Outstanding graduates exemplify commitment to solutions
Five fall 2016 graduates from the College of Public Service and Community Solutions illustrate a common commitment to public goods -- and a passion to make our communities stronger and more resilient.
“Being a female Native American college graduate is a small percentage of all graduates. Knowing this, I hope to become a good representation and do the most with my education. I want to innovate, create change and find solutions.”
For Miranda Poocha, a first-generation college student, education has always played an important role. She is graduating with a bachelor’s in tourism development and management, and has been a consistent champion for change. She says that she doesn’t see this as just a milestone, but being given the responsibility of becoming an ambassador for her family, tribe and race, especially the Tohono Oodham tribe, which had provided her the financial opportunity to achieve this accomplishment. In 2015, her father and biggest champion for her education, passed away and she almost dropped out. She pushed forward knowing that he would want her to finish, and would be proud to see this moment.
Throughout her time at ASU, she has been working to inform herself about tribal issues. In an environmental communications class, she researched the scarcity and importance of water to many tribes. Growing up, her family did not always have running water, nor electricity so she knows first-hand the importance of building sustainable systems. In a cultural professionalism class, she developed a hypothetical nonprofit scholarship program to bring for-profit entrepreneurs to the Hopi reservation. She volunteered at Native American Connections. Through an internship at Desert Botanical Garden, she has started a pitch to create a tribal relations program to be able to partner with local tribes based in the desert. She says that is her ultimate career goal: to help bring awareness and inclusiveness by creating partnerships with various tribes through the tourism industry.
“I am well on my way to learning about how we might as a society and within the criminology field implement innovative means to address the unique problems of recidivism and offender reintegration.”
Wesley Thomas Smith is graduating with a bachelor’s and is part of the 4+1 program, so he will continue with ASU for another year. He is an Army veteran and still serves as part of the Army National Guard. He also serves on the board of Arizona Search Track and Rescue, a nonprofit search and rescue organization. He says that both being out of school for six years with the military, and often late-night calls for search operations have proven challenging at times, but were choices he made to serve his community while he pursues his education. He credits support from family – and CCJ faculty – in helping him persevere. In particular, he noted the encouragement and mentorship from professor Kevin Wright. Smith was part of the Inside-Out program and helped create rehabilitative programming for those who are incarcerated, which also served to recognize and empower victims in the post-judicial context. He has been accepted as Wright’s research assistant on a Bureau of Justice Assistant and Arizona Department of Corrections funded project to evaluate recidivism reduction within Arizona Department of Corrections known as the Second Chance Recidivism Grant. He hopes to make a difference at the intersection of correctional programs and policies specifically, to identify and implement more effective treatment options for offenders. He plans to continue at ASU, ultimately pursuing a Ph.D.
“I believe we can best address today’s social problems by having equal representation of gender and racial backgrounds in decision- and policymaking processes. I hope to be a voice for all women because when women have greater opportunities to succeed, everyone benefits.”
Emily Barney has always strived to be a leader, with a goal of creating an environment of equality and stronger educational opportunities. She is graduating in public service and public policy with a concentration in criminology, a minor in political science and two certificates in women and gender studies and leadership and ethics. She is in Barrett, The Honors College. She is in also currently pursuing an MPA and will graduate in December 2017. She says her passion lies in gender equality and women’s rights. Throughout her ASU experience, she has sought out opportunities to put that passion to work. As part of the Harvard IOP program, she collaborated with students from other universities on awareness and prevention programs related to sexual assault. She participated in the Young People For Fellowship identifying a social issue – campus sexual assault – to develop a Blueprint for Change that would be implemented through her honors thesis. She studied in London for a semester to learn more about international politics and issues affecting women around the world, particularly in third world countries. As a student, she also served as an intern for Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema, for the ASU Foundation, and the Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Department, and was a fellow for the Andrew Goodman Foundation. She hopes to work in government to help address societal issues in our state and the nation at large.
“I believe it is a fundamental human right to have access to accurate and comprehensive sexual health information, and the further I educate myself in this profession, the better I can help educate my community.”
Suzanne Jeanine Niezgodzki is a 42-year old single mother who is most proud of her teenage son, Zane, and her bachelor’s degree in social work with a minor in criminal justice. She grew up expecting to take on the roles and limitations traditionally given to women and never expected to go to college. Suzanne left an abusive relationship to raise her son on her own and find her sense of self-worth. Without support from her son’s father, she has juggled multiple jobs while also going to school. A part-time job as an office organizer would lead her to believe in her own ability, and ultimately drew her back to college with a single night class. She got an A and decided she wanted a degree. Suzanne was called to social work when a friend asked her to talk about sex with her teenage daughter, who was having an inappropriate relationship with an older man. Being trusted with such a delicate conversation bolstered her sense of worth and capability. As a social work student, she volunteered at UMOM Day Centers where she facilitated girls’ groups on healthy minds, bodies and relationships. She mentioned her interest in comprehensive sex education to her supervisor and would ultimately help create curriculum for youth and adolescents, as well as adult seminars on sex education. During the course of her degree, she encountered other obstacles, including a DUI, an emergency spinal surgery – all while continuing to take care of her son and maintaining a B+ average. The challenges have molded her into the person she is today: a confident, capable individual who can achieve great success.
“I want to find more effective ways to communicate during crises, specifically by reaching out and connecting with marginalized and isolated people in our society. This work will enable me to better support emergency management-related planning and response activities for man-made and natural disasters.”
Jesus Haro is graduating with a master of arts degree in emergency management and homeland security. He is a first-generation college student. Haro grew up in a poor area of Phoenix, in a neighborhood with gang and drug problems. He says his parents were kind and supportive, but could provide little help whether intellectual or financial to help him make good educational choices. After receiving his bachelor’s in geography from ASU, Haro began working for the National Weather Service, where he has been for over 26 years. He gradually rose through the ranks and is now a supervisor in the agency, managing his own NWS field office in California which provides weather services for the San Francisco Bay Area. Overall his goal has been to find more effective ways to communicate during crises. He is most proud of his work helping the NWS deliver life-saving messages to marginalized, Spanish-speaking communities along the U.S.-Mexico border. He put bilingual skills to work and collaborated with media outlets to ensure weather warnings and messaging were reaching this audience. He has also given countless weather safety presentations in both Spanish and English to schools and community groups. For this work, he earned awards including the Department of Commerce Bronze medal and the NOAA Administrator’s Award. He says this degree will help him enhance relationships with emergency managers by using new insights into the challenges that they face on a daily basis. He also feels that it opens doors to go into work as an emergency manager one day and continue to serve the public.