The College of Fine Arts will honor seven outstanding students who’ve made a remarkable impact on their school at the CFA Graduation Convocation.
Recognized for their artistic, professional, and academic excellence, these students represent what it means to make an honest commitment to the arts.
School of Art students, Nuala Gwilliam (Outstanding Senior) and Andrés Caballero (Outstanding Graduate) were also honored as the overall award winners for the College of Fine Arts.
- Nuala Gwilliam | School of Art | Outstanding Senior
- Andrés Caballero | School of Art | Outstanding Graduate
- Margo Bartlett | School of Dance | Outstanding Senior
- Alex Demetriades | School of Dance | Outstanding Graduate
- Macy Halverson | School of Music | Outstanding Senior
- Chris Werner | School of Music | Outstanding Graduate
- Addy Siciliano | School of Theatre, Film & Television | Outstanding Senior
2026 CFA Graduation Convocation
May 17 | 2p | Centennial Hall
Nuala Gwilliam
School of Art
BFA in Art and Visual Culture Education
Outstanding Senior
Nuala Gwilliam made a lasting contribution to the School of Art community as a dedicated, bright, and thoughtful student and aspiring educator. Committed to youth and the future of art, she made a significant impact on her peers and professors, and young art students across the Tucson area.
Associate Professors Carissa DiCindio and Ryan Shin nominated Gwilliam, noting her dedication to arts education beginning in the classroom. Both described her as highly attentive, consistently developing her knowledge and putting her work into practice through real world experiences.
She worked in numerous teaching positions for young, aspiring artists. Her work includes an internship with Groundworks, a local nonprofit organization aimed to provide an art-based community for the youth. There, she worked with teenagers to provide a safe space for creativity, self-expression, and a sense of belonging.
Her artwork is also not to go unnoticed. Faculty selected several of her class projects for display. This spring, she exhibited in the 2026 2D Emphasis BFA exhibition.
“With my time in both the IDA track as well as Art Education, I’ve been able to meet artists with many different disciplines and talents,” she said. “I can’t credit the CFA enough for the impact it’s made on my artistic development, my perspectives on art education, and my personal life and community.”
After graduation, she will begin a full-time position as an art teacher at Catalina Magnet High School while continuing to freelance commission her illustrations.
Andrés Caballero
School of Art
MFA in Photography, Video, and Imaging
Outstanding Graduate
Andrés Caballero, a graduate student in the School of Art, is being recognized for his artistic tenacity and cultivating a public-facing community engagement. Caballero’s work exemplifies what it means to use art as a medium for change, focusing specifically on U.S.-Mexico borderlands.
Regents Professor Sama Alshaibi and others nominated Caballero for this honor. Caballero’s work is meaningfully shaped by research, touching on themes of reshaped borders, domestic space with disproportionate consequences for marginalized communities. In this collaborative, research-based work, he treats tools like computer vision, LiDAR, and real-time processing as political materials.
Caballero has produced several impactful works, one being a project entitled “Borderland Masks,” which involved a collaboration with the lucha libre community in Phoenix and Nogales, Sonora. In this photography project, he worked closely with several families to portray their personal identity with lucha libre, giving viewers an authentic representation of their culture.
Over his graduate years, he has participated in 23 group exhibitions as well as a solo exhibition at the Lionel Rombach Gallery. A highly decorated artist, he has received several grants, awards and fellowships – the Marcia Grand Centennial Award, Mellon Fronteridades Fellowship, Reclaiming the Border Narrative Creative Reuse Award, and more.
After graduation, Caballero will be returning to Mexico City to pursue PhD programs in studio art. He plans to continue developing projects with the long-term goal teaching and working as a full-time artist.
“My experience in this program has had a profound impact on both my personal and professional life,
something I will carry with me long term. I went through a major shift in my understanding of art and of our relationship to images, which completely redefined my practice,” he said.
Margo Bartlett
School of Dance
BFA in Dance, BA in East Asian Studies (Japanese Language)
Outstanding Senior
An artist, scholar, leader, mentor, Margo Bartlett’s her undergraduate journey at the School of Dance serves as a testament to her versatility. This May, she graduates with a dual degree, a BFA in Dance and BA in East Asian Studies (specializing in Japanese language).
School of Dance Director Duane Cyrus nominated Bartlett, noting her heightened level of discipline, artistry, and sense of purpose in her performances, distinguishing her from her peers. He also recognized her leadership as president of Dance Collective, an ASUA-recognized club. Outside the classroom, Margo shares her expertise by mentoring the next generation of dancers at Danswest Dance Studio as well as by traveling to China and Japan as a member of the Medici Scholars cohort.
She has performed an extensive list of legacy works by legends like Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, and Bob Fosse at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre as well as The Joyce Theatre in New York City and others.
“The countless hours of hard work that go into a performance season, and the electric feeling of it all paying off under the lights next to great friends, is something I will continue to reminisce on long after graduation.”
Bartlett plans to attend Springboard Danse this summer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, following graduation.
Alex Demetriades
School of Dance
MFA in Dance
Outstanding Graduate
During her time at Arizona, graduate student Alex Demetriades demonstrated a dedication to research, offering a community-centered ideology to her studies and a holistic artistic approach to her artistic endeavors.
Trent D. Williams Jr., an associate professor in the School of Dance, nominated Williams highlighting her interdisciplinary outlook on dance, fusing together artistic choreography with her understanding of body awareness and somatic practice as a certified massage therapist.
Demetriades held important leadership roles, serving as a rehearsal assistant, guide for creative processes, and coordinator for productions to bring larger-scale performances to life. She took her creative pursuits internationally, returning home to Athens, Greece, to study as a Medici Scholar. In Greece, she created work influenced by her cultural roots.
Demetriades also collaborated with Athletic Trainer Kristen Miller, supporting dance students by bridging theory and practice, helping students with physical recovery and resilience in the training room.
“My experience at the College of Fine Arts and the University of Arizona has been deeply transformative both artistically and personally,” she said. “The MFA Dance program has challenged me to expand my creative voice while grounding my work in research, collaboration, and critical inquiry.”
Following graduation, she will be building a career that intersects performance, education, and research in embodied practice.
Macy Halverson
School of Music
BM in Vocal Performance
Outstanding Senior
Macy Halverson, the School of Music’s “Outstanding Senior,” is an exceptional vocal technician and artist with an undoubted dedication to academia, leadership, and community engagement.
Elizabeth Schauer, the director of choral activities, nominated Halverson. As a member of the Symphonic Choir, Halverson distinguished herself among her peers as a soprano section leader and frequent soloist of this group. Schauer noted her growth in vocal performance, performing several solos of extremely high caliber.
These performances include “Le Nozze di Figaro” by Mozart her first year, which deepened her love for vocal performance and opera from the very beginning.
During her undergraduate journey, she interned with a local enrichment program, fulfilling tasks such as large event planning, managing student and family life services, and teaching advanced drama programs. She regularly attended the National Opera Association conference, serving as a student representative for them for the past two years, as well as serving as the choir director for her local church.
“I have had so many opportunities through my education at the University. While studying here, I have been able to attend masterclasses and recitals by some of the greatest performers in the world,” she said. “Every class I have taken has opened my eyes to the possibilities that exist around me.”
Following graduation, Halverson will be working for the Tucson Desert Song Festival as a fundraising consultant with ambitions of performing with theatre and opera companies.
Christopher Werner
School of Music
DMA in Bassoon Performance
Outstanding Graduate
A courageous, ambitious, and intellectual artist, Christopher Werner represents the School of Music as the “Outstanding Graduate” student as a result of their powerful exploration of music performance, culture, and queer identity.
Associate Professors Dr. Marissa Olegario, Dr. Sara Fraker, and Dr. Jackie Glazier nominated Werner, all noting their versatility as an artist, their musicianship powered by artistic expression and collaboration. Werner performed with both the Arizona Symphony and the Wind Ensemble, alternating between the bassoon and contrabassoon. They served as a general manager, and bassoonist, for the Fred Fox Graduate Wind Quintet and performed with the Tumblereed Quintet.
Werner pairs those talents with an unwavering commitment to their craft, working several jobs and diligently seeking scholarships and grants to fund their artistic pursuits.
This school year, Werner earned a JustArts Fellowship, a program that awards innovative artists financial support for projects addressing critical challenges. Their project, “Queer Bassoon Music and the Queer Bassoon Coalition,” explored LGBTQ+ communities and their impact on Western art music.
Following graduation, Werner will be continuing their work in the Tucson Unified School District as a music teacher while also performing in the Tucson area.
“I have made expansive growths as a musician and a scholar during my time here, lasting connections with peers and professors and I’m excited for the next chapter,” they said.
Addy Siciliano
School of Theatre, Film, & Television
BFA in Musical Theatre
A fourth-year musical theatre student, Addy Siciliano earned the School of Theatre, Film & Television’s “Outstanding Senior’ as a result of her notable work ethic and passion for the arts, both inside the classroom and out.
Assistant Professor Jamie Reed nominated Siciliano, emphasizing her remarkable understanding of musicality and vocal technique and her ability to quickly apply feedback to strengthen her creative delivery. Reed also noted her commitment to not only herself, but others around her, highlighting her desire for others to succeed.
Over her undergraduate career, she performed in a wide variety of musicals including “Bright Star,” “Sweeney Todd,” and was most recently featured as a vocalist in “Jerry’s Girls.” Through these productions, she made a lasting impression on faculty and peers through her positive spirit. She also earned stage combat certification through the Society of American Fight Directors, an achievement that marked a turning point in her academic career.
Outside the classroom, Siciliano dedicates a large portion of her time to the Ronald McDonald House of Southern Arizona, a non-profit organization serving those in need with various support services. This year, she took on the role of a house volunteer, helping out the organization weekly.
“My time at Arizona and in the College of Fine Arts was amazing,” she said. “It allowed me to grow academically, professionally, and socially. I made lifelong friends and developed meaningful relationships with faculty that guided me through the program.”
After graduation, she will move to New York City to pursue a career in theatre and film.
Past Awardees
- 2025 Spring … Outstanding Seniors, GA
2025 Fall … Outstanding Seniors - 2024 Spring … Outstanding Seniors, GTA
2024 Fall … Outstanding Seniors - 2023 Spring … Outstanding Seniors, GTA
2023 Fall … Outstanding Seniors - 2022 Spring … Outstanding Seniors, GTA
2022 Fall … Outstanding Seniors - 2021 Spring … Outstanding Seniors, GTA
2021 Fall … Outstanding Seniors