2025 Graduate Centennial Achievement Award Recipients
Doctoral Centennial Achievement Award Recipients
Mourad Abdennebi
Mourad Abdennebi is a doctoral candidate in the Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT) Graduate Interdisciplinary Program at the University of Arizona, working under the supervision of Dr. Janet Nicol in the Second Language Lab. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, and a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from Texas Tech University.
Originally from Erfoud, Morocco, Mourad grew up in a multilingual environment shaped by Arabic, French, Tamazight, and Spanish. As a first-generation college graduate, he is the first in his family to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree and the only one to pursue a doctorate. His path has not been without challenges. He began his doctoral studies during the COVID-19 pandemic while away from family support, and in 2023, he faced the devastation of an earthquake that struck the High Atlas village where he had once served as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer.
Mourad’s research examines the cognitive and neural mechanisms that support adult second language learning, with a particular focus on vocabulary acquisition through multisensory input, embodied learning, gestures, and visual stimulation. His interests also include psycholinguistics, bilingualism, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in computer-assisted language learning. At the University of Arizona, he has taught Arabic for three years as a Graduate Teaching Associate and contributed to curriculum development for the Arabic Flagship Program.
Service is central to Mourad’s personal and professional development. As a CorpsAfrica volunteer, he taught English and French to children while leading the implementation of a large-scale water pipeline system that provided clean water to 7,000 people across 100 families. At UA, he extended this commitment through community outreach, including leading professional development workshops for Tucson high school teachers, and an OLLI-UA course on North Africa and development, and engaging K–12 students in under-resourced Tucson schools. He has also volunteered with the American Language Center and World Leadership School.
Mourad has earned more than $53,000 in fellowships, research grants, and prizes, including First Place in the 2025 WAGS 3-Minute Thesis Competition, First Place in the 2024 GradSlam, and the NFMLTA–NCOLCTL National Research Grant.
Currently, Mourad serves as President of the Graduate and Professional Student Council (2025–2026), representing more than 11,000 graduate and professional students. After graduation, he plans to pursue a career as a professor and researcher, developing innovative digital tools for language learning and ensuring that educational advances benefit both global audiences and under-resourced communities.
Angus Leydic
Angus Leydic is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT). They earned their Master of Arts in languages, literatures and cultures, with a focus on theoretical and applied Spanish linguistics, from Illinois State University, and their Bachelor of Arts in Spanish literature and art history from Duquesne University. Raised in Pittsburgh, they are a first-generation American and a first-generation college graduate.
Developing from this multicultural perspective, their work and research seeks to improve the lives of minoritized people, with their current focus on LGBTQ+ people within larger social institutions. Angus has received multiple awards, including the Linda Waugh/SLAT Research Grant to fund their current dissertation project, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Stipend Award to support travel and research presentations for K-16 educators and administrators, and the prestigious Bilinski Fellowship for 2025-2026.
Their most recent projects are titled "Ontologically and Epistemologically Trans: Trans Being and Sense-Making in a Digital Gay Space" and "Queer and/or Trans Student Perspectives on Queering Classroom Materials." They previously served as co-chair for the 2023 SLAT Roundtable Conference and successfully secured the Professional Opportunities Development Grant to fund the event and host the international plenary speaker.
Angus has served for two years as the graduate student liaison to the SLAT Executive Council. They have held graduate assistant positions in the English Writing Program, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and the Department of Public and Applied Humanities. They have also worked in private K-12 schools teaching Spanish, U.S. history from an antiracist lens, and art classes. In addition, they have held positions as a case manager for foster care in Pittsburgh for Spanish-speaking youth and as a case manager for unaccompanied refugee minors in facilities associated with the Department of Human Services.
As a peer mentor for first-year SLAT graduate students, Angus helps foster community within an interdisciplinary program. They have also served as a teacher advisor for an LGBTQ+ student association during their time as a K-8 teacher and as a curriculum designer, developing sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE) training for previous workplaces.
After graduating, Angus hopes to promote ethical research design and develop equitable teaching practices with students and educators alike.
Raymond Owino
Raymond Owino is a third-year doctoral student in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona, pursuing a degree in natural resources with a focus on wildlife conservation and management. Born and raised in Kenya, Raymond has lived in several towns across the U.S. By the time he reached adulthood, he had visited 45 of Kenya's 47 counties – an experience that deeply connected him to the land and inspired his passion for wildlife conservation.
Raymond's journey into this field has been defined by persistence, adaptability and a deep love for nature. He did not initially choose conservation as a career path, as he was placed in the field through a government program. However, after years of volunteering – including conducting giraffe research in the volatile regions of northern Kenya – he found his true calling. Conducting fieldwork under challenging conditions taught Raymond not only scientific rigor but also resilience, community engagement and the importance of local partnerships.
At the University of Arizona, Raymond has served as a teaching assistant for several undergraduate and graduate courses, including Wildlife Ecology, Conservation and Management; Population Ecology; Ecological Surveys and Sampling. Raymond's doctoral research focuses on the ecology and conservation of giraffes in human-dominated landscapes in East Africa.
During his time at the university, he has received the Carson Scholarship and was honored with the best student presentation award at the 2025 Joint Arizona and New Mexico Scientific Meeting in Albuquerque. Raymond is also an active volunteer and mentor, leading a growing network of African students in conservation.
After graduation, he plans to return to Africa to expand his research and formally establish his mentorship program as a nonprofit organization dedicated to training the next generation of African conservation leaders.
Jennifer Shim
Jennifer Shim is a Juris Doctor candidate in her final year at the James E. Rogers College of Law. She serves as a note editor for the Arizona Law Review and as an Arizona Law ambassador. A first-generation Korean American from New York City, she earned her Master of Arts degree in international peace and security from King's College London and her Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude in international criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Her professional journey spans nearly a decade abroad, including work as a paralegal in Australia, a researcher across Europe, and an assistant professor in South Korea before arriving in Arizona. At Arizona Law, she has served as President of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association and the JAG Vanguard Society, as well as a student practitioner in the Veterans' Advocacy Law Clinic and the Children's Rights and Gender Justice Workshop. Jennifer has been consistently acknowledged for her leadership and service and has been recognized with honors such as the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association SAIL Scholarship, the Arizona Asian American Bar Association Thomas Tang Scholarship, and the Arizona Women Lawyers Association Scholarship.
Jennifer is deeply honored to have been selected for a post-graduation clerkship with the Hon. John Hinderaker at the U.S. District Court in Tucson. Following her district court clerkship, she plans to continue at the appellate level with the Ninth Circuit before returning to private practice at Ballard Spahr LLP in Phoenix, where she previously served as a summer associate in 2025. Shaped by experiences close to home, she also aims to deepen her commitment to public service by providing pro bono legal support to veterans and to women and children experiencing domestic violence, and by volunteering in legal and community associations where she can offer leadership and mentorship to others.
Balancing her academic, professional and family life, Jennifer currently works as a graduate program coordinator at the U of A while raising her energetic toddler, Carter, with the support of her husband – an active-duty Air Force service member formerly stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson and now serving at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. Drawing inspiration from her mother's perseverance and her own family's sacrifices, Jennifer remains committed to using the law as a catalyst for justice, equity and opportunity.
Jazzie Terrell
Jazzie Terrell is a doctoral student at the University of Arizona in rhetoric, composition and the teaching of English. They hold a Master of Arts degree in rhetoric, composition and the Teaching of English, alongside two summa cum laude Bachelor of Arts degrees in English, and another in literacy, learning and leadership. Throughout their education, they have utilized grants, fellowships and work-study opportunities to further their education.
Inspired by their father, they translate their real-world experiences into the classroom with teaching and research on community education, feminist teaching methods, disability studies and technical writing, with particular attention to how digital tools can serve marginalized communities. This work is directly influenced by their lived experiences. They are the author of several papers about the teaching of writing with respect to different cultures and backgrounds, with one notably from Rhetoric Review about fighting racism on college campuses.
Their dissertation centers a portfolio project around archival recovery, digital literacy and zines. They are currently working as a graduate teaching associate teaching writing courses from basic and advanced composition to technical and business writing. In their free time, they participate in their community through volunteering with local non-profits that assist refugees and immigrants with Literacy Connects and Humane Borders.
They are committed to working as a scholar-activist that centers writing education on social justice and accessibility.
Master's Centennial Achievement Award Recipients
Alyssa Prichard
Alyssa Prichard is pursuing a Master of Science in Business Analytics and an MBA at the University of Arizona Eller College of Management, where she has distinguished herself as both an innovative technologist and dedicated leader. With an undergraduate background in music performance from the U of A, Alyssa brings a unique and creative perspective to the business analytics field.
As a member of the development team for an AI chatbot designed to enhance executive education lectures at Eller, Alyssa contributed to cutting-edge educational technology solutions that improve learning outcomes for executive students. Her expertise in data visualization – particularly with Tableau and Power BI – has proven invaluable across multiple projects. During her internship, Alyssa leveraged Power BI to fully automate reporting processes, demonstrating her ability to translate technical skills into meaningful operational improvements.
Alyssa serves as president of the Full-Time MBA Student Association, where she leads initiatives that enhance the student experience and foster community within the program. Additionally, she works as a graduate teaching assistant for undergraduate statistics courses at Eller, sharing her analytical expertise with the next generation of business professionals.
Anthony Singleton
Anthony Singleton was born and raised in Orangeburg, South Carolina – a small town that shaped his deep commitment to community, resilience and service. As a first-generation college student, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and public relations with a minor in education from the University of South Carolina Upstate. He is now completing his Master of Arts in higher education at the University of Arizona. Anthony is being recognized for his dedication to building inclusive communities, innovative student programming and leadership that empowers others.
Anthony's passion for higher education began during his undergraduate years, where he discovered joy in guiding students through their educational journeys. From serving as an orientation leader and student ambassador to working as a career coach, Anthony became known as a mentor who could both welcome new students with a campus tour and prepare others for success with a résumé. These early experiences inspired his pursuit of a career in higher education and ultimately led him to Arizona.
At the U of A, Anthony immersed himself in the campus community as the graduate assistant for the MLK Culture and Engagement Hub. In this role, he has collaborated across departments to design inclusive programs, led partnerships with organizations such as BlueChip Men of Color, and served as a panelist at the inaugural Arizona Student Leadership Summit. He also helped plan the Tucson MLK Day Celebration, a citywide event with more than 800 attendees, and launched the 2025 Summer LIT Program, which introduced 25 high school students to college life through a three-day immersive leadership experience. His efforts secured community support, including a $1,000 donation to provide participants with custom program T-shirts.
Anthony's impact has been recognized through the 2025 Emerging Leader Award from his department. Maintaining a 4.0 GPA while balancing research, volunteerism and cross-campus collaborations, Anthony exemplifies leadership with purpose. After graduation, he plans to pursue a career in student affairs, remain in Arizona, and ultimately earn a Ph.D. in higher education. His long-term goal is to serve as a dean of students, ensuring that student life programs foster belonging, persistence and holistic student success.