2022 Centennial Achievement Undergraduate Awards
In December 1984, the University of Arizona Division of Student Affairs created the Centennial Achievement Award to be presented annually. This award is given to two seniors graduating during the current academic year.
Madison Doser
Chris Richards
Madison Doser is graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in Law and Public and Applied Humanities with a Public Health emphasis.
Madison is a first-generation college student born in Boise, Idaho, and raised in Tucson. She grew up economically disadvantaged in a single-parent household with her twin brother. Madison has overcome many social and economic obstacles to her educational pursuits, yet made significant efforts to help others. She has tutored math students through Think Tank, worked as a
volunteer notetaker at the Disability Resource Center, coached high school girls' soccer, and was a preceptor for the Introduction to Epidemiology course. Madison has also participated in
recruitment as a Student Ambassador for the College of Humanities and was selected to serve as the University representative at the National Humanities Center Leadership Council.
Madison has participated in many public works projects to benefit her community. She has utilized her studies on governmental property takings to develop a project with the Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block. This project brings attention to urbanization’s impact on the displacement of Mexican-American and Hispanic communities in Tucson. She has also participated in research initiatives addressing increased heat waves in the U.S. Southwest resulting from climate change; and the impacts of incivility on online political discourse. Furthermore, Madison worked full-time at the American Public Human Services Association to develop proposals calling for national changes to maternal and child health policies during the summer of 2022 in Washington D.C. She is continuing this work remotely.
Madison was previously awarded Dean’s List with Distinction recognitions, the Public and Applied Humanities Outstanding Enrichment Award for community service, and the College of Humanities Outstanding Senior Award.
Following her graduation, Madison is pursuing a law degree focusing on Human Rights and Health Law to address inequity in health care acquisition. She is particularly interested in women's reproductive rights and plans to advocate for women on a national level.
Jay Gaurangkumar Motka
Chris Richards
Jay Gaurangkumar Motka is a senior at the University of Arizona pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Astronomy with a minor in Mathematics. Born in the village of Kherva, Gujarat, India, Jay experienced the effects of living in a community with a lack of educational resources. During this time, his father served as a teacher in a primary school in a nearby village, and his mother was a housewife. Jay moved to the city of Surendranagar, Gujarat, India with his parents to pursue a better education. While having a humble upbringing, these experiences impacted his passion for pursuing a career in academia.
Getting interested in existential philosophical questions from reading books from his father’s collection, Jay started asking questions about how and why everything works the way it does. With his curiosity turning into a passion for pursuing physics, Jay decided to pursue his education at the University of Arizona in search of early research opportunities. Jay has taken up multiple research projects throughout his undergraduate career dating back to his first semester of college. Jay notably contributed to research on building a survey strategy for Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which is being constructed in Chile. Jay currently works on simulating black holes and understanding them in some extreme physical conditions. Jay is a Galileo Circle Scholar and a recipient of the Vesto M. Slipher Scholarship, and Weaver Award winner for Undergraduate Research in Physics, amongst other scholarships.
In addition to his research, Jay has been dedicated to teaching and outreach. Jay has taken on everything from preceptorship for introductory physics classes, to becoming an RA. Jay is a peer mentor in his department and a student leader for TIMESTEP, a program dedicated to helping minoritized students in Physics and Astronomy. Jay also acts as a board member for International Friends, a program committed to providing exchange experiences to international students and local hosts in the Tucson community.
Next year Jay plans to attend a graduate school to pursue further studies and research in Physics. Jay aspires to become a researcher and a professor in the future and hopes to later return to India to teach Math and Physics. Jay credits the endless support of his family for making all of this possible.