SBS Students Receive Robie Gold Medal Award
SBS students Francy D. Luna Diaz and Bryn Deana Sharp received the Robie Gold Medal Award from the UA Dean of Students.
2019 Outstanding Senior Award Recipients:
Francy D. Luna Diaz
Francy D. Luna Diaz will graduate summa cum laude with a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelors of Arts in Law. Francy was born in Colombia and moved to the United States at the age of nineteen.
Francy began her higher education career at Pima Community College and transferred to the University of Arizona in 2016. Following her freshman year, Francy became an active volunteer serving various organizations both within the University and the Tucson community. Francy served as a student ambassador for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and a Honors College peer mentor. She was president of the Honors Club at Pima Community College, and is a member of the Honors College at UA, and is a member of the Tau Sigma National Honors Society.
In 2017, Francy had the opportunity to participate in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Consortium program and work under the mentorship of Professor Samara Klar, which led her to envision herself in academia and research. Francy wrote a paper that she will soon submit for publication, titled “The Influence of Minorities in Government on the Political Engagement of Latina Women.”
In the spring of 2018, Francy was selected to be a Supreme Court of Arizona legislative intern - an honor granted once a year to two students statewide.This internship further increased her interest in women in politics as a research subject. During her junior and senior years, Francy worked as a research assistant for two political science faculty members, where she continued to explore her research interests and define her career plans.
Currently, Francy is working with Professor Suzanne Dovi as the co-author of a project titled “Women ‘Doing’ the Judiciary,” where they explore the contradictory definitions of justice and the conflicting demands placed on women within and outside the justice system.
After graduation, Francy plans to continue her education at the University of Michigan, where she will obtain a PhD in political science.
Bryn Sharp
Bryn Deana Sharp, originally from Boulder, Colorado, will graduate summa cum laude from the Honors College with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Latin American Studies, and a minor in Portuguese. Throughout her undergraduate studies, Bryn has enthusiastically engaged in discovery, learning and community leadership and support. Bryn is committed to facilitating the success of others through equitable education and the provision of opportunity.
As a 2017 study abroad student at the Universidad Adolfo Ibañez in Chile, Bryn volunteered with Valpo Surf Project, a community engagement program for urban youth, and as a teaching assistant at a local middle school. After returning to the United States, Bryn participated in the Honors College Alternative Spring Break to experientially learn about local Native American culture and tradition, and interned at Adelante Mujeres, Oregon, a nonprofit aimed at empowering Latina women and children. During her senior year, Bryn served as a UA Global ambassador and an Honors College PATH mentor, and volunteered at the Center for English as a Second Language and Pima Community College as a Citizenship Instructor and adult education TA. Additionally, Bryn interned at the International School of Tucson as a TA in a Spanish classroom. Bryn is an outdoor enthusiast, an active participant in Tucson’s climbing community, and seeks to inspire social and environmental stewardship through her photography.
Bryn has engaged in various on-campus research opportunities, including her role as a Spanish data research assistant for the School of Government and Public Policy. In 2018 Bryn received the José Promis Study Abroad Award from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. In addition, Bryn has been employed at the Park Student Union for most of her undergraduate career.
After graduation, Bryn plans to continue serving the Tucson community through volunteer work aimed at providing equitable education and opportunity. In 2020, Bryn will travel to Uruguay on a Fulbright scholarship in their English Teaching Assistant program. Following her return, Bryn plans to pursue a post-baccalaureate degree.
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Story from UA Dean of Students website.
Additional information on Francy D. Luna Diaz and Bryn Deana Sharp.