MARCH STUDENT OF THE MONTH

Name: Steven Harshman

Major(s): Physiology

Year in school: Sophomore

Hometown: Vail, AZ

Clubs/Organizations: Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Health Honorary, UAZ Hispanic Alumni Association Scholar, UAZ Honors College Southwestern Foundation Scholar, Wildcat Wishes Foundation (non-profit founded by me, gifts classroom supplies to local K-12 public school teachers), UAZ Campus Recreation student employee.

Leisure Pursuits: Exercising and playing sports at the Rec Center, eating out with friends (especially at Raising Cane’s, I’ve been there at least 70 times), watching YouTube (mostly men’s fashion channels and BuzzFeed), going to concerts (my favorite ones have been Drake, J. Cole, Midland, Brent Faiyaz, and Daniel Caesar), and chilling with the bros Carter and Daunte.

Research Projects: Not currently, however I was previously an undergraduate research assistant in the Wu Lab in the UA Department of Immunobiology for over a year. I spent 200+ hours helping research how microbes in the gut microbiome affect diseases outside of the gut, such as asthma and arthritis. As a member of the lab, I quantified levels of Segmented Filamentous Bacteria in fecal samples of various mouse models using qPCR and DNA extraction techniques, and performed genotyping of mice to be used in various other lab experiments. 

Plans after graduation: I hope to attend medical school and become a physician, possibly in emergency medicine or pediatrics.  

FOCUS QUESTIONS

What is something you have done during your time at UA of which you are especially proud?

One thing that I am especially proud of is my starting of my non-profit organization, the Wildcat Wishes Foundation for K-12 education. Founded in the spring semester of my freshman year, the Wildcat Wishes Foundation is a 100% student-run non-profit organization dedicated to helping the well-deserving and highly valued teachers of the Tucson community. Public K-12 education in Arizona is consistently ranked amongst the worst in the U.S., so my team and I work tirelessly to break down educational barriers for the youth in our community. As an organization, we encourage teachers to submit "wishes" or proposals for desired resources/materials and from these submissions, we select a local teacher recipient of the award and grant their “wish” with the funds that we raise right here in the Tucson community in combination with efforts from local donors. Since the organization’s creation in January of 2019, we have been able to donate many brand new reading books, dry-erase boards, markers, erasers, and many other classroom supplies to teachers across various schools, many of which are Title 1 public schools with high concentrations of low-income students. Due to poor amounts of public school funding, teachers in Arizona are forced to use their own personal funds to purchase simple classroom materials; there is no logical reason why this must be. In an effort to lighten the financial burden placed on Tucson educators and enrich the learning experience and opportunities of local kids, my team and I at Wildcat Wishes have worked tirelessly to give our community everything it needs.

What message do you have for other Honors students on finding their own success?

If you want to achieve extraordinary things, you have to get outside of your comfort zone and do things you’ve never done before; apply for that scholarship, study abroad, create that service project, make that professional connection, run for that club board position. Also, have fun! College is hard and burnout is real – mental breaks and mindless fun are so necessary in being able to push through and succeed.

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

"Steven Harshman is an individual that does not hide his own past struggles, but instead wears them proudly as a part of his own identity. Steven is a first-generation college student that is a son to immigrant parents from both Mexico and Thailand. ... Steven plans to attend medical school upon graduating from UArizona and hopes to become an emergency medicine physician. Steven understands the importance of quality education for underrepresented individuals and hopes that the Wildcat Wishes Foundation improves education and inspires students, just like himself, to believe in their ability to become something that they would never have imagined."

– Alex Scheid (Best friend from high school & now at the UA)

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To nominate a peer for Student of the Month, please click HERE and complete the submission form. All nominations are subject to Honors College faculty review, approval, and editing for publication.