Join Arizona Arts for the JustArts Fellows Presentation & Celebration on Friday, Feb 27, 2026, at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre. The current cohort will share their projects and experiences followed by a Q&A panel. A reception with refreshments will follow the presentation and a chance to meet the Fellows.
The JustArts Fellowship for Student Leaders in the Arts invites students to design, develop, and complete projects that enhance access to meaningful arts experiences. Fellows identify challenges, propose creative solutions, and collaborate with peers and Arizona Arts mentors to bring their vision to life.
- “Common Threads,” Riqué Duhamell Escobedo, School of Information, MA
- “Here to Stay,” Joanna Labija, College of Humanities, BA
- “Wishing for Change, Creating Tomorrow,” Aaliyah Radebaugh, School of Art, BFA
- “bit·ter·sweet,” Nagasriya (Sriya) Ramisetty, College of Medicine, BS; College of Humanities, BA
- “PLAing with Trash: Turning 3D Printing Polylactic Acid Waste into Art by,” Nikolas (Niko) Sanchez, Graduate College, PhD
- “Queer Bassoon Music and the Queer Bassoon Coalition,” by Christopher Werner, School of Music, DMA
RIQUE DUHAMELL ESCOBEDO
RIQUE DUHAMELL ESCOBEDO is a second-year MA student in Library and Information Science in the School of Information. Their project, “Common Threads,” aims to create a space on campus where students can explore and express their identities through traditional and contemporary embroidery practices of Mexico and Latin America. Through stitching, participants will engage in storytelling that honors their heritage and personal experiences, fostering a sense of belonging, cultural rootedness, and community on campus.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Designed and launched a six-workshop series focusing on Latin American and Mexican embroidery practices. Created a survey to assess student reception of the workshop.
JOANNA LABIJA
JOANNA LABIJA is a senior BA student in Interdisciplinary Studies focusing on Arts, Media, and Entertainment at the College of Humanities. In “Here to Stay,” Joanna uses qualitative data collection through focus groups and photography to counteract real and perceived erasure of student cultural identity on campus. Through both vehicles, Joanna hopes to spark reflection, dialogue, and action, as students from different backgrounds share and learn from each other’s stories.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
“Conducted Voices in Color,” a discussion circle where students from various backgrounds had the opportunity to share their experiences on campus. In the process of conducting two photoshoots and finding key locations on campus, in which to display the photos.
AALIYAH RADEBAUGH
AALIYAH RADEBAUGH is a senior pursuing a BFA in Studio Art with an emphasis in Illustration, Design, and Animation in the College of Fine Arts. “Wishing for Change, Creating Tomorrow,” seeks to elevate student voices by creating film animations based on interviews that elicit student stories, concerns, and aspirations for a better campus environment. A talk-back will follow a screening of the film animations, giving students a space in which to feel heard, care for one another, and imagine change.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Conducted student interviews to highlight various student voices on campus. Student participants will have their stories animated and presented April 28 at the Marroney Theatre. The event will feature live music, participant discussion, and a wishing well where audience members can place their wishes.
NAGASRIYA (SRIYA) RAMISETTY
NAGASRIYA (SRIYA) RAMISETTY is a junior in the W.A. Franke Honors College completing a BS in Physiology and Medical Sciences in the College of Medicine and a BA in Applied Humanities in the College of Humanities. Her project, “bit·ter·sweet,” addresses mental health stigma among Asian Americans, a community that reports among the highest needs for mental healthcare services and resources. Sriya will engage audiences in new ways of hearing, feeling, and thinking about mental health by creating an original poetry and art collection that weaves together statistical public health research with more humanizing, personal stories collected through interviews. She will be hosting her event on April 17 in the Health Sciences and Innovation Building from 5-7p.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Sriya has collaborated with The Poetry Center, the Honors College, and the Health Sciences department for her project, which includes student interviews surrounding themes related to Asian American mental health.
NIKO SANCHEZ
Nikolas (Niko) Sanchez is a second year Ph.D. student in Applied Intercultural Arts Research at the Graduate College. His project, “PLAing with Trash: Turning 3D Printing Polylactic Acid Waste into Art,” focuses on building a campus-wide network of fabrication spaces to harvest 3D printing waste, failed prints, and prototypes and using that material as the basis for creating sculptures and sculpture workshops. In partnership with the Campus Sustainability Fund, Niko is bringing awareness to how the waste created through rapid prototyping can be repurposed for artistic use.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Set up collection and storage sites at Catalyst, the Engineering Design Center and the Environment and Natural Resources 2 Building. Partnered with undergraduate students to design and implement sculpture workshops. Partnered with the MLK Center to create a sculpture for the Black History Month kickoff event.
CHRISTOPHER WERNER
CHRIS WERNER is a graduate student working toward a D.M.A. in Bassoon Performance at the School of Music. Their project, “Queer Bassoon Music and the Queer Bassoon Coalition,” aims to increase the recognition of LGBTQIA2S+ people, cultures, and contributions to Western art music. They will collect testimonies and oral histories from queer-identifying bassoon players and composers and use them to build a coalition that will collaborate on commissioning new works for the bassoon by queer composers. The commissioned works will be debuted at a live public performance and recorded for accessibility, posterity, and advocacy
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Commissioned two works by local composers and will premiere them in performance. In the process of conducting interviews with queer bassoonists and composers that will be used for forming the Queer Bassoon Coalition.
