Celebrating 20 Years!
Attendees celebrated ACE’s 20th anniversary on Friday, March 22, at the annual scholars recognition event. Students, parents, alumni, senior administrators, staff, faculty, and friends celebrated in the Roski Dining Hall. Speakers presented testimonies, poetry, and reflections on ACE’s history and impact. Guest presenters included Abbie Robinson-Armstrong, inaugural vice president for intercultural affairs, and ACE alum Ezrah Bryant, assistant dean of students at Pepperdine University. Director Steven Neal recognized the staff, faculty, previous administrators, and alumni who championed the program and their partnerships and support to ACE scholars. Also, students received awards for their scholarly achievements, and seniors were given medallions to wear at commencement.
ACE prepares students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds to pursue graduate and professional degrees. This newsletter captures the ACE recognition event and the program’s recent graduates. Congratulations to our scholars, and thank you to our partners!
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| ACE Scholars Recognition Event
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Left to right: Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Emelyn dela Peña, inaugural Vice President for Intercultural Affairs Abbie Robinson-Armstrong, Sister Mary Beth Ingham, and Director Steven Neal.
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Left: Veonna Quintanilla opens the recognition event with a song. Right: ACE scholar Mariah Allen recites a poem that celebrates students' strength, resilience, and vision and challenges them to continually sow seeds by investing in their communities, stories, and themselves.
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Left: Abbie Robinson-Armstrong, inaugural vice president for intercultural affairs, speaks about ACE's history and the value of a graduate degree. Right: Thomas Poon, executive vice president and provost, shares remarks about ACE's impact and legacy.
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Left: Emelyn dela Peña, vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion, shares personal testimonies and words of encouragement for ACE scholars. Right: Ezrah Bryant, assistant dean of students at Pepperdine University and ACE alum, shares reflections, encourages ACE scholars to continue pursuing excellence, and challenges alumni to invest in the students.
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Alumni reflect on their experiences in ACE. Left to right: Ruth Awosika ('07) and Daisy Huerta ('23).
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Director Steven Neal with recipients of the Marshall Sauceda Rising Scholar Award. Award recipients pictured above (left to right): Marisa Gomez and Alyssa Rodriguez.
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Director Steven Neal with Academic Achievement Award recipient Ngoc Tran. Additional award recipients (not pictured) were Nkechinyere Uchendu, Cecilia Zaragoza, Isabella Chhina, Antonio Garcia, Alana Borer, Rachel Guzzetti, and Megan Mingo.
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ACE seniors (left to right): Rachel Guzzetti, Megan Mingo, Nihar Nanjappa, Hailey-Jean Tustison, and Director Steven Neal. Not pictured: Alana Borer and Gabriella Alleyne.
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ACE alumni: Top row: Jeff Yau, Nicole Hernandez, Stacey Leon, Ezrah Bryant, Travis Shivley-Scott, John Lopez, Daisy Huerta, and Amira Mahomed. Second Row: Karen Maala, Eunique Day, Director Steven Neal, Ruth Awosika, and Min-Jung Kim.
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Congratulations to our Graduates
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|  | Gabriella Alleyne
I believe my love of storytelling and creativity is a significant part of the public relations and advertising master’s program
at USC Annenberg…. With my degree, I want to gain more experience and knowledge, but my overarching goal is to create my own public relations and social media agency for creatives.
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Alana Borer
I will be applying to medical school in the 2025 application cycle. I am currently volunteering at nonprofits in the Boston area and plan to work as a medical assistant at a dermatology clinic.
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|  | Rachel Guzzetti
I plan to continue my educational pursuits by attending law school in California. I want to work in estate planning, focusing my efforts on underserved communities of color.
| |  | Megan Mingo
I’m considering pursuing education law and government/public interest. I foresee my current trajectory, including working at a firm directly following law school and
transitioning into a career with the United States Attorney’s Office. I ultimately envision myself transitioning into work
with students or education in some capacity.
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|  | Nihar Nanjappa
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and a minor in applied mathematics, I will pursue a master’s degree program in electrical engineering.
| |  | Hailey-Jean Tustison
After I graduate, I will fly to Washington, D.C., to attend The Fund for American Studies summer internship program from June to July! I will be in their business and government relations track, where I will meet with companies within the private sector and learn how they operate and negotiate with government officials. Furthermore, I plan to take a gap year
and have applied to several more internships to make the most of my year between undergraduate school and law school!
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Give to ACEBy supporting ACE, you are investing in the success of our scholars. Your gift will help position students for admission to graduate and professional school.
Thank you for your gift!
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