Provost Award

Angela White is graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science, double majoring in neuroscience and cognitive science, and psychological science. 

After a long, winding journey as a nontraditional student, Angela is truly humbled to be graduating and deeply grateful for the enduring support of her family, friends, teachers and each of her wonderful mentors. As a child with early-onset, debilitating mental illness, she held a native curiosity and wonder for the natural world, but was unable to complete high school and pursue her academic interests. Many years later as a working adult, Angela began taking classes at Pima Community College before transferring to the University of Arizona. 

Angela's academic work is profoundly informed and inspired by the invaluable lessons of adversity in her life. Under the mentorship of Dr. Zachary Cohen in the Personalized Treatment Lab, she founded the Leveraging Exercise for Anxiety and Depression (LEAD) project. The multiphase study employs scalable research methods to design, deliver and study exercise interventions for individuals suffering from anxiety and depression. Under the mentorship of Distinguished Professor Dr. John Allen, she conducted research examining the effect of exercise on key neurogenic targets, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor and tropomyosin receptor kinase B. Using an interdisciplinary approach, LEAD aims to support the development and delivery of accessible, effective, personalized treatments and propel the integration of exercise-based treatment into clinical practice. 

Angela is the grateful recipient of numerous awards, including the W.A. Franke Honors College Exploratory Mini-Grant, a Laura and Arch Brown Scholarship, a Phi Theta Kappa Hites Transfer Scholarship, an All-USA Academic Team Scholarship, and an All-Arizona Academic Team Scholarship. She is also the founder of the community-driven GROW (Gathering Resources to Optimize Wealth) Academy, which has provided free financial literacy education to more than 500 adolescents and adults. 

After graduation, Angela plans to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Arizona. She has a special love for teaching and mentorship, and she hopes to be involved in this work for the rest of her life.