Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable fall 2023 graduates.
When Alexander Graf’s sister earned her bachelor’s degree through… Starbucks College Achievement Plan (SCAP)He sought to follow in her footsteps. This fall, he will graduate with four bachelor’s degrees in history, philosophy, political science and religious studies through a partnership program between Starbucks and Arizona State University.
Alexander Graf, photo courtesy
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“I had an excellent experience in this program,” he added. “My younger brother and sister also work at Starbucks and hope to graduate from ASU as well.”
“It’s a life-changing benefit for me,” said Graff, who lives in Washington. He wouldn’t have been able to afford college without SCAP.
Graff was selected as the Dean’s Medal for the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He received multiple faculty nominations, an indication of how his presence in the classroom left a positive and memorable impact on his peers and professors.
Evan Perry“In REL 388: Religion, Ethics, and International Affairs, Alexander consistently provided excellent written work,” wrote an associate professor of religious studies. “He received an A for his final paper, an essay on religion and climate change that built on but went beyond the unit on the same topic.” substantial.
Sandra WayneThe Assistant Professor of Philosophy said: “Although Graf possesses many qualities that make him deserving of this award, what impressed me most was his work ethic. On every written assignment, he exceeded the minimum required to receive a ‘good’ grade. E.g. ,His research paper had more than double the recommended word count. It was exemplary, and not only met most of the grading criteria, but exceeded them. To me, this demonstrates conscientiousness combined with a desire to truly master the material. That is, he values learning for its own sake. Learning.
“Furthermore, from his leadership of the group project to his weekly contributions in the discussion forums, I can say that he takes a cutting-edge approach to philosophical issues. This has allowed him to consider issues beyond the capacity of most of his peers, and has served to raise the overall quality of the weekly interactions.”
When asked if he would continue his studies, Graf said his most immediate plans were to attend Liberty University to obtain a master’s degree in Biblical Languages.
Question: What is something you learned while at ASU that surprised you or changed your perspective?
Answer: I took POS 379: The Resource Curse with Teaching assistant professor Christina SchatzmanWhich indicates that the reason why some countries struggle to develop is because they possess many natural resources. The main thing that surprised me is the disagreement on many topics in academia. There are plenty of opportunities for competing theories and innovative approaches.
s: If you could give some advice to students working during college, what would you say?
a: I think it’s important to set your pace and prioritize the necessary things. …If you only need to take one class per session, you’re at least making some progress. …Going slowly relieves a lot of stress, allows you to learn more and improve the quality of your work. It is much more satisfying to graduate in six years and feel that you have produced excellence than to graduate in three years and barely remember your assignments.
Q: What topics did you find most engaging to delve into while doing research or choosing which courses to take?
a: I am very interested in topics that apply to my personal life and conversations as well as my classes. …I have recently become interested in church history and understanding the divisions of the Christian church and its development over time. This has been important to me personally because of the interactions I have had with people from other religious groups or denominations.
Q: Can you talk more about how you chose the MA in Biblical Languages as your next goal? Do you have plans or ideas for your future once you obtain this degree?
a: I decided to study Biblical languages because many of the discussions I have on controversial and biblical topics center around the meaning of words and phrases. Gaining skills in this area will help me better understand my faith and sort out competing viewpoints on each issue. I have also had a strong interest in languages for nearly a decade. …And in the long run, I hope to become a teacher.
Q: Who is the professor who taught you one of the most important lessons you learned at ASU? What was the lesson?
a: Assistant Professor Geoffrey Watson of the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies taught me that the words we use in academia should be precise, even if it makes the writing more difficult to read. This has been helpful to me outside of school when I have discussions with people about controversial topics.
Q: Was there a class during your time at ASU that really stands out to you now?
a: There were so many great classes at ASU, that it was difficult to choose just one. I took an energy history class, which was great and changed my perspective on future renewable energy strategies. This class was taught by Robert Fuller and I enjoyed his teaching style so much that I took baseball history from him as well, even though I don’t care much for baseball.
I took two classes with Professor Sandra Wen, which showed me that philosophy can be applied to our daily lives. It was much easier to convince my friends and coworkers that majoring in philosophy was not a waste of time. His classes are very difficult, but worth it. Other professors who had a great influence on me include: Charles BarfootEvan Perry, Benjamin Sullivanvictoria Thompson, Andrew Khoury And Gina Pietrantoni.
Q: If someone gave you $40 billion to solve one problem on our planet, what would you do?
a: I will try to solve the problem of money in politics. Many issues today, such as climate change or poverty, have solutions, but they will not be implemented because of the outsized influence of economic elites and interest groups over the American government. If this effect were mitigated somehow, many of these problems would be much easier to fix.