Student & Alumni Spotlights

Alumnus and Semillas del Pueblo Outreach Coordinator Jesus Jaime-Diaz (seen at Tucson's El Tiradito Wishing Shrine above) is the co-author of a chapter, A Guide for Deconstructing Social Reproduction: Pedagogical Conocimientos within the Context of Teacher Preparation, in the new book, Teacher Education in the 21st Century — Emerging Skills for a Changing World. His co-author is University of Texas at San Antonio Professor Emerita Josie Méndez-Negrete. She was Jaime-Diaz’ doctoral advisor when he began his doctoral studies journey, which he completed at the University of Arizona in 2018.

Aubrey Neihaus was awarded the 2021 Distinguished Dissertation Award from the Kansas Association of Teacher Educators.

From time to time, we like to tell you about one of our favorite alumni, Ernie McCray, who was a teacher and principal for 37 years. He made connections with children with serious emotional issues and impacted countless young lives. He received a bachelor's in education in 1960 and a master's in elementary education in 1962 from our college.

McCray also played basketball for the Wildcats from 1957-1960 where he averaged 17.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in his collegiate career. The unanimous First Team All-Border Conference selection in 1960 also became the first African American men’s basketball player to graduate from the University of Arizona, an accomplishment that McCray does not at all take lightly. 

And then there's the record. McCray, the second African American student to play basketball at the UA, set the school's single-game scoring record with 46 points in a 104-84 win over Cal State-Los Angeles on Feb. 6, 1960. The record stands today. 

McCray grew up in Tucson and attended Dunbar School, the first and only segregated school in Tucson, which was established in 1912. The school was completed in January 1918 and named after Paul Lawrence Dunbar, a renowned African American poet. African American children in first through ninth grades attended Dunbar until 1951, when de-jure segregation was eliminated from the school systems of Arizona. 

Last month, McCray was inducted into the Ring of Honor at halftime of the Arizona game against Washington and now his jersey hangs from the rafters of McKale Center. He was inducted into the UA Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.

Now 82 and retired from his career as a teacher and principal in San Diego that included work with the San Diego Youth Services Board of Directors and the Juvenile Justice Commission, McCray says that being added to the UA’s Ring of Honor “is the honor of a lifetime for me.”

Read these stories about McCray’s induction in the Arizona Daily Star and the Daily Wildcat.

And please join us in congratulating this Tucson treasure!

Name: Samantha Thomas
Expected graduation: May 2022
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Sport: Women's Basketball

You were just named the Women’s Basketball Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. How do you balance your commitments as both a student and an athlete?
I am thankful enough to have a wonderful support system in C.A.T.S Academics. They offer tutoring, study halls, and academic counselors. I am able to focus on my schoolwork and get it done early. That way, when it comes to game time, I can focus on the task at hand.

What is your favorite part about being an Arizona Wildcat?
My favorite part about being an Arizona Wildcat is being surrounded by the Tucson community. The fans here are dedicated and make us feel like one big family.

What made you want to pursue a master’s degree in educational leadership?
I want to be a coach one day and help inspire young girls to pursue their basketball dreams.

What advice do you have for students just getting started in college?
College is only as hard as you make it. If you stay on top of your schoolwork and work hard, you will succeed in college.

What are your post-graduation plans as of now?
I plan on playing basketball as long as possible. After basketball, I hope to one day work for Nike since the company has been a big part of my life.

Laurie Sheldon: I’ve lived in Tucson for 33 years, and when I decided to make a career change (leaving the practice of accounting and to consider becoming a researcher and an educator), the University of Arizona, as a research 1 university, seemed like the natural choice. The stance that the TLS department takes around equity and social justice has really helped me refine my interrogation of data from this perspective. Adopting this stance has helped me recognize the many ways that data is subjective and that the people who know how to work with and analyze data have power. In my role as Data Science Ambassador, I’ll be holding workshops for the students, staff, and faculty within the college. We are devising a survey to determine these needs and will then design workshops around them. I’ll also be holding drop-in office hours to work on specific issues around data.

I am passionate about teaching; I love working with the students, seeing and experiencing their meaning making processes informs my research, so I envision myself in this role. Follow your passion. Graduate school is hard work, but when you are doing what you love it doesn’t seem that difficult.

Name: Sujey Benavides
Major: Literacy, Learning & Leadership
Minor: Spanish
Expected graduation: May 2021
Hometown: Arlington, Texas

What led you to the University of Arizona College of Education?

My husband enlisted in the Air Force while I was in community college. We received orders to Davis Monthan Air Force Base just in time for me to transfer to the University of Arizona for the fall 2019 semester. Now we are both proud Wildcats!

What have you learned in the College of Education that's made a difference to you?

Every professor, advisor, director, etc. that I have been able to interact with has been extremely kind and more than willing to help. When meeting, they always remember me by name and recall thoughts from our previous conversations. That support has been both comforting and motivating! Wherever I go after graduation, I will be sure to prioritize interpersonal relationship skills because the college showed me firsthand how meaningful that can be for students.

Tell us about something you're involved with in the College of Education and how it has impacted your life.

I love serving as a College of Education Student Ambassador. I remember how intimidating the transition to college was for me and I love having the opportunity to speak with incoming students.

Do you have any advice for students just getting started in college?

Love feedback. Welcome feedback. Ask for feedback! You can learn something from every person and every situation you are around. One of my favorite sayings of all time is, “Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.” Grow from every experience you have so you are prepared when that opportunity comes around.

Amy Spotted Wolf, an elementary education student through the Indigenous Teacher Education Project and a newly named Erasmus Circle Scholar (more on that below), was crowned the 59th Miss Indian Arizona!

During her year of reign as Miss Indian Arizona, her platform is to embrace change to strengthen and learn from the connections of the Indigenous People of Arizona.

Somehow, she also finds the time to work at the UA Thrive Center as a peer mentor for first-year Indigenous students and serves as the Baboquivari District representative and secretary of the Tohono O'odham Nation Youth Council.

Recent literacy, learning & leadership grad Stephanie Choi '17 is the sustainability coordinator at Smith College in the Center for the Environment, Ecological Design, and Sustainability. She works on student programming, including the Eco-Reps program, and supports student clubs and organizations, as well as individual students interested in sustainability.

Doctoral student and Online Learning Consortium Chief Academic Officer and Vice President of Learning Angela Gunder was part of a group that published Delivering High-quality Instruction Online in Response to COVID-19, especially targeted to the needs of instructors teaching online for the first time.

As a result, she has been tapped by the Chronicle of Higher Education for this story and a second one plus this story in Inside Higher Ed about remote instruction during COVID-19.

Native Tucsonan and two-time graduate Lane Santa Cruz ’11 ’16 was elected to the Tucson City Council for Ward One. Before taking office, she spent 12 years working on problems related to sexual and gender violence, food justice, and migrant rights. 

In high school, Shyla Dogan’s homework wasn’t always done because she dealt with recurring homelessness. Her counselor told her not to enroll in an SAT prep class because she would take up the space of someone who would actually go to college. Today, she holds a doctorate from our educational leadership program. Talk about perseverance! Read this article about her journey of ups and downs on her way to earning a doctorate.

We recently heard from Jason Smith ’94, who writes, “I am a proud graduate of the UofA College of Education. I love the UofA, and I wanted to reach out and personally thank the College of Education for all they gave me in my youth.”

And we’re proud of Jason Smith, who was awarded the Washington State High School Principal of The Year and the Josten’s Renaissance National Educator of The Year!