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

Tempe Undergraduate Student Government President Hanna Salem’s biggest takeaway from Arizona State University was learning to think holistically about inclusion in her path to leadership.  ASU grad and Tempe Undergraduate Student Government President Hanna Salem. Download Full Image

One of the first things she got involved with at ASU was the Tempe Undergraduate Student Government. Salem started her college career as an intern for USG and ended up as the student body president of the Tempe campus. She's currently finishing up her term.

“I’m very proud of winning my campaign to be student body president, but within that I’m really proud that me and my team have been able to accomplish all of our campaign promises,” she said.

Salem was especially proud of her team's work on providing free menstrual hygiene products in ASU restrooms and increasing financial aid to students.

Her involvement in USG is one of the factors that led to her choosing her major, public service and public policy with a concentration in law and policy and a minor in women’s and gender studies. 

After changing her major several times, Salem realized her passion for political science and policy from the work and from the people she surrounded herself with.

“It's made me realize that I'm going into the right career path, and I’m still passionate. This really secured that public policy and public service is something I want to do in the future,” she said.

During Salem's ASU career, she earned the Spirit of Service Scholarship and Dean’s Scholarship. Overall, Salem said her experience at ASU was invaluable.

“Even though I didn’t expect to come to ASU, I had the best time here and I am so appreciative to every single person who has made my experience what it has, so thank you to ASU,” Salem said.

As she prepared to graduate, Salem reflected on her time at ASU and her advice for students.

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

Answer: I had changed my major like three or four times before becoming a public policy major. I just wasn't really happy with the prior majors I had chosen, and I knew that there was a thing in me that wanted to help people. I just didn't really know how I wanted to do that. 

I think the “aha” moment for me was when I was just surrounding myself with a lot of public service and public policy people and I realized that these were the conversations I wanted to have too.

I am incredibly happy with the decision [to change majors] and a lot more passionate about my academic work than I was at the beginning of my ASU career.

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

A: I think my biggest takeaway from ASU has been how to live my life with the charter in mind. It's changed my way of thinking and how I think about actions and avenues within my life. 

I’ve never really been in a place where diversity is so celebrated. So now that I have that foundation, I feel like my actions and the way I make decisions is totally altered thanks to the ASU charter. I just have a better way of approaching problems now that I am looking at things more holistically than I was before.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

A: Something that I challenged myself with at the beginning of my fourth year was to say yes to everything. I really made it a point to go to events that I would never really typically go to. That’s helped me a lot in terms of making friendships and new relationships but has also made me appreciate ASU in a completely new way. My biggest advice is to just start early and take advantage of all the opportunities and events.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: I really liked the location; I really liked that it felt like a mini city within a bigger city. I really don’t know what came over me, but I was like, "I think that this is where I need to be." It was a very last-minute decision, but it was a great decision nonetheless.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: Definitely education. I think education is the root of all of our problems, but I also think it’s the solution to all of our problems. So if we invest more time and money into youth essentially we are going to have a better and stronger society, economy and world in general.

Written by Madeleine Williamson, Sun Devil Storyteller

Nancy Godoy, associate archivist of the ASU Library's Chicano/a Research Collection and leader of the Community-Driven Archives Initiative, has been named a 2020 “Mover and Shaker” by the Library Journal for her pioneering work that reimagines the role of archives as safe, inclusive spaces for Arizona’s minority communities to reclaim authorship over their own history.

“Arizona’s archives are dominated by white narratives that romanticize a ‘Wild West’ history,” said Godoy, who was awarded grant funding in 2017 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to develop and execute a series of strategies to make Arizona’s historical records more accurate and inclusive — part of a response to an Arizona Archives Matrix report that estimated Latino, African American, Asian American and LGBTQ communities make up more than 42% of Arizona’s current population but are only represented in 0%-2% of known archival collections. ASU Library's Nancy Godoy has been named a 2020 “Mover and Shaker” by the Library Journal for her pioneering work redefining the role of archives as a powerful advocacy tool for communities that have been historically marginalized, misrepresented or erased. Download Full Image

In its final year, the grant project has steadily grown, garnering further support from the Arizona State University Library and taking on new life with the recent launch of the ASU Library Community-Driven Archives Initiative.

“Our team has moved beyond just focusing on collection development to ensuring that people from underdocumented communities are truly able to engage at all levels of the archival process,” Godoy said. “Unlike traditional archives, who only measure success by how many collections they acquire, we are measuring our success by how many people attend our events, how many people feel empowered, and how many relationships we build.”

Working with a variety of community partners, including the Palabras Bilingual Bookstore, the Community-Driven Archives team, led by Godoy and Alana Varner, project archivist, regularly hosts and co-hosts educational workshops for the public on how to preserve one’s history.

Workshops include “Scanning and Oral History Days,” an event that offers free photo scanning and use of audio recording stations, and “Community History and Archives Workshop,” where participants train to be a community archivist in the span of two hours — learning the ins and outs of archival theory and how to arrange and organize materials by subject, date or size.

Workshop attendees receive an archive starter kit containing supplies and a brochure on preservation in both English and Spanish.

“The distinction between ‘community-based’ and ‘community-driven’ archives is important because the latter puts the power in the community to make the choices they need to make in order to document their history,” Godoy said. “In academia, we often tell people what we think but they have knowledge and lived experiences that make them experts too. It shouldn’t just be us taking care of history. We’ve done that in the past and we’ve excluded people.”

Nancy Godoy (far left) stands with the ASU Library's Community-Driven Archives team: (back row, from left to right) Heather Boardwell, student archivist; Alana Varner, project archivist; Myra Khan, student archivist; (front row seated, from left to right) Preetpal Gill, student archivist; Jessica Salow, project archivist; and Denise Mosso Ruiz, student archivist.

The Library Journal defines a “Mover and Shaker” as someone who is transforming the work of libraries and the communities that use them. Godoy is among 46 individuals named to this year’s cohort.

“Nancy Godoy, through her leadership, creativity, compassion and drive, is redefining what it means to be an archivist today,” said Lorrie McAllister, associate university librarian for collections and strategy at the ASU Library. “She challenges all of us to raise the bar for library engagement and to take relationship-building between communities and academic institutions to new levels.” 

Godoy also has a forthcoming article on archival healing and justice (often leading to an emotional response her team lovingly refers to as the “archives glow”) to be included in the Journal of Critical Library and Information Studies' special issue on radical empathy in archival practice. 

“One of my favorite things about this work is that community members are learning how to create a story that speaks to their reality,” Godoy said. “They are redefining what an archive is, what should be included, and who should have access to community archives and history.”

For many, attending a university is a chance to explore topics and passions and improve future career prospects. But for some students, the chance at a university experience and the opportunities that follow can seem out of reach. This can be especially true for children of migrant and farm-working families.

Students who come from these backgrounds often face financial and logistical hurdles that can make earning a degree difficult. That’s where Arizona State University's College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) comes in. Photo courtesy of Seline Quiroga Download Full Image

The CAMP Scholars Project, which is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Migrant Education, seeks to provide social and financial support systems to students who might not otherwise be able to attend a four-year university like ASU.

“Academics is just half the battle,” said Seline Quiroga, program director in the School of Transborder Studies. “We also need to work to create a sense of belonging  — that they belong at ASU, that they're a valued part of the community. It’s important for them to have the skills to very quickly be able to negotiate ASU, the largest public university, and its many layers.”

Victoria Barbosa, a double-major studying psychology and family and human development in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said that she considered the CAMP Project her “home away from home” because of the support she received through it.

“Joining the CAMP Project in my second semester really helped (with adjusting to ASU),” she said. “I could speak comfortably with professional staff in Spanish, voice my concerns to someone that I could relate to and receive the emotional support I needed.”

Seeking a solution

The CAMP Project was founded four years ago, after Quiroga learned that Arizona has the eighth largest population of migrant students in the nation. She said she wondered, "Why doesn't ASU have any programs for this population?"

“And so I went to my supervisor, Dr. Carlos Velez-Ibanez, and I said, ‘We need this.’ He graciously gave me some release time to work on the grant, which I did along with a grad student,” she said. “We went out and did informational interviews with other CAMP directors, to try to learn as much as possible, and wrote a kick (expletive) grant. We got funded the first time out.”

Quiroga said that when the CAMP Project first started, she and her staff worked hard to bring awareness to the project and to educate the community about what ASU and CAMP were. 

The project provides extensive institutional and financial help for students during their first year of college and continues to mentor them as they make their way through school. 

The CAMP Project facilitates an early start program to prepare first-year students for school, a mandatory study hall and regular advising appointments. After their first year, CAMP Project Scholars are considered to be alumni of the project.

“The way the grant is structured, we can provide housing awards or help people with books or buying technology, but we can not give that direct kind of support after their first year,” Quiroga said. “So we try to connect them to other resources at ASU.”

Though it’s funded to support 35 students per year, the CAMP Project’s first year of operation recruited a cohort of only 14 students. Now four years old, a total of 113 students have come through the project.

“And now we're at the point where we have a waiting list and people are coming to us,” Quiroga said.

Student impact

Like Barbosa, Juan Laguna, a senior graduating with degrees in political science and history this spring, was a member of the first CAMP Project cohort. 

Graduating Arizona State University seniors Annmarie Barton and Alison Lane worked together on their Barrett, The Honors College creative project to write and publish "The Scientist in Me," a children’s “scientific notebook” that explores the lives and specialties of five scientists from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

Their book recounts the struggles and successes of Mary Anning, James Pollack, Temple Grandin, Percy Lavon Julian and Ayah Bdeir, while at the same time asking critical-thinking questions and encouraging readers to explore on their own through experiments and further research. School of Molecular Sciences seniors Annmarie Barton and Alison Lane holding their newly published book, "The Scientist in Me." Download Full Image

“I thought it important to write a book that helps kids explore and understand science while also addressing social issues," Barton said. "The scientists we write about are people who have overcome challenges while making strides in their fields.”

“We believe that representation in science is important, and therefore chose people from underrepresented backgrounds relating to race, religion, sexuality, disability and gender," Lane said. "It was also important to us that the scientists’ fields of study appeal to kids. Although X-ray crystallography might be interesting to us, subjects related to space and dinosaurs are more likely to interest kids.” 

Lane and Barton, both students in the School of Molecular Sciences, decided to write about three women and two men, with at least two of the individuals currently living — and one scientist with a connection to ASU: Mary Temple Grandin. Grandin received her master’s degree in animal science from ASU in 1975. She is one of the first people to document firsthand insights about having autism. 

Temple Grandin, ASU alumnus and scientist. Artwork by Alison Lane

To gather background information, Lane interviewed Grandin. “I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to correspond with Temple over email and speak with her on the phone," she said. "I was extremely nervous to talk with her, but she turned out to be very funny, personable and straightforward!”

Barton and Lane wanted to publish a book that is relatable for many children.

“I remember when I was younger, feeling I didn’t relate to the scientists I read about," Barton said. "That was something I wanted to change.”

Consequently, the book recounts the backgrounds and struggles of the featured scientists. One of these scientists is Percy Lavon Julian, who is among the first African Americans to earn a doctorate in chemistry, and the first African American chemist in the National Academy of Sciences. Julian’s story impacted both Barton and Lane. 

“Percy Julian’s altruistic tendencies and ability to recognize potential in others are very inspiring to me,” Lane said.

Percy Julian, pioneering African American chemist. Artwork by Alison Lane 

Barton added, “His story was one of the hardest for me to write. He was a great chemist but rejected from many jobs because of the color of his skin. That really riled me up!”

Barton and Lane hope their book will help readers be empathetic toward those with different backgrounds, as well as learn something about themselves, whether that be a new interest or a recognition of their own potential abilities.

For Lane, working on this book challenged her abilities as an artist. The artwork throughout the book was made by Lane on her computer. She had never created digital art before and doing so was both a challenge and a rewarding experience. 

“Prior to this, the artwork I have done has been using physical media, such as chalk or paint on paper. Learning a new medium in such a short time for a significant project required patience and persistence,” Lane said, noting that these are important qualities in scientists, of any era.

In the 1800s, paleontologist Mary Anning patiently explored the cliffs along the English Channel, discovering Jurassic fossils that transformed how people thought about ancient life and the history of Earth. Her first major discovery, as Barton and Lane’s book recounts, the discovery of an Ichthyosaurus fossil, happened when Anning was only 12 years old.

“Kids can make discoveries too,” Barton said. She hopes to inspire them to explore the world around them, or even explore other worlds, like James Pollack, an American scientist who studied the atmospheres of Mars and Venus. His study of planetary atmospheres includes the formation of gas giant planets and climate change on Earth, and also relates to the extinction of the dinosaurs. 

“One of my favorite things about this book,” Barton said, “is that I wrote it with educational standards in mind. I wrote a general lesson plan that could be adapted to any part of the book, as well as a specific example. It helped that my mom is an elementary teacher.” 

Having her mom’s help and support has been an encouragement to Barton. “My mom always reminds me to be myself and love what I do,” she said.

That was important for this project, because not everyone supported Barton’s idea to write a book.

“There were some people who thought this project was silly and tried to discourage me from starting it,” Barton said. “So I really want to thank all those who told me not to listen to them. I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with many amazing people on this project, especially Alison, who took my dream for this book and made it into a beautiful reality through her artwork. I am proud of what we have made, and I dream that it can give people the hope they need to pursue doing what they love.”

“I hope that readers feel like they can be a scientist too," she said. "I want them to see themselves in the position of the scientist. I want them to ask questions, even if the answers are sometimes difficult. I want to see the joy that science brings me instilled in the next generation.”

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

This May, Anthony Celaya will continue a family tradition by donning an Arizona State University cap and gown. Anthony Celaya poses with ASU’s beloved mascot at Sparky Slam in 2017, a high school spoken word event, hosted by professor Wendy Williams at ASU Polytechnic campus. Download Full Image

OK, that might be a metaphor — since ASU ceremonies are virtual in spring 2020, Celaya will likely wear something Zoom-worthy — but the second-generation Sun Devil will earn his third ASU degree: this time, a doctorate.

Celaya, who formerly taught high school in his own hometown of Mesa, Arizona, is completing a PhD in English (English education). He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in education (2013) and a Master of Arts in English education (2015) from ASU.

It’s clear that this loyal ASU fan loves his profession as well as his alma mater. Celaya cares deeply about his students — past, present and future — and sees great potential in them as agents of positive change. “I believe in the power of young people to tackle the problems they see in their schools and communities,” he said.

If Celaya needed confirmation that he made the right career choice, he got it: In 2017, he was awarded the Early Career Educator of Color Leadership Award by the National Council of Teachers of English. Part of the award included mentorship and leadership training at a summer meeting. At that meeting was born the impetus for a new Arizona-based position and that fall, Celaya became the first diversity director for the Arizona English Teachers Association, where he worked on projects to increase support for rural teachers.

Back at ASU, Celaya worked alongside English education faculty to organize and plan ASU’s El Día de los Niños, El Día de los Libros event for three years. The annual literacy celebration welcomes 500 high school and middle school students to the Tempe campus to interact with young adult authors from all over the country. The 2020 event was unfortunately sidelined due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Celaya’s work lives on in the hundreds of young lives he helped impact.

We sat down with Celaya to find out a little more about his family legacy and about his plans beyond ASU.

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

Answer: I always knew that I wanted to work with future teachers. When I was a high school teacher, I wanted to mentor preservice teachers who were assigned to complete their internships or student teaching in my classroom. However, as I was working on my master’s at ASU, I realized that I could have an even greater impact on future teachers by conducting educational research and teaching English methods courses for preservice teachers. So, I decided to return to ASU for my PhD to work more extensively with undergraduate teachers.

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

A: During my first semester in the PhD program, I took a course on literacies with (Associate Professor of English) Peter Goggin, and he would always say, “It’s not what’s in your head, but what your head is inside of.” And that’s something that has always stuck with me. Whatever my ideas are about teaching, learning or research, those ideas are informed by what I’m consuming. If someone has differing ideas from mine, it’s not because one of us is necessarily wrong, our heads are just in different places. Over the years, I’ve tried to stick my head in new places with my students, colleagues and professors to engage in more critical discussions about why we do what we do.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: I’m a lifelong Sun Devil. My father graduated from ASU in 1977, and some of my fondest childhood memories include walking through campus along old train tracks to ASU football games. I always knew I was going to be a Sun Devil for my undergraduate degree. But what brought me back for my PhD was the support I had from the entire English education faculty to continue on in my graduate studies. Without their encouragement, I don’t know if I would have taken this step in my career.

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

A: It is impossible to single out one professor. I have to shout out both (Professor of English) James Blasingame and (Assistant Professor of English) Sybil Durand for teaching and modeling this lesson for me over the years. It can be easy to get caught up in the different titles and ranks that exist within higher education, but at the end of the day, the work we do as researchers and as teacher educators is all about people. And all people deserve to be treated with love and respect. It didn’t matter at what stage of my program I was in, they always made time to hear my ideas and mentor me along the way. I hope that my future students and mentees feel the same kind of caring support from me as I felt from them.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

A: I tell my undergraduate teachers all the time to embrace the discomfort that new or challenging ideas bring. My favorite learning experiences at ASU were times when I tried something difficult or unfamiliar. When I was an undergraduate, I designed a teaching unit using Ernest Hemingway’s play “The Fifth Column” and George Orwell’s memoir “Homage to Catalonia” to study the Spanish Civil War. I never taught that unit, but the experience of taking two lesser-known texts to design something new helped me to become a teacher who was willing to try new things. School should be a time to take risks, to try something new, and the discomfort and tension we feel will make us better at the end of it.

Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life?

A: I love Hayden Library. Studying late at night, working on group projects in a study room, rushing to get a study room — some my greatest friendships were forged in Club Hayden. As I was wrapping up writing my dissertation, I made a trip to campus just so I could spend a few hours writing in the newly remodeled library. I was hoping to finish my dissertation in Hayden, but of course, I needed more time.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: In the fall, I’ll be joining the English department at Southeast Missouri State University as an assistant professor of English education. I’m excited to be able to continue my work with undergraduate preservice teachers, teaching courses in young adult and children’s literature, composition instruction, and teaching with technology.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: With $40 million, I would set up a program that provided grant funding exclusively for students who seek to use their literacies for civic action. Students who wanted to start a campus food pantry, bring in a guest speaker, buy books, or host poetry slams could apply for funding to support their self-determined initiatives.

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

Graduating Arizona State University student Ashai Thomas seems to embody the advice to, “bloom where you’re planted.” Graduating ASU student Ashai Thomas says her study abroad experience in Costa Rica was formative to her future career choices. Download Full Image

Thomas, who is earning a BA in English (linguistics) along with a minor in Spanish and a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) this spring, is indeed blooming. She has thrived as a resident of Tempe, where her family moved from Saint Louis when she was a child. And after graduation, Thomas will join the selective ranks of Peace Corps volunteers with an assignment in Panama.

A self-professed extrovert, Thomas enjoys both learning and imparting hard-earned wisdom. She describes her initial study abroad experience — in Costa Rica as a community college student — as her “aha” moment. Her Instagram handle, @puravida_ashai, extends to her virtual circle her adopted Costa Rican cultural philosophy about embracing life fully. From her formative time at Mesa Community College to her more recent position as an ASU Transfer Student Ambassador, Thomas has taken advantage of every opportunity to learn and grow.

She grafted some time from graduation preparation to share a little bit more about herself and her plans.

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

Answer: My “aha” moment in choosing my major was when I studied abroad in Costa Rica for the summer when enrolled at Mesa Community College. Studying abroad in Costa Rica was my first time leaving the United States, and was the longest that I’ve traveled away from my family. At the time, I was pursuing a career in psychology at MCC; psychology was fascinating to me but that wasn't what I was passionate about. Traveling for the first time overseas and interacting with different cultures first-hand changed how I saw the world and how I saw what I wanted to do with my life. I discovered my passion for language and learning about different cultures; I am a big extrovert and I love talking to people and learning differences between cultures. So, my “aha” moment was when I went out of my comfort zone and learned about what I really wanted to do for a career. I want to teach English in different parts of the world so that I am able to share my culture as well as learn about others.

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

A: Something that I learned while attending ASU was about how to network with different cultures. ASU is known for the diversity of students from different states and the world. Currently, I am interning at the (W. P. Carey) Global Education Center where I am an assistant teacher and mentor to international students who attend ASU. I teach English pronunciation and American culture.

As a mentor, I’ve learned about different cultural communication styles, such as verbal and non-verbal cues, that I was not aware of before interning at the center. Furthermore, I’ve learned how to ask questions and to not be afraid to seek help from professors and faculty. By learning how to network and finding ASU resources that I did not know about before — such as Peace Corps representatives — I’ve achieved my ultimate career goal: I was recently accepted into the United States Peace Corps to serve in Panama.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: I chose to go to ASU because of the study abroad program as well as receiving a full ride scholarship through the Next Generation Service Corps. Attending ASU was the best choice for me because of its linguistics program, as well as the resources and opportunities they offer to linguistic and TESOL students.

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

A: The professor that inspired me and motivated me to fight to achieve my goals even when it got tough was [director of English internships] Ruby Macksoud. Ruby has taught me how to go and do further than what was expected of me, and to not underestimate my future students or myself. Ruby has helped me thrive in ways that I never thought I could, such as being accepted into the Peace Corps and applying to different English teaching positions all over the world. She has taught me to take risks, to not take “no” for an answer, and to never give up. Ruby is someone that I look up to and the kind of teacher I want to be.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

A: The best advice that I want to give is to not be afraid to know what you want and to seek help in reaching your goals. Also: Make friends. This is the time to really learn about yourself. Explore different interests by joining a club, getting involved on campus or doing what I did: study abroad for a semester in Santiago, Chile. I strongly suggest studying abroad and getting out of your comfort zone. Studying abroad will open up more opportunities for you in your degree.

Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life?

A: My favorite spot on campus to study and to meet up with friends is the Farmer Education Building. I also love the Memorial Union, where there are always events that go on that give out free food. As a college student, I love free food and ASU swag! In the (Memorial Union) basement, there are pool tables where you can play with friends, watch TV and play video games. This is the area where I liked to spend most of my time creating new memories.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: My plans after graduation are to first teach English as a second language in Santiago, Chile, then serve in the United States Peace Corps as an English teacher for the following two years in Panama. After my service, I plan to extend my education and obtain a master’s degree in applied linguistics, then teach English at a college level overseas.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: If someone gave me $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, I would take on the education systems all over the world. For me, education was my ticket to making a change and doing what I never thought would be possible for me: traveling, learning a second language and having the tools to reach my goals. I believe that every person deserves the right to equal and quality education, and deserves to have teachers who care about them academically, professionally and personally. Many schools all over the world, including in the United States, do not have enough resources. Some of these resources include updated textbooks, opportunities for entrepreneurship, and funding for higher education. With $40 million, I would give students a chance to explore and learn different things, to help them change their lives and communities.

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

John Butler is not your typical graduating college student. John Butler, a first-generation college student, husband, and father, is graduating with a BS in biological science (biomedical sciences). his goal is to become a physician's assistant. Photo courtesy John Butler Download Full Image

As a first-generation, older undergraduate who had to juggle family life, work and academic responsibilities, he learned quickly that getting support from friends and family was crucial during challenging times.

Just before he decided to go back to school, Butler faced a challenging family situation, but it’s one that helped him realize that he wanted to study biomedical sciences at Arizona State University's School of Life Sciences.

“Both of my parents passed away shortly before I decided to go back to school. It was a very difficult time but the level of care that they received, as well as the support I received during that process, particularly from the one-on-one interaction with the physician assistants, had a profound impact on me. I knew at that point, I wanted to be able to provide that for other families during their time of need,” Butler said.

He stuck with it and is a proud Sun Devil graduating this semester with a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences (biomedical sciences concentration).

Question: What is your greatest accomplishment during your college career?

A: My greatest accomplishment was being able to leave my comfort zone and to quiet the doubts, fear and hesitation that had stood in the way of me getting my degree. Everything else came from accomplishing that.

Q: What were one or two of your challenges while attending college, and how did you overcome them?

A: Being a non-traditional — ie., old guy — first-generation college student while balancing the responsibilities of family/work/academic life has been the biggest challenge. My wife and daughter have been a constant source of support and inspiration for me. Their belief in me gave me the confidence to face all of the challenges and obstacles that come with the process and stay focused on accomplishing my goal.

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

A: Being so much older than most of the students on campus, and quite frankly, most of my professors, I expected to feel a little awkward at times. But my experience at ASU been the exact opposite of that. I was very appreciative and somewhat surprised by how much encouragement and support I received from other students and the faculty. Because of that, I felt like I was a part of ASU, not just simply attending ASU.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: The Biodesign Institute at ASU is leading the way in many different fields of biology and medicine and I wanted the opportunity to be able to learn from the people that are directly involved with those advances. The ability to engage with, and learn from, people at the leading edge of their field is an incredible opportunity and the School of Life Sciences here at ASU provides students exactly that.

Q: What is one of your favorite memories while attending ASU?

A: My daughter, Hannah Butler, is a microbiology major here at ASU. My favorite memories have been getting to meet up with her in between classes to grab coffee. It is such a unique opportunity that most parents don’t have, to be able to connect with your kids and bond over your shared college experience and to be able to relate to what they are doing and going through, not in hindsight, but at that moment. That has been a tremendous gift.

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

A: Professor Damien Salamone taught me the importance of taking your education and putting it to work, to help serve your community. The outreach and volunteer opportunities I had while taking his class on HIV/AIDS really helped me see the power of education in affecting change, and the impact each one of us can make in our communities.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

A: I would encourage other students to fully utilize all of the resources at the school by really engaging with their teachers as well as getting involved in some of the clubs and activities here on campus. Between work and school, it is easy to start to feel isolated, but there are so many resources on campus that can help you explore new interests, meet new people and advance your knowledge. These things really help to make you feel like part of a community and greatly improve the college experience.

Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life?

A: Starbucks. I’m pretty sure the Physics Department would disagree, but I am certain that the dark matter that holds the universe together is coffee.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: After graduation, I will be applying to several physician’s assistant programs here in Arizona and hope to continue my education both professionally and personally.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: I would address access to higher education in low-income and underserved communities. There is a tremendous amount of talent and potential out there that goes unrealized simply because for many kids access to higher education is out of reach. When these kids aren’t able to use those talents, we all lose. Education is more than just a means to pay your bills. It offers possibilities for enrichment in all facets of our lives and I would like to see access to those possibilities available to everyone.

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

The road to receiving a degree is different for everyone, and for the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies Dean’s Medalist, Morgan Leland, it’s been a winding one. Morgan Leland is graduating with her bachelor's degree in philosophy with a concentration in morality, politics and law. Photo courtesy of Morgan Leland Download Full Image

Leland is congenitally blind and grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she attended public school until seventh grade before transfering to the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, where she completed high school.

“I struggled in public school because, like many blind students, teachers thought I wasn’t blind enough to need braille,” said Leland. “Illiteracy is a big problem in the blind community because people who aren’t taught braille end up relying on audio, which isn’t technically reading. I thrived at FSDB, though.”

While she felt the school didn’t prepare her for life in a sighted world, she is grateful the school allowed her to take risks and find her personal limits.

Leland struggled to live on her own, attend community college and work for a couple of months once she graduated high school, but circumstances changed her course.

“After I was attacked on the way home from a grocery store trip and became pregnant as a result, I took the family path and began working full time to support my son,” said Leland. “Soon after, I met my first husband and we spent several years working and raising our family.”

Leland still wanted to get a degree and after working in a position she loved at Intel for a few years she decided to work for the University of Phoenix in order to receive free tuition. She came to the realization that she didn’t just want a degree, though, she wanted an education.

“In 2013, a bad situation with a manager who did not like making accommodations for my blindness on team builders turned into an incredible opportunity when I realized I was finally free to pursue an in-person education,” said Leland. 

When she started her degree at Arizona State University, Leland only knew she wanted to end up at law school, but in the meantime she didn’t know what she wanted to pursue. It wasn’t until after taking a few courses in philosophy that she chose to pursue the discipline as her major.

“My love of philosophy is more than just a personal connection to the people in the department, though,” said Leland. “Philosophy is inextricably linked to science and progress, at least in my view.”

She was able to study abroad in Greece and Italy during the summer of 2017, and while she was there she not only made unforgettable memories, but also learned a lot about herself.

“In principle it was to explore the origins of philosophy, to occupy the same physical place in the world where philosophers like Socrates lived,” Leland said. “And that still compelled me, but this adventure [had] become so much more than my original desire to experience the places I read so much about. As I planned for this trip, I had no way to know what I didn't know. My biggest fear was getting left behind, but that turned out to be the least of my worries. Now, I know the right questions to ask, a better way to communicate with my peers and professors, and I have more confidence in myself and my unique abilities.”

Leland has not only gone through school with a disability, but also as a mother of four. She spent her spare time volunteering at her kids’ schools, helping them with homework, making dinner and staying connected with her teenage children. Yet despite the fact she didn’t have free time for clubs or campus activities, she stood out. 

“What distinguishes Morgan is that she is an educator, that she is committed to the potential of higher education for producing broader social changes, and that she is personally devoted to changing the content of, social relations in, and standard operating procedure of academia,” said philosophy lecturer Shawn Klein. 

The philosophy faculty have said she is always willing to help her classmates and have praised her clear writing abilities. Her honors thesis was repeatedly mentioned when discussing her accolades. 

“Morgan wrote a beautifully crafted honors thesis that achieves her aspiration to educate others, to dramatically shift the way we think about disability, to recognize that the stigmatization of disability affects other marginalized identity, and to demonstrate the relevance of what we do in higher education to effecting social change,” said philosophy professor Cheshire Calhoun.

Leland will graduate with her bachelor’s degree in philosophy with a concentration in morality, politics and law this semester. We caught up with her to ask about her time at ASU.

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

Answer: I struggled over this question because I learned so much. My dream of sitting in an actual brick-and-mortar classroom and getting an education was fulfilled beyond my wildest expectations. I hate to say that, even though my overall experience at ASU was positive, my answer to this question is negative. I learned that most people in the academic community do not think of disability beyond accommodations. That is, unlike other groups, disability is not viewed as a socio-political issue. I am a nontraditional student who came back to school at age 36, so I have a lot of life experience in the nonacademic world. I always thought of minority-group struggles as including disability and felt a kinship with other minority groups. I was not prepared for the lack of support for the disability community on campus compared with the extremely progressive support of other social groups. I felt this so much so that it was the focus of my Barrett thesis.

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

A: Philosophy was one of many introductory courses I took during my exploratory phase. I started off thinking it would be a fun foray into imaginative thought, but Professor Klein quickly recalibrated my expectations. Instead of unguided, random insights, philosophy turned out to be the logical development of ideas with creative thought at its core. PHI 101: Introduction to Philosophy was also the most rigorous course I had taken thus far. Professor Klein’s lectures were so entertaining, but regular quizzes and peer-reviewed essays balanced out the atmosphere. Still, I did not consider majoring in philosophy until I took Principles of Sound Reasoning with Professor Bolton. While she was teaching us about constructing logical arguments, she used all this random knowledge that left me feeling like she was possibly the smartest human being I’d ever met. I “blame” Dr. Klein and Dr. Bolton for igniting my love of philosophy. I started college worried I might not find a major I really connected with, but as I chatted with professors and grad students who attended the colloquium just before spring break, I realized those were my people and had been for a long time.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

A: Education was something I dreamed about for over a decade, so I had no trouble motivating myself to work hard when I finally got the opportunity. Still, it’s surprising how many of my friends encouraged me to relax and not take it so seriously. They kept telling me no one cares about GPA and so I shouldn’t, either. As a blind person, I’m used to working hard to prove that I belong in a sighted world, so I did not listen, but it still got me down sometimes. Like, why am I doing this if no one cares? Ultimately, I did it for myself. My advice: Don’t let people talk you out of passionately pursuing your goals.

Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life?

A: I used to spend time between classes at the Disability Resource Center because it was the only place I felt I belonged. I didn’t have a lot of friends there or anything, I just wasn’t sure where else to be. Now, I spend my free time in the philosophy department in Coor Hall. I cannot see well enough to recognize people as they pass, so I often feel lonely out in public. I know the voices of so many people in the philosophy department, though, that I can tell who’s around anyway. If I do not hear them first, they often say hello to me. I know it sounds like a lame thing to get so excited about, but having someone say hello to me breaks through my solitary veil and makes me feel connected to the world around me. I’m not sure if that’s a blind thing or just a me thing.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I am very thankful that vocational rehabilitation paid for my undergraduate degree. Law school is part of my academic plan, so they’d pay for that, too, but I want to take the burden off of the taxpayers. My plan now is to study hard for the LSAT so I can get a competitive score. If I can’t qualify for scholarships or stipends based on my LSAT score combined with my undergraduate accomplishments, I probably should find a different path. I am also interested in studying overseas for a year or two because I enjoyed being immersed in other cultures on my study abroad trip so much. With diligence and an open mind, I know I will find my niche.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: I am smart enough to know that I should not unilaterally decide how best to direct this money. There is so much need in the world, especially right now. So much pain and hardship, it makes my heart heavy. If I had control of this money, I would establish a committee of volunteers with different backgrounds from various cultures, economic levels and professions who would hear ideas in the form of business plans and decide which one(s) to sponsor. The criteria would be impact, efficiency and urgency. People working on the projects could be paid a reasonable salary, but there would be no prizes or winners.