Even as a child, Malissia Clinton knew that she wanted to be a lawyer.

“I’ve never not wanted to be a lawyer,” said Clinton. “From my first memory it was something that I wanted to do.” ASU alumna Malissia Clinton. Download Full Image

The Arizona State University political science alumna was inspired by the work of her grandparents, Roy and Malissia Cooksey, who founded the Arizona chapter of the NAACP.  Her grandfather would serve as its president for years and would also lead the civil rights division at the U.S. attorney’s office in Tucson, Arizona.

Upon graduating from Sunnyside High School in Tucson, Clinton applied to universities all over the country. Even though she was the valedictorian of her class, the cost of those schools proved to be too much. Through Arizona State University, Clinton was able to fully fund her education with academic scholarships.

“I knew, even at that age of 17, it was really important to me that I had economic independence and that I was self-sufficient,” Clinton said.

When she visited Tempe, she fell for the beauty of the campus.

“On the spot I decided that was where I was meant to go to school.”

Thinking that it was the best path to becoming a lawyer, Clinton decided to major in political science and would go on to get her JD from Stanford University.

Clinton has remained involved with ASU over the years through serving on boards such as the ASU Foundation Board, where she helps shepherd the process of raising funds for the university.

“Everything I am is because of the start that ASU gave me,” Clinton said. “I get choked up just thinking about it.”

In her high school senior year book, Clinton wrote that she wanted to be a corporate attorney. Now as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary for the Aerospace Corporation, Clinton knows this was the job she was meant to do.

“I love what happens with business — how they make a product and how they sell it. I enjoy being an enabler for that.”

With the company since 2009, Clinton’s work with the Aerospace Corporation has not gone unnoticed. She was recently named the Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2020 Leaders in Law – Nonprofit Leader in Law of the Year winner.

“I was honored and humbled,” said Clinton, who gave thanks to the Aerospace corporate communications department. “But I am also pleased that the story they were able to tell about the work we do and the law the department’s influence merited such a high recognition.”

Beyond her position with the Aerospace Corporation, Clinton is on a number of boards, including most recently being appointed to the board of directors at Progyny, Inc. — a fertility benefits management company. She was drawn to Progyny because, according to Clinton, they have a business model where everybody wins. She added that she is looking forward to helping Progyny with their environmental, social and corporate governance initiatives.

“That is a sweet spot for me. I’m very much into diversity and inclusion,” Clinton said. “I feel like I have a duty on these boards to bring those issues forward and to help the company be a better corporate citizen.”

Four years ago, Clinton gave a Tedx talk telling the story of when someone lit a tire on fire and threw it through the front door of her home in Manhattan Beach. Initially deeming the firebombing as neither arson or a hate crime, the authorities followed up by calling in Clinton’s husband for a polygraph test. Concerned, frustrated and humiliated, Clinton and her family decided they would move.

“Sure we knew that we were giving in to hate,” said Clinton in her talk, “but keeping our kids safe came first so if we were being asked to go – we’d go.”

When she notified her book club that she was planning to move, the community swiftly rallied around Clinton and her family. Within 48 hours of the fire, the community had reached out via phone and email, organized a crowdfunding site, and the police chief and fire captain arrived at their house asking for a do-over. Seventy-two hours after the incident, a vigil was held in the town square, where the community pleaded the family to stay.

“I thought the firebombing was bad, but it’s easy for us to convince ourselves it was isolated … and then you have a year like this,” said Clinton, reflecting on 2020. “It exposes the racial wound that still beset our country but I think that exposure is important to meaningful progress.”

Clinton shared that the past year has taught her that having hope and staying positive is key during difficult times. The exposure to challenges like race relations is only the first step. Clinton says we continue to struggle with these issues because we have not put in the work.

“I think that what one does for the blended ‘underrepresented minorities’ will not solve the issues that African Americans deal with,” Clinton said. “That’s why they exist still. I think they are unique and entrenched.”

Being on ASU’s Foundation Board has given Clinton the opportunity to hear what the university is doing on their diversity measures. She shared that she is interested in seeing what ASU does for their African American students, faculty and employees.

“I’ve had these discussions with President Crow and I am anticipating that he will take his amazing gift at being a change agent and revolutionize what is being done at the university level to deal with these issues.”

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

Once Zion Leonahenahe Basque applied his computer science knowledge from the classroom to applied cybersecurity research, he knew he was on the right path. Zion Leonahenahe Basque. Download Full Image

“Working on novel and impactful research made me realize that I wanted to stay in this field for the rest of my life,” Basque said.

Basque has spent most of his time at Arizona State University working in the Laboratory of Security Engineering for Future Computing, also known as SEFCOM. His first project there was to apply machine learning to the automated hacking process.

“It was really motivating to see how impressed my professors were when I completely explored a new domain in my field,” Basque said.

Since then he has worked on large government-funded grants and contributed to two papers submitted to top cybersecurity conferences.

He considers the SEFCOM lab team — assistant professors Yan Shoshitaishvili, Ruoyu “Fish” Wang and Youzhi “Tiffany” Bao, Associate Professor Adam Doupé and computer science doctoral student Erik Trickle — his “academic family.” Through their mentorship, Basque learned he could be a hacker who uses his skills for good, and even took a graduate course as a first-year student.

“They have changed who I am as a person. I am on a different path than before I met them, and I think it is one for the better,” Basque said. “Now, as a Native Hawaiian, I have prospects to get my doctorate in computer science. I can only thank them as my source of both inspiration and power.”

Basque is even co-captain of the “oldest hacking team in the United States” known as Shellphish — the same team Shoshitaisvhili and Wang competed on as graduate students at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Just like the SEFCOM team helped him succeed, Basque hasn’t kept his skills and passion for cybersecurity all to himself. 

He led the ASU hacking team called pwndevils as the club’s president. In that role, Basque led the team in international competitions and improved their rank from 50th to 10th in the world.

Basque also taught numerous undergraduate students through pwndevils lectures that covered topics usually only available to students in 400-level courses. He also created homework and other challenges for pwn.college, a cybersecurity education platform.

Long term, Basque wants to continue to improve cybersecurity as a researcher or continue teaching as a professor of computer science, and maybe even win a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award one day, like Doupé.

“Using the skills I’ve learned from my engineering experience,” he said, “I will help make the world a safer-cyber place.”

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ fall 2020 class.

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

Arizona State University student Young Wha Lee has been a champion of friendly Korean-American relations for much of her adult life. Graduating doctoral student Young Wha Lee — a practitioner of taekwondo — aspires to strengthen the U.S.-South Korean relationship. Download Full Image

Born and raised in Jeonju in Jeonbuk Province, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Lee completed her undergraduate study in English language and literature at Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul. She supplemented her language study with exposure to American culture and politics through a visit to the U.S. sponsored by the Korean American Sharing Movement’s Washington Leadership Program. She was nominated for the opportunity by the Leadership Development Institute of her university.

The KASM’s Washington Leadership Program – which is distinct from an identically named one focused on the South Asian diaspora – brings “motivated North Korean defector and South Korean students to Washington, D.C., to develop leadership skills, experience government and history, and learn how to effect change on the Korean Peninsula,” according to its website.

Something about this joining of cultures and healing of divides spoke to Lee, who embraced deep learning about politics, economics, media, public health, history and culture on the trip. “I was able to visit U.S. institutions such as the Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court, World Bank, National Press Club, National Institutes of Health, and Library of Congress,” she said. “I felt the presence of the Founding Fathers in this heart of American democracy.”

Lee’s keen interest in American culture and history motivated her to become an exchange student in the U.S. at the University of Montana. There, she became vice president of the Korean Student Association – one of her first forays into helping each culture appreciate the other. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, where she served as president of the Korean Students Association in that university's Graduate School of Education (GSE), this time while completing her master’s degree. She also assisted with administrative work as an intern at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Washington, D.C.

“As I have experienced life in the U.S. in these recent years,” she said, “I have learned that my country and the U.S. share many important values, e.g., freedom, liberty, as free countries. I cherish the traditions based on these values in both countries, and I hope the friendship between my country and the U.S., particularly strengthened since the Korean War, thrives.”

Lee’s desire to encourage functional and open communication between cultures led her to study language and identity. This fall, Lee completed her PhD in linguistics and applied linguistics at ASU, where she focused on the benefit of teachers incorporating aspects of their own identities into the second-language writing classroom. Lee successfully defended her dissertation on Nov. 6.

As she studied, she also taught, weaving theory into her own pedagogical practice. For her outstanding teaching and scholarship, Lee was recognized this past spring with the Graduate and Professional Student Association’s Outstanding Research Award, and this fall with its Teaching Excellence Award. She has also received honors from ASU’s Department of English throughout her ASU career, including the Marvin Fisher Book Award (2014), the English International Graduate Student Book Scholarship (2015), the Outstanding Paper on Second Language Writing Award (2019), and several research and travel grants.

Lee has done all this while maintaining her taekwondo practice, which she said, “has helped me strengthen my body and mind during my doctoral study.” She finds the discipline also gives her an opportunity to practice more cultural appreciation. “When we salute the national flags of the Republic of Korea and the U.S. after each day’s taekwondo training,” she said, “I feel blessed to live in these two countries.”

We spoke more to Lee about her research, teaching and service at ASU and beyond.

Young Wha Lee

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

Answer: There was no dramatic “aha” moment, but there was gradual progression for choosing my doctoral program. I majored in English language and literature with a minor in education for my undergraduate study. I also studied Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages for my master’s program. So, I have been in the area of English language teaching. When I decided to pursue my doctorate, my undergraduate adviser suggested studying second language writing – a subfield of applied linguistics – as a promising field. The field has provided me with the context where I delved into the issue of “identity,” and I explored the identities of second language writing teachers for my dissertation.

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

A: During my time at ASU, I have learned that there are a variety of perspectives not only in people’s scholarly work, but also in their real lives. Based on various factors such as disciplinary backgrounds, personal history, life philosophy, or previous experiences, people make arguments and decisions, so I have learned to understand the existence of this diversity. I can see and respect others as unique individuals.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: When I searched the suitable doctoral program for my research interests in second language writing, I learned that ASU has a large Writing Programs (selection) in the English department and prominent faculty members in the field of applied linguistics. When I heard that I was accepted for the doctoral program with a teaching associateship from the school, I was overjoyed. I felt grateful for the opportunity to study and teach at ASU.

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

A: I learned the most from my adviser, (Associate Professor) Mark A. James during my study at ASU. Discussing my research with him has been the most enjoyable, insightful and productive time of my doctoral days. Particularly, I have not only learned all about research methods, but I also paid extra attention to research ethics and practical issues of the research process. Dr. James is known for his generosity and kindness among my peer groups, and I felt grateful to work with him as my adviser. In mentoring students, he focuses on the critical role of language in aiding the creation of knowledge as well as in the transmission of that knowledge. I want to do that for my students as well.

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

A: Academia can be an exciting and rewarding place for personal development, but at the same time, it can be challenging and difficult, as there is a lot of pressure to produce and succeed. I took one year of leave during my doctoral study, and I reexamined my life goals. I think having a clear academic goal is important, so I’d like to encourage current students to consider goal-setting as a way to inspire and motivate their academic journey.

Q: What was your favorite spot for power studying?

A: During the pandemic, I have stayed at home every day. This became my favorite place for intensive studying. I used to like to study in Ross Blakley Hall, the home of the English department. I liked our building, which provided wide spaces and several options for studying — quiet hallways, reading rooms. Looking outside at the nice view of the ASU campus was soothing. I also felt great when I walked around the intramural fields next to our building for light exercise after studying.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I will continue to teach and conduct research at the university.

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

A: If “social divisions” can be considered a single problem, then this would be the issue I would choose to resolve. In light of recent social issues, based on divisive ideologies in the world, I believe this would be an important area on which to focus in order to actualize certain values of truth, freedom, and justice. I would seek ways to minimize the chaos in our society.

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

Growing up in Winslow, Arizona, Norma Jean Owens loved being around the diverse cultural experiences of pow wows, rodeos and meteor crater tours. But it was her mother’s dedication to helping her and her siblings have a better life in Phoenix that led Owens to pursue her academic studies in different fields. Norma Owens is graduating with a bachelor's degree in Jewish studies, a certificate in Hebrew and a teaching certificate. Download Full Image

“I am motivated by my late mother who did not have a higher-learning experience, but sought refuge in securing residence for her five children in the Phoenix inner-city housing project,” said Owens. “Eventually, she was able to accomplish her goal of purchasing our first home by her strong work ethic and determination.”

Owens started at Arizona State University in the 1980s and met her husband during her sophomore year. After getting married, they home-schooled their five children through the eighth grade. When their last daughter was in high school, she decided to return to complete her degree.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies, focusing on business and English, 30 years after she began, but she didn’t stop there. Owens returned to ASU to earn a bachelor’s degree in Jewish studies from the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, a certificate in Hebrew from the School of International Letters and Cultures and a teaching certificate from Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.

“Learning the culture and literature provided a global perspective of inclusivity, as the Jewish story can be found in all nations,” said Owens. “The sustainability of global resources such as water, agriculture and ecology, technology and medicine are at the forefront of Jewish research.”

Owens earned a scholarship to the Critical Languages Institute as well as the Jess Schwartz scholarship, Benjamin Goldberg Memorial scholarship and Jenny Norton and Bob Ramsey Religious Study in Israel scholarship.

Along with the scholarships she received as a student, Owens also created Histo-News Club, an academic service club to high school students at ASU in 2017. 

“For the past three years, we guided students in learning historical research by utilizing primary sources and various digitized tools,” said Owens. “The project is in partnership with the Holocaust Memorial Museum History Unfolded program in Washington, D.C.”

As an outstanding graduating student this semester, she answered a few questions about her time at ASU.      

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

Answer: I registered for Judaism 101 with Dr. Norbert Samuelson, one of the first courses in my program. He sparked an "aha" lightbulb by his heart and passion of culture and religion coupled with his desire to see each student succeed. He had a back injury that was extremely painful for him to sit and move. He did not let this discomfort hinder the execution of the course, nor the transfer of knowledge to hungry students. He provided amazing feedback that made me grow in confidence to ask engaging questions on specific subjects. He retired the next semester, but his words, voice and passion have remained with me.

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

A: Success is more than an individual process. It requires a tribe of associates giving and receiving to accomplish it.  

Q: Why did you choose ASU? 

A: ASU chose me. In my senior year at Tempe High School, our class was invited to meet several college students. They inspired our class and our counselors helped to register students who found value in the modeling of an ASU college student. I identified with the student in criminal justice studies, as social justice was a strength in this course of study.

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

A: Dr. Hava Samuelson, the director of the Center for Jewish Studies, has been a mentor, a model and an academic inspiration. She taught me to love learning, value education, engage in a lifestyle of activism in interconnectivity and inclusivity and integrate sustainable and ecological opportunities. She would say, "As you acquire your degree, acquire skills, attitudes and values necessary to become a responsible citizen.”

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

A: “Education is not received, it is achieved.” — Anonymous. Each day is an opportunity to grow forward and stretch into success!

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

A: My hangout and place of study was the basement of the Language and Literature Building. It hosts several computer rooms, a podcast room and a critical think tank room with amazing technology. 

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I will teach secondary English virtually as an online teacher.  

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

A: I would tackle "otherism," by investing money in educational programs that build connectivity through projects, community service, camps and peer groups that place students of mixed backgrounds, ethnicities and economic statuses together to build or create a sustainable project that benefits all people.

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

Cristian Lopez Villegas has achieved rare success in martial arts and in academia. But his journey was far from easy. Cristian Lopez Villegas, ASU doctoral graduate and martial arts enthusiast. Photo by Josh Morris. Download Full Image

A Brazilian jiujitsu enthusiast, Lopez Villegas went from feeling lost and failing most of his high school classes to winning on the mat and in the classroom. Through it all, Lopez Villegas focused on finding the good – in himself and others.

This fall, Lopez Villegas graduates with a PhD in linguistics and applied linguistics from Arizona State University. The doctoral journey can be arduous, pushing students to their mental capacities. In these times, Lopez Villegas turned to the disciplines learned through martial arts. One of the biggest helps was “that mental toughness of getting used to feeling overwhelmed,” Lopez Villegas told an interviewer for the Department of English’s newsletter in 2016. “You learn to keep your mind calm and your thoughts positive.”

So, did he ever think he would get here? Absolutely.

“I calibrated my compass toward the peak of Mount Linguistics – the doctorate – and never looked back,” he said. “As of a few days ago, I now stand upon this peak, up which I have been slowly trekking over half of my life. I am incredibly grateful to life for allowing me to reach this point.”

That perspective – one of gratitude – defines Lopez Villegas’s outlook. He has worked hard for what he has earned and in no way feels entitled. In fact, he is continually looking for a way to give back. As an athlete, he patiently mentored others in sport. As a language teacher, he applies lessons from martial arts to language arts. And he has found another cause to champion: animal well-being.

“Over the past 15 years, my life partner and I have devoted our lives and resources to helping abandoned and vulnerable animals,” he said. “Through volunteering with the Humane Society and various other organizations, we were able to take in dozens upon dozens of furry four-legged friends, provide them with love, restore them to health, and place them into loving homes.”

And, he added, “Many of the ‘unadoptable’ ones became permanent members of our family.”

Lopez Villegas won’t be hitting the job market after graduation; he’s already gainfully employed. He currently teaches English composition and ESL full-time at South Mountain Community College. We can expect that to be his “day job,” as Lopez Villegas is already preparing to reenter the world of athletics. “With a great vantage point, and invaluable tools and techniques acquired at Arizona State University, I will be planning and strategizing for my next journey,” he said.

Read on for more about how Lopez Villegas overcame adversity and reached his goals, one take-down at a time.

Cristian Lopez Villegas, South Mountain Community College profile photo

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

Answer: My “aha” moment was more like a series of micromoments of realization that occurred during a period of a few years. These brief moments of realization were profoundly impactful to me because they represented such a stark contrast to my overall life experience.

I am now slightly embarrassed to admit this, but growing up I was definitely not one of the “smart kids.” I was not even one of the “mediocre kids.” I was on the opposite end of the spectrum. Things had started off well in kindergarten and elementary school but as I entered junior high, my ability to succeed in the classroom was becoming more dismal by the semester. Upon reaching my junior year of high school, I was officially removed from the normal high school experience and placed in a program called “Opportunities.”

I wanted to be a good student. I only pretended that I didn’t care as a coping mechanism. I struggled with being able to concentrate on academic things. I had failed basically every single class, every semester. However, there were two classes in which I had straight As: P.E. and French. Somehow, while the smartest kids in the grade (a couple of which were in my French class) were yanking out the hairs of their heads trying to understand French grammar, I was like, “Excuse moi, puis je vous aider?” This unexplainable success in French was such a contrast to everything else, that I made a mental note of it.

A short period after that, I was slowly catching back up on credits, working independently and going to my high school once a week to check in, turn in projects, and pick up new books. During that time, I had been attending a youth organization and a mentor named Tim Benbow took me under his wing and exposed me to classic world literature, theology, philosophy, history, etc. He was, at the time, studying Greek and when I expressed some interest, he began making copies of his materials and giving them to me. Once again, as with French, somehow Greek kind of made sense to me and I soon found myself helping him understanding some of the Greek conjugations. To me, they seemed just like the Spanish my family and I spoke at home. That was my second mini “aha” moment where I made a mental note that I really liked studying language.

A couple of years later, I had managed to finish high school after doing an extra year. I was doing my general education at the local community college, when I stumbled onto a Spanish grammar class for Spanish speakers. Once again, spending a lot of hours thinking about words was greatly enjoyable. At this moment, those very difficult questions that haunt many young college students, “What will I be? What will I major in?” were answered: I would pursue a major in Spanish.

Upon transferring to the university to pursue my upper division curriculum, serendipity placed me in the classroom of Dr. Ronald Harmon, professor of Spanish and Portuguese linguistics. From the first day of my first semester, with linguistics courses – in this case, Spanish phonetics and phonology and Spanish syntax and morphology – I knew what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing: studying human language from a scientific perspective.

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

A: I truly believe that Arizona State University is a beacon of light to all universities around the world for one simple reason. As stated by our university president, “ASU prides itself not on whom it excludes, but on whom it includes.” This perspective is so contrary to what most universities pursue. I am humbled and honored to have been part of such a revolutionary and daring university. 

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: I was in my junior year of college. The previous summer, I had participated in a study abroad program in the beautiful country of Brazil. While living there, I had met a special girl with whom I had established a strong friendship and connection. Over the course of the subsequent academic year, we remained in touch and I had been able to return to Brazil between semesters. After a year of a long-distance relationship, we decided to find a way to be close to each other.

Her brothers had been, prior to us meeting each other, living in Mesa, Arizona, through a high school foreign exchange program. They were now college students in the state and so the possibility of me transferring to an Arizona university came up. A few weeks later, my brother, a couple of friends, and I were driving through the California-Arizona desert. We visited Arizona State University and I immediately felt that this would be my new home. I remember seeing Hayden Library and being so impacted by its uniqueness. Then one hot summer day a few months later, I packed my car, and made the official move to the place I now call my home.

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

A: I am one among the many students who have been greatly and positively impacted by (Regents Professor) Elly van Gelderen in the linguistics program. Professor van Gelderen is a world-recognized scholar in the fields of syntax and historical linguistics. She has published books and articles in the most prestigious publications and journals. And yet, it is her simplicity, humility, openness, positivity and kindness that attracts people to her the most. Observing her taught me that the secret to academic, professional and personal growth is to harbor and maintain childlike curiosity and excitement towards life and to the pursuit of understanding.

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

A: The advice that I now give my own students is the following:

1. For the bachelor’s, pursue a double major. One of the majors should be your passion regardless of whether it will lead you to a direct job. The other major should be something that you can enjoy and that leads to a direct, well-paying, stable and nonvulnerable career immediately upon graduation. My experience living through two recessions taught me the importance of having options, and of the importance of balancing one’s true passions with that which will provide you security.

2. View the academic experience as something that you will continue to develop throughout your entire life. Be an eternal student. Commit to continuously enhancing your education through additional degrees, certificates, licenses, etc. Always be willing to move on from where you are or have been, to change majors, change careers, change paths.

3. Don’t be in a rush. The time will come when you will finish your degree. Don’t be so focused on the end result that you are not fully present in your current stage. Be at peace with and enjoy whatever life stage you are in.

Q: What was your favorite spot for power studying?

A: At this moment in my life, I have been a full-time student at Arizona State University for 12 years. Naturally inclined towards adventure and exploration, I can assert pretty confidently that I have perhaps taken academic refuge in every tiny nook and cranny that the ASU Tempe campus offers. From the libraries, to random unused classrooms in various buildings, to the recreation center, to little hidden corners of the ASU Art Museum, the music halls… you name it. However, the spot that ultimately became most special to me, because it represented much of my final years here, is the little-known Graduate Student Computer Lab, a slightly hidden, password protected, dusty room on the third floor of the Durham Language and Literature building.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: Over the last almost two decades, my goal and dream had been to finish the PhD. Now that this dream has become a reality, I am entering a new stage in life where I will need to re-imagine and recalculate my interests, goals and life purposes. There are a few areas of my life that had been put on the backburner. Now that the universe has blessed me with this PhD dream, I would like to place these other goals at the forefront. One of them is my life as an athlete and competitor in the sports of Brazilian jiujitsu and judo.

In the years prior to returning to ASU for the PhD, I spent five years as a full-time athlete, competitor and coach. My claim to fame was in 2008 when I won the bronze medal at the Brazilian Jiujitsu World Championship, the minor-professional league of that sport. After that achievement, I entered the major-professional league and had the opportunity to compete against many of the top world champions. However, life circumstances and my greater dream to finish the PhD led me to step away from full-time dedication to the sport. I now plan on returning and attempting to reach the dreams that I still have in this sport.

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

A: As a former undocumented immigrant, I grew up very aware of the financial, psychological and societal struggles that immigrants, ethnic minorities and other vulnerable groups experience throughout their lives. This unique experience made me highly aware and highly sensitive to the suffering and the injustices in the world. I have long fantasized about what I would do if came upon financial resources. Two main projects have been on my mind.

The first is the creation of a chain of “Centers for the Arts” established in low-income communities across the U.S. and the world. This Center for the Arts would be a place that provided professional level training in music, sports, languages, academics and trades. They would be free of charge and highly integrated with the public schools and local organizations. Children and teens from disadvantaged backgrounds would be taken in as apprentices to professionals and acquire ways of thinking and skills to open opportunities for upward mobility and self-realization.

Another cause that has been heavy on my heart is the plight of animals across the many facets of human civilization — food industry, labor, entertainment industry, clothing industry, science experimentation, animal testing, etc. I believe that one day in the future, humans will look back at our current and past societies and cringe in horror at the treatment we imposed on our most vulnerable fellow Earthlings. 

My desire is to contribute to the reconceptualization of our relationship and interaction with these fellow beings in order to help liberate them from human enslavement and abuse.

Throughout human history, the celebration of a bountiful harvest is weaved into many different cultures. Many of these celebrations are rooted in religious or cultural practices, including the Thanksgiving holiday celebrated in the United States.

Today, harvests are celebrated around the world in different ways and for different reasons. Religious studies faculty in Arizona State University's School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies gave insight on some celebrations from countries around the world. Photo courtesy of pexels.com. Download Full Image

Sombile

Sombile is a fall harvest festival on the day of the autumnal equinox that was celebrated by Muslim Turkic-speaking people of the Russian Federation, or Tatars, before the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Although many of the prerevolutionary agrarian festivals, such as Sombile, faded away during  Soviet Union rule, the famous Sabantuy festival or the Plough festival remain in practice to this day.

“Currently Sombile is experiencing a comeback, especially in schools,” said Agnes Kefeli, clinical professor of religious studies. “People come from different villages to see children perform in plays that reenact the ancient festival as they imagined it to be in the past. A girl is chosen for her beauty and wit to represent Mother Nature.”

The girl is placed on a throne and people bring fruits of harvest to her. She is then asked to predict whether the winter will be cold or not.

“Because this festival has no Islamic basis, mullahs and female religious teachers, abystays, object to the renewal of this celebration in schools,” Kefeli said. “Nevertheless, many secular Tatar teachers welcome it because it is, in their view, an occasion for the community to speak and sing in Tatar, eat Tatar dishes and renew their commitment to their unique culture.”

Many Tatar people welcome Sombile as an ecological festival that reunites them with nature and their native landscape since many resent the damage caused by forced industrialization. 

Zhongqiu Jie (Middle Autumn Festival)

Zhongqiu Jie, the Middle Autumn Festival or the Moon Festival, is celebrated in China. The Chinese traditionally used the lunar calendar and this festival was timed for the 15th day of the eighth month. 

“The 15th of each month is always a full moon and, as you know, the ‘harvest moon’ is usually gorgeous,” said Regents Professor of religious studies and Chinese Stephen Bokenkamp. “It is also celebrated in Korea and Japan under other names. Chuseok ‘autumn eve’ in Korea and Tsukimi ‘moon viewing’ in Japan.”

This harvest’s earliest recorded celebration dates back to during the Shang dynasty, 1600–1046 BC, but its origin is unknown. Today, the festival is one of the few still based on the lunar calendar, so it falls at a different time each year according to the solar calendar. This year it was on Oct. 1. 

There is a custom of putting out lanterns, viewing the moon and eating moon cakes and other foods based on major crops such as rice and wheat for the festival. Many stories are associated with the festival, including ones of gods, goddesses and emperors.

“My favorite is that, on one moon festival night, the Tang emperor Li Longji asked the Daoist Ye Jingneng where the best lanterns in the kingdom might be situated,” Bokenkamp said. “The Daoist responded, but said that none matched the brilliance of those in the Moon Palace. He then conducted the emperor to the palaces of the moon where he learned the music to the Daoist dance ‘Rainbow Skirts and Feathered Robes’ from the performance of the ‘silk white maidens’ who entertained him there.”

The Celebration of the Coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie I and Empress Menen Asfaw of Ethiopia

Rastafari communities around the world celebrate the coronation date of Emperor Haile Selassie I and Empress Menen Asfaw of Ethiopia on Nov. 2 of every year. The coronation occurred on that date in 1930 and was a monumental moment for the community because Ethiopia was one of the only sovereign nations in Africa at the time.

“The spectacle of a Black king and queen during white supremacist European imperialism was a transformative moment across Africa and the African diaspora,” said Shamara Wyllie Alhassan, assistant professor of religious studies. “This coronation was transformative because it exposed the lie or disinformation campaign that narrated Africa as ahistorical and Africans as inhuman. For Rastafari, the coronation signified Black humanity, Black royalty and Black divinity during a time when Black people desperately needed a symbol of hope.”

The celebration of the coronation is still held in Rastafari communities across the globe. Emperor Haile Selassie I and Empress Menen Asfaw are divine in Rastafari cosmology, which originated with Leonard Percival Howell in his 1935 book, “The Promised Key.”

“A typical celebration looks like a large gathering with singing, drums, sharing food, reasonings or extended debates about several issues pertaining to the world and Rastafari spirituality,” Alhassan said. “The celebration reaffirms community, shared orientation and ideas amongst Rastafari communities.”

Saints Days

There are many harvest holidays celebrated across Eurasia, all beginning at different times and for different reasons but most revolve around the Russian Orthodox Church. 

In Ukraine, the harvest festivities begin on the feast day of the Great Martyr Saint Procopius the Harvester. The Russian Orthodox Church continues to use the Julian calendar, as did Russia from 1700 to 1918.

“Procopius’s feast day falls on July 8 in the Julian calendar, which is July 21 in the Gregorian,” said Eugene Clay, associate professor of religious studies. “The harvesters took the first few ears of grain solemnly to their home, where they placed them beneath a consecrated painted image of a saint or holy event and decorated them with crowns made from flowers. When the grain was milled, these first ears were processed separately so that they could be later mixed with the seeds that would be sown. In this way, the farmers returned fertility to the earth.”

In other places in Russia, the beginning of the harvest is celebrated on Saint Panteleimon’s Day with ears of grain solemnly brought to the church to be blessed.

“Likewise, at the end of the harvest, farmers left a few ears of grain in the field, which they call ‘the beard,’” said Clay. “According to the folklorist Vladimir Propp, people differed over whether these remaining grains represented the beard of St. Elijah, the beard of Christ or even the beard of the landlord. The peasants decorated these unharvested grains with ribbons or flowers and then made an appeal to them to guarantee the fertility of the fields.”

Andean Harvest Fiestas

Unlike most monotheistic harvest traditions, where there is a god who created crops and the Earth from outside of itself and therefore there is an abundance of resources, many native and Indigenous people view the Earth as something that needs to be replenished and thanked directly. This is true for people who are native to the Andes in South America. 

“The mountains in the Andes are thought of as being reservoirs or storehouses of every good thing,” said Tod Swanson, associate professor of religious studies. “But they are like a human body. They are like human beings in the sense that they can wear out; they can be exhausted.”

The Andean harvest festivals take place around the winter solstice, which south of the equator is around June. People from neighboring communities from up and down the mountains come together for days of feasting, drinking and dancing. 

The primary purpose of the festival is to elicit a reaction from the mountains to bring liquid rain so the next cycle of crops will grow. In these traditions, the fluids that come from the earth are thought of as emotional, bodily and sexual fluids such as tears or milk. 

“The idea here is that the mountains that are up around the earth are flowing water down to nourish the people,” Swanson said. “The idea here is that the people that are having the festival are the children of the mountains and the ancestors are inside those mountains and on the Earth.”

These festivals last days as people eat and drink alcohol. They also pour their drinks out on the ground, so that they are sharing their harvest with their ancestors and the earth.

“You are engaging the earth that is tied into your body through a circulation of fluids,” Swanson said. “It is somehow tied into you and you are, not paying the earth, but you are flirting with the earth or engaging the earth so as to create a response of love.”

Now, the harvest fiestas have become attached to different Catholic feast days, but remain an important celebration in the regions. 

Sukkoth

Sukkoth is the final harvest festival for Jewish people all over the world. It’s also known as Feast of Tabernacles or the Festival of Booths and commemorates God protecting the Israelites during their desert wanderings.

“It originates in the Hebrew Bible and is one of three pilgrimage festivals, along with Passover and Shavuot, when Jews would make pilgrimage to the Jerusalem temple with offerings,” said Timothy Langille, lecturer of religious studies. “For Sukkoth, that offering would be from the autumn harvest. Before the second temple was destroyed in 70 CE by the Romans, Sukkoth also was a water-drawing festival when libations would be poured over the altar as people prayed for rain.”

As part of the celebration, as prescribed by the Torah, people build a “sukkah,” also known as a booth or temporary shelter, as a reminder that the Israelites lived in sukkahs after the exodus from Egypt. 

“These structures are built in yards, gardens or balconies and it’s customary to dwell in them,” Langille said. “The roof of the sukkah is covered with branches and plants and is decorated in various other ways, but the stars at night can be seen through the roof. If possible, meals during Sukkoth are eaten in the sukkah.”

This harvest is an eight-day festival for Jewish people in the diaspora and a seven-day festival for Jews living in Israel and it begins five days after Yom Kippur, the holiest of days on the Jewish calendar. Like an American Thanksgiving, Jewish people will use a cornucopia as a symbol of the holiday, but the holiday is also associated with palm, myrtle, willow and citron.

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

When she began her Arizona State University career, online student Swati Shrestha was three years into a job in Mussoorie, India at a boarding school in the Himalayan foothills. “It was an incredible experience,” she said, “but it was also difficult to maintain a work-life balance. I wanted to do something that was just for me.” Graduating online master’s student Swati Shrestha celebrates at approximately 13,000 feet after ascending Chandrashila Peak in the Himalayas. Download Full Image

Shrestha decided that earning a graduate degree was part of that self-care. She capitalized on a latent passion for literary studies and picked up where she left off with her undergraduate degree; Shrestha is graduating with a Master of Arts in English this December.

Attending online classes allowed her to crisscross the globe several times over during her studies, and to engage in other challenging pursuits – at many different altitudes. “Part of the reason I've taken two and a half years to complete my degree,” Shrestha said, “is because my first summer in the program, I spent 20 days climbing Bandarpunch, a snowpeak in the Indian Himalayas. It was the opportunity of a lifetime.

“I was so grateful to be in a program where I could take the time to disconnect, spend time with friends as we learned to use icepicks and walk in snow boots, and slowly summit a mountain before returning to reality.”

But summiting 20,000-foot peaks wasn’t Shrestha’s only diversion. While simultaneously taking ASU classes, she continued to work as a college admissions counselor, attended conferences in Europe, and visited family in the U.S. states of South Dakota, Massachusetts, Texas and Oregon and in Kathmandu, Nepal. Shrestha capped off her world travels with a pandemic-era move to Bangkok, Thailand, where she now resides.

“I started my degree at 6500 feet," Shrestha joked, "and am ending it at sea-level." 

She continued, “I've learned so much from my master's program over the last two years, and I'm glad to have pursued a further degree.”

We caught up with Shrestha, as she rested between adventures, to ask a few more questions.

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

Answer: I loved reading as a kid, and read widely and voraciously. While researching colleges for my undergraduate degree, I remember absorbing the course descriptions for classes offered at my eventual alma mater, Reed College, and being thrilled that it was possible to study such a variety of topics within the field of English. Many years after I graduated from college, when I started to consider applying to graduate programs, I considered if I might want to pursue a degree in education, or counseling. However, as I looked through different programs, I realized that English was still a true passion of mine. I wanted to complete a graduate degree to be intellectually fulfilled, and I couldn't imagine that with any field other than English.

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

A: I took a class on posthumanism with Professor (Mark) Lussier that really stretched the way I considered how English as a field interacted with philosophy, and additionally, challenged how I thought about what it means to be human. I really enjoyed grappling with these big philosophical ideas in conjunction with media texts such as “Metropolis” and “Bladerunner.”

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: ASU offered me the flexibility to complete my master's degree while I continued to work. I really like being a college counselor, but I was also ready to take on a challenge, and do something just for me. Plus, the English studies program at ASU offered a variety of classes in areas that I already knew I was interested in — magical realism, teaching young adult literature — and areas that I wanted to explore further — travel writing, teaching composition.

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

A: I have honestly been so grateful at how understanding and flexible my professors have been as I've figured out how to be a student in a distance learning mode. My professors were always understanding when I would email them months in advance to inquire about required texts. Living on the side of a mountain, I had to purchase most books online with enough time for them to wend their way across seas and up the hillside to my home. At one point, I realized that I would be on a school hike during the first week of classes, away from any kind of cell service in Govind Pashu National Park in northern India, climbing Kedarkantha Peak with a group of 22 students in grade ten. I contacted Professor (Claudia) Sadowski-Smith who was kind enough to think through the timeline with me, and open the class a few days early so that I could get my work for the first week completed before I left for the wilderness. I was so glad, because “Magical Realism as a Global Genre” was one of the classes I was most excited to take, and it was everything I had hoped it would be. Throughout the course, Professor Sadowski-Smith was firm in her high expectations, but fair and flexible at the same time – a teaching approach I hope to emulate.

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

A: You can do it! Education online can feel like a solo slog, but make sure you're reaching out to your professors when you need help and keeping those in your life who care about you in the loop about your highs and lows. Most importantly, stay organized! I started keeping a note on my phone and computer for each class, which became the most helpful way for me to keep myself on track. I set up each note at the beginning of the session, with the course description, course objectives and rubric. Week by week, I include learning objectives, required reading, and assignments and discussions. Being able to check off the work I needed to complete week-by-week was not only satisfying, but also made sure I was on top of my schoolwork.

Q: What was your favorite spot for power studying?

A: I was in a lot of places while I completed my degree! For most of it, I was living in Mussoorie, India, and my favorite spot for power studying there was next to our wood-burning stove, covered in blankets. But I've also got a special shout out for Harriet and Oak, a great little coffee shop in Rapid City, South Dakota, where I spent part of a summer quietly sounding out the phonetic alphabet for a linguistics class.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I've been working in college admission counseling for a decade now, and plan to continue working in this important field. However, I have loved being a student again! My degree gives me the confidence that I could pivot to another path in education or academia, if or when I choose to!

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

A: I would put that money to work creating scholarships to help educate young people in developing countries and in regions of conflict, at all levels of education. Education is life changing. It changes the trajectory not only of a single person, but of their entire family or community. I have worked with students who are the first in their family to graduate from high school, let alone college. For their siblings and relatives, they are an example of what is possible. But I also know that coming into a rigorous high school or college education can be really challenging, and constant financial stress can affect academic performance. I would want to support students in developing countries from a young age through to a college education, to help young people become changemakers in their communities.