Josué Ángel Chávez

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Josué Ángel Chávez Gallegos is a senior at the University of Arizona pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in law. Born in the border city of El Paso, Texas, Josué spent his infancy in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. During this time, his mother taught ethics at a local school and his father studied to become an engineer. Although he may have had a humble upbringing, living in this vivacious city allowed Josué to see and meet people from all walks of life, ultimately offering him a unique set of life experiences that would go on to influence his passion for the legal field.

Upon enrollment at the University of Arizona, Josué showed great interest in law and its intersectionalities with other areas of life. Working at Chicanos Por La Causa’s Tucson offices, he helped provide immigration-related assistance to Latinx members of the community. In addition, through the College of Education, he worked before and during the COVID-19 pandemic as an academic mentor at Mansfeld Middle School.

Since 2019, Josué has been on the dean’s list and was a Wildcat Recognition recipient and awarded honors from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. He is also a proud member of the Dean of Students Office Hearing Board and a student with the James E. Rogers College of Law Diplomado Program, which works in conjunction with La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, to study Mexican constitutionalism through comparative analysis.  

This fall, Josué began an internship with the law college's Workers’ Rights Clinic as an interpreter and translator between limited English-proficient clients and Juris Doctorate candidates.

Josué credits the endless support of his family for making this all possible.

After graduation, Josué aspires to teach English abroad, helping others reach their higher education goals. He then plans to return to the United States and earn a law degree specializing in immigration and criminal law. 

Jacqueline C. Johnson

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Jacqueline Johnson is graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology and a minor in nutritional sciences from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Born and raised in Yuma, Arizona, Jacqueline experienced the effects of living in a medically underserved community and the health disparities associated with the lack of access to care. These experiences culminated in developing her passion for wanting to pursue medicine to provide medically underserved populations access to quality health care.

While at the University of Arizona, Jacqueline has overcome many obstacles to obtain an education. Despite these barriers, Jacqueline has dedicated her time to helping assist the students of CALS and the university. For the past three years, Jacqueline has served as a CALS peer mentor and student coordinator. In these roles, she has fiercely advocated for education regarding trauma, mental health awareness and inclusivity that has brought about systemic change within the college and university. Jacqueline has also found a community in various other leadership roles, such as serving as a CALS student orientation leader, a patient experience intern at Banner – University Medical Center, a learning assistant, a pre-M.D. ambassador, and more. Jacqueline has also helped conduct research as an undergraduate research assistant to help advance the understanding of the pathogenesis of medically relevant microbiological organisms and how their mode of action results in clinical disease.

During her time at the university, Jacqueline has been honored with several awards, including the Highest Academic Distinction award, the Margaret Bilson award and the E. Ray Cowden award, and was selected as a member of the university’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa Society. In her free time, Jacqueline volunteers with a local rescue organization to help save dogs at risk of euthanasia.

After graduation, Jacqueline will continue her education by pursuing dual medical and law degrees. She plans to work in a free clinic to serve underrepresented populations in U.S.- Mexico border communities as a psychiatrist.