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Professor Bem Le Hunte is an internationally published novelist and an expert in the field of Creative Intelligence. In today’s episode, we discuss the power of thinking creatively across disciplines, Bem’s origin story with the creation of the BCII at the University of Technology Sydney, her process of bringing this extraordinary dual degree to the W.A. Franke Honors College, and how this cutting-edge program will impact future generations of Franke Honors Wildcats. 

Amarissa Carabajal moved into the Honors Village mid August, alongside many other expectant and excited first-year, first-generation students. She has been dreaming about attending the University of Arizona since she first visited the campus 10 years ago, and, while her journey to get here has spanned thousands of miles, oceans, and continents, her hopes of becoming a Wildcat and future veterinarian have remained the same.

At 16, Tadeusz Borowski is one of the youngest first-year students to start at the the W.A. Franke Honors College this fall, after graduating from high school two years early. After seeing Borowski's transcript, it was Angie Valdez, assistant director of internal scholarships in the Franke Honors College, who emailed him, urging him to apply for a scholarship that he was likely eligible for.

Rebecca Gomez, PhD, is a Professor in the College of Science, the Director of the Child Cognition Lab at the University of Arizona, and one of our incredible 2023 Franke Academy of Scholars award recipients. In this episode, we discuss how Rebecca became interested in developmental psychology, her current research with child cognition, and the importance of sleep as a guiding principle in her classroom. 

Twins Elizabeth and Andrew Ghartey are incoming Franke Honors students who are planning to study engineering. Both Ghartey twins, who graduated from BASIS Mesa charter school in Mesa and have been admitted to the W.A. Franke Honors College, decided on UArizona after just one visit in April.

Franke Honors student Justin Begay transferred to the University of Arizona last year from Mohave Community College. He is now a rising senior at the Franke Honors College studying Psychology, and has recently been awarded two competitive scholarships, both of which have allowed him to make the most out of his Honors experience.

Teresa Rosano is an architect and professor in the College of Architecture, Planning, & Landscape Architecture at the University of Arizona, whose award-winning work has been featured in over 300 books and magazines worldwide. In addition to her celebrated architectural work, Teresa has been recognized for her excellence in teaching. Most recently, she received the 2023 Margaret M. Briehl and Dennis T. Ray Five Star Faculty Award. This award is the only student-selected faculty award at the University of Arizona.

This fall, the University of Arizona W.A. Franke Honors College will launch the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (BCII) degree, inspired by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). This transdisciplinary degree can be combined with a range of degrees to examine design-led innovation through a future facing and industry engaged curriculum.

As a contribution to the Center for Creative Photography's mobile app experience, CCP Interactive, W.A. Franke Honors students had the opportunity to correspond with Sir Paul McCartney, one of the most celebrated singers, songwriters, and musicians of the last century, and ask him questions about his late wife Linda’s profound photography career.