Kinsler and Pedroia competed for the shortstop position with Pedroia coming out on top. Over three years at ASU, Pedroia didn’t hit below .347 and had a career average of .384, starting all 185 games.

Pedroia relinquished the last two years of his athletic scholarship to help his coach Pat Murphy use the money to recruit better pitchers. He was named ASU On Deck Circle Most Valuable Player and was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2004 MLB draft.

Kyrsten Sinema

Former United States senator from Arizona, Krysten Sinema was born in Tucson. She completed her bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and completed a Master of Social Work degree at Arizona State University in 1999.

In 2004, she earned a law degree from Arizona State University College of Law. Then in 2012, she completed a doctorate in justice studies from ASU; in 2018 she completed an online M.B.A. from the W. P. Carey School of Business.

Sinema was an adjunct professor teaching master’s-level policy and grant writing classes in 2003 at Arizona State University School of Social Work.

David Spade

David Spade is a stand-up comedian, actor and podcaster. He has been nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.

He and his family moved to Scottsdale when he was 4. Spade attended Saguaro High School and then Scottsdale Community College before transferring to Arizona State University.

He was a member of the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon, performed stand-up at the university’s long-running sketch comedy show, “Farce Side Comedy Hour.” In the mid-1980s, he did stand-up at the Monday night comedy show at Greasy Tony’s Pizza in Tempe. He dropped out after making a decent living doing stand-up.

Kate Spade

Fashion designer and entrepreneur, Kate Spade transferred from the University of Kansas to Arizona State University.

There she joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and graduated with a journalism degree in 1985.

In college, Spade worked in sales at Carter’s Men’s Clothing in Phoenix, where she met her future husband and business partner Andy Spade who also attended ASU. Andy Spade is the older brother of David Spade.

Kate and Andy Spade went on the create fashion and lifestyle brand Kate Spade New York.

Brenda Strong

Brenda Strong earned a bachelor’s degree in music performance from Arizona State in 1982. She was also crowned Miss Arizona in 1980.

Strong is known for her roles on “Seinfeld,” “Starship Troopers” and “Desperate Housewives” – for which she was nominated for two Emmy Awards.

Pat Tillman

Professional football player for the Arizona Cardinals, Pat Tillman, first played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils. At ASU, he secured the last remaining scholarship for the team and played as linebacker.

In 1997, he was voted for Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and he was also named Arizona State’s MVP that year. Tillman majored in marketing and graduated with a 3.85 GPA, he also earned numerous academic awards. Tillman was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

Tillman enlisted in the United States Army in May 2002 after four season in the NFL and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. His service in Iraq and Afghanistan received media attention after it was discovered he had been killed by friendly fire.

ASU’s Pat Tillman Veterans Center is named in his honor and offers support services for veteran students and their families.

Ayọ Tometi

Ayọ Tometi is a human rights activist, writer, strategist and community organizer. She is a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, a political and social movement that highlights racism, discrimination and racial inequality experienced by Black people in the United States, and promotes anti-racism.

Tometi graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in public/applied history from the University of Arizona in 2005 and with a master’s degree in communication studies, with a specialization in advocacy and rhetoric from Arizona State University in 2010.

Peterson Zah

Peterson Zah held several offices with the Navajo Nation and was the First Navajo Nation president from 1991 to 1995.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State in 1963. In 1995, was recruited by ASU president Lattie Coor to become a special advisor to the president of American Indian Affairs for Arizona State University. He held the position until 2011 with a focus on increasing retention and success of Native students. During his time as an advisor, the Native population of the university doubled.

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