Graciela Jauregui

Congratulations to Graciela Jauregui, recipient of the 2017 Centennial Achievement Award. December was a big month for Graciela who also graduated with a dual degree MPH/MS in Public Health Policy and Management and Mexican American Studies.

The Centennial Achievement Awards are presented to six University of Arizona students who have demonstrated integrity, determination and commitment in improving themselves, their families and their communities. The students have completed groundbreaking research to aid underserved and underrepresented communities, founded nonprofits, given many hours of public service and earned advanced degrees in the face of adversity.

Jauregui grew up in San Luis, Arizona. She was the first in her family to complete high school and attend a four-year university. In 2013, she received bachelors' degrees in public health and Spanish. Her early experiences growing up in a rural border town and serving as an untrained interpreter between physicians and her family made her aware of the cultural and language challenges in the U.S. and instilled in her the desire to become a service provider.

Jauregui has conducted research along the U.S.-Mexico border and completed her thesis on "Access to Healthcare for Undocumented Immigrant Detainees in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Centers." At the annual UA Public Health Research Poster Forum, she was awarded first place for her community engagement project in Winchester Heights, Arizona. She is currently completing an internship with the Office of Border Health at the Arizona Department of Health Services.

An administrative assistant at Banner – UMC Tucson, she also has volunteered with Clinica Amistad, No More Deaths and the Flying Samaritans. She hopes to attend medical school and serve underprivileged populations throughout Arizona.

Read about all six of the 2017 Centennial Achievement Award recipients in UANews.