Watts Briefly

--Social work class meets at tribal college 

--ASU teaches youth at facility 

--HACU names student as leader

ASU social work students learning about borderland immigration issues receive first-hand knowledge through a weekly trip to Sells, Arizona, about 20 miles north of the Mexican border, to meet on tribal land at the Tohono O’odham Community College.

School of Social Work Assistant Professor Matt Ignacio (left), a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, said the in-person component to the hybrid class allows ASU students in the SWG 557/SWU 457 class to engage with tribal leaders about border issues.

Ignacio, who teaches as ASU Tucson, said he works with TOCC instructor Michele Rountree, whose social work students interact with their ASU counterparts.

“It is an excellent opportunity for both TOCC and ASU social work students to engage with each other and build peer-based networks as social work students,” Ignacio said.

November is Native American Heritage Month.

Above photo: Members of School of Social Work Assistant Professor Matt Ignacio's SWG 557/SWU 457 class visited Tohono O'odham Community College in this 2022 photo. Each semester, the class meets at the college in Sells, Arizona, in the Tohono O'odham Nation on three Saturdays to interact with tribal leaders and TOCC social work students. | ASU photo by Heather Voelkel

ASU joined with the Maricopa County Judicial Branch in October to offer classes to youth in the county’s Juvenile Detention Facility. The county also dedicated a Sun Devil-themed decorated classroom where they are taught, allowing young people in detention opportunities to pursue higher education.

The youths have access to for-credit college-level classes offered by ASU’s Universal Learner Courses. School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (SCCJ) Professor Adam Fine praised the students who are participating in classes at the facility. “We’re not just equipping them with knowledge and skills, we’re giving them hope and the tools necessary to create a better future for themselves,” Fine was quoted as saying in a county press release.

The classroom, dedicated Nov. 8, includes new computers for its study carrels purchased by the county’s Regional School District. SCCJ faculty provided funding for the decorations, including maroon-and-gold-colored pennants, banners and foam hands.

An ASU public service and public policy major was one of 50 Leaders-in-Residence – representing more than 40 universities and colleges – attending the Nov. 1-3 Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities 2024 Conference in Aurora, Colorado.

Yudidt Nonthe Sanchez (right) of the School of Public Affairs is currently living and working in Washington, D.C., where she currently works for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics at the U.S. Department of Education as part of the White House Hispanic Initiative Latino Leadership Program. She is also a member of the Watts College-based Next Generation Service Corps.

As a HACU Leader-in-Residence, she will serve as a resource at ASU to provide information for students about HACU’s internships, scholarships and advocacy efforts and opportunities.