Christopher Rearley spent his life beating the odds. He was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at age 6 and was permanently using a wheelchair by 11. By the time he started college at 18, his doctors, knowing that his breathing capacity was only 20% of normal, said he would live only months, a year at most.

That prediction didn’t hold up. He started community college, then came to Arizona State University, defying his doctors’ prognosis. Christopher Rearley, seated, and members of his family including his parents, Bob and Carolyn, standing immediately behind him, pose for this undated photo. After Christopher Rearley died in 2007, his parents started a charity poker tournament in his name that for 12 years has raised money for scholarships for students dealing with disabilities in ASU's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Photo courtesy of Bob and Carolyn Rearley Download Full Image

Rearley received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from ASU in 1997. His gamble paid off in that he lived 15 more years — not one — which is why it is no surprise to know that he loved playing poker.

After spending most of his life living with the effects of MD, Rearley passed away in December 2007 at 33. His parents, Carolyn and Bob Rearley, wanted to honor him and the field he studied by raising money for scholarships specifically for students with disabilities attending Arizona State University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. They decided to hold a poker tournament.

There are plenty of other ways to raise money for a cause, from formal dinners in hotel ballrooms to car washes and everything in between. But it just seemed right to the Rearleys to raise it in a way their son would have found personally delightful and be enjoyable to those involved.

A poker tournament said so much about their son, who particularly enjoyed playing a variation known as Texas Hold ’em. Poker also symbolized his overcoming the many challenges he faced. So the Rearleys started planning.

“We had a cabin in the mountains for several years. Chris wasn’t able to go with us any longer because of the altitude and some other challenges,” Bob Rearley said. “When we were gone on the weekends he and a group of friends liked to play Texas Hold ’em. They’d get together on Saturday evenings. I didn’t know about the game at the time and I still know little about it. I know five-card stud.”

Chips are displayed from each of the 12 annual charity poker tournaments held by the family of Christopher Rearley to benefit scholarships for School of Criminology and Criminal Justice students. Photo courtesy of Bob and Carolyn Rearley

In March 2009, the Rearleys held their first-ever charity poker tournament at their Scottsdale home to benefit the school where Chris earned his degree. The first event brought about 50 players and 30 volunteers. Many were Chris’ former poker buddies, who used to join him on those weekends over stacks of chips and decks of cards while his parents were out of town. 

“We couldn’t believe all these people were here supporting us and helping us to achieve our goal.” Carolyn Rearley said. “But we realized that to keep this alive we couldn’t keep holding it at our house.”

She said that first tournament was organized in only two months.

“I look back and can’t believe we did it in such a short amount of time. About $5,000 was raised and it was amazing to me that we made that much,” Carolyn Rearley said. The table limit was $40, she said, so she and her husband weren’t worried about anyone losing a lot of money.

Starting the second year, the event moved to a golf course clubhouse, taking about nine months to plan. “Bob and I are perfectionists so everything had to be just so,” Carolyn Rearley said. It must have been pretty close to perfect, because the tournament was held annually for 11 more years.

Chris himself always had an unmistakable presence at each tournament, which was testimony to his love of laughter. Every year, a caricature of him was prominently placed at the entrance to the event. In the drawing, Chris is depicted wearing a favorite shirt. Each year he had a seat at the head table, with that shirt draped over the chair and his favorite ASU hat on the table.

“So he was always there,” his mother said. “The dealer would put in chips for him and many times he would stay in the game longer than some of the other players.”

The prizes also became more attractive as time went on, to the point where contestants who won enough hands to make it to the final table of eight players each won a prize. Whomever was the final winner had first choice, followed by the second place and third place winners and down the line.

Some quite attractive prizes were awarded over the years. Over the years, several ASU units supported the effort by donating Sun Devil Athletics and ASU Gammage tickets. Winners also received prizes such as airline tickets for four to anywhere in the country Southwest Airlines flew. The Walt Disney Company and Sea World gave tickets to their parks. Rounds of golf on some of the nicer courses in the Valley were donated, too.

“We have had people who never knew us before but came to this tournament and became friends, supported us and spread the word,” Carolyn Rearley said. “This encouraged others to attend, helping make our tournament the success it was. With their help we raised greater funds to support the scholarship in Chris’ memory.”

The first event was a financial success, but also brought together so many people who had a connection to Chris or to those who knew him. Combined, through the last one held in March 2020, again in the Rearley home, the Christopher Allen Rearley Endowment Scholarship (CARES) Poker Tournament raised more than $130,000 for scholarships for School of Criminology and Criminal Justice students with disabilities. The tournament proceeds comprise the school’s largest scholarship endowment ever, according to the school.

This past year, Bob and Carolyn Rearley made the difficult decision that the 2020 tournament would be the last. Chris’ friends, old and new, were disappointed. “They were very sorry to see us end it.This has been a labor of love,” Carolyn Rearley said. “It came full circle.”

For the Rearleys, all the hard work was worth it for so many reasons, but most of all, it was because the tournament did its most important job: preserving their son’s memory.  “Many of the early players and volunteers stayed with us over the years,” Bob Rearley said. “We couldn’t have done it without them.”

“He had his struggles but he never ever complained, I might think of a time or two, but he really never did.” Carolyn Rearley said of Chris. “He always thought about the other guy.”

Chris wanted to go to law school because of his commitment to human and civil rights.  But by that time his disability had advanced to a point where he was unable to continue his education.

“He fought for the underdog,” she said. “He was funny. He was the master of one-line zingers. He liked to tease. Chris has an older sister, one nephew and two nieces he really loved. He’d be proud to know the first two graduated from ASU and one more is in college.”

His parents said he believed strongly in the importance of education for everyone, especially the disadvantaged.  “Although he was physically challenged, he had a strong brain, and we always encouraged him to use it,” Carolyn Rearley said.

The tournament that bore his name may be retired now, but it’s not tough to imagine Chris’ friends are still gathering somewhere and tossing a few chips his way.

And where they are, he is, too — still beating the odds.

The work to improve health and health care is ongoing and ever-evolving. It takes many shapes, from streamlining delivery to improving care and pursuing inclusive medical research to help develop precision medicine for all populations.

This was a key element of the Arizona RAVE study, a collaboration between researchers from Arizona State University, Mayo Clinic and Mountain Park Health Center. The study brought genomic medicine to a Federally Qualified Community Health Center that serves low-income patients in the Phoenix area, a population that is rarely included in this type of research. An elite team of researchers from ASU, Mayo Clinic and Mountain Park Health Centers is working together to increase access to personalized prevention in the communities most impacted by health disparities by using genetic information to guide prevention and early intervention efforts. Download Full Image

Specifically, 500 Latino adults were recruited and consented to have their DNA sequenced for a panel of “medically actionable genes.” The panel included genes that predispose individuals to certain diseases such as heart disease and breast and colon cancer. Findings in these genes are related to health conditions with established medical recommendations or interventions. The results were then shared with the participants and their providers for follow-up.

The study, published in Genetics in Medicine highlights the intersection of medical advances with social determinants of health — which includes factors such as the unequal distribution of resources, poverty, access to health care, transportation, housing instability and health literacy. 

“We are exploring how to balance state-of-the-art medicine with state of the community," said Gabriel Shaibi, RAVE co-investigator and director of ASU’s Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation’s Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. "In other words, how can we bring the latest in medical technologies stemming from research advances to diverse populations and settings? Our hope is to establish an approach that allows scientific advances to be impactful and effective for individuals and communities regardless of their socioeconomic status."

The goal is to increase access to personalized prevention in the communities most impacted by health disparities by using genetic information to guide prevention and early intervention efforts. This requires continued partnerships with providers who know their communities and an appreciation for nonbiological factors, i.e., social determinants of health that contribute to health inequities.

The team of ASU, Mayo Clinic and Mountain Park Health Center researchers will get the opportunity to extend their efforts further with funding from the National Human Genome Research Institute at NIH. They will be working on a five-year project with a handful of other institutions across the United States through the eMERGE network.

We spoke with the project’s co-principal investigators: Dr. Iftikhar Kullo and Richard Sharp from Mayo Clinic, as well co-investigator Shaibi and their collaborators Dr. Davinder Singh, medical director of Mountain Park Health Center, and Valentina Hernandez, director of Integrated Nutrition Services, about the importance of this work and its potential impact.

Question: What was your key takeaway from this first study?

Hernandez: The importance of including diverse populations in research is crucial, but along with including diverse populations, we must take into account how the social determinants of health influence individuals and address those in research planning. The AZ RAVE Study was eye-opening in the sense that it highlighted the lack of resources, support and understanding in the local population. These challenges became barriers for patients to take meaningful action that was recommended as part of the AZ RAVE Study. In the future with studies like these, I would like to see a greater investment by researchers and funders to support health education and to ensure that basic follow-up treatment can be provided for research participants regardless of their socioeconomic or insurance status.

Another key takeaway was the success the AZ RAVE study team had in communicating results to participants in the study, both positive and negative, and connecting with every participant that warranted additional follow-up. The study team worked very well and considered the possible challenges and obstacles while planning, even bringing the Sangre por Salud Community Advisory Board into the conversation, as well as the medical provider team at Mountain Park Health Center to ensure the messaging was clear and concise. The team also worked around the needs of the participants by seeing them in the evenings, around work and child care schedules in order to meet the participants in the most convenient way possible.  

Q: Why is this type of genomic research necessary or important? What are the possibilities?

Kullo: Genomic sequencing has potential applications in detection and treatment, in both rare and common diseases, and several health systems have begun to integrate genomic sequencing data into patient care. However, challenges to implementing genomic medicine in low-resource settings such as Federally Qualified Health Centers are not known. We need to expand such research of genomic medicine implementation in low-resource settings to reduce health disparities.

Shaibi: We know that there are certain genetic and genomic factors that increase an individual’s risk for many chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Identifying and sharing this information with doctors and patients can help guide individualized treatment efforts. This type of work has the potential to reduce the burden of disease at the individual as well as societal levels.  

Q: Discuss the need for diversity in genomic research.

Sharp: One of the central aims of our study was to assess the feasibility of offering genomic screening in a nontraditional setting. In the past, access to genomic medicine has been limited to large academic medical centers like Mayo Clinic and, unfortunately, not all patients have convenient access to those types of facilities. As advances in individualized medicine continue, it's essential that we consider how to make genomic testing more easily available to all patients who might benefit from the information those tests can provide.

Q: Why is it important for health centers like MPHC to participate in research? 

Singh: Federally Qualified Community Health Centers (FQHCs) like Mountain Park Health Center have an important role to play in research because the lack of diversity in research indirectly impacts the populations we serve, by limiting new knowledge and discovery to those who have more privilege in the form of health, education and resources. Many of our patients represent communities that carry a disproportionate burden of disease like obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. These communities’ participation in research could help find new ways to alleviate or prevent some of this burden for future generations while contributing to science that can be more meaningful to all communities. 

Mountain Park Health Center and other FQHCs are also important to research because research in minority communities must be done in a well-thought-out and ethical manner. Many people in vulnerable communities might be leery of researchers and research in general. Mountain Park believes trust is at the foundation of our role in the community, and therefore any research in our clinic must be done in a way that is culturally appropriate, in the language of the patient, with the best interest of the patient in mind, as well as provide some benefit to the patient, which can include diagnostic tests, education or an intervention. 

Q: Do you have a sense of how this research may be received by the broader community?

Singh and Hernandez: At Mountain Park Health Center we formed a Community Advisory Board (CAB) that consists of community members, some patients, and some nonpatients. The group is diverse in education, language, occupation and gender. We engaged the CAB early on to help us with the research and presented the results to them once we were finished. The CAB’s overall consensus was that bringing this type of research and education to the community is very important, in order to further science and improve awareness of research and genomics. The CAB also acknowledged the potential for concern that genomics research may have on vulnerable individuals within marginalized communities and advised us on how we can address these concerns going forward. 

The implementation of the AZ RAVE study was in great part a success because of how much the CAB helped to advise the team on various components of the study. From the planning process to the implementation, the CAB was involved in each step and provided valuable insight, such as how to best consent on a complex topic, how to best communicate results, both negative and positive results in a way that would not alarm patients (negative) and communicate some urgency (positive) in patients receiving results.

Q: Anything else you'd like us to know?

Kullo: In the next phase of this project, we plan to focus on the genomic risk of common diseases including coronary heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, colon cancer, etc. Our goal is to incorporate genomic risk variants in conventional risk stratification algorithms to increase their accuracy and assess outcomes after returning results to participants and providers.

Shaibi: This type of project can only be accomplished through collaboration. The individuals and institutions involved worked as a team focused on a collective goal. Being able to continue the collaboration with an additional round of funding from NIH is a testament to the team’s energy, effort, and commitment to advancing science and improving health equity. 

The events of this year have started a national conversation about systemic racism, social justice and the overall treatment of Black and other nonwhite bodies in the United States. As more Americans seek to educate themselves on the history of racism and injustice, the need for education in African American studies has increased. 

Arizona State University's School of Social Transformation now offers its African and African American studies BA program online. The program's faculty head and Clinical Assistant Professor Mako Ward said today’s social and political climate brought a need for more accessible education in African and African American studies.  Graduates make their way through shaking the hands of faculty during the Black and African Convocation at ASU Gammage on Thursday, May 12, 2016. Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now Download Full Image

“For over 20 years, the African and African American Studies major has educated generations of students on the global forces that impact African and African-descended people across the diaspora. In the midst of the health pandemic, it was essential for us to invest in quality online course offerings to meet the needs of our students,” Ward said. 

The African and African American studies program was founded in the mid-1990’s after a student protest. Though most African and African American studies programs began to emerge in the late 1960s and 1970s, the program has since made significant strides and is now one of two online African and African American studies BA programs in the country. 

In September, ASU President Michael Crow introduced his list of 25 actions to support Black students, faculty and staff. School of Social Transformation deputy director and Associate Professor Lisa Anderson said this program aligns with those initiatives and helps push the university in a more inclusive direction. 

“This program can enhance student learning outcomes; it affirms race and advances multicultural solidarity; and more generally, it demonstrates ASU’s commitment to Black students and faculty, although everyone can benefit from taking a course in AAAS,” Anderson said. 

African and African American studies Professor Lisa Aubrey (right) and Maya Tatum

The curriculum is designed to introduce students to intersectional and transnational perspectives on the experience of African-descended people across time. Ward said courses in this degree explore the culture, art, histories and politics of communities across the African diaspora in the Americas, Caribbean, Europe and continental Africa.

Though the program has been available in person for a while, Ward said offering it online makes it available to an even more diverse demographic of students, and reflects the ongoing commitment of the School of Social Transformation to go beyond the president’s actions and offer everyday learning opportunities to students that motivate social change. 

“We are excited to offer our dynamic major to ASU Online undergraduate students, whose demographic diversity and life experience mirror that of many in the AAAS immersion program," Ward said. "Our curriculum provides the sociohistorical, political and cultural framework for understanding legacies of structural racism and intersectional anti-Black violence, and we offer the tools for students to activate social justice in their communities.”

Ersula J. Ore, Lincoln Professor of Ethics and School of Social Transformation associate professor of African and African American studies, notes that the degree amplifies studies across fields, especially with heightened support for the Black Lives Matter movement.  

“Whether it’s STEM, education, law or humanities, global citizens can neither move in the world nor be a force of impact upon it without a fundamental understanding of how Black culture, Black life, Black death and the Black body informs civil society,” Ore said. 

African and African American studies and women and gender studies Associate Professor Marlon Bailey said prospective students should explore the course list and see how each class uniquely explores the vast complexities of Black people and cultures outside of the U.S. The program has a diverse faculty whose studies include African diaspora history, gender and sexuality in Black cultures, critical race theories, Black feminisms and African American art.

There are many different routes to take with a degree like African and African American studies, but Bailey said the core of the curriculum is inspiring students to create positive change for the Black community. Bailey said the curriculum educates students on important aspects of Black history that can help support and inspire future activism. 

“To participate in social change, one must gain the necessary knowledge to be able to effect social change. Through AAAS, we want to train the next generation of leaders and movement-makers,” Bailey said. 

Amid new challenges posed by COVID-19, states struggled to increase their census self-response rates in 2020. 

Widely considered the most accurate method used in this once-in-a-decade population count, these rates stagnated nationwide around 67% and only reached 64% in Arizona, ranking 32nd nationally. In 2010, the census undercounted an estimated 16 million people nationwide. Assessing the 2020 census, the Urban Institute estimates up to about 100,000 Arizona residents might be missed. Photo by Enayet Raheem on Unsplash Download Full Image

This year census workers had about three months — as opposed to the usual five — to follow up with those who hadn’t already responded online, by phone or by mail. These counts are already less reliable than self-responses, as their accuracy depends upon a resident being home, in addition to being able to understand and willing to respond to the census worker’s questions.

And accuracy matters. Census counts are used to determine Congressional representation, draw local political districts and allocate more than $650 billion of federal funding each year. The Arizona Complete Count Committee estimates that every resident not counted represents an annual loss of $887 in federal funding for education, transportation and social services.

“Certain populations like renters, people of color, young children, rural and Indigenous communities are all typically undercounted,” said Patricia Solis, executive director of Arizona State University's Knowledge Exchange for Resilience. For these populations, an undercount can mean 10 years of underrepresentation and underfunded services.

Although Arizona as a whole exceeded its 2010 self-response rate, the rates varied widely among counties and census tracts.

The 2020 Census Response Rates for Arizona map, developed by the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience with support from Geospatial Research and Solutions and using a data feed from the U.S. Census Bureau, depicts self-response rates for each Arizona census tract. 

“We wanted to be able to track in real time what areas of Arizona were having good response rates and which weren’t so that it would enable us to work with community partners in particular areas to encourage their residents to complete the census,” said Lora Phillips, postdoctoral research scholar for the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience. 

The map includes layers depicting response rates from 2010 and 2020 and a layer highlighting which census tracts achieved a rate of 25% or less.

“Looking ahead, it’s going to really benefit us to have in 2030 two previous data points and be adding a third, so we can see trends in certain neighborhoods,” she added. 

“The next step is to start adding other data layers that might help explain the trends that we’re seeing,” said Shea Lemar, geographic information system senior project manager at ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning.

“Being able to compare these response rates over time will really help us make a plan and be more successful in completing the next census,” Phillips said.

Beyond the direct impact it has on Congressional representation and federal funding allocation, improving the accuracy of census counts influences planning and decision making in every sector.

In January, the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience hosted the 2020 Census Matters Symposium, gathering leaders from across the state and the country to discuss the local impact of the decennial census. Journalism professionals spoke to the data’s importance as a demographic baseline for fact-checking, while nonprofit leaders noted how it could be used to supplement grant proposals to address community needs.

In the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity, census counts are used to inform population estimates and projections.

“The base is the decennial census, so without the decennial census, there’s nothing we can do,” said Jim Chang, Arizona state demographer.

Researchers and academics, too, rely heavily on census data. “Having access to more accurate census data means that we as scientists are able to improve our understanding of the kinds of needs, shocks and stresses our communities are experiencing,” Solis said.

“Professionals of all fields utilize census data all the time to make the world better for their citizens,” Lemar said. “It is one of the most important data sources in the United States.”

To explore the 2020 Census Response Rates for Arizona map, visit asu.maps.arcgis.com.

Lisa Fernandez became interested in politics early. Her mom, Charlene Fernandez, is well known in the world of Arizona politics, having worked for Congressman Ed Pastor, former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and now serving as the Democratic leader of the Arizona House of Representatives. She said it was her upbringing that initially sparked her interest in politics, but her time at Arizona State University that motivated her to pursue a lifelong career in the field.

“I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I thought if I ended up teaching or if I went to law school, a political science degree would still work because it's so versatile. But then I found that it was a great program and I stuck with it because of the professors,” Fernandez said. “To me it really feels like it all started at ASU.” Lisa Fernandez, chief of staff for Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and ASU alumna, will be inducted to The College Leaders this fall. Download Full Image

Upon earning a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2009 from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Fernandez went straight into the campaign world. She spent a year in Washington, D.C., working as a staff assistant for her hometown congressman, Raúl Grijalva. She then moved up to the position of finance director, and eventually went on to serve as finance director for other organizations and campaigns including the Maricopa County Democratic Party, Arizona Democratic Party, Andrei Cherny for Congress and Cheri Bustos for Congress. 

She continued in politics for three years, working as campaign manager for Kate Gallego for City Council, as a campaign consultant for Ruben Gallego for Congress and as campaign manager for Greg Stanton for Mayor. In 2016 she briefly departed from politics, serving as the chief development officer of Educare Arizona. From September 2016 to March 2019 she served as the vice president of Resolute Consulting.

She made her return to politics in 2019, becoming the chief of staff for Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. Fernandez said her path has come full circle, serving on ASU’s Alumni Board and sitting in on the mayor’s quarterly meetings with ASU President Michael Crow.

“It's really interesting to engage with the president of the university, someone who I wouldn't have interacted with otherwise,” she said. “Getting to work with the university that helped bring me up is pretty unique and really exciting for me. ASU is all around us and involved in so many things. I've been really proud to see how the university has grown since I was there as a student.”

This fall, Fernandez will add The College Leaders to several other recognitions she’s received for her work over the years, including Arizona List’s Rising Star Award in 2015 and the American Association of Political Professionals 40 Under 40 in 2018.

She shared with ASU Now about her experiences at The College, challenges she's faced throughout her career and more.

Question: How did your program at ASU help prepare you for your career?

Answer: When I got into college, I assumed in political science you mostly just learn about campaigns. But you really get to see all aspects of the political process from doing campaigns and elections, to statistics, global politics, the origins of political systems and the history of it all. Although we're in a challenging and difficult time, there's always something that we can look back on that helps give us an idea of how we can move forward. So I do think there's a level of history and government background that helped prepare me for this. But really the experiences I had and the relationships I built at ASU gave me the outlet to get to know the candidates, volunteers and people who helped me elevate myself in the political world. 

Q: What is your favorite part about your chosen career path?

A: I think that most people who are in the role of chief of staff of a mayor of a large city like Phoenix have a very different background than I do. Some have 30 years of government experience, some have corporate backgrounds. Having campaigns as my background is very different. But understanding the politics and knowing how to engage and work with people, managing up, managing down and helping to work with the mayor, the city manager, the city council and our staff as well — it's a really unique job. I don't think there's another job like this in the city or in the state. It's so much fun and it's great, but I would say what's most exciting for me is being in this role and having a different background, being a native Arizonan and a Latina.

Q: Have you faced any challenges throughout your career? If so, how have you overcome them?

A: Being a young Mexican woman in the workplace can sometimes be challenging. I pride myself in being from rural Arizona, but sometimes being in the city of Phoenix with people who have been in Phoenix for generations can be challenging. I'm not always looked at as the same because I'm from Yuma. There have been times where I've been shut out of things, not listened to or ignored. There have been times where people have taken credit for my work or not given me proper credit for things. Throughout my career, I have absolutely been the only woman, the only minority and the youngest person in the room all at the same time. That's a challenge because you have to balance your experience, your perspective and your background that not only uniquely sets you up for that job, but gives you a perspective that you have to share with the room. But you have to be able to do it in a way where people are able to take your opinion, listen to it and use it. You just have to kind of roll with the punches, but overall, working hard and continuing to grow relationships and building people around you who are loyal to you is how you can continue to move up in whatever professional world you're in.

Q: What has been your biggest motivation to succeed professionally?

A: Knowing that everything we do here on a day-to-day basis helps improve the community is what drives me. It is the outside world that we want to change and we want to better our community. I also don't ever think about what's next in life or what's next in my career. I am really focused on what's right in front of me, and what's in front of me is trying to work with our team and the mayor to make Phoenix the best city it can be.

Q: What advice would you give to students in The College?

A: Really take the time to get to know your professors. Find the things you're passionate about and find outside work. Don't be afraid to volunteer your time. I've seen too many young people that were either in college with me or after who wouldn't take a position because it wasn't paid or wasn't exactly what they wanted or it wasn't glamorous. I did a lot of grunt work for a long, long, long time and am still not afraid to do it. If I have to jump on the phones here and talk with a constituent, I do it. And I know how to do that because I was kind of brought up on that. So the more work and time you put into doing the grunt work, the more it's going to pay off and you're going to have a better understanding of whatever it is you're doing.

A biomedical engineering student in Arizona, a designer in New York, a nonprofit professional in Canada and a high school student in Israel wouldn’t typically find themselves in the same place at the same time before 2020. But this year, at Arizona State University's Project Humanities’ seventh annual Hacks for Humanity event, diverse groups like this worked together virtually to create innovative tools to advance solutions to big social challenges.

From Oct. 9–11, 59 competitors of all ages and backgrounds logged on from 14 countries around the world: Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Peru, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Israel, India, Ghana, Canada, the United States, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. Within the U.S., competitors participated from six different states: Arizona, California, Indiana, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Texas. For the first time in its seven-year history, Arizona State University's Project Humanities' Hacks for Humanity event went virtual this year, attracting international participation from 14 countries around the world. Download Full Image

Although Project Humanities has always had an international vision, Neal Lester, professor of English at The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and director of Project Humanities, said the shift to virtual programming in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic allowed them to connect with global audiences like never before. On night one, participants were randomly assigned to teams, in contrast to typical hackathons, where teams are often preassembled. Among them were high school and college students, business professionals, graphic designers, humanists, computer programmers and developers. The formation of random teams is by design, with the intention of fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.

“With Hacks for Humanity we're interested in bringing people into new conversation and having them think differently when they leave our events,” Lester said. “When they come in, they know no one and nothing, and they don't get to choose their teams. But by the time they leave, sometimes they leave with friendships, they leave with some new ideas and they leave with a sense of accomplishment — look at what we've done together.”

Teams communicated primarily through Zoom and Slack, and were supported throughout the event by a multitude of mentors, volunteers and Project Humanities staff. The objective for the teams was to work together to create a product or tool that addressed an issue relating to one of three tracks; aging, safety or justice. In addition, products had to embody three of the seven principles in Project Humanities’ Humanity 101 movement — empathy, compassion, respect, integrity, forgiveness, kindness and self-reflection. 

Building a global community virtually

Mohit Doshi, a senior at ASU majoring in computer science and a third-time participant of the event, first attended Hacks for Humanity in 2017. The experience sparked his interest in hackathons; he’s since participated in more than 25 hackathons across Arizona and the U.S.

“For me, Hacks for Humanity really opened my eyes to hackathon culture,” Doshi said. “Seeing how people can ideate, develop, prototype and demo something in a span of 36 or 48 hours is always so amazing. Because of COVID-19, doing events like these is a good break from my routine and also a great way to meet people.”

The Project Humanities staff incorporated fun and engaging ways for participants to make connections around the world including an at-home scavenger hunt, a breakfast show-and-tell, a Bob Ross-inspired Microsoft Paint challenge, a game night, slideshow karaoke as well as other presentations from entrepreneurs and experts around the country.

Rachel Sondgeroth, Project Humanities program coordinator, was the main architect of the online experience, creating all of the technical blueprints and leading the IT team. Sondgeroth said she was not only pleasantly surprised by the high-level of international participation but also by the way individuals bonded in-spite of differing time zones.

“Initially, the Project Humanities team feared that hosting the event online would take away from the community-building aspect of the event,” she said. “Luckily, we were proven wrong. We saw that the teams actually found a way to bond with one another as they worked through their projects. The small events and activities helped build an overall sense of community and by the end, we felt like a little family. I am glad we were able to preserve that aspect.” 

Diverse teams creating innovative solutions

On the final night of the event, a panel of judges selected seven out of 11 teams to present five-minute live pitches to share their product or concept. 

In first place was Whole Heart, an app that seeks to empower potential domestic abuse victims and identify if their relationship is abusive, connect them to services, provide ongoing support and give them the ability to record incidents of abuse in a digital journal. The app was created with safe and secure access in mind, with built-in “camouflaging” features including the ability to change the app icon to make it appear as a yoga or cooking app.

The winning team consisted of four members; Juliet Addo, an ASU graduate student studying biomedical engineering in Arizona; Lauren Dukes, a user experience/interface designer based out of New York; Shitangshu Roy, a nonprofit professional based out of Canada; and Noam Zaks, a high school student from Israel.

“We started out with lots of projects under each topic. Eventually we ended up agreeing to focus on domestic violence because we recognized that there had been an increase in domestic violence since quarantine began,” Addo said. “It’s something that is going to gradually increase if nothing is done about it. So we were drawn to that because we’re passionate about it and we all believe everyone should have a safe space where they can thrive.”

Although the team is unsure of what the future holds for Whole Heart, they said they ultimately left the experience with new friendships as well as a deeper appreciation for cross-discipline collaboration with a diverse group of individuals.

“I really do think that there is power in focusing on diversity in problem-solving and in conversations around issues that relate to all of us,” Dukes said. “Everyone is affected by aging, safety and justice. I love that Project Humanities is trying to bring in as many people as possible to come up with the best solutions possible. The event isn't necessarily focused on coming up with the coolest technology, instead it’s about coming up with the best solution to an existing problem.”

Runner-ups included: Night Light, an app where users can stay safe by tracking and reporting their whereabouts to friends and family; Elder Aid, an app for older adults to easily find and access resources and benefits; and Good Neighbors, an app that facilitates volunteer food delivery services for people in vulnerable communities such as older adults and immunocompromised people.

Winning participants were awarded $10,000 in cash prizes through the support of sponsors including State Farm, Silicon Valley Bank, Come Rain or Shine Foundation, Amazon Tempe, ASU Smart City Cloud Innovation Center, ASU J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute, and Celtic Property Management.

Finding strength, resiliency and connection in difficult times

Lexie Gilbert, a PhD student at ASU studying linguistics and applied linguistics and a graduate teaching associate for ASU’s writing programs, served as one of the judges for the event. Gilbert said she feels events like these not only help bridge the gap between the humanities and technical fields like computer science, but they also highlight new ways to communicate.

“People from all over the world were able to attend the hackathon and meet and work with others. What a mental, physical, emotional, communicative exercise — to be put into groups with people from all over the world with the goal to create some meaningful product,” Gilbert said. “There are new ways of being in the world together, and that’s kind of exciting. Like many other events happening right now, Hacks for Humanity reminds us of all the ways we’re isolated from other people, but also the warmth, resilience and connection we’re still capable of.”

Although pulling off the event was no small task, Shana Tobkin, Project Humanities coordinator, said it showed the Project Humanities team the power of virtual human connection.  

“I learned that despite not being able to interact face-to-face, people can still connect with each other in meaningful ways,” Tobkin said. “While this year has been challenging for everyone, particularly with the increase in isolation, this event demonstrated that we can still form meaningful relationships and create things together that benefit the social good.” 

Looking toward the future, the Project Humanities team said they hope to offer a hybrid form of Hacks for Humanity in 2021, given the high-level of international interest at this year's event.

Daniel Brouwer, associate professor of rhetorical studies at Arizona State University's Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, was awarded the 2020 Rhetorical and Communication Theory Division Faculty Mentor Award from the National Communication Association. 

Given annually, the award publicly recognizes “the considerable time and energy that particular teachers and scholars may devote to helping others succeed in our profession.” Associate Professor Daniel Brouwer Download Full Image

Brouwer was nominated by a number of ASU alumni who are his former advisees. Leading the effort was Shuzhen Huang, an assistant professor in communication studies at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania.

“Dr. Brouwer has a reputation for promoting diversity by serving students on the margins," Huang said. "He has shown sustained effort and care to help me and other young scholars succeed in our professional careers, especially in the case of historically underrepresented groups. He has also shown his ability to make students feel seen, recognized and affirmed. Like many of his advisees, my scholarly path is greatly impacted by Dr. Brouwer, who has served as an influential role model that I aspire to be.” 

Roberta Chevrette, assistant professor at Middle Tennessee State University, also wrote a letter for support of Brouwer and said his mentorship “helped me find clarity and confidence in my own scholarly expression.” 

“Not only has Dan long mentored LGBT+ students and faculty through his teaching, scholarship and service, but he has also been instrumental in promoting visibility and inclusion within the discipline at large through his long run as one of the founders and co-organizers of NCA’s Queer No Host."  

Chevrette added, “I always laugh when I think back to the first paper I got back in theory class, which had extraneous commas scratched out throughout. In one place, a comma appeared to have been scratched out so vigorously that the essay had a hole in it, next to which appeared the written explanation: 'no comma.' Although this moment does not in itself illustrate the actual substance, depth and time that Dan invests in scholarly mentoring, it does bring a smile to my face thinking of the attention to detail and subtle humor that he brings to the task of helping students learn to express themselves more clearly. Such work extends far beyond the classroom into his close, careful work with his advisees as well as the numerous other graduate and undergraduate students on whose committees he has served." 

Michael Tristano Jr., an assistant professor at Towson State University, said that Brouwer has been attentive to the mental and emotional well-being of his advisees to remind them that they were cared for. 

“As a mentor, Dan is a patient listener," he said. "He is very sensitive to power dynamics, offering help and support in a way that people feel comfortable. For instance, the comments he provided for students’ works are always in a conversational style without implying the common professor-student hierarchy, although such a friendly style usually means more work for him.” 

Paul Mongeau, professor and interim director of the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, commented that, “Dan is an extremely fitting awardee. The amount of time that he spends working with students is simply extraordinary. He sets a very high bar toward which the rest of us strive.”

Brouwer’s award will be presented virtually on Nov. 21 at the NCA 106th annual convention.