineering

Kristine Hope Jones Meghan Lauren Marlowe Kate Michelle Stalkfleet CHEMICAL ENGINEERING Nurfazrina Abdul Muin Mohammed Ali Alaish Faisal Abdulaziz Algannass Ayman Mohammed Alhaji Mohammed Nabil Al-hashim Mohammad Almarhoun Mohamed Almheiri Mustafa Mohammed Almuallim Mohamed Abdulatif Almusabbeh Abdul Alqahtani Kareem Alsenan Muath Ali Alzahrani Robert Anthony Ancheta Jr. Abbass Bah Cory Lance Baracaldo Abdulrahman Sami Batyour Sky Emil Benitez-Triner Zach Bosley Cameron Bradley Adrian Taylor Cabalfin Estefania Camacho Garcia Connor A. Casey Ramon Castrejon Miranda Marissa Francesca Conn Minister Emily Larsen Cosgriff Aaron Antone Deschner Jr. Jarrett Robert Dutton Jane Leigh Fairchild Paul Feliciano Joshua Fleetwood Carly Michelle Golisch Alex Gomez Tiffani Nicole Hamilton Anthony Xavier Holman Salim Jalaleddine Andy Kamrowski Colin Andrew Kelly Dylan Koch Justin Christopher Koehler Krysta Vida Kramer Jodi Elizabeth Kreiner Cody Justin Liebeskind Eashley Kevin Lozano Abdel Madina Elizabeth Lauren Major Sahil Luke Mallavarapu Cameron Scott Malloy Francisco Eduardo Martinez Seth Andrew Miller Jose Eduardo Montanez Jr. Julia Ann Moore Isabel Ceara Murphy Omar Mustafa Najdi Shivali Naran Henry Hobart Nordbrock Jemael Nzihou Efe-Oghene Ogbaudu Tanner Alan Palomarez Mary Paris Richard David Pepel Pablo Nicolas Quero Romero Elijah Kartchner Rallison Madison Leigh Reum Chris Rodriguez Jr. Jonathon Russell Dane Alizair Santana Kayla Marina Scaramella Abby Severance Anas Abdulkarim Sharafi Gahl L. Shuster Andrew Jacob Stafford Jake Stevens Jessica Lauren Unwin Nicole Van Overmeiren Thomas Villescas Mirella Paulette Vindiola Jalen Anthony Volz Chase Hunter Wiles Aaron Royce Wolford Lenny Wong Mikas Zappia CIVIL ENGINEERING Dominique Paul Abella Halah Al Mohsen

OUTSTANDING SENIORS

Celeste Williams, Industrial Engineering Lauren Moghimi, Materials Science & Engineering Michaela Guardado, Mechanical Engineering Kendall Staring, Mechanical Engineering Ryan Amos, Mining Engineering McKenzie Jones, Systems Engineering Rina Romero, Systems Engineering

Chhouhan Banh Raymond Phillip Barrales Ryan Beseke Leo Clashin Bia Adam Bruce Bishop Imraan Bokhari Spencer Ulysses Browne Kyle Ethan Calaguas Prokorb Chanek Ahmed Elkasaby Valery Ivette Gonzalez Ethan James Harper Jorge Andres Iga Cesar Rick In Eugene Younghun Ju Marco Antonio Lastra Emma Jo Lenarz Cesar Maldonado Alex Martinez Ro Martinez Akash Mehta Victor Pa Elyce Pimentel Alejandro Pulido Marwan Mohammad Sami Sr. Vichetsocare Someil Gunnar Hoertz Stahmer Josh Swain Jose Luis Verdugo Jasso Ponleu Ya Yin

Jonathan Edward Rickel Cooper Joseph Ryan Anthony James Sanchez Noas M. Shaalan Ben Stelter Ryan Svedberg Kevin Christopher Thompson Oanh Tran Brandon Truong Hector Rosendo Urena Ignacio Vazquez Lam Nicholas Owen Watson Samson Tiburon Weisbrod Ethan Edward Winkler Lu Yu Shengrui Zhang

ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING Mohmed Othman Albalbisi Ahmed Abdulkarim Alraeesi Mohammed Alyousef Nushin Anwar Reeshad Arian Ian Louis Bell Bob Bradford Shaun Michael Brown Zepeng Cai Ezra James Carnes Miguel Angel Castro Gonzalez Carter Conway Jeremiah Layton Cunningham Jalea Adrienne Dashiell Wei Deng Joseph Christian Emnett Bennett Bradley Estrada Cole Josef Galloway Sofia Gamez Robert Daniel Gauthier Tyler Glen Gleesing Maksim Dmitrievich Gusev Fernando Gutierrez Nicholas John Hammond Ryan William Hammond Caleb Robert Henry Tia Skye Hunt Leslie Ibarra Borboa Marco Elias Lacson Jacob Ryan Lee Jarick Alex Jin Carl Phillip Jones Jack Andrew Kerr Justin Kim Spencer Kittredge Lewis William Koplon Marc Adam Kragnes Parker Riley Lawson Tiffany Tinyee Ma Alex Maggio Celeste Hannah Maher Susana Jade Mar Bo Mcallister Shannon Marie McCoy Braden Abel Means Jacob Simon Merki Nick Murachanian Jennifer Nadolski Adam Tucker Newell Nathan Lam Ngo James Nguyen Jacob Celso Padilla Rohan Rasiklal Patel Carlos Perez Brendan Duy Pham Austin Tyler Pierson Nick Ramos Joshua Zion Reck

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING Shahad Ababtain Nur Aysah Abbas Bimo Aditya Abdulrahman Mohammed Alabdullah Fatmah Alabdullah Mohammed Alawami Mohammed A H M R Alazemi Mohammed Alboori Feras Hussain Aldubaisy Othman Ali Alghannam Mohammad A A KH Alhaddad Abdulwahab Khaled Alkhateeb Ahmad Saud M Alkhomri Ali Yousef Alqattan Sr. Saood Alsebeey Manayer Haitham Alshammari Abdullah Alwasmi Sr. Odila Paska Apriliana Jo Arai Gemintang Asri Erni Dwi Astuti Windy Puji Astutik Bambang Tri Atmojo Hawraa Abdullah Bahzad Abdulaziz Bawazir Suroyo Bimantoro Imam Maghfir Ramadhan Burhanuddin Taufiq Candra Fiella Pramysilia Citra Krishna Dharma Samuel Curtis Erickson Rizal Ari Fando Intan Fauziah Sylvania Mulia Fauziyyah Handy Ferdian Juned Rizky Firmansyah Rosa Amelia Fitri Vanessa Caroline Friedman Angelica Maria Gutierrez Hussain Ali A A M J Hadi Ellen Dianna Hales Melly Desfa Handayani Zahra Ali Hassan Annisa Nur Hayati Ananda Heryni Dina Amalia Hizwati Stanford Royal Hurley Alexus Nicole Hurtado Catherine Jovanka Shafira Khoirun Nisa Khiyarotul Kholidha Kristian Soleman Kuli Sondos M S Kullab Bagus Aditya Kurniawan Nabila Wijaya Laksmi

ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT Kaetlin Marie Archibald Sarah Huggins-Hubbard Yonghan Luo Nicholas Matthew Ortega Carter Matthew Ruff Coby Albert Scheidemantel ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING Siria Camacho Gabriela Maris Diaz Jenna Nicole Livingston Jonathan Manuel Romero

Paxton Tomooka, Aerospace Engineering Hayden Young, Architectural Engineering Jocelyne Rivera, Biomedical Engineering Meghan Marlowe, Biosystems Engineering Abby Severance, Chemical Engineering Adam Bishop, Civil Engineering Nicolas Ramos, Electrical & Computer Engineering Dewi Larasati Muhtia Luchfi Sinta Maharani Dwike Aryanti Mamat Cody Austin Miller Rajib Nur Mohammad Marianne Helga Moniaga Ghazwan Muhebes Achnes Choirun Nisa’ Torrey Alexander Petersen Angeline Alicya Putri Rezky Putri Widyatna Maharani Putri Jelita Widi Rahmasanti Dea Agatha Rahmasari Rahmawati Rahmawati Veranika Rakhmatanty Muhammad Akbar Ramadhan Indah Putri Ramadhani Muhammad Saputra Chesia Dwi Sara Nurul Habiba Septira Fani Fafas Tafia Avinda Asyaro Taghsya Taufiq Taufiqurrahman Putri Tesalonika Nyayu Rohaya Tridanisa Utari Trinita Firmina Wenni Irga Firastri Sephira Tavia Wibowo Celeste Mae Williams Maya Primeradama Yanti Eugenia Jean Yovini Natasya Alief Zhafira MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING Kaden Legrand Anderson Wade Ben Anthony Contreras Jordan Xayvion Crawford Michael Nathaniel Gibson Nathan Gilbert Jake Ryan Gniffke Max Ferdinand Honebrink Daniel Richard William Lepper Tahir Mahmood Brandon Scott Mishler Lauren Moghimi Kyler Reese Novotny Priscilla Rios Limon Erik Jonathan Struckmeyer Connor Phelps Thorpe MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Cameron M. Abril Robert Paul Acker Mohammad Bayu Nur Akbar Ihza Lisiano Al Qushai Abdulrahman Emad Al-Badawi Mohammed Alkhalaf Nurrizal Alqindi Jihad Al-shirawi Faris Saleh Alzahrani Kohl Alan Anderson Putri Angelica Chris Angier Savannah Rae Armstrong Sam Atlas Bilqist Imeilia Az Zahra Emily Lauren Bauers Massimo Biella Edselmo Biondi Joselyn Renee Bock Sean Michael Brannon Tevin R. Broadhead Eveke Calixtro Ben Callaghan Shawn Koshy Cherian Jose Andres Corrales Angie Covarrubias Jessica Lynn Crain Josh Crest Tiara Kusuma Dewi Brandon Layne Duron Fitri Endrasari Patrick J. Eschenfelder Hanifatuttaqiyyah Nur Fauzah Ross Maxwell Felton Logan Fenn Nikolas Krisma Hadi Fernandez

Sarah Huggins-Hubbard, Engineering Management Jonathan Romero, Environmental Engineering Celeste Williams, Industrial Engineering Lauren Moghimi, Materials Science & Engineering Ryan Amos, Mining Engineering Dominique Galvez, Optical Sciences & Engineering Sarah Labat, Systems Engineering

Laela Nur Fitria Francisco Garcia Rebeca Maria Garcia Petra Emelia Gee Dara Ginanti JJ Gorosave Jr. Richard Robert Gospodarek James William Greiner Michaela Irene Guardado Juan Guerrero Jr. Benjamin Michael Heald Haylee Dawn Howe Cristian Samuel Huerta Adam Humeres Abdullah Mohammedmadani Ibrahim Cody Jackson Amelia Nuraiyah Quinsi Jemy Devin Stuart Johnson Peter Kanaichi Joyce Wassim Khawam Alyssa Rae Klix Erik Edmon Knowles Susannah Victoria Kohn Daniel Kotlyar Daniel Alan Lansdown Walker Stallard Lewis Franklin Kevin Licos Cameron Michael Lippon Gabriel Lopez Alejandra Loreto David Elliott Lundberg Conor McCarthy Atom Roy Mingle David Mingus Ruben Miranda Mohamed Ragheb Mohamed Armando-Ruben Corrales Montano II Spencer Ryan Moore Doug Moss Abraham Muasher Dustin Tien Nguyen Randy Nguyen Jared Everett Northrup Larasati Aprilliana Nugroho Astrid Vanya Octary Maria Anggi Octaviani Scott Ladd Omo Jinhua Ouyang Amarjiit Vikkas Pandde Jongkwang Park Kevin Martin Partida Josh Peters Mark Robert Piazza M. Alfin Prayogo Desinta Dewi Ramadani Valeria Guadalupe Rascon Dava Renaldi Diego Resendiz Camytha Octanuryati Rochmad Dominick Rosato Ayu Candra Sekar Rurisa Trey Saari III Tasya Diana Septiani Adven Simarmata David Joseph Simmons Gabriel Ayrton Andares Sineri Glenn Hanaya Sitompul Adam Emmanuel Skora Kingsley So Shae Kathleen Sonderer Kendall Elaine Staring Jonah Daniel Stiffey Mei Syaroh Christian Luis Tagle Adnan Maitham Taleb Adam Anthony Tejada Nicholas David Terranova Nathan Freeman Thomas Bethany Tolsma Manny Valencia Jake William Vartanian Peter Joseph Gosan Vollmer Josiah Daniel Wagner Saraya Wallen Mason Richard Westmoreland Morgan C. Wheeler Arfan Khairul Wibisono Alvin Widjaya Aidan Sean Willems Mary Jayne Yazzie-Umberger

Musafri Yetti Michael Douglas Ziska Siti Zulaikah MINING ENGINEERING Ryan Scott Amos Alexandra Jazzeline Contreras Jake Cramer Nick Overleas Raul Antonio Padilla Jr. Will Peterson Philip Evan Sommitz Luis Fernando Soto Garrett Reid Szura Bryan Michael Zormeier OPTICAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING Alyssa Michelle Baller Nick Brar Kris Brown Madellyn Alexandra Brown Jeremy Daniel Dauer Zhipeng Dong Forrest Ernst Krystal Escarcega-Medina Christer Daniel Everly Kayla Faith Filipek Rina Fujieda Dominique Brianna Galvez Chang Ge Harrison Lane Gentner Garrett Gregory Hartung Nathan Ian Joslin Clay Kingsley Ariel Lamdan Itay Ozer Jeremy C. Parkinson John Garrett Partin Julia Elizabeth Ritz Emily Jordan Rodriguez Dror Sapir Paige Laurel Sawyers Natalie Kay Shultz Rantaj Singh DeErick Smith Jr. Michael Edgar Snow Mason Richard Varuso Jaclyn Noelle Wycoff Haibei Xiong SYSTEMS ENGINEERING Henry Eugene Acedo II Alfredo Enrique Aispuro Ali Salem Aldossary Marissa Alvarez Edvania Alves Lima Abraham Arroyo Jianna Aleyse Auditore Isela Marie Burruel Christopher Clark Timothy Colvert Zane Ansel Craddock Fabiola Garcia Lexi Hayden Gildardo G. Hernandez Esteban Quintero McKenzie Danielle Jones Sarah Labat Franklin N. Lam Truman Louth David Aaron Martinez Lauren Kate McBeth Aaron Thomas McCommon Lupita Moreno Connor Joe Wynn Nemetz Bridget Ann Norman Daniel Rey Olea Michael David Ong Jessie Urbano Pena Nayleth Guadalupe Ramirez Duarte James Manuel Rivera-Torres Martin Alonso Rojo Parra Rina Maria Romero I Dionna Isabel Sheer Luis Zamarripa Harrison Macke Sommerkamp Akshat Srivastava Ryan Jay Huellas Visico Brian Ralph Volpe Riley Faye Wagner

Note: This list does not include students who applied for graduation late or who were updated from a previous term.

28 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

THE DAILY WILDCAT

PODCAST NETWORK

This weekly show highlights the University of Arizona news of the week! Everything from campus reentry briefing updates, to UAPD happenings to administrative and ASUA updates. Join host Maggie Rockwell on a weekly journey through the news you missed!

Available everywhere you stream or download podcasts!

A podcast created by Alexandre Pere that profiles the people behind the University of Arizona’s massive and unique science community. Brought to you by the Daily Wildcat Science Desk, and hosted by Jillian Bartsch.

A weekly podcast that raises popular questions and picks the brains of our opinion staffers. Hosted by Lauren Borelli and produced by the Opinions Desk at the Daily Wildcat.

Commencement

Weekly episodes!

(during Fall & Spring semesters)

Welcome Wildcat fans to “Hoops: the Daily Wildcat basketball podcast!” Hosted by Ryan Wohl, and brought to you by the Sports Desk at the Daily Wildcat, this weekly show will recap and analyze each week’s UA basketball games and open a discussion on the court.

This weekly show highlights the Arizona baseball and softball teams, recaps the previous series and look ahead to what’s next for each team. Host Ari Koslow alongside members of the Daily Wildcat Sports Desk will report and recap what you need to know this season!

Information and insight you won’t find anywhere else!

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

DailyWildcat.com • 29

2020-21 YEAR IN REVIEW | COVID-19 TIMELINE

What have we learned about the coronavirus since its rude arrival?

On Jan. 21, 2020, the U.S. reported its first case of the coronavirus in the state of Washington — a man in his 30s became infected. In the past 15 months, the world has gained an immense amount of knowledge about the coronavirus. Let’s take a look at the major developments since then

BY AMIT SYAL @ASyal21

Jan. 30, 2020: The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global public health emergency.

Feb. 11, 2020: The WHO announced that the disease caused by the novel coronavirus would be called COVID-19.

Feb. 29, 2020: The U.S. reported its first death from the coronavirus — a man in his 50s in the state of Washington.

March 11, 2020: The WHO declared that the coronavirus outbreak can be characterized as a pandemic, which is defined as the worldwide spread of a new disease for which most people do not have immunity.

March 16, 2020: U.S. researchers administered “the first shot to the first person in a test of an experimental coronavirus vaccine.”

March 24, 2020: The WHO warned that the U.S. could become the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, two days before total recorded deaths in the U.S. passed 1,000 and three days before recorded coronavirus cases in the U.S. surpassed 100,000.

March 30, 2020: Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey ordered a stay-at-home directive for the nearly 7.3 million residents of his state.

April 13, 2020: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the first saliva test to diagnose COVID-19.

April 23, 2020: The number of recorded coronavirus deaths in the U.S. topped 50,000.

July 5, 2020: The number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. surpassed 3 million.

July 20, 2020: The number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. surpassed 4 million.

Aug. 4, 2020: The number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. surpassed 5 million.

Oct. 1, 2020: Former President Donald Trump announced that he tested positive for COVID-19.

Dec. 11, 2020: The FDA authorized Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency use.

Dec. 14, 2020: Vaccine rollout began across the U.S. Dec. 15, 2020: The FDA authorized the first at-home, over-the-counter test for COVID-19.

Dec. 18, 2020: The FDA authorized the Moderna coronavirus vaccine.

Jan. 6, 2021: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it had found at least 52 confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 variant in California, Florida, Colorado, Georgia and New York; and it also stressed that there could already be more cases in the country.

Jan. 25, 2021: The U.S. reported its first case of the Brazil coronavirus variant in Minnesota.

March 8, 2021: The CDC released new guidance for Americans who are fully vaccinated, meaning they are two weeks out from their last vaccine dose.

March 24, 2021: Arizona opened its vaccine eligibility to residents who are 16 years of age and older.

March 29, 2021: The CDC released a new study saying that the two mRNA vaccines, made by Pfizer and Moderna, are highly effective at reducing the asymptomatic spread of the coronavirus.

March 31, 2021: Pfizer reported that its coronavirus vaccine is extremely effective in adolescents ages 12-15 years old.

April 13, 2021: The CDC and FDA issue a joint pause on the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to concerns of a rare type of blood clot. It would later be approved again.

April 16, 2021: The U.S. reached the milestone of 200 million vaccines administered.

More coronavirus content can be found at DailyWildcat.com/coronavirus, and follow the Daily Wildcat on Twitter @DailyWildcat

30 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

2020-21 YEAR IN REVIEW | OPINION LAUREN SALGADO | THE DAILY WILDCAT

OPINION: Pre-election 2020 to now: A quick review of this year’s politics

BY GERALDINE ESPINOSA @GEspinosaWrites

T

he 2020-21 school year was a long one — one for the books. Not only did this school year start off with the reality that we had been in a pandemic for close to six months at that time, but this year was also met major political and social justice events taking place both locally and nationally.

In late May of 2020, the world watched that cell phone recording in horror as George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was murdered by now ex-officer Derek Chauvin of the Minneapolis Police Department. Closer to home, Carlos Adrian Ingram-Lopez was murdered by Tucson Police Department officers on April 21, 2020, but the incident was not made public until June 2020. In the light of both deaths, those in the Tucson community were outraged, hurt and disappointed.

In response to the public injustice enacted on Floyd and Ingram-Lopez, local groups in Tucson organized protests, marches and rallies to incite change, awareness and action.

The Coalition of Black Students and Allies held a rally and protest the first week of the school year “to decriminalize Black lives and affirm Black lives and narratives,” said Maryan Hassan, a member of COBA, via email to the Daily Wildcat earlier this school year.

According to an earlier news piece by the Wildcat, “Members of COBA said they started the organization because of the University of Arizona Police Department and the Tucson Police Department.” Members of the group

explained during the rally held in late August last year, “We are here to prove that white supremacy and those that want us dead will not win.”

For the remainder of the fall semester, the fight for justice carried on throughout America while, simultaneously, we as a nation were approaching election day 2020.

During the craze of election season, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, died on Sept.18, 2020. She served on the court for close to 27 years and is regarded as a feminist icon.

With the death of Ginsburg, a seat on the supreme court was left open. Then-President Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett as the new Supreme Court Justice, and she was then confirmed on Oct. 27, 2020, and sworn in the same night at the White House.

The campaign trail looked a little different this election year because of the coronavirus.

Both candidates, Joe Biden and Trump, had very different approaches to navigating the campaign trail amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

During October of this past fall, presidential campaigning picked up again for Biden after a break over the summer. Unlike Biden, Trump resumed campaign rallies over the country in the summer of 2020.

This election year, debates were socially distanced and masks were required. Biden’s town halls were held outside and were able to be attended via car, similar to a drive-in movie, and Trump had his town halls outside on a set with a limited audience.

Election day was Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, “more than 159 million Americans voted” in this past election, making it the highest voter turnout for any American election.

The race was called on Nov. 7, 2020, and

Biden and Kamala Harris were named the presumptive winners of the 2020 election. The infamous “We did it, Joe” that Vice President Harris said, rang in the victory to Americans across the country.

Arizona made history this election season as it had flipped to a blue state. For the second time in 68 years, Arizona had elected a democratic presidential candidate and, for the first time in 67 years, Arizona has two democratic senators.

After Nov. 3 voting wrapped up, the Georgia senate race results came in, and neither candidate received at least 50% of the votes.

This final election tally resulted in a runoff for the state of Georgia.

The runoff was held Jan. 5, 2021, and resulted in Democrat Jon Ossoff and Democrat Raphael Warnock winning the Georgia senate seats making the senate break-even giving Harris the tie-breaking vote.

The next day following the Georgia runoff, Jan. 6, 2021, a joint congress session was taking place to confirm Biden as the 46th President of the United States. At the same time, Trump was giving a speech on the White House lawn and incited an insurrection of the U.S. Capitol building.

The Capitol building was stormed and breached by Trump supporters and white supremacists alike. The joint congressional session was brought to a halt as they sought safety during the siege and assault on the U.S. Capitol.

Fourteen days after the assault on the Capitol, Biden and Harris were sworn into office. History was made on Inauguration Day as Harris is the first-ever woman and woman of color to hold the position. This inauguration was like no other was it took place during the COVID-19 pandemic with social distancing and mask mandates in place for attendees.

Seven days after the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol building, the U.S. House of Representatives impeached Trump for a second time. One article of impeachment was adopted against Trump which was the article of incitement of insurrection.

The second impeachment trial of Trump began Feb. 9, 2021. The trial concluded Feb. 13, 2021 and resulted in a 57-43 vote leading Trump to be acquitted of his charges.

Most currently Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the killing of Floyd. This conviction comes as a relief to many who feared Chauvin, like many other officers, would not face consequences for murder of a Black person.

Unfortunately, the protests and trial have not ended the fight, as there were two more recent notable murders of 13-year-old Adam Toledo and 20-year-old Daunte Wright. Both Toledo and Wright were murdered at the hands of law enforcement, and both were unarmed at the time they were shot. The sanctioned violence must stop, and the murder of our children must stop.

This past school year has had tons of political and social justice-related news. Coming out of this school year, we as young people have witnessed so much history in such a short amount of time. I hope we take what we have learned and apply it to the years to come in hopes of a more safe and peaceful environment for us all.

— Geraldine (she/they) is a junior and is majoring in journalism. She likes to bake and read in her free time

DailyWildcat.com • 31

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF

BUILDING A CHANGING WORLD. BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE | BACHELOR OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENTS | MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE | MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE | MASTER OF REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT | MASTER OF SCIENCE IN URBAN PLANNING

CAPLA.ARIZONA.EDU

32 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

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May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

2020-21 YEAR IN REVIEW | REENTRY TIMELINE

A year of bearing down and masking up has gotten us to where we are today

BY KRISTIJAN BARNJAK @KBarnjak

Since its inception, the University of Arizona’s reentry task force attempted to lighten the massive load of uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic by keeping members of the university community informed with data analysis, changes to university procedures, developments in new testing and treatments and more.

The Daily Wildcat took a look back at some of the highlights of the university’s status updates.

••• May 20, 2020: The task force is born.

UA President Dr. Robert C. Robbins announced the creation of the reentry task force.

The task force would serve as the UA’s “incident command system” and would be led by Dr. Richard Carmona, the 17th surgeon general of the United States.

“We’re not going to open unless it’s safe,” Carmona said.

Carmona said the team would meet for a press conference on a weekly basis to keep the community informed “every step of the way.”

••• May 28, 2020: Robbins goes on Meet the Press after discussing the possibility of reopening campus for in-person classes during the fall 2020 semester.

“We want to give our students that opportunity to choose,” Robbins said on the NBC program, “and we want to provide the maximum protections and safeguards to give [students], their loved ones, their parents the confidence that we can take care of them in a responsible way.”

••• June 11, 2020: Faculty begin pushback against furlough plan.

During the reentry press conference, Robbins addressed concerns with a proposed furlough plan to dampen the impact of the university’s projected financial losses.

“We’re trying to preserve jobs,” Robbins said.

“Our goal with this was to try to keep as many jobs as we possibly can.”

Afterwards, the Coalition for Academic Justice at UArizona held a press conference criticizing the plan for being unnecessary.

••• June 25, 2020: ICU beds near capacity following surge in cases.

The task force walked back its commitment to reopening following a surge in COVID-19 infections and ICU beds nearing capacity.

“We’re nearing crisis levels of hospital utilization,” Robbins said. “The number of cases is one thing, but the number of cases of individuals getting sick enough to have to go into the hospital and then utilize and ICU bed is something that I think is very, very important and we should keep our eye on, which we are doing.”

Robbins also noted during the conference that he would keep an eye on the results of a faculty vote to delay the proposed furlough plan.

••• June 30, 2020: Robbins delays furloughs.

Robbins announced that he would officially delay the implementation of the university’s furlough plan following a vote by the general faculty.

Of the 1,462 people who voted, 1,305 voted in favor of recommending to delay furloughs, 128 voted against the recommendation and 29 abstained.

••• July 23, 2020: The UA officially announces fall reopening.

Robbins announced that the university will reopen campus to hold some in-person classes and to accommodate on-campus residents.

“I know many of you are awaiting the answer to the question: ‘Will the University of Arizona be open for in-person classes in the fall of 2020?’

The answer is yes,” Robbins said.

••• July 30, 2020: The task force proposes its initial reentry plan.

During its press conference on July 30, the task force put forward a three-week plan for reopening campus that planned to have all students physically back in class by the third week of the semester.

They also announced the testing requirement for move-in and the 10-day isolation protocol for students who test positive.

••• Aug. 4, 2020: Unionization and acquisition.

On the same day that CAJUA declared its intention to unionize UA faculty, the university announced it has acquired Ashford University, which will become “UA Global Campus.”

Ashford University was a for-profit, all-online university that faced scrutiny allegations of fraud, which it paid over $7 million to settle while also denying wrongdoing.

••• Aug. 6, 2020: The task force revises its reentry plan.

A week after putting forward a three-week

reentry plan, Robbins announced revisions to the plan which expand the length of each phase to two and three weeks, “based on counsel from the UA College of Public Health.”

CAJUA had criticized the plan in a Faculty Senate meeting Aug. 4, saying that senior administration members “failed to justify their calendar-based re-entry plan” and that faculty from the College of Public Health said the three-week reentry period was “not sufficient time to evaluate how and if the plan is working.”

••• Aug. 28, 2020: A vindication of wastewater epidemiology.

Following the first week of the fall semester, a potential COVID-19 outbreak in the Likins dorm was avoided thanks to early detection of the virus through wastewater testing. After testing all residents in the building, two cases of COVID-19 were identified, and the residents were isolated until they recovered.

••• Sept. 14, 2020: Students ordered to shelterin-place following spike in cases.

The task force briefed the viewers on a shelter-in-place directive for students living on and near campus. The order came in response to an increase in the rate of coronavirus transmission within the last week ••• Oct. 19, 2020: The UA breaks up with spring break.

Provost Liesl Folks joined the task force to announce that the 2021 spring break will be broken up into five reading days spread throughout the spring semester.

The unpopular decision was made “to minimize the impact of student travel on community spread of COVID-19,” Robbins said.

••• Nov. 2, 2020: Spooks and ghouls disregard public health to celebrate Halloween.

The week of Halloween, the University Campus Area Response Team was deployed to the most incidents of large gatherings to date. Seven of the 18 incidents recorded were gatherings of over 100 students.

Nov. 23, 2020: Case count reaches record high in Pima County.

Dr. Theresa Cullen, director of the Pima County Health Department, informed the task force of the massive increase in COVID-19 transmission in the county.

“Yesterday we reported the highest number

of cases we have ever reported in Pima County,” Cullen said during the conference.

“On Friday, we had the highest particulate of SARS Cov2 virus in the wastewater in the Tucson area that we have recorded since we started recording which is March.”

••• Jan. 19, 2021: The UA begins vaccinating Pima educators.

The university began vaccination of all 15,000 UA staff and faculty on Jan. 16, as well as all nearby childcare providers, K-12 educators and staff and all Pima Community College faculty and staff.

••• Feb. 15, 2021: The UA becomes state Point of Distribution.

The task force announced that the university will become a state vaccine POD, giving it the resources needed to run 24/7 and to vaccinate state residents in the broader southern Arizona community.

••• Feb. 22, 2021: Community mourns the loss of Forrest Keys.

The task force acknowledged and lamented the tragic death of Forrest Keys the previous weekend.

Keys, a sophomore majoring in communication and member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity, was killed the night of Feb. 20 in a shooting that occurred in the Cherry Avenue garage.

••• March 8, 2021: May commencement plans announced.

Robbins announced to the press that the UA plans to hold commencement ceremonies for the 2021 graduating class.

“Provost Folks and I are very pleased to announce that the University of Arizona will celebrate the class of 2021 with a series of inperson ceremonies tentatively scheduled from Tuesday, May 11, to Tuesday, May 18,” Robbins said.

March 29: UA POD surpasses milestone of 100,000 vaccinations.

After just over two months of administering COVID-19 vaccines and opening up appointments to all students, the university surpassed a total number of 100,000 doses administered.

Robbins said his goal is to vaccinate all students who want a vaccine before the end of the spring semester.

34 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

2020-21 YEAR IN REVIEW | SCIENCE

THE CLEVELAND CLINIC HAS announced that fighting hepatitis C is like fighting a silent pandemic. Not many people are aware of just how serious this condition is and how many people are being affected annually by the virus. HEPATITIS C - ARE YOU AWARE? by rrriles is licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

A beacon of hope in the fight against hepatitis C, other medical breakthroughs

BY BRIANA AGUILAR @DailyWildcat

It is estimated that roughly 2.4 million people are living with hepatitis C in the United States. This number could also be as high as 4.7 million, yet it is difficult to tell. Of those living with hepatitis C, around 51% of them are not aware that they have contracted the virus.

Specifically, millennials make up the highest percentage based on age group of who has chronic hepatitis C infections, while those in their 40s and early 50s have the lowest rates of contracting serious hepatitis C infections, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website.

The Cleveland Clinic has announced that fighting hepatitis C is like fighting a silent epidemic. Not many people are aware of just how serious this condition is and how many people are being affected annually by the virus. With so many cases in the United States, it’s important to evaluate what new treatment options are available. It is also vital to understand what hepatitis C can actually do to the body.

Hepatitis signifies inflammation of the liver. Both hepatitis A and B have vaccines that will help people prevent the disease.

Yet, there is still no vaccine for hepatitis C. Up until 2020, patients

diagnosed with hepatitis C used a variety of different treatments to aid with the inflammation, but the newest U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment has some promising results.

The clinical study performed on this new hepatitis C treatment, Sofosbuvir, evaluated its treatment on all six different genotypes, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The treatment was such a success during clinical trials that it achieved over a 90% effective rate throughout all six of the genotypes.

The results from the third phase of the clinical trials showed results unlike any other hepatitis C treatment on the market.

It was concluded that 95-99% of patients with hepatitis C who received Sofosbuvir had been cured, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Although this is incredible, it is a long process. The patients had to wait approximately 12 weeks for the virus to leave the bloodstream while coming in for regular checkups to monitor their condition.

The Cleveland Clinic said that the “approval of the combination therapy saw follow-on innovation in the subsequent approval of two other medications to treat all six genotypes of hepatitis C: glecaprevir/pibrentasvir and sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilapresvir. The drug’s approval, prescription, and pace-setting ability have allowed an effective treatment option for a wider scope of patients with the disease.”

The future is brighter knowing that there is a continuous floor of innovation and new medications that come out each year that saves lives. With the creation of Sofosbuvir, millions of lives will improve.

Other important breakthroughs: Closed-loop spinal cord stimulation: This new innovation is an alternative to opioids as it uses electrical stimulations to relieve chronic pain.

Dual-acting osteoporosis drug: Romosozumab is a newly approved FDA drug that significantly strengthens bones over time to prevent future fractures.

New medication for multiple sclerosis: The new drug that delivers antibodies to the patient, only MS treatment for certain patients who are suffering from multiple sclerosis.

Smartphone-connected pacemaker devices: A Bluetoothenabled pacemaker can now be connected to mobile devices to alert patients and physicians of any concerns.

Immunologics for migraine prophylaxis: Calcitonin generelated peptide is a molecule that floods a person’s system when a migraine is present. The FDA approved the first-ever drug that specifically blocks the production of CGRP.

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

DailyWildcat.com • 35

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Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

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2020-21 YEAR IN REVIEW | FOOD CULTURE

Local owners reflect on businesses they miss

BY ABBIE KOSOC @abbiekosoc

Tucson is known for its exquisite variety of bars and restaurants, along with its warm and welcoming atmosphere. Yet with months of quarantine, curfews and social distancing mandates, Tucson’s vibrant restaurant scene has changed drastically.

Declining rates of customers and inability to support their businesses during these troubling times gave many locally owned restaurants no choice but to close.

According to the Arizona Daily Star, over 18 local bars and restaurants have reported to be permanently closed due to the impacts of the pandemic. In addition to this, Monique Vallery, the Creative Director of the Fourth Avenue Merchants Association, stated that on just Fourth Avenue alone, five restaurants have permanently closed.

Members of the Tucson community are devastated to be losing some of their favorite dining locations and of these members, fellow restaurant owners feel especially sorrowful for the closure of these businesses.

Jenny Rice, owner of Café Passe, expressed how difficult it was to see neighboring small businesses have to close due to repercussions of the pandemic.

“It’s terrible. People put their heart and soul into these small businesses and then it’s just like, ‘poof,’ it’s gone,” Rice said.

Rice herself has suffered through many unexpected hardships throughout the past few months. Following their three month closure, she was forced to shut down their small bar seating area, let go of many employees and reshape their menu options in order to adapt to the Cafés struggles.

“I don’t think people quite understand what all these small businesses go through collectively.

We are just a steam engine that keeps going and going. It can be exhausting,” Rice said.

Rice said she is thankful that with the support of family and the local community her business is able to stay afloat. Although, she is deeply saddened to have seen some of her favorite local restaurants go.

After previously spending nine years working at Café Poca Cosa, Rice said she was heartbroken to hear of its permanent closure. She described the experience of working there as wild and exciting as the servers would come out with chalkboards to inform you of the daily specials because the menu changed each day.

“Tucson really lost a gem with their closure,” Rice said.

Kylie Myers, owner of 4th Avenue Delicatessen, also empathizes for the loss of fellow Fourth Avenue small businesses.

“It’s sad to see any local business go and it’s a small town where everyone knows each other and everyone supports each other, so any time any one is suffering, we all kind of feel it,” Myers said.

As a new business owner, Myers expressed how it’s especially difficult to see the closure of locations so close to her.

“It’s very sad and it’s hard to watch it happen, especially as an owner. I’m a new owner so it can definitely be scary, especially in the beginning there’s a lot of anxiety and worry about what the future is gonna hold. I’m definitely sad to see them go,” Myers said.

Myers said she is hopeful that the next few months will continue to progress as the incorporation of online delivery apps such as Postmates, Uber Eats and Doordash have helped guide their business in a positive direction.

Along with this, she said she is confident that with the support of the Tucson community, friends, family, college students and high school kids the avenue will keep busy.

Douglas Shields, a server at the Drunken Chicken, is also optimistic that sales will continue to progress for small businesses.

Shields shared that a few months prior they were struggling financially, although, within the past month and a half, sales have been breaking records. Despite the recent momentum in profits, Shield said he is disheartened that other local businesses could not make it through those rocky few months.

“It is awful. I feel like there should have been more done to help out the smaller businesses. A lot of my favorite places had shut down. I really enjoyed the staff and the environment at these places too,” Shields said.

Tallboys and Epic Café were some of Shields favorite dining establishments along the avenue and he’s going to miss the many dishes they offered.

“Epic Café had great coffee and Tallboys had good potato tacos and a beans and rice bowl,” Shields said.

The loss of these beloved eateries took a toll on many members of the Tucson community, but with an increase in vaccinations, local restaurant owners are looking forward to safely progressing their services back to previously seen rates.

“I’d like to say thank you to Tucson and everyone that comes out to support us during the pandemic, and to everyone else best of luck, keep doing what you do and keep your heads up,” Myers said.

CAITLIN CLAYPOOL | THE DAILY WILDCAT

CAFE MAGGIE WAS ORIGINALLY called Epic Cafe, but was reopened as Cafe Maggie in September 2020. The cafe offers breakfast, coffee and lunch.

New restaurants and cafes in Tucson

BY NOAH CULLEN @noahcullen8

Here are some restaurants and cafes that took on the challenge of opening their doors during the pandemic.

Locale Neighborhood Italian: The Italian restaurant had its grand opening in late December of last year.

Located on Broadway boulevard and Alvernon way, the restaurant has a huge patio out front to enjoy anything from cappuccinos to pasta to tiramisu.

Café Maggie: The new cafe opened on Fourth Avenue in September 2020. It was previously Epic Café and has now reopened as Café Maggie.

The café offers breakfast and lunch options in addition to coffee. According to the website, It was renamed after the longest current tenant, a Dieffenbachia plant named Maggie.

Transit Tea: Although not a restaurant or necessarily a café, Transit Tea, the sister company of Maya Tea, opened in February 2021 along Speedway Boulevard. Before, the company was operated through a tea truck. The place offers any kind of iced tea along with tea sodas or tea snow cones.

La Chingada Cocina Mexicana: The Mexican restaurant opened in December of 2020. It is located in Downtown Tucson and offers traditional Mexican food like different kinds of street tacos including, camaron capeado, birria de res, avocado chickpea and chicken tinga.

Flora’s Market run (restaurant and café opening): Flora’s Market Run is the latest addition from Ares Collective, the company that owns

Prep and Pastry. Located on Sixth Street, Flora’s is a restaurant, café and a market. The market side opened in April 2021 with the café and restaurant coming later this year.

Barrio Charro: Barrio Charro opened in January of this year as a fast-casual combination of Barrio Bread and El Charro Café. Each owned by Don Guerra and Carlotta Flores respectively.

The restaurant specializes in Mexican-styled sandwiches called Tortamanos.

Tuk Tuk Thai: Opened in September of last year this new Thai restaurant is located at 2990 N. Campbell Ave. According to This is Tucson, the restaurant is owned by Bud Sayso who is from Laos and Thailand. His wife, Noy, does the cooking for the restaurant.

Lemongrass: Opened in Tucson in October last year.

The restaurant was started by Tank Ojha, a geologist. His study of geology took him to the Himalayas. After getting sick from local food, Ojha used his knowledge of geology and chemistry to develop healthy curries.

These curries are on display at Lemongrass located on Fourth Avenue.

Opa’s Grill: The Greek restaurant opened in November of last year on Fourth Avenue.

Opa’s Grill is owned by Qais Papoutsis who cooks the food alongside his brother, Nawid Esar.

Kiwami Ramen: The new Japanese ramen restaurant opened in November 2020 and is located on Speedway Boulevard. Chef Tani has operated successful ramen restaurants in Japan, New York and Houston and can add Tucson to the list.

38 • The Daily Wildcat

Commencement & Year-In-Review ● May 2021

2020-21 YEAR IN REVIEW | NEWS

SAM BURDETTE | THE DAILY WILDCAT

TASK FORCE DIRECTOR DR. RICHARD CARMONA and University of Arizona President Dr. Robert C. Robbins at the first reentry press conference on Wednesday, May 20, 2020.

MEGAN EWING | THE DAILY WILDCAT

A PROUD BIDEN/HARRIS voter poses with a yard sign that he received at the campaign event on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020.

From elections, to employee salary updates, to COVID-19, we covered it all at the University of Arizona

BY JILLIAN BARTSCH @_thisisjillian_

It has been a crazy year with many events, changes and experiences in Zoom university. However, the news reporters at the Daily Wildcat have worked hard to keep you up to date with everything going on statewide, locally and at the University of Arizona. Let’s take a trip down memory lane.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg On Sept. 18, 2020, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away.

The Wildcat took a look back at her 2006 visit to the UA in order to honor her. During her visit, she “advocated the importance of respect and tolerance in the face of disagreement.” She also talked about the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who was honored at the UA by the James E. Rogers College of Law’s unveiling of the William H. Rehnquist Center.

Ginsburg also may be getting a commemorative bench in the Women’s Plaza of Honor on campus. The effort is being spearheaded by the UA’s Women’s Studies Advocacy Council.

COVID-19 and the University of Arizona The first COVID-19 vaccine shot was given in December 2020, which led to vaccines becoming available in Phase 1 soon after. In February 2021, the UA became a high-capacity state vaccination site. This gave the UA more resources to run a close to 24/7 vaccination site and to be able to vaccinate

state residents beyond Pima County, increasing vaccination capacity to 6,000 vaccinations per day.

A few months before the vaccine came out, back in October 2020, it was announced that spring break would be canceled. Spring break was replaced with reading days spread out through the semester. Some students were not able to participate in reading days due to laboratory classes that still met on readings days.

Many people expressed concern about the lack of faculty, staff and student involvement in the decision, including the Coalition for Academic Justice at the UArizona.

Employee Salaries Next, we look at the 2019-20 UA employee salaries, which showed that former men’s basketball head coach Sean Miller was the highest-paid employee with a salary of $2.4 million.

The other higher-paid employees included Peter Nakaji with about $1.6 million, former football coach Kevin Sumlin with $1 million and President Dr. Robert C. Robbins with $898,625.

Of the 100 highest-paid employees, seven of them were a part of the Arizona Athletics Department and 88 of them were members of the Health Sciences Department.

Elections The 2020 presidential race was too early to call the night of the election, but President Joe Biden was announced the winner of the 2020 election on Nov. 7. Multiple states had yet to be called the night of Nov. 3 due to the amount of mail-in ballots, which led to the election taking longer than expected.

For local elections there were seven constable positions up for election this year, all running unopposed. Democrat Anna Tovar, Republican James O’Connor and Republican Lea Márquez Peterson were elected to serve as corporation commissioner. Democrat Suzanne Droubie was elected as the new county assessor, and Democrat Laura Conover* was elected as county attorney.

Democrat Gabriella Cázares-Kelly was elected as county recorder and Democrat Dustin Williams was elected as county superintendents of schools. Republican Beth Ford* was reelected county treasurer and Democrat Chris Nanos was elected as sheriff. All judges up for retention in the Arizona Superior Court were reelected as well as the candidates elected for justice of the peace.

Mark Kelly was also elected as a U.S. senator alongside Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. This was the first time since the 1950s that there were two Democratic U.S. Senators representing Arizona.

As well, Proposition 207 passed, which legalized marijuana for the state of Arizona. Proposition 208 passed, which increased funding for public education, and Proposition 481 passed, which increased the base factor of the expenditure limit. Lastly, Proposition 486 passed, which replaced the expenditure limit set by the state.

This year has been full of changes and adapting to life during a pandemic. The news reporters at the Daily Wildcat look forward to next year and continuing to provide you with the latest news.

DailyWildcat.com • 39

May 2021 ● Commencement & Year-In-Review

The Dean of Students Office congratulates the following graduating students who have worked alongside us this past year, helping us serve the University of Arizona community Arizona Student Media Bachelor Katie Beauford Tanner Boles Sam Burdette Brody Dryden Mickaela Elich Ian Green Priya Jandu Sydney Jones Jaclyn Kelly Toby Kochenderfer Selena Kuikahi Seth Litwin Gracie Munson Jessica Murray Vanessa Ontiveros Grace Penry Alexandra Pere Sara Richards Max Smith Nate Smith Amit Syal Priya Venkadesh Jordan White Haley Williams Erik Wong Military Science Bachelor Clayton Teague

Associated Students of the University of Arizona Masters Alexandria Brown Aileen Cerrillos Bachelor Alesha Adolph Cat Maroney Rebecca Auslander Ramsey Martz Alison Berlowe Remy Matulewic Madison Bigham Sarah McCoy Jorey Cohen Garrett Miller Zoe Colwell Mackenzie Moore Riley Conklin Danielle Niichel Jasmine Contapay Mark Oakeson Benjamin Deitch Vanessa Ojeda-Gomez Molly Donahue Colleen Osborne Phoenix Eskridge-Aldama Elle Parsons Kylie Glinski Isabelle Perea Anisa Hermosillo Matthew Phillips Marisol Ibarra Lucas Quilter Jaden Iniguez Sydney Ramirez Makenzie Jackson Bailey Kyle Ringer Nicki Junkes Cameron Rua-Smith Lauren Katcher Kaylah Scharf Haley Kenner Lisa Sene Skyler Madison Kopit Tara Singleton Casey Kreplick Natasha Stuart Brenden Lipp Alexa Tuttle Morgan Marks Janice Vuong

Thank You!

Dean of Students Office Doctoral Stephanie Celaya Serventi Bethany Lutovsky Bachelor Carlos Moreno Brianna Holt Sirena Rendon-Gamboa Disability Resource Center Bachelor Chauncey Delos Santos Henry Florance Brantly Riedl Michelle Ruiz Arina Vasyakina Zev Wagenberg Fraternity & Sorority Programs Masters Anette Real Arrayga Veterans Education & Transition Services Bachelor Lesilee Dempsey Jaye Ferrone Courtney Halsey Fernando Lencinas Adrianna Lozoya Yesenia Meixueiro Duncan Rover

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