UHS  50th Anniversary Celebration

Secretary Francisco “Cisco” Aguilar is currently the Secretary of State for the State of Nevada. He is extremely grateful and honored to have had the opportunity to attend UHS as it changed his life in so many ways,  giving him the confidence to do whatever he wanted to do with the best education in the world.

Cisco graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and accounting, an MBA and Juris Doctor. While at the University of Arizona, he represented more than 35,000 students as Student Body President. Keeping involved in the Tucson community, Cisco served almost twenty years on the Marshall Foundation Board of Directors and currently serves on the University of Arizona Foundation Board of Trustees.

Earlier in his career he spent twelve years as General Counsel for Agassi Graf, the management company for Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf, and the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education.  He also served as Special Counsel to the Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, Jim Rogers, and as a lawyer for NBC affiliate stations in Nevada.

He worked overseas at Adidas Global Headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany as a member of the Brand Sustainability team through a transatlantic Fellowship with the Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH.He is the Founding Chairman of Cristo Rey High School which serves students in one of Las Vegas’ most vulnerable neighborhoods, providing an innovative work-study program designed to prepare them for future careers.

He was appointed to the Nevada Athletic Commission by both Governors Jim Gibbons and Brian Sandoval, which regulates boxing and mixed martial arts. He served on the Commission for eight years, two of which he served as Chairman. 

Liz Bowman Baker serves as Chief Operating Officer of SARSEF, a nonprofit on a mission to create the next generation of critical thinkers and problem solvers through science and engineering. With an emphasis on equity, SARSEF programs emphasize each student’s ability to solve a real-world problem using STEM research. SARSEF engages over 47,000 Pre-K-12 students in Arizona each year.

While attending University High School, Liz began her own scientific career as a SARSEF participant, leading to international recognition which resulted in over $260,000 in prizes and scholarships.

While a Penguin, Liz expanded her love of science through Envirothon and as Vice President of Science Olympiad, while Drama and the Shakespeare Monologue Competition fostered a lifetime of speaking skills. The breadth and depth of opportunities at UHS, as well as faculty members like Leiba Schuneman, whose willingness to go the extra mile for their students knew no bounds, granted Liz a rich experience that shaped her career.  

This experience led to her Master’s degree in Evolutionary and Comparative Psychology: The Origins of the Mind, from the University of St. Andrews in 2010. It also led to service as a Researcher for Koko the signing gorilla. 

Liz went on to become SARSEF’s first full-time employee in 2013, and has served in many roles, including Director of Research, Deputy Director, and CEO. An advocate for equal opportunity in STEM education, Liz has been recognized with honors such as Tucson Hispanic Chamber’s 40 Under 40, Women of Influence Education Champion, Greater Tucson Leadership 2016, WISE’s Award for Excellence in K-12 STEM Diversity, and membership in Charter 100 Arizona. 

Liz lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband Nick, daughter Violet, and their three cats, where she enjoys a game of D&D whenever possible.

Catherine Nichols was raised in Tucson in a political family. Her first political campaign was in 1982 when she knocked on doors for her father, Andy Nichols’ first campaign for state office. While at UHS she worked on her father’s 1988 campaign, walked across the United States with the Great Peace March and became a Flinn Scholar pursuing Women’s Studies at the University of Arizona.

She ran six more of her father’s campaigns and then helped her fellow UHS friend and Arizona Legislator, Gabrielle Gifford as Gabby launch her first Congressional campaign.  She continued to run Gabby’s off-year campaigns for the next several years, working closely with fellow Penguin, Gabe Zimmerman. She also managed the Southern Arizona campaign for Terry Goddard. Currently executive director at Arizona List, she is in her 15th year of helping elect women across Arizona. 

She has run three statewide initiatives, and is most proud of working on Prop 204 and Prop 139. Prop 204 Healthy Arizona, was a successful ballot initiative to help low-income Arizonans get healthcare with services to over 350,000 people in the state. Prop 139 successfully enshrined reproductive rights into the Arizona constitution  

In between her political work in Arizona, she has lived and studied in Japan, worked in France and Israel, and has volunteered on community health projects in Vietnam, Uganda and Nicaragua. She has a Master’s in Women’s Studies from Brandeis University and a PhD in Social Welfare with a concentration in Health Policy and teaches government to community college students. 

She is married to Dr. Asher Kaufman and they have three children, El’ad, Noa and Matan — who have collectively been to more meetings than most people will in their entire lives!

Dr. Erica Pan is the Director and State Public Health Officer for the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

She attended Stanford University and then received her MD and MPH degrees from the Tufts University School of Medicine.

As the Deputy Director for the Center for Infectious Diseases and State Epidemiologist, Erica helped lead the state through the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple infectious disease outbreaks, Ebola planning and the recent bird flu outbreak in California and beyond.

She previously served in public health leadership in Alameda County as the Alameda County Health Officer (where she was one of seven local health officers who issued the first stay at home orders in the nation in 2020), the  Director of the Division of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, and Deputy Health Officer.  Prior to that she worked for the San Francisco Department of Public Health leading local and regional infectious disease emergency planning.

Erica is also a clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco. She maintained her clinical work at San Francisco General Hospital and at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland in Infectious Diseases until 2019.

Erica lives in Oakland, CA with her husband Stephen, another pediatrician, and their two teen daughters, and dog, Juno. She is also a triathlete who has medaled on the podium several times. 

Timothy Reckart grew up in Tucson, Arizona, where he attended University High School from 2001 to 2005. There, he ran cross country and track, sang with the Choraliers, performed as Jud in Oklahoma, and in 2003 founded the UHS Film Club, which starting in May 2004 and for several years afterward rented out the big screening room at The Loft for the one-night UHS Film Festival, showcasing student-produced short films. Tim’s projects for the Festival included The Order of Kronos (2004), a sci-fi martial arts epic, and Corporate Hell (2005), which featured faculty members Mike Schmidt and John Hosmer as conniving demons working in the corporate offices of Hell. This was for Tim a first taste of both filmmaking for a large audience and doing entrepreneurial work.

Tim went on to study History and Literature at Harvard University where he received a BA in 2009 and was awarded the Edward H. Potter Prize for “great enthusiasm and curiosity for truly eclectic learning”. He continued his education at the National Film & Television School in England, where he earned an MA in Directing Animation and directed his 2012 short film Head over Heels. This film won multiple grand prizes on the international festival circuit and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2013. 

Thereafter, Tim started working in Hollywood as a stop motion animator, serving as a lead animator on Charlie Kaufman’s Oscar-nominated film Anomalisa and animator on Amazon’s multiple Emmy-winning preschool series Tumble Leaf. He began directing professionally in 2015 with the theatrically-released animated film The Star, an adaptation of the Nativity story for Sony Pictures Animation. He has since become the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Sycamore Studios, an independent studio producing animated features for the global theatrical market.

He now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and four children.

Germán Andres Aguilar was born in  Nogales, Mexico. From a very early age, he was passionate about music. He excelled in school and developed a love of singing, performing, and learning about music. He immigrated with his family to Tucson, Arizona in 1989.

During high school, he was a member of the Choraliers ensemble. Before graduating from University High School in 1997, Germán was voted the Choraliers’ Senior of the Year.  He want on to study music and education at Northern Arizona University, where he was awarded a full scholarship and double majored in music and choral music education. Germán graduated summa cum laude in 2001.

From 2002 to 2008, Germán was a choral director in Mesa, Arizona public schools. Under his direction, the choral ensembles at Mesa High School toured nationally and received recognition for outstanding performance at state music conferences. Germán also directed music festivals and camps in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Wisconsin. In particular, he loved serving as Music Director of the Arizona Magic of Music and Dance Camp for youth with disabilities in Phoenix. During his time as an educator in Arizona, he also served as West Region Governor of the Arizona Music Educators Association and was a sought-after adjudicator and guest clinician.

Germán went on to earn a Masters degree in choral conducting with honors from Northern Arizona University in 2009. While there, he served as a visiting lecturer and directed the University Men’s Chorale and Northern Voices Vocal Jazz. He was also appointed acting Artistic Director of the Master Chorale of Flagstaff in. In 2010, Germán became Director of Choral Activities and Coordinator of Applied Music at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California. He directed the Concert Choir, the Delta Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and the Delta Singers Chamber Choir. He also founded the Valley Youth Chamber Choir in Stockton and served on the governing board of the California chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.

In May 2014, he was appointed Artistic Director of The Stockton Chorale, becoming the youngest director in the organization’s history. Alongside his work as an educator and conductor, Germán continued to develop his talent as a tenor and toured Europe with the California State University, Long Beach Conservatory Choir.

Shortly before his passing in June 2014, Germán wrote a poem titled “Your Soul Is Song,” which was set to music by his friend, composer Jake Runestad. The piece, which is still performed by choirs, can be viewed here.

Germán was honored posthumously by the Stockton Arts Commission for Outstanding Arts Education and Performance, as well as by the San Joaquin Delta College Board of Trustees, which passed a resolution recognizing his life and work. Germán cared deeply about the well-being and success of his students. He is remembered as a passionate educator, a gifted and hardworking vocalist, a dedicated and loyal friend, and a beloved son and brother. His motto was “Make the family proud,” which was evident through his strong work ethic and the fierce love he had for his family. Germán’s enduring legacy and unwavering belief that the arts have the power to connect us and transform our lives continue to live on in the memories of those who knew him. More pictures here.

“Sing, then, for then your soul is song.” – Germán Andres Aguilar

Gabe Zimmerman attended UHS from 1994-1998, where he was a member of the Student Council and the State championship UHS-Rincon boys’ soccer team. He made many lifelong friends at UHS and was proud to be a graduate.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from University of California at Santa Cruz, Gabe worked as a counselor for Arizona Children’s Association. He then received a Master’s degree in social work at ASU. Gabe served as the Director of Constituent Services and later Director of Community Outreach for U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords.  In that position he handled thousands of issues raised by constituents, represented the congresswoman in the community and organized public events throughout the district.

He was known for his incredible empathy and charisma.   Gabe cared passionately about helping people and was known within his office as “the constituent whisperer”.  Zimmerman’s mother, Emily Nottingham, says that his congressional position was a good fit for him because it combined policy and making a difference for others. “He had a real interest in helping people and  a strong sense of social justice.”

Gabe’s future was violently taken from him in a 2011 public shooting. At the time of his death he was engaged to marry Kelly O’Brien.  He is missed by his friends, family and the community but the standard of public service that he set lives on in many ways including the:

• Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room at the US Capitol Visitors Center
• Gabe Zimmerman Scholarships at Pima Community College, UC Santa Cruz and at the ASU School of Social Work; as well as the Spirit of Service Scholarship, also at ASU
• Gabe Zimmerman Triple Crown, an annual three race series in Tucson
• Gabe Zimmerman Davidson Canyon Trailhead
• and the Gabe Zimmerman Public Service award at the Center for Future of Arizona

Today, on the UHS campus, stands a small bench in Gabe’s honor.  Gabe’s brother, Ben, and many friends helped to create that lasting memory of Gabe for future Penguins to remember.