First-Generation Scholar's Journey in Anthropology and Advocacy: Bianca Eguino Uribe, ‘24

Bianca Eguino Uribe, who is graduating with a double major in anthropology and art history, is the recipient of the spring 2024 SBS Student Success Award, which is given to a graduating senior who is a first-generation college student. 

A native Tucsonan, Bianca’s passion is sociocultural anthropology, and she has a deep interest in focusing on social inequalities and the narratives of Indigenous and marginalized communities in the United States. This concern is rooted partly in her own experiences as a first-generation U.S. citizen and university student, as well as her involvement in field research. 

"I'm so grateful for the opportunities I've been granted and for the people I've had the chance to meet,” said Bianca. “I loved my time at the University of Arizona and I couldn't have wished for a better experience at the School of Anthropology."

Janelle Lamoreaux, associate director of the School of Anthropology, had Bianca in an upper-division course, where her excellent work earned her an invitation to join an inaugural cohort of students in Lamoreaux’s Collaborative Anthropology of Reproduction and the Environment (CARE) Lab. 

“The quality and quantity of applied social science research Bianca has been engaged in are remarkable for an undergraduate,” said Lamoreaux.
 
A native speaker of both Jaliscan and Sinaloan Spanish dialects, Bianca provided Spanish translation materials and language research in the lab. In addition to her CARE work, during her senior year, Bianca also worked as a research assistant to Professor Richard Stoffle in the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology (BARA). 

Bianca’s enthusiasm for her studies is also reflected in an impressive list of conferences where she has presented or spoken, and in awards she has garnered during her time at the University of Arizona. In 2023 alone, Bianca was awarded the Undergraduate Research Scholarship, Anthropology Undergraduate Scholarship, and a William Shirley Fulton Scholarship — to name just a few.

In addition to her many academic responsibilities, Bianca has maintained an off-campus job at Whole Foods, where she has worked since 2022. 

“Bianca has worked diligently to be successful at the University of Arizona, both in coursework and through labor outside of the University which has supported her studies,” said Lamoreaux. “I am ever impressed with her ability to juggle academic, financial, and familial responsibilities all while maintaining a strong academic record, a generous and positive frame of mind, and a constant curiosity about any subject or project to which she is introduced.”

Moving forward, the combination of lived experience and a strong academic foundation will serve Bianca well. 

"I came into the University with a completely different image of my future,” said Bianca. “Today, I find myself interacting with the communities around me like I never had before, and as a first-generation student, I look forward to encouraging the same."

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