News

By Lisa Burris for United Way: The woman behind the Legacy Projects has been leaving quite a legacy of her own, not just with United Way or Southern Arizona, but with early education as a whole here in the United States. Naomi Karp is a pillar here at United Way. Known for her lifetime of experience, extensive knowledge, huge heart and quick wit, Naomi is our Senior Director of Early Childhood Professional Development. She was born and raised...

Mount Lemmon Sky Center was busy this June hosting middle and high school students kicking off an exciting new initiative called Project POEM (Project-Based Learning Opportunities and Exploration of Mentorship for Students with Visual Impairments in STEM). This million-dollar project funded by NSF provides hands-on learning over 14 months to VI students and fosters mentor/mentee relationships with UA students majoring in STEM areas. While...

We know skilled teachers leave lasting impressions on their students, and for Jennifer Chee, her students did the same in turn for her- right on the fabric of her dress. Jennifer Chee, who was named 2018 Outstanding Student Teacher in Early Childhood, created unique, wearable art with the students she taught as a student-teacher at Gale Elementary and at Gentle Hands Center for Children. The early childhood program director,...

We are each affected by water supply issues. Scientists use immense datasets to develop computational models to explain what is happening and to develop solutions. To address these problems, the general public needs a level of environmental science literacy. This video on CompHydro is a submisstion to an annual video showcase, funded by NSF to improve STEM learning and...

DPS Professor Shirin Antia was the keynote speaker at the college's convocation ceremony. The speech was so well received that many have requested a copy, which you can download here.

Photo by John de Dios.

Monique Perez, a Literacy, Learning, and Leadership alumna, was selected to intern as a project assistant for the Library of Congress. Working at the largest library in the world was a dream job for Perez, who by the age of 8 had decided she wanted to become a career librarian.

The internship was an opportunity through a program with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. She is now pursuing a master’s in Library...

Undergraduate Sarah Azhar earned a selective summer internship at NASA to work in their Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California. The Jet Propulsion Lab is the leading center of robotic exploration of the solar system. Azhar will be creating online training and education modules for lab staff. She will graduate with her Bachelor of Science in Literacy, Learning & Leadership in May. It goes to show the many directions that education can...

From UA News: Leah Durán grew up hearing her grandparents speak Spanish, but it wasn't until she became fluent in the language and started her teaching career that she found her passion for bilingual education. Today, that passion has led to her appointment as the 2018 Richard Ruiz Scholar/Artist in Residence.

"When I realized I wanted to be a teacher, because I spoke Spanish, someone suggested to me that I should be a bilingual...

Dean Bruce Johnson welcomed tribal community members in late March, to discuss ways of sustaining language and culture, and ensure meaningful relationships between the college and tribal nations. Highlighted were ways in which the Indigenous Teacher Education Project, the American Indian Language Development Institute, and our elementary education program...

Local alumni had a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the African elephants of Reid Park Zoo in February. Gudrun Godare and Randall Smith, pictured here, were two of many who attended the event. Alumni and college faculty and staff enjoyed socializing and learning about the elephants from Sue Tygielski (UA Class of ‘94 and ’05). Did you know, for instance, that many elephant calls are too low for human hearing ability? We loved getting the...