Peer Leader Blends Journalism, Outdoors, and Fine Art: Giorgia Menetre, '23

Giorgia Menetre, who is graduating with a double major in journalism and dance, and a minor in public relations, is the recipient of the fall 2023 SBS Excellence in Leadership and Community Engagement Award, which recognizes a graduating senior who has demonstrated exemplary leadership skills through their involvement on and off campus and their impact on the lives of others.

“Giorgia is a motivated and diligent self-starter with an eye for detail. She is also an extraordinarily hard worker and a powerful storyteller. Perhaps most importantly, she has shown complete dedication to her community through a remarkable undergraduate record of service and citizenship,” wrote School of Journalism Associate Director Pate McMichael and adjunct instructor Shannon Conner, who nominated her for the award.

Giorgia has a natural capacity for empathy and for putting those she talks to at ease. This served her working on campus as a digital storyteller in the College of Fine Arts and as the former marketing chair for the Arizona Ambassadors. As a student journalist with an easygoing demeanor, she connected with diverse audiences and published stories in The Daily Wildcat and the Arizona Daily Star. Additionally, the School of Journalism has nominated her work for numerous awards. Off-campus, she has gained extensive professional experience in contract, freelance, and internship roles with companies such as SKI Magazine, National Park Trips, and Teton Gravity Research, respectively.

Throughout her time at the University of Arizona, Giorgia has continued to foster her love for the outdoors as a recreational athlete – mountain biking, skiing, hiking, and fishing in her free time. As an artist, she has continued to blend the lines of her two passions, writing and dance, through interdisciplinary projects, such as her collaboration with Professor Liz George, for whom Giorgia wrote and recorded a spoken-word audio track to accompany a “Dance and the Senses” performance that premiered at the Center for Creative Photography earlier this year.

“As a Wildcat, I have learned the power of interdisciplinary exploration, both in the classroom and beyond. I have had the opportunity to invest my time in meaningful projects that have allowed me to write about the outdoor communities I identify with, such as my bike-related stories in the Daily Star, but also intentionally blend the mediums of journalism and dance with projects like the one at the CCP.”

Giorgia’s excellence extends to her academics — even beyond making the dean’s list for consecutive semesters — which she executes with self-confidence, wisdom, and wit.

“We have had the pleasure of Giorgia’s participation, leadership, positivity, and contributions in classes over a couple of years. In each, she is engaged, curious, and leads discussions in the news of the day or gives us a self-deprecating story about skiing or her Italian family to get us all laughing,” wrote Conner. “She challenges herself each week. When she mastered the formula for writing sports-feature stories, she asked her editor for a new challenge and came up with ideas for how to tackle it. She made incisive points, helped spark discussion, and in small-group work, provoked her classmates to think about issues from a different vantage point and to go beneath the surface of their reporting. In doing so, she not only established herself as a distinctive voice, but she displayed a rare level of insight and enthusiasm that elevated her classmates as well.”

Giorgia’s passion for outdoor recreation is guiding her next steps. After graduation, she plans to work at the intersection of digital marketing and public relations.

“Upon graduation, I plan to pursue a career in digital marketing in the outdoor recreation industry. As of now, I have also accepted a position as a social media contractor, continuing my role in the communications department of the College of Fine Arts for the spring. I am excited to further invest my time in Arizona Arts, as I look forward to what the future has to hold.”

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