Two Arizona State University professors are now among a prestigious class of poets that have been selected by the Academy of American Poets for fellowships made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Navajo Nation Poet Laureate Laura Tohe, a professor emeritus with distinction in ASU’s Department of English and Rosemarie Dombrowski, inaugural poet laureate of Phoenix and instructor of women’s literature and medical humanities in ASU’s College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, are among the academy’s 2020 Poets Laureate Fellows. Download Full Image

Tohe and Dombrowski are among 23 individuals serving as poets laureate of states, cities, counties and the Navajo Nation who will be leading civic poetry programs in their respective communities in the coming year. Each fellow will receive $50,000 for a combined total of $1.1 million. The academy will also provide $66,500 to 12 local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that have agreed to support the fellows’ proposed projects.

Tohe’s project will further her work with students in the Navajo Nation through poetry-writing workshops and programs that focus on the Navajo language, which is listed as vulnerable by UNESCO.

“Writing poetry in Navajo supports revitalizing our language and recitation of our oral tradition,” Tohe said. “For this purpose, I will select a school with a Navajo language immersion program for the workshop.”

Laura Tohe. Photo by J Morgan Edwards

Tohe had planned to work in person with students on the Navajo Nation homeland but due to the coronavirus outbreak that has hit members of the Navajo Nation particularly hard, she will conduct her workshops through the online video conference platform Zoom with the support of school administration.

For her project, Dombrowski will present the interactive Phoenix Poetry Walk that will take place across multiple venues on Phoenix’s historic Grand Avenue. It will feature 50 unique readings by poetry-focused organizations across a six-hour period. Dombrowski hopes the walk will inject poetry into the community not only by exposing Phoenix residents to all forms of spoken word, but by engaging them in the poetic process via interactive elements like a magnetic poetry wall, poets writing poetry on demand for the public, the live installation of a poetic mural, and an after-hours open-mic.

Rosemarie Dombrowski Photo credit: Enrique Garcia

Read the full list of 2020 Poets Laureate Fellows.

The Academy of American Poets, through its Poets Laureate Fellowship program, has become the largest financial supporter of poets in the nation. The Mellon Foundation awarded the academy $4.5 million in January of this year to fund the fellowship program through 2022. This year, in response to the global health crisis, the academy launched the #ShelterInPoems initiative, inviting members of the public to select poems of comfort and courage from its online collection to share with others on social media. The academy is also one of seven national organizations that comprise Artist Relief, a multidisciplinary coalition of arts grantmakers and a consortium of foundations collaborating to provide funding to individual poets, writers and artists who are impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 Next Generation Leader Cohort has completed its nine-month intensive leadership training program through the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University.

Speaking at their virtual graduation, an institute first, Board Chair Cindy McCain recognized the cohort’s perseverance in “a moment when you can almost feel history swinging on its hinge.” The McCain Institute's Next Generation Leader 2020 cohort with Board Chair Cindy McCain and Executive Director Mark Green. Download Full Image

Executive Director Ambassador Mark Green emphasized that one critical aspect of their character-driven leadership is being “always ready to say ‘no’ — if ‘yes’ would mean surrendering core values and principles.”

Read Ambassador Mark Green’s full remarks | Read Cindy McCain’s full remarks 

This year’s cohort had an extra challenge thrown at them when the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe during the last months of the Next Generation Leader’s individual placements. What may have seemed like an ambitious simulated test on leadership in another time, this real-world global crisis gave the Next Generation Leaders of the 2020 cohort the chance to put their newly acquired character-driven leadership skills into action in their communities.

Next Generation Leader Esther Akafia, an attorney from Ghana, is the founder and executive director of the Pioneers International Academy, an institute focused on providing quality and affordable elementary education in areas of need. Her Leadership Action Plan focuses on creating access to quality and affordable early childhood, primary and secondary education across Africa and through this develop leaders for the opportunities and challenges of their communities and the world.

“Character-driven leadership is being able to do what’s right consistently,” Akafia said. “Problems are there to be solved. The lack of access to education (in Ghana) is a problem. Education is a human right, and that is how we have start seeing it.”

Throughout her Next Generation Leader training and placement at BASIS Charter Schools in Phoenix, Akafia was able to continue to lead Pioneers International Academy from afar — a nod to her strong leadership skills and the stellar team she has put in place in Ghana. When the coronavirus started to spread through China, Akafia foresaw the challenge it might place on education systems worldwide, and she knew she had to get ahead of it.

As the virus crept into North America and Africa, and schools started to close, Akafia and her team at Pioneers International Academy had to be more innovative in delivering learning content in a digital format — in a place that doesn’t normally have access technology in educational settings. These experiences have given her a head start at the chance to apply the lessons of character-driven leadership she has learned during the Next Generation Leader program year.

Akafia also took it upon herself to purchase a Zoom account and start free writing classes for grades 1–8. Students from all over the world signed up.

“Kids in Ghana are meeting kids in Canada, in Norway. They are realizing we are all similar,” Akafia said. “They are noticing each other strengths and learning from each other. We think COVID-19 is a calamity, but out of it, we are building networks. The world is being brought together.”

Next Generation Leader Jerlie Requerme, a judge from the Philippines, will be using the leadership lessons she took away from her experience to secure justice through technology by the digitization of records in order to preserve the integrity of court records and the entire judicial system as a whole.

Her biggest leadership takeaway from the interactions she had throughout the program was during the cohort’s meeting with Arizona State University President Michael Crow.

Crow stated that everyone has, on average, 22,000 days in their lives and posed the question, “What are you going to with those days?”

“What he said about the 22,000 days — it’s not a lot; it’s all we got — it drives home the sense of urgency,” Requerme said. “We know there is so much to be done with so limited amount of time. The things that we learned here — about values, about character, about leadership — we will be able to use that to implement the reforms that are much needed in our respective communities. We have to make each day count.”

Requerme faced setbacks during the Next Generation Leader program year in gaining support back in the Philippines for her leadership action plan. However, with her leadership, her sense of urgency and with COVID-19 demonstrating the importance of technology in many areas, including the justice sector, Requerme returns home postgraduation with a great opportunity for her plan to make a big difference, given the current environment in the Philippines.

“We need to put up the IT infrastructure so that we can run our court system efficiently and digitize court records, so they are not subject to natural calamities — ones that the Philippines is known for,” Requerme said. “The urgency was seen pre-COVID, and it is seen more now because of COVID. We need to have the foresight and prepare.”

After finishing their placements in organizations relevant to their goals, this year’s Next Generation Leaders now head back to their home environments to implement their leadership action plans — putting the values-driven leadership skills honed during their time with the McCain Institute into practice to bring about positive change.

“Each cohort is special, as is how they form a leader network that now spans 60 countries,” said Ambassador Michael Polt, senior director of leadership programs. “But this one is uniquely prepared to lead through adversity, and I expect uniquely impactful results,” he added.

It’s well believed that one of the best ways to learn a new language is to be immersed in a country alongside native speakers. This idea is the cornerstone of Arizona State University’s Critical Language Institute programs. But in a time of travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders, rather than sending students abroad, the institute has found creative solutions to virtually connect students with native speakers around the world.

This summer, all 12 language programs offered by the Critical Languages Institute are shifting to an online format, with many native-speaking instructors providing synchronous instruction based around U.S. time zones from their home institutions. For the first time, all 12 language programs offered by Arizona State University's Critical Languages Institute are shifting to an online format this summer, with many native-speaking instructors providing synchronous instruction based around U.S. time zones from their home institutions. Download Full Image

These languages, that are often less commonly taught, include Albanian, Armenian, Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian, Hebrew, Indonesian, Macedonian, Persian, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian and Uzbek.

"At this year's Critical Language Institute orientation, I told our incoming students that they are both the 30th cohort and our very first online cohort,” said Irina Levin, director of the Critical Languages Institute. “It is the combination of well-loved traditions — the long-standing relationships we build with our students and faculty and our commitment to flexible adaptation and innovation — that makes the Critical Language Institute so special." 

Some ways the Critical Language Institute has adapted its programs include virtual homestay visits, where students will join a family for their evening meal and virtual conversation partners, with whom students will practice the language and get to know the country from a local’s perspective. In addition, online cooking, crafting and martial arts or dance classes have been added to the curriculum. Faculty will also lead guided virtual excursions to local museums and significant historical sites. 

“This may not be the same as the on-the-ground experience our study abroad programs have always provided, but students will be digitally immersed in the cultures and amply prepared, both in terms of their language abilities and their knowledge of culture, to study, live or even work in these places in the future,” Levin said.

Nearly 200 students in Arizona and around the world will participate in Critical Languages Institute summer programs this year, including nine students who were working abroad as Peace Corps volunteers. With scholarship support from the Melikian Center: Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies Advisory Board, these nine students are able to take introductory Macedonian, Albanian and Ukrainian courses as they wait to resume or begin their service overseas.

For 18 years, Linda Mëniku has taught the Albanian language at ASU’s Tempe campus as well as abroad in Albania. This year, she will teach fully online from her home in Albania, where there is a nine-hour time difference from Arizona. She said she feels this new online experience will create more flexibility for students by bringing the language to them.

“I believe that language acquisition in the classroom is best fostered if the atmosphere is nurturing yet challenging and motivating. This summer I will keep the same class format for the online format, but will try to make changes along the way, based on students' needs and suggestions,” Mëniku said. “I believe that the online Albanian course will bring the Albanian language and culture to the students’ homes and offer them more flexibility.”

Gohar Harutyunyan has taught the Armenian language at ASU in Tempe and abroad since 2007. As she teaches online from Armenia this summer, she said she will embrace the challenge and looks forward to the opportunity to teach the language and culture in a new way.

“Communities around the world have been adjusting to the difficult realities with the coronavirus,” Harutyunyan said. “I stay optimistic about online learning and will do my best to guide my students along a beautiful journey through the language and culture of the Armenian people. Though it might be challenging, at the same time, it will be interesting and add greatly to our skills. It will help us to acknowledge the fact that nothing in the world can prevent both educators and students from enjoying the teaching-learning dynamic process.”

The National Center on Disability and Journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University has launched a campaign to encourage news coverage of people with disabilities in the run-up to the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The campaign consists of 30 story suggestions for journalists to consider that call attention to the changes brought about by passage of the ADA and the challenges that remain. The story ideas range from how disability communities are affected by COVID-19 to how changes in technology have transformed the lives of many living with disabilities. The campaign encourages news coverage of people with disabilities in the run-up to the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Download Full Image

A story suggestion is being released on Twitter (#NCDJ30for30) and Facebook (@ASUNCDJ) every other day through July 26, the anniversary of the ADA. They also will be archived on the NCDJ website.

“We’re hoping this campaign sparks more coverage of people with disabilities and disability issues,” said NCDJ Executive Director Kristin Gilger, senior associate dean at the Cronkite School. “People with disabilities make up nearly 20% of the U.S. population, yet their stories are often overlooked. The 30th anniversary of the ADA is the perfect time to rebalance that equation.”

The ideas were drawn from studies and published articles as well as suggestions from members of the NCDJ advisory board, which consists of journalists, scholars and members of the disability community. Cronkite graduate student Molly Duerig compiled the information and created the campaign.

The landmark civil rights legislation prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government programs and services. It defines a disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities.”

President George H.W. Bush signed the ADA into law on July 26, 1990. It was amended and updated in 2008.

The NCDJ has been part of the Cronkite School since 2008. The organization provides support and guidance for journalists as they cover disabilities through the publication of a popular disability language style guide, lists of resources and experts and training materials. It also manages a journalism contest that recognizes the best disability reporting in the country each year.

ASU Kerr will present “Gather,” a live online storytelling event, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 27, via the venue’s Facebook page at facebook.com/asukerr/live.

The second installation of this monthly digital event series will feature an all-female cohort of storytellers: Angelica Lindsey-Ali, Kimberly Allen and Abigail B. Fouts. The theme for this month’s “Gather” is “The Spirit of Togetherness.” Angelica Lindsey-Ali — Muslim women's sex, love and wellness expert, podcast host and touring performer with The Moth Mainstage — will share a story on May 27 as part of ASU Kerr's "Gather" storytelling event.

Lindsey-Ali is the host of Phoenix’s “The Moth StorySLAM” and travels as a “Moth Mainstage” performer. Known as “The Village Auntie,” she “utilizes her extensive cultural, clinical and religious training to educate women about intimacy and sex through an Islamic lens,” she said.

She has over 20 years of experience in women’s wellness and has a following of women from 83 countries who seek her heart-centered, practical advice on intimacy, love and relationships. She hosts the award-winning international podcast “Lights On” produced by Amaliah, a U.K.-based Muslim women’s media outlet.

Allen says she is an experienced and enthusiastic leader who has served in various roles focused on leadership development and education. Allen is associate director of programs for Year Up Arizona and owner of Cultural Perspectives, an educational consulting company with an emphasis in coaching at all levels and leadership development.

Fouts moved to Arizona with her husband and two dogs in May 2018, she said. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from BYU-Hawaii and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Utah, and she is director of compliance for the Jewish Family and Children’s Service. She writes poetry and short-form fiction and has performed in bands and concert choirs. Fouts says she uses storytelling as a way to explore her "childhood as an adopted black Mormon in an increasingly white space.”

“We are gathering to celebrate and support storytellers and their stories, while helping audiences, artists and the venue stay connected to one another.”

— Tracey Mason, ASU Kerr general manager

The “Gather” series was created by staffers at ASU Kerr and ASU Gammage who are active in the storytelling and poetry communities.

“They were inspired by the astounding talent of Phoenix metro area storytellers,” said ASU Kerr General Manager Tracey Mason. “We are gathering to celebrate and support storytellers and their stories, while helping audiences, artists and the venue stay connected to one another.”

The series is part of several ongoing livestreamed events that ASU Kerr is broadcasting via Facebook Live. Event information can be viewed at asukerr.com or facebook.com/asukerr.

There were a few firsts in this year's Rutgers TEN Plus Supply Chain Innovation Challenge. First off, a team of four new graduates from Arizona State University's Master of Science in global logistics program is one of the top two winners who will share a $5,000 cash prize.

Another first is that the members of the team all hail from Ghana through the Mastercard Foundation Scholars program, including Samuel Gyan, Lois Andoh, Samuel Togodui and Asie Wadee. From left are graduating students from ASU's Master of Science in Global Logistics program Samuel Atta Gyan, Asie Wadee, Samuel Togodui and Lois Andoh. Download Full Image

The competition is an extension of the Rutgers TEN Plus Supply Chain Case Challenge, which was held annually from 2015 through 2018 and hosted by the Rutgers Business School supply chain management department.

This new competition featured two parallel tracks, one for undergraduate teams and one for graduate teams, including a virtual preliminary round — and it should have had a final round onsite in Newark, New Jersey, in April.

The last new twist was the final onsite round was canceled because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, the Rutgers leadership team decided to award participants based on their performance in the virtual first round of presentations.

In the virtual first round, teams presented ideas for electronic device manufacturer BetaWare, who sponsored the event, to innovate and add value to their customers.

“Being at the top in this case competition is another confirmation of the successes that I can attain in the supply chain field," Andoh said. "This is just a tip of the iceberg and I can’t wait to embrace what is out there.”

The W. P. Carey School of Business foursome believes their specialized master's program equipped them with tools and skills to address the issues in the case. Through courses such as Decision Modeling and Operations Management, they were able to develop strategies to target the core requirement for the case. For instance, they used the cash conversion cycle, a financial metric learned in their Supply Chain Cost Decision Issues course, to measure the firm’s financial stability. Plus, access to library resources such as Mergent Online enabled them to analyze the viability of their proposal against other companies.

“This case competition was broad and wide open to innovative solutions,” said Patricia Swafford, clinical associate professor of supply chain management, who is also the faculty director and worked with the students. “Winning is a testament to both the forward-thinking ability of the team and ASU’s commitment to promoting ‘out of the box’ thinking and innovation.”

All team virtual preliminary round presentations were blind judged by a panel of top-level executives from Estée Lauder, Panasonic, UPS and Pfizer. 

“Congratulations to the team for presenting an innovative solution and sharing in the winning of this competition,” Swafford said. “And thanks to Rutgers for sponsoring this event and rewarding the best teams despite the final round cancellation due to COVID-19.” 

Editor's note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2020 graduates.

Spring 2020 ASU graduate Alexander Sojourney discovered his passion for politics at ASU, and he hopes to continue that passion in the nation’s capital. Alexander Sojourney Download Full Image

Sojourney, who is completing his degree in political science this month, was involved with many student organizations throughout his time at ASU. He participated in Undergraduate Student Government, the Speech and Debate club, Devils on the Run and the Black Student Union at the West campus. 

As a junior, Sojourney was the student body president at the West campus, and as a senior he was the president of the Black African Coalition. Sojourney, who is from Glendale, Arizona, was also the recipient of the Presidential and New American University scholarships.

As a first-year student, Sojourney joined ASU’s Speech and Debate club, where he discovered his passion for politics.

“It occured to me midway through the semester that I think where my passion lies is being involved with politics at the local level, at the national level and specifically for me at the campus level,” Sojourney said.

Looking toward the future, Sojourney hopes to attend Georgetown University's democracy and governance master’s degree program. The program in Washington, D.C., focuses on exposure to professional experience, reputation, languages and education in public service.

As Sojourney prepared to graduate, he reflected on his time at ASU and some of the lessons he learned along the way.

Question: What was your “aha” moment, when you realized you wanted to study the field you majored in?

A: Originally I had a major in the Thunderbird School of Global Management, but I met a friend my freshman year who wanted to make a debate club. I was in high school speech and debate. …  I think that's what made me change my major, and that was the “aha” moment for me to join student government, for me to be a campus liaison and actually make sure that if there are any changes students want, I would be able to institute those changes so students have a better time being a Sun Devil.

Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you or changed your perspective?

A: For me, something that surprised me about ASU was giving me the opportunity of traveling out of the country. For USG we were able to go to Hong Kong for an international trip for the PLuS Alliance, and it really solidified the fact to me personally that ASU is a global-reaching university.

We have so many locations and campuses that are out of the United States, and we have collaborations with other universities. When ASU talks about how it's a global university you really don’t have a perspective of it until you actually speak with students from Kings College, London, or from the University of New South Wales in Australia, and you actually talk about the history and the backstory and the context behind how ASU has all these massive partnerships. It really makes me happy to be a Sun Devil.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: The selling point for me was Barrett, The Honors College. It was rated the No. 1 honors college by the New York Times, and I think that was a main selling point. 

Out of high school I really wanted to continue being academically challenged, and for me looking at the competition ASU was the best value. It was the best education and job-prospect-wise after graduation; it just seemed like it was the better choice.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: As of right now I am working for the Arizona Supreme Court. I am going to finish up my internship with them in late May, and then I am going to be applying to some fellowships for grad school. I’m looking at the Rangel Fellowship and Pickering Foreign Affairs Program. My plan, if I hopefully get accepted, is to attend Georgetown's democracy and governance master’s program.

Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?

A: I had the opportunity to meet internship coordinator Gisela Grant during my junior year at ASU while being selected to be an ASU Capital Scholar. My first interaction with Professor Grant, I was struck by her level of professionalism, her commitment to excellence and her no-nonsense personality. I admired the amount of self-sacrifice she would put in helping every student succeed. Professor Grant has helped me during my time at ASU by expecting more of me, which made me expect more of me.

Written by Madeleine Williamson, Sun Devil Storyteller