From left to right: UAHAcommittee members Maria ElenaMoreno and Oscar Miranda, UAHAService awardees Mercy A.Valencia and Dr. Francisco Garciaand UAHA president HumbertoStevens.

UA honors student and UAHAOutstanding Hispanic Seniorawardee Joanna Jaramillo and herfamily.

UAHA Celebrates Students, Scholarship and CommunityDuring the UA Hispanic Alumni Club'sannual luncheon, four UA students wererecognized and awarded $1,000 for theiracademic excellence.

By Rebecca Ruiz-McGill, University Communications May 7, 2010

In a celebration of students, scholarship andcommunity, the University of Arizona HispanicAlumni Club held its Celebration of ExcellenceLuncheon on Thursday.

The annual event drew more than 100 attendeesand members who help the club in its mission toprovide financial and mentoring support – includinghelp in developing networks with alumni and supporters in the professional andbusiness community – to qualified and deserving students.

To date the club, known as UAHA, has awarded 1,998 scholarships to UA studentsfor a total of nearly $4.5 million. The multimillion dollar accomplishment began

humbly with the sale of green corn tamales madeby club members.

The UAHA club was founded in 1982 to promoteacademic excellence among Hispanic students atthe University.

Four distinguished student scholars wererecognized with the 2010 Outstanding HispanicSenior and Outstanding Hispanic GraduateStudent Awards.

"Each year the club selects students from a poolof 30 to 35 applications. We find the best of the

best and award the four finalists with $1,000 for their scholarly accomplishmentsin excellence," said Oscar Lujan, UAHA program coordinator.

Irene Alvarez a doctoral student in pharmaceutical sciences, and Jessica De LaOssa, a master's student in geography and development, were the graduatestudent honorees, and Androuw Carrasco, an honors student in physiology, andJoanna Jaramillo, an honors student in media arts and communications, were theclub's undergraduate honorees.

Carrasco thanked his mother and his mentors, UA associate dean of graduatestudies María Teresa Vélez and Chicano Hispanic Student Affairs director SocorroCarrizosa, for "their encouraging e-mails and empowering words."

The UAHA club also acknowledged the service and accomplishments of Dr.Francisco A. García, Distinguished Outreach Professor of Obstetrics andGynecology and Director of the Center of Excellence in Women's Health at the UA,

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and Mercy Valencia, a doctor of education and retired UA assistant vice presidentof real estate administration.

García also holds appointments in the Mexican American Studies and ResearchCenter at the UA, the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the UACollege of Pharmacy. He is recognized internationally for his community-basedhealth literacy and education initiatives.

García, the keynote speaker, talked about his passion for medicine, specifically inwomen's health. Women's health, he said, was the key to a thriving societywherein the higher educational attainment women achieve, the more successfulthe society will be as "they are portals to family, children and the largercommunity."

Valencia was also recognized for her achievements to the UA and her commitmentto the club, students and the community.

Valencia, a native Tucsonan, retired from the UA after a 30-year career. She wasresponsible for the University's $3 billion real estate portfolio and annual leasingactivities exceeding $8 million per year. She was also responsible for theallocation of space for the campus and the Facilities Inventory System, whichmonitors the approximately 14 million square feet of university properties.

Valencia continues to be frequently called upon to serve as an expert on publicproperty sales or acquisition issues.

She thanked the club, recalling its humble beginnings while speaking on the notionof community amid the new laws on immigration in Arizona citing contributions byHispanic community members within the city, state and nation.

Her community service activities include memberships in the Arizona-MexicoBorder Commission (1991-2010), the Arizona Residential Utilities Consumer Board(1999), both appointments by the Arizona governor. Past Board of DirectorsPresidencies include the Hispanic Professional Action Committee, the UA chapterof the Arizona Association of Chicanos in Higher Education; the Brewster Centerfor Domestic Violence Services; and the Parent Connection Advisory Board.

Valencia also served previous terms on the Pima Community College FoundationBoard of Directors; the UA Hispanic Alumni Board of Directors and the TucsonUnified School District Blue Ribbon Committee's StudentAchievement/Desegregation Issues Subcommittee. She was also a foundingmember of the Tucson Hispanic Coalition. Current civic activities include the PimaCounty Real Estate Research Council, Arizona List, Reading Seed Program, TucsonAirport Authority Board, Tucson Diocese Sexual Misconduct Review Board and theSociety for College and University Planners.

The University of Arizona Office of University Communications888 N. Euclid Ave. Room 413, Tucson, Arizona 85721 :: ContactCopyright © 2010 Arizona Board of Regents

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