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As the longtime office manager of the Academic Advising Center, Sherrel Brockington earned widespread appreciation across campus for her tenacity in the face of challenges. She devised creative solutions to problems, supporting students, faculty and colleagues over the course of 35 years and building a wide network of friends in process.

Since her retirement from the university in 2016, Brockington’s example has continued to make an impact through an annual scholarship. This year’s awardees, David Ruiz Menjivar and Hana Shitama, exhibit the hallmark of perseverance that defined Brockington’s career.

The annual award, established by Associate Dean for Student Affairs Joseph Spillane in the image of Brockington, gifts $1,000 to a College of Liberal Arts and Sciences student with outstanding academic and personal achievements. Recipients must be graduates from an Alachua County high school and meet eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant Program. This year, the review committee was so impressed by two candidates that they selected both as awardees.

Brockington overcame hardships throughout her career to support her family while also pursuing her education. Upon her retirement, she became a Gator graduate with honors, earning a degree in anthropology with a minor in classics.

Ruiz Menjivar surmounted obstacles of his own to earn his undergraduate degree. “As a first-generation student immigrating to the United States from El Salvador, I faced many challenges, such as adapting to the culture, learning the language, and learning to navigate life as an undocumented student — representing major adversities that continue to motivate me today,” he said.

Ruiz Menjivar made the most of his abbreviated time at UF: As a transfer student from Santa Fe College, he enrolled at UF in Spring 2019. He dove into undergraduate research, quickly becoming involved in the Archeological Field Schools coordinated by the anthropology department. He built connections with the Center for Undergraduate Research and participated in the UF in Ethiopia study abroad program in Spring 2020, writing and presenting an honors thesis to culminate his field work there. His proudest moment came when he graduated magna cum laude this spring as a result.

This summer, Ruiz Menjivar is taking part in archeological field work in East Africa, as part of a research group in southwest Ethiopia. He’ll present portions of his undergraduate research in Zanzibar, Tanzania, at the 16th Congress of the Pan African Archeological Association. In the fall, he looks forward to beginning a graduate program at the University of Virginia. Ruiz Menjivar received full funding for six years to pursue the Anthropology PhD program, focusing on Swahili and East African archeology.

“My long-term career goals are to pursue a career in academia in East African archaeology or African archaeology in general, being able to conduct and direct archaeological projects — and contributing to the academic literature, discussion, and overall understanding of the African past that is so often overlooked,” Ruiz Menjivar said.

Shitama, the second recipient of the Sherrel Brockington scholarship, has displayed similar drive and motivation during her time on campus. The second-semester junior, majoring in psychology with a minor in Spanish, embraces her roles in a variety of social and professional organizations at UF and around Gainesville. She works part-time to coordinate care at a pediatric clinic called Fundamental Therapy Solutions, tutors younger women within her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, volunteers with local sustainability groups, and previously served as a student writer for a publication with the School of The New York Times.

Receiving the scholarship has been her proudest moment as a Gator, she says. “I am a very proud Gainesville native and to be recognized only reinforces my love for the people of this city and all my hopes of improving it,” she said.

After her projected graduation in May 2023, Shitama hopes to enroll in the UF Levin College of Law and aims to practice family law.

“To have been awarded the scholarship is not only a great honor but a significant source of motivation to continue working as hard as possible to achieve my goal of becoming a lawyer and serving my community,” she said.

Learn more about the Sherrel Brockington Scholarship and other awards available to students in the college here.