Spirit of Service Scholars -2015-2016 Cohort

Enrique Bojórquez is a senior pursuing an Undergraduate degree in Urban Planning at the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning. Originally from Tijuana, Mexico, Enrique immigrated to the U.S. in 2001. As a student and community member, Enrique is involved with the Arizona Hispanic Community Forum, where he recently participated in the 2015 Latino Education Policy Agenda. Enrique’s interests include community development and neighborhood rehabilitation, sustainable and mixed housing for low-income families, environmental protection and transportation systems. One day, Enrique aspires to become a Lead Planner in a local municipality and later serve as a City Manager.

Samantha is a 1st year PhD student with the College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation, and 2nd year MBA student with the W.P. Carey School of Business. Combining these two degrees she is studying Healthcare Innovation with an emphasis on Healthcare Organizations and Leadership. She holds a previous Masters in Healthcare Innovation from Arizona State University and a Bachelors in Health Sciences from the University of Minnesota. She is originally from Raymond, Minnesota, a small town of only 803. However, she has lived in several places including her favorite, Guatemala. As a student, Samantha is a Project Coordinator for Mayo Clinic-ASU Obesity Solutions and is involved in the Graduate Women’s Association, the Junior League of Phoenix, the Obesity Society, and is a campus advisor for Partners in Empowerment. In her free time she volunteers with Streetlight USA, trains for half marathons, and reads at least seven books at once. With her PhD and MBA she is hoping to bridge the gap that often exists between academia and practice. Specifically, she would like to work with victims of human trafficking and sexual abuse to establish better policy and implementation methods for rehabilitation. She is also interested in working in community health to work on disparities and inequalities related to food and education.

Meera Doshi, originally from Summit, New Jersey, is a junior studying biomedical engineering. On campus, Meera is involved in Obesity Solutions, Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative, Flying Samaritans, GlobeMed, and Partners in Empowerment. Her project providing health education to at-risk youth won the 2015 Obesity Solutions Changemaker Challenge Grant and the Clinton Global Change Grant. She is a Spanish interpreter at Wesley Community Health Center, a leader of the Refugee Women’s Community Health Advisory Coalition’s Political Advocacy Taskforce, and an intern at SparkOpen Research. She is interested in women’s empowerment, underserved populations, and health, and hopes serve as a leader to help equalize access to, and quality of, health care.

Ernest Nkansah-Dwamena is a Ph.D. student in ASU’s Center for Biology and Society, and is writing his dissertation in the field of Ecology, Economics and Ethics of the Environment. Originally from Ghana, he immigrated to the U.S. in 2009 to pursue a Master of Science in Sustainable Development from New York’s City College. Ernest is interested in environmental policy, natural resources management, and social justice. He studies how foreign investment in agricultural land of Sub-Saharan Africa shapes local livelihoods, food and water security especially in Tanzania. As a graduate student, Ernest has been active with the ASU’s Newman Center collecting and donating food to homeless shelters and, teaching English in refugee communities in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Ernest plans to return to Ghana to promote sustainable development, addressing the growing environmental and economic challenges. He believes public service is vital to national development from his experience as a youth advocate and knows the power of mentorship and leadership.

Tessa Otero is a transfer student from Phoenix College majoring in Public Service and Public Policy with a Creative City Certificate. She is a fourth generation Phoenician and a graduate of the Aguila Youth Leadership Institute program. She is also a graduate of the National Hispania Leadership Institute and the Maricopa Community College District Student Public Policy Forum (SPPF) programs. Tessa is a TRIO student at the ASU Downtown campus and interned at their office and at Maricopa County Human Resources through the MCLEAPS program. As a student, Tessa is Treasurer for TRIO Devils and Vice President for her sorority, Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc.

Nirali Patel is a first-year graduate student pursuing an M.S. in the Science of Health Care Delivery in the College of Health Solutions. She is originally from Scottsdale, Arizona. As an undergraduate, Nirali spent her time outside of the classroom as President of the Global Health Student Association and Vice President of Woman as Hero, an organization that seeks to empower women and girls in the university, community, and world. She was recently named a Magellan Scholar and circumnavigated the globe while conducting research on refugee education and health initiatives. Nirali seeks to combine her passion for women's empowerment and international work with a career in medicine and health care delivery.

Robert Ramos, a native Arizonan from Gilbert, AZ, is a second-year double master's student in social work and public administration at Arizona State University, College of Public Service and Community Solutions. Robert's professional and academic interests include education equality, child welfare, factors surrounding homelessness, and community enrichment and engagement. Robert was recently apart of Gilbert Leadership, has previously been employed with Gilbert Public Schools, Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development, the City of Phoenix, and interned with the Department of Child Safety and Pioneer Elementary School. Robert has a passion for youth of all ages with diverse backgrounds. Robert's ambition is to apply his degree and the knowledge he gains toward leadership to create programs that present opportunities for youth to develop and grow to their fullest potential.

Timothy Reed is a second-year Masters student completing a concurrent program in Social Work and Public Administration in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions. He is originally from Tucson but has lived in Phoenix most of his life. As a student, Timothy is a Graduate research Assistant at the Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center (SIRC) and a Quality Assurance Specialist at Sojourner Center, a domestic violence shelter. He is a Member of the National Association for Social Workers (NASW) and the Phi Alpha Honor Society. Timothy is passionate about public health, primarily focusing on poverty alleviation and domestic violence prevention.

Lena Sarsour is an undergraduate senior studying Speech and Hearing Science, Family and Human Development and Justice Studies. A social innovator and activator of change, Lena is passionate about fighting for equality in education, community development and women’s issues at a global scale and plans to become a Speech-Language Pathologist who helps marginalized populations find 

Andrew Delezon Sypher is a transfer student from Mesa Community College where he was recently recognized as an All-Arizona and All-USA Academic Scholar. He is currently a junior studying political science in the School of Politics and Global Studies and public policy and public service in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions. He was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, spent two years abroad in São Paulo, Brazil and has been in the Phoenix valley since 2013. As a student, Andrew has been actively serving and interning for state political campaigns and community grass-root organizations. He is presently participating as a Fellow—emerging community leaders motivated to advance social justice—in the Leading for Change Fellowship. He is interested in educational reform, higher education accessibility, public advocacy and plans to pursue a career working in higher education administration and elected politics.

Kyra Trent is a 4th year undergraduate student at ASU’s West Campus studying at New College of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences. Originally from Newark, Delaware, she has lived in the valley for six years. During her time in Arizona she has been an active art teacher and volunteer including teaching classes at foster homes, and donating murals to underserved areas. Most recently, she took a personal interest in connecting her love for the arts and service learning by launching the grant funded program, “Murals All Ova”. Her mission is to work with youth across the valley to create public displays of art that will engage and enrich communities. She hopes to continue advocating for art programs by becoming a public art director and sitting on the boards of community and art engagement organizations.