We are so proud of all our graduates! For our students graduating in Fall 2021, we held two in-person Convocation ceremonies (masks required) on December 17, 2021, to celebrate their achievement, the first ceremony at 9am for our undergraduate students, and the second at 2pm for our graduate students.
The world needs our graduates, and they are ready. They have been trained to become public health leaders! Congratulations to all of our graduates for the energy and focus and hard work they dedicated to earn their degrees. We wish them all the best on their journey and encourage them to stay engaged with our alumni network. They will always be part of our MEZCOPH family!
Thanks to all of our Student Services staff who worked so hard to put together the Convocation ceremonies and make sure everything went smoothly while observing careful COVID precautions.
The ceremonies were live streamed on Facebook.
You can watch the undergraduate Convocation Ceremony here on Facebook.
You can watch the graduate Convocation Ceremony here on Facebook.
Graduate KynBreanna Washington earned her BS in public health.
"This is just the beginning, I'm going for more! Thanks mom and dad!"
Left-to-right, graduates Mitchell Alexander Walton, Dais Umuhoza, and Mary Spitzer all earned their BS in public health.
Dr. John Ehiri presents the Outstanding MPH Student Awards to Miss Jai Smith and Marvin Chaires.
We also congratulate the winners of our annual graduating student awards!
Outstanding Senior Award
About the award: This award is given to an undergraduate student who has demonstrated outstanding academic performance, internship performance, commitment to the College of Public Health and/or commitment to the College’s mission, values, and community service.
Anna Giudici BS ’21
Anna Giudici graduated summa cum laude with her Bachelor of Science with a major in Public Health degree. In addition to Anna’s stellar academic performance, she demonstrated her commitment to our college, public health service, and her community in many ways.
- She completed her internship as a contact tracer with the Epidemiology Department’s SAFER program
- She served as an undergraduate Public Health Ambassador
- She was elected Director of Philanthropy for her sorority
- She served as a preceptor for public health courses
- She volunteered with local Tucson organizations, such as the Peace Garden.
It has been a pleasure to have Anna as a student leader in our undergraduate program – Congratulations Anna! We look forward to hearing about your next adventures.
Outstanding Master of Public Health Student Award
About the award: The Outstanding MPH Student Award recognizes a graduating MPH student from both the main campus and online MPH program who has demonstrated outstanding achievements in the following areas: 1) Academic Performance, 2) Internship Performance, 3) Commitment to the College of Public Health, and/or 4) Commitment to Community Service.
Marvin Chaires MPH ’21
Marvin Chaires, an MPH student in the Environmental and Occupational Health concentration, maintained a 4.00 GPA while being actively involved in the Department of Community, Environment and Policy and becoming a true occupational health professional. For a field project course, Marvin led his team to write a highly innovative proposal that was responsive to a direct request from the UA Mining Laboratory. He also served as a Graduate Research Assistant in Spring 2020 and played an essential role in a small business research project with Dr. Paloma Beamer designed to reduce exposures to hazardous chemicals. On that project, Marvin helped to address COVID concerns and conduct a longitudinal survey, work that resulted in a staff position in Summer 2021. For his internship Marvin developed EDGE platform training materials for ancillary staff who work indirectly around radiation and for hearing protection, and both are also available in Spanish. We are proud to give this award, Congratulations Marvin Chaires on all you have accomplished!
Miss Jai Smith MPH ’21
Miss Jai Smith is an Online MPH student within the Health Promotion concentration. They maintained a 4.00 GPA, while serving full time as a Medical Case Manager with the University’s Health Sciences sector. Miss Jai completed their internship with the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, focusing on Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Inclusion in Public Health Education. Their work with Dr. Lindsay Kohler on transgender health in public health research and data collection changed the way Dr. Kohler’s course will be taught in the future. Miss Jai She remains committed to continued health education and promotion through their community services and profession development experiences. It is with great honor that we give this award, Congratulations Miss Jai Smith on all you have accomplished!
