Samantha Barrera – a mother of two, first-generation college student, and first-generation immigrant from Great Britain – is pursuing her Juris Doctor and Certificate in Criminal Law and Policy at the James E. Rogers College of Law. As a domestic violence survivor who was supported by the Tucson community and justice system, Samantha is committed to protecting vulnerable Arizonans. 

Although Samantha's commitment to public service is what brought her to Arizona Law, it was through her studies that she fell in love with the law. In turn, Samantha endeavored to hone her lawyering skills as a Senior Writing Fellow, Journal Fellow, managing editor of the Arizona Law Review, and research assistant for several professors.  

Samantha feels honored to have been awarded with the 2023 Outstanding Performance in Legal Writing Award and the Arizona Law Review Best 2L Copywork Award, as well as being acknowledged as a David A. Paige Foundation Scholar and winner of the 2023 Richard Grand Closing Argument Competition. She is excited to publish her Note on applying the principled approach to the Second Amendment in the summer 2025 issue of Arizona Law Review. 

Beyond her gratitude for a robust legal education, Samantha appreciates the opportunities to participate within the Arizona Law community as a Program in Criminal Law and Policy Fellow, a Supreme Court Teaching Fellow, a First Circuit program mentor, and a member of Innovation for Justice. She also enjoyed volunteering throughout law school, such as serving on the Marana Unified School District Safety and Security Committee.  

Samantha feels incredibly fortunate to serve the judiciary as a judicial clerk upon graduation. Thereafter, she will strive to protect and serve Arizonans as a prosecutor and by providing pro bono family law services to domestic violence survivors. 

Samantha is grateful to Arizona Law for what she considers a second chance at life. She hopes to inspire other diverse students to pursue law. Samantha never imagined being in such a privileged position as a student of law. Arizona Law empowered her to serve with passion and tenacity. Notably, Samantha credits Arizona Law for showing her that it's never too late to rewrite your narrative. 

Rodrigo Guerra Su is a second-year master's student in the Applied Economics and Policy Analysis program at the University of Arizona. His journey to higher education has been marked by resilience and adaptability. Originally from Managua, Nicaragua, Rodrigo grew up in a country with widespread poverty and political instability, encountering numerous challenges in pursuing his education. 

In 2019, Rodrigo moved to the United States to continue his studies at Glendale Community College in California, overcoming language barriers by immersing himself in English media. In August 2020, during the pandemic, he transferred to the University of Arizona, initially majoring in animal sciences but soon discovering a passion that prompted him to switch to agribusiness economics and management.  

Graduating summa cum laude, Rodrigo is the first in his family to study abroad and earn a degree from a U.S. institution. His commitment to education is evident through his roles as a peer tutor at the Strategic Alternative Learning Techniques, or SALT, Center, and as a research intern in the Applied International Development Economics Lab, which inspired him to pursue his master's degree. Rodrigo also served as a teaching assistant, supporting students in challenging courses such as Economics of Futures Markets, Analysis of Economic Data  and the graduate-level Math for Economists. 

His research contributions include projects focused on agricultural productivity, climate adaptation, and economic analysis. He collaborated on a literature review on the economics of climate adaptation, and worked on projects with University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, including an economic impact analysis of the horse racing industry in Arizona. 

After completing his master's program, Rodrigo plans to further his studies in agricultural economics, aspiring to contribute to large-scale research that shapes policies and promotes sustainable practices. 

Margaret Mercer is pursuing a master's in wildlife conservation and management. She has always been interested in animals and nature. She graduated with a 3.99 GPA from Brigham Young University, then spent nearly two years as a full-time volunteer in Idaho, where she learned Spanish and focused her work on serving immigrant communities. She then worked as an ecological field technician in her hometown of Fresno, California, before beginning her master's degree at the University of Arizona. 

Margaret has maintained a 4.0 GPA in her classes and fulfilled her responsibilities as a teaching assistant. In her research, she is investigating the effects of human disturbance on North American carnivores. She hopes that her efforts will help conserve vulnerable species and preserve the rich diversity of the world's ecosystems.  

Margaret is currently serving as the co-chair of the Natural Resources Graduate Student Organization. This summer, she assisted with the Tucson chapter of Biological Research Experience for Teachers Sites, or BIORETS, a National Science Foundation program that trains local teachers in field skills. She is also involved in two peer mentoring programs, and in her free time, she plans weekly community activities for a local young adult organization. She has been recognized five times with scholarships, grants and awards through the University of Arizona and the American Society of Mammalogists. This generous support will allow her to travel to Kenya to gain international conservation experience. 

After graduation, Margaret plans to return to California and work as a wildlife biologist for a state or federal agency in the Central Valley. She is grateful for her parents, her boyfriend, her siblings, her friends and her adviser for being patient with her as she has navigated the challenges of graduate school. 

Past Centennial Achievement Masters AwardeES