Graduate Stephanie Gerhart embraced leadership, service and community at ASU


May 10, 2022

Editor's note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2022 graduates.

Leadership, service and community-building were the hallmarks of Stephanie Gerhart’s undergraduate career at Arizona State University. Portrait of ASU grad Stephanie Gerhart in front of the Old Main building on the Tempe campus. Stephanie Gerhart recently received a bachelor's degree in management and public service/public policy with a legal studies specialization. She will attend law school in the fall. Download Full Image

Gerhart, whose hometown is San Tan Valley, Arizona, recently graduated from ASU with a bachelor’s degree in management and public service/public policy with a legal studies specialization with honors from Barrett, The Honors College. She was chosen by the honors college as a spring 2022 Outstanding Graduate for Leadership and Service.

She was an ASU Tillman Scholar and active in the Tillman Leadership Through Action (T-LTA) program, which focuses on transformative leadership, human and community conflict and development, social entrepreneurship, social justice and policy formation. She was a teaching assistant in the program.

She received the Spirit of Service Scholarship (through ASU's Pastor Center for Politics and Public Service), the Greg and Dorothy McMillan Scholarship, the Gary K. Herberger Business Scholarship and the New American University Scholar President’s Award.

Her on-campus activities included ASU Student Government, Barrett Honors College Peer Mentoring, the Barrett Honors College Council, the W. P. Carey College of Business Fleisher Scholars Program, ASU Changemaker and the ASU Sprit of Service Scholars program.

Off campus, she served as a page for the Arizona Senate and an intern for the Arizona Secretary of State. She also was as a policy analyst in the ASU President’s Office and a policy intern for the Arizona House of Representatives.

Gerhart took time out to reflect on her years as an undergraduate at ASU. Here are her thoughts.

Question: What is an interesting moment, story or accomplishment in your ASU career?

Answer: One of the best parts of my ASU experience was being a part of the ASU Tillman Scholars Program, a program within the W. P.Carey School of Business that was created to honor (former ASU football player) Pat Tillman’s legacy as a leader and student. During your time as a scholar in the program, you attend an overnight retreat where you bond with your cohort and begin your personal development journey. I made 15 amazing friends that night, and became part of a community for life. While I’ll always remember that retreat, it was so special to help plan that for this year’s cohort as one of their teaching assistants. Watching them go through an experience that meant so much to me was meaningful in ways that I can’t even properly explain, and really highlighted the importance of mentorship and community. I am extremely grateful for the mentors I’ve found during my time at ASU and for the amazing lessons I’ve learned from those I had the privilege of acting as a mentor for.

Q: What was your “aha” moment when you realized you wanted to study the field you majored in?

A: As a freshman, I joined Undergraduate Student Government and began to learn more about policy and the role of government in our society. I always knew that I wanted to help people and that I was interested in going to law school, so when I went to see my adviser and was talking to her about all of this, she recommended public policy as a degree program to pursue. At that point, the pieces just all fell into place, and I’ve been pursuing a public service career ever since.

Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you or changed your perspective?

A: It’s easy to look at all that is going on in the world and think that it is impossible to change something or make an impact. The people and the work at ASU taught me that isn’t true. Every interaction we have with each other, with a community or an entity creates an impact, and it is up to us to ensure it is a positive one. Every student I know at ASU is passionate about something, and as we all create changes around the issue we care about, we are slowly changing the world around us. As someone in policy — a career path where you always seem to be fighting an uphill battle — this is extremely encouraging and something I remind myself of when the challenges just seem too big to keep going.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: I was excited about the small feel Barrett Honors College offered at a huge university with lots of opportunities and resources. This ended up being very true, and I’m more than happy with my choice.

Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?

A: Dr. Michael Mokwa, the Pat Tillman Foundation Distinguished Professor, is the director of the ASU Tillman Scholars Program and has had a big impact on the way I view leadership and service to others. The most impactful lesson I learned from him during my time in the program was the importance of community. While I found an amazing community in the ASU Tillman Scholars that helped me to grow as a person, I also came to understand the significance of building community and dedicating yourself to the ones you are a part of. Dr. Mokwa is the person who sparked this understanding, and I’ll always be extremely grateful to him.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

A: Focus on the things that will always be important: friendships, family, personal growth and serving others are a few. While getting good grades and being involved are important during your time in college, make sure to invest yourself in the aspects of your life that have long-term importance. A year from now, I won’t remember what my GPA is, but I will remember the internship where I got to help work on legislation that would serve my state, and I will always hold close the friendships I developed during my time at ASU.

Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life?

A: The Barrett Student Center was a favorite spot of mine to study and hang out with friends. During my sophomore year, it was home, really. I could always find a friend or classmate I knew there and would go there almost every night!

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I will be attending law school in the fall and plan to start volunteering with some local policy organizations for issues I am passionate about.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: This is a super hard question, because there is no “right” answer and I am still struggling to understand what I can do to make the world a better place. One idea that came to mind though, is to use the funds to focus on children’s literacy. It is so important that every child receive an amazing education, and unfortunately, too many are falling behind and become at risk of never catching up. Numerous studies have found a very strong correlation between reading proficiency at third grade (the last grade you are learning to read rather than reading to learn) and high school graduation. Students who fail to reach reading proficiency by the end of third grade are four times as likely as a peer who can read to not graduate from high school. Education is important for an individual’s health, career opportunities and more. One of the biggest issues I see for our generation is figuring out how we can help ensure a high quality and accessible primary, secondary and postsecondary education for all.

Nicole Greason

Director of Marketing and Public Relations , Barrett, The Honors College

480-965-8415

Maxwell Plata’s love of theater led him to a degree from Arizona State University


May 10, 2022

Editor's note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2022 graduates.

Maxwell Plata’s love of theater started in high school and it carries on to this day. Portrait of ASU grad Maxwell Plata. Maxwell Plata recently graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor's degree in theater. Download Full Image

That passion led him to Arizona State University, where he recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theater from the School of Music, Dance and Theater in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, with honors from Barrett, The Honors College. He was named Barrett Honors College’s Outstanding Graduate for Creative Work.

“Like a lot of theater majors, I fell in love with theater in high school, where I was a stage manager and ‘techie,’" he said.

“High school theater gave me a home, friends who had my back and a way to express myself. The decision to major in it was a careful one that I made only after realizing I couldn't see myself doing anything else,” said Plata, whose hometown is Surprise, Arizona.

Plata originally planned to pursue design and production. “But when I took Introduction to Playwriting in sophomore year, my love for writing came pouring back into me,” he said, recalling how in fifth grade he wrote a historical drama about women in the Civil War.

He received many scholarships throughout his time at ASU, including the New American University Scholar President’s Award; Special Talent and Eirene Peggy Lamb Scholarships from the School of Music, Dance and Theatre; the Nickless Family Scholarship from the Nickless Family Charitable Foundation; the Stephanie Valdez Memorial Scholarship from Waste Management, Inc. and Scholarship America; the Planning Scholarsip from the ASU Global Education Office; the Hispanic Scholarship and Panda Cares Scholarship from the Hispanic Scholarship Foundation; the Steve Halper Future Educator Scholarship from the Educational Theater Association; the PFLAG National Scholar award; the Nita Siegman Scholarship for Barrett Honors College students; and the Surprise Sundancers Scholarship from the Surprise Sundancers Organization.

As an ASU student, Plata became a prolific playwright, as well as a busy stage manager and producer.

For his senior capstone project, he wrote a play titled “To Find Them,” a story about gender identity and familial trauma in a ghost story inspired by the Mexican legend "La Llorona." His play “To the Moon” was a semifinalist for a national award at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

Plata co-created two virtual lobbies, one for the New Play Festival, and one for the play “Luchadora” by Alvaro Saar Rios.

He was a presenter at this year’s Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas Conference, and for the last two years he facilitated the Color Cabaret at ASU, a BIPOCBIPOC is an acronym for Black, Indigenous and people of color. student showcase that raises funds for scholarships for students of color.

He was a summer intern at the Arizona Science Center and an usher at the Herberger Theater in downtown Phoenix. He also supported and actively contributed to Phoenix Pride, one-n-ten, the Binary Theater Company and the Herberger Institute Summer Council. He has served as a volunteer for the Maricopa Election Department and Phoenix Food Not Bombs.

Plata has a very busy summer planned. He will travel to Iceland on a Barrett Honors College Global Extensive Experiences study abroad program, where he’ll study environmental humanities in Reykjavik.

He will be attending the Theatre Communications Group annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in June, and the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas annual conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in July, where he’ll be presenting about his work on a recent ASU theater production.

“I’ll also be working with a group of my most talented and trusted friends to shoot a short film I wrote about a zombie prom, recording my seven-episode fiction audio drama as part of an artist grant I received from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and somewhere in there, I’ll find time to work in theaters around the Valley, earn a few miscellaneous credentials and apply for graduate programs,” he said.

Plata took time out from his chock-full schedule to reflect on his time as an undergraduate at ASU. Here’s what he had to say.

Question: What is a notable experience, story or accomplishment in your ASU career?

Answer: I’m very proud of the work I’ve done in the Music, Theatre and Opera program, where I’ve worked as a stage manager for the past three-and-a-half years. Many of my most cherished memories took place while at work there, and it’s brought me to people who have genuinely changed my life. One experience I hold close to my heart is the annual Color Cabaret, which I helped bring to fruition in 2021 and 2022. The Color Cabaret platforms BIPOC student performers, giving them space and time to celebrate themselves against the backdrop of an entertainment industry that perpetuates a lot of harm toward minority groups. Helping create a safe, joyful room full of people expressing themselves authentically through their art is really fulfilling for me. 

Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you or changed your perspective?

A: A theme of my time at ASU has been this idea of authenticity and what being authentic can do for others that witness the way you go about the world. When I entered ASU, "authenticity" was sort of a buzzword thrown around creative spaces, and I didn't yet fully grasp the relationship between the art, the artist and the audience. It wasn't until I was exposed to unfamiliar plays, performances, films, novels, etc., that I started to understand the true power of putting yourself fully into your work for others to bear witness to. In the classroom and in the rehearsal room, I experienced the meaning of representing your identities, the power of cultural specificity, and the value of diversity in our media and entertainment. Speaking your mind and expressing your truth on stage is perhaps the most powerful thing you can do in front of an audience. The learning I've undergone while at ASU has realigned my creative mission and goals to be more oriented toward true authenticity and being unapologetically myself in my work. 

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: I chose ASU because it afforded me opportunities that the other schools I was looking at simply didn't. Its theater program promised chances to do hands-on work early in my studies, and exposure to a slew of different styles that smaller programs often can't provide. ASU's location in the center of the Phoenix metro area makes it so I'm never more than a 45-minute drive from the theaters I want to work at, or the connections I have around the Valley. What's more, it's only a day trip away from beautiful places like Sedona or Bisbee — all places I've grown up loving, and that I've loved sharing with my out-of-state friends. Arizona is home, and ASU promised to help me thrive at home. It upheld its promise. 

Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?

A: I owe a great deal to my academic and creative mentors: Dr. Dagmar Van Engen, who teaches in Barrett, and Dr. Karen Jean Martinson and Professor Guillermo Reyes, who teach in the School of (Music, Dance and) Theatre. They’ve each taught me how to manage my time and complete large-scale projects, how to find my voice in ongoing scholarly or creative conversations, and how to use the resources available to me to achieve my own vision of success. And, maybe most importantly, they’ve all taught me that I have something important to say, and that I should come out and say it.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

A: My best piece of advice might be to make things up. I don’t mean make up incorrect facts for your essays or lie to your friends. I mean make up your own rules, your own routines and your own goals. Make up your own version of success, and chase after that rather than what others think you should strive for. Make up a recipe that seems really gross but is actually surprisingly good, and make up a reason to have your friends try it. Make up a reason to buy yourself coffee one day, or to stay out late with friends instead of studying, and make up a reason not to regret it later. I guess this is really just my own version of the cliché advice to try new things. But I made up my own version of it because I dislike the baggage and expectations that particular advice comes with. So, really, when in doubt — just make things up. That’s how you find out what you like, who you are, and isn’t that the whole point anyway?

Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life?

A: My favorite spot on campus was for sure the Design Library in Design North. It’s quiet, has a decent view, has its own coffee shop, and has a few great napping chairs. Notable mentions include the secret garden, the very top of the Life Sciences E Building and the courtyard of the Music Building.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: Climate change is just one of the many problems we're facing right now, but it feels to me one of the most urgent — after all, we can't fight about other issues if we kill our planet. Forty million dollars isn't much in the scheme of things, especially when it comes to such a global issue, but it could go a long way toward organizing the local community and starting new national grassroots initiatives. I believe empathy and compassion (alongside a healthy amount of rage and spite) are key to solving virtually any of our man-made societal problems. Forty million could certainly help activate and organize our already frustrated community into taking tangible action toward corporate capitalism and other institutions that are largely responsible for climate change.

Nicole Greason

Director of Marketing and Public Relations , Barrett, The Honors College

480-965-8415