Recipient of the 2009-2010 Public Interest Award

Lucia Dura, University of Texas at El Paso

Lucia Dura Personal Bio
Lucia Dura has a BA in Communication from St. Mary's University, an MA in Rhetoric and Writing Studies from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), and is currently a PhD candidate in Rhetoric and Composition at UTEP. Her concentration is in Public Administration. Lucia's research for the last three years has focused primarily on innovative approaches to the rhetorics of social and organization change. She has consulting experience with Minga Peru, an Ashoka fellow-led NGO in the Peruvian Amazon, and Save the Children in Uganda and Indonesia. These experiences, done in collaboration with Dr. Arvind Singhal, have yielded numerous presentations, a book chapter, a journal article, four case studies, three short films, and a published monograph. Lucia also derives a significant amount of non-profit and public administration expertise from her partnership with organizations on the U.S.-Mexico border, including educational institutions, children's groups, museums, consulates, and healthcare organizations.

Proposal Summary
Lucia Dura's proposal suggests a Positive Deviance approach to address student retention rates and timely graduation in Texas. Requiring a mental shift from what communities are doing wrong to what they are doing right, Positive Deviance suggests that solutions to seemingly intractable issues already exist in the uncommon but successful behaviors of the least-usual suspects.


Honorable Mention Award

Asal Shokati, University of Houston

Asal Shokati Personal Bio
Asal Shokati is a graduate student in the University of Houston's Bauer College of Business MS Finance program (expected graduation in spring 2010). She has been working as a financial analyst in a commercial real estate company in Houston while attending school. She has also been conducting research on microfinance and on available healthcare plans in the United States. Asal is the president of the student organization Microfinance Initiative (MFi) at UH, which focuses on providing microloans to deserving entrepreneurs locally as well as internationally. Being an international student from Iran, she is aware of how small loans can provide extraordinary opportunities for these entrepreneurs. Asal is an avid supporter of organic and fresh produce, and bike rides and creating art are two of her hobbies.

Proposal Summary
Asal Shokati's proposal recommends using microlending in urban community gardening. Available land lots in the poor neighborhoods of Texas cities can be acquired and used to plant and harvest produce for personal sustenance and sale. A non-profit administrative body will organize the network of gardens and a farmers' market, as well as educating the clients.


Honorable Mention Award

Rahwa Neguse, University of Texas at San Antonio

Rahwa Neguse Personal Bio
Rahwa Neguse is originally from the northeast African nation of Eritrea. She grew up in Fort Worth, Texas with her five siblings and her parents, Tesfai and Tirhas Soulu. Rahwa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Texas Christian University. Currently, she is pursuing her Masters degree in Public Administration at the University of Texas at San Antonio and will graduate in May 2010. She has a national certification in nonprofit management and leadership and is a member of Pi Alpha Alpha National Honor Society for Public Administration. In addition, Rahwa is a member of Alpha Chi National Leadership Honor Society and an honoree of Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. She is a recipient of the Bank of America Scholarship among others. Upon graduation, Rahwa plans to enter a career in nonprofit healthcare administration and ultimately work in the field of global health.

Proposal Summary
To address the problem of high school dropouts in Texas, Rahwa Neguse has proposed the implementation of an after-school program entitled the W.H.O.L.E. Person Project. The main objective of this program is to ensure that students graduate from high school and are equipped through training and mentorship for life after school.