Ten University of Arizona students will be honored at the fourth annual Wildcat Heroes Award Ceremony for their work in humanitarian aid and community service.
The awards will be given to students by the university in partnership with The Powerhouse, a local philanthropic group that was born out of a student internship program at Mission Management & Trust Co., a trust company previously owned by Carmen Bermúdez. Bermúdez, who founded the company in 1994, is credited as the first minority woman to own a trust company in the U.S.
The event, which will take place Friday evening at the Dan Dunlap Stadium Club at Arizona Stadium, recognizes students who have demonstrated “extraordinary determination, selflessness, and courage through humanitarian aid and community service.”
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“Notably, the award focuses exclusively on the impact of service, with no GPA or extracurricular requirements for the monetary prize,” said a press release about the event.
The Wildcat Heroes Award was inspired by the “CNN Heroes” program and was founded by Bermúdez.
The keynote speaker at the event will be Taylor Talbot, a legally blind Paralympian who competed in sprint track and field at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games before retiring in November 2023 to pursue para-triathlon.
The 10 students being honored this year are:
- Kimberly Avila, College of Science: Volunteer at 1st Tucson House of Worship
- Adrian Cruz, College of Engineering: Volunteer at American Red Cross
- Samrawit De La Cruz, College of Medicine — Tucson: Volunteer at Mexzona, U of A
- Anam Khalid, College of Public Health: Volunteer at youth groups
- Kylie Miller, College of Science: Founder of Hearing Double, volunteer at various run clubs
- Miranda Morando, College of Nursing: Volunteer at Victoria Arias Foundation
- Abhijay Murugesan, College of Medicine — Tucson: Volunteer at University Safety Commission
- Annette Palumbo, College of Pharmacy: Volunteer at Arizona Pharmacy Association
- Nguyen Pham, College of Pharmacy: Volunteer at Arizona Pharmacy Association
- Courtney Wood, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences: Volunteer at Blue Chip Leadership
The University of Arizona campus.
Reporter Prerana Sannappanavar covers higher education for the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson.com. Contact her at psannappa1@tucson.com or DM her on Twitter.
Prerana Sannappanavar
Higher Education Reporter
