2024-25 Mensch Prize Winners
The Mensch Prizes at the W.A. Franke Honors College are given each year to students in the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (BCII) degree who exhibit the creative intelligence and innovative abilities exhibited by the microprocessor pioneer, inventor, embedded intelligence visionary, business founder and philanthropist, Bill Mensch, who, along with his wife, Dianne, have endowed the Mensch Prizes at The University of Arizona.
This year, three $1,000 Mensch Prizes for essays were awarded based on the following criterion: 1) Exemplifying creative intelligence as applied to a project or challenge. 2) Exhibiting discovery and employing creative thinking that leads to innovation and could have a global impact. 3) Implementation of an applied creative solution to a complex problem.
Spring 2025 Mensch Prize Awardees
Samantha Morgan
Year: Sophomore
Majors: Speech, Language, and Hearing Studies and Creative Intelligence and Innovation
Minor: Health and Human Values
“Roots Without Borders” is a creative, community-powered approach to global disaster preparedness, born from a transdisciplinary course project. It envisions a multilingual, Red Cross–affiliated platform where people around the world share culturally grounded survival strategies. By turning lived experience into global knowledge, across borders, disciplines, and communities, it empowers everyday people to become leaders in resilience.
Emma Stevenson
Year: Junior
Majors: Neuroscience and Creative Intelligence and Innovation
Emma's essay was a reflection on her BCII journey and the skills that she has gained throughout her classes. Her writing centered around a collaboration with the Red Cross and expanding on the idea of neighborhood coalitions in response to natural disasters. She highlighted the challenges and skills gained from the specific project and how that experience strengthened her skills.
Anastasia Princess Rastelli
Year: First Year
Majors: Applied Science in Computing with an emphasis on Artificial Intelligence and Creative Intelligence and Innovation
“Designing the Future of Finance through Empathy, Immersion, and AI” explores how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, biometric data, and immersive VR can transform banking into a more human-centered experience. In response to a real-world challenge from Pima County Federal Credit Union, her team developed a speculative prototype that prioritizes emotional intelligence, accessibility, and trust. The project highlights how technology can be a tool for empathy, helping individuals make more meaningful and informed financial decisions.
Mensch Prize: Team Awards
Impact-Driven Innovation
BCII Course | HNRS 370: Past, Present, and Future of Innovation
Emma Stevenson
Henry Wilkinson
Samantha Morgan
Rachel Roark
Creative Innovation
BCII Course | HNRS 271: Creative Practice and Methods
Jeremy Crider
Makena Dundon
Hailey Bushey
Phoebe Gregory
Transdiciplinary Innovation
BCII Course | HNRS 270: Problems to Possibilities
Anastasia Rastelli
Alexander Lowery
Bonnie Rock
Rocco Pelano
Futures Innovation
BCII Course | HNRS 473: Envisioning Futures
Isabella Ducey
Emma Stevenson
Anastasia Rastelli
Systems Innovation
BCII Course | HNRS 371: Creativity and Complexity
Lauren Doyle
Phoebe Gregory
Andrew Krueger
Sukhmani Kaur
Jeremy Crider
Emily Askew
Stephan McCray
Bonnie Rock
Taylor Stanley
It's an Honor with Bill Mensch
Learn more about the philanthropist behind the Mensch Prize by tuning into the latest episode of It's an Honor! In this episode, Franke Dean John Pollard sits down with microprocessor pioneer, inventor, and embedded intelligence visionary Bill Mensch to discuss how philosophy, religion, and science converge around ideas of intelligence and self-awareness. Touching on everything from the Super Nintendo to the GAIA conference and the BCII dual degree at the W.A. Franke Honors College, this episode bridges hardware, humanity, and the pursuit of lifelong learning. .