Better Together Challenge
About the challenge
The Better Together Challenge helped Arizona middle, junior, and high schools build safe, inclusive, and supportive communities where every student felt they belonged. Research showed that when students got along by seeing one another as allies and sources of support, everyone benefited. Students felt included and engaged, teachers experienced less stress, and learning and achievement improved. However, many students still felt isolated or excluded. This initiative supported schools in breaking down those barriers, fostering respect, connection, and belonging. We truly are better together.
Past challenges
2018-2019 Finalists
Middle and Junior High School Winner
Fees College Preparatory Middle School
High School Winner
North Canyon High School
Middle and Junior High School Semi-Finalists
Highland Junior High School
Madison Meadows Middle School
Western Sky Middle School
Wigwam Creek Middle School
High School Semi-Finalists
Dobson High School
Paradise Valley High School
Phoenix Union - Wilson College Prep
Westwood High School
2017-2018 Finalists
Compadre Academy
Kino Junior High School
Mountain Pointe High School
Santan Junior High School
Tempe High School
Compadre Academy wins ASU's Better Together Challenge
Students from Compadre Academy in Tempe earned top honors in Arizona State University’s 2018 Better Together Challenge, an initiative from the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics that empowers middle and high school students to promote inclusion and positive change in their schools. Their project focused on creating a more inclusive and supportive community—reflecting the challenge’s mission to help schools become safe, equitable spaces where all students feel they belong and can thrive.
People
ASU Faculty
Project Manager
Janniqua Dawkins, MC
T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University
Janniqua Dawkins is the Program Manager for the Center for Child and Family Success in the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University. She received her Honors Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Western Kentucky University in 2015 and her Masters in Mental Health Counseling in 2017. Before returning to ASU in 2019, Janniqua dedicated her professional career as a mental health professional to enhancing the lives of underserved populations, specifically youth and families, racial and ethnic minorities, and people within the LGBTQIA community. Janniqua's commitment to diversity and inclusion is to enhance communities' well-being via equity, empowerment, and promoting access to higher education for underrepresented students.
Post-doctoral research fellow
Stacy Morris, PhD
T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University
Dr. Morris is a Diversity and Inclusion Science postdoctoral research fellow in the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics. She received her PhD in developmental psychology from Boston College in 2018. She researches adolescents who contribute to their communities (prosocial behavior) and how youth understand structural inequities in society (critical consciousness). She is interested in the role social identities (such as gender) play in youth opportunities and barriers to engaging in society.
Doctoral students
Jayley Janssen
T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University
Jayley is a doctoral student in the Family and Human Development PhD program. Generally, her research interests focus on inclusion and equity in educational contexts. She is specifically interested in students' gendered and racialized experiences with peers, teachers, and school staff. Because of her research interests and her own experience with educational tracking, Jayley is committed to DISI's efforts to empower underrepresented groups and promote educational equity across disciplines.
Diana Jenkins
T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University
Diana is a doctoral student in the Family and Human Development PhD program. She received her Masters degree in Psychology in 2018 at Arizona State University focusing on gender in the family context (e.g., parental influence and divorce). Her current research interests surround gender more generally during adolescent and young adulthood transitions, sexuality, and personal relationships.