April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Recent statistics underscore the urgency of sexual violence prevention and intervention work: RAINN reports that an American is assaulted every 68 seconds, and studies show over 53% of women and over 29% of men reported experiencing contact sexual violence.

April is a busy time around the W.A. Franke Honors College, but let's take time to pause and celebrate the rich tapestry of cultures, histories, and contributions of Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American (APIDA) communities during APIDA Heritage Month. This month and the next provides a meaningful opportunity for reflection, appreciation, and advocacy for the diverse voices within our University of Arizona community.

Students from the W.A. Franke Honors College will be collaborating with Tucson’s annual Agave Heritage Festival (AHF) to host an Agave Knowledge Exchange exhibition on April 20th in downtown Tucson. The Agave Heritage Festival is a four-day celebration that focuses on the agave plant and its cultural significance across borders.

The weather brought John Pollard to Tucson, but the University of Arizona's culture and research opportunities have kept him here. In this Meet the Dean feature, learn about Dean Pollard's vision for the W.A. Franke Honors College, as well as his love for music and barbecue.

The University of Arizona's W.A. Franke Honors College recently sponsored a student designed seminar hosted in Sonora, Mexico, in which Franke Honors students in HNRS 295G: Global Diversity & Voices were able to plan, organize, and put on a seminar that promoted a topic of their choosing. The course culminated in a seminar to showcase learning with a partner university in Sonora, The Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Cananea.

Daryl Ijaola is a sophomore at the W.A. Franke Honors College studying Biomedical Engineering with minors in Health and Human Values and Spanish. Ijaola, who is also a Black Excellence Scholar, has a passion for expressing his thoughts and emotions through poetry and spoken word. Using the resources from his Exploratory Mini-Grant, Ijaola is cultivating a dedicated space for students to explore writing poetry through weekly workshops hosted in the University of Arizona Main Library.

W.A. Franke Honors Assistant Professor of Practice Dr. Nadia Alvarez Mexia, along with staff members Kat Reising and Tere Weiler, recently secured a $1,500 Grant from Confluencenter Director's Fund. Their proposal, which is titled "Bridging Borders: Honoring Interdisciplinary Student Talent," aims to empower Franke Honors students in the Arts and Humanities by providing platforms such as workshops, exhibitions, performances, and diverse events for showcasing their work, skills, and ideas.

This Women's History Month, we celebrate the invaluable contributions of women throughout history, recognizing their achievements, and honoring their resilience. Within the W.A. Franke Honors College, we are privileged to have outstanding women scholars and leaders who contribute immensely to our campus community and beyond!

This spring, Franke Honors students will have the chance to learn from and work alongside industry partners Creative Machines and Core Spaces. This incredible opportunity is a central part of the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation curriculum, a new future-facing, dual degree program offered at the W.A. Franke Honors College.

Trevor Hedberg researches and teaches about issues in moral philosophy. His research about environmental and procreative ethics was recently published on the Conversation, an independent news organization that publishes trustworthy and informative articles written by academic experts.