About

Who are we?

This website was created by a team of Learning Specialists from the University of Arizona's THINK TANK, as part of the Student Success and Retention Innovation Conference of 2019.

What is our goal?

Our goal is to help students, faculty, staff, and other community members understand how exercise impacts the efficiency and effectiveness of learning.

Tana Jay von Isser

Tana Jay von Isser is a Learning Specialist at THINK TANK, the University of Arizona’s centralized academic support unit. Tana works one-on-one with students to provide academic coaching using a strengths-based and holistic approach. She also contributes to the development of curriculum with special interest in exercise (as a tool for productivity and wellbeing), new technology (namely the ethical and biopsychosocial implications), and the arts (exploring its role in therapy and learning). Born and raised in Tucson, AZ, Tana grew up in a Wildcat family and earned her Bachelor’s at the UA in 2013. She has a freelance practice of Multimedia Consulting and Productions that has represented a diverse array of creative and administrative projects over the last 15 years. Tana earned her Master of Social Work at ASU’s Tucson Component in 2017. She gleans great inspiration from nature and works to grow in her ability to be of service.

Erika Deianni

Erika Deianni is a Learning Specialist at THINK TANK where she supports students in achieving their own success through a strengths-based approach. She works with students in Schedule for Success and in Academic Recovery. She holds a BA in Psychology from McGill University and an MA in Education from Sacred Heart University. Her varied prior work experience intersects at the fields of public health, education and social service.

Cameron Louie

Cameron Quan Louie is a Learning Specialist at THINK TANK, the centralized academic support unit at the University of Arizona. He received a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Washington, where he also worked as an English Composition instructor. In 2016, he was a Multiplying Mediums Fellow and a recipient of the Bill and Ruth True Family Prize. His work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and he received the 2017 McLeod-Grobe Prize for Poetry. His writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Hobart, The Gravity of the Thing, Duende, jubilat, Timber, Sonora Review, The Spectacle, Fourth Genre, Quarterly West, and others. Cameron lives in Tucson, where he serves on the board of directors with POG: Poetry in Action.

Eric Davidson

Eric Davidson is a Learning Specialist at THINK TANK, the centralized academic support unit at the University of Arizona. In this role, he provides academic coaching and holistic support to students using a strengths-based approach. A native of San Diego, California, Eric joined the UA community in 2012 as an undergraduate. He has earned two degrees from Arizona, a B.A. cum laude in political science in 2016 and a M.A. in higher education in 2018. Along the way, he has held numerous professional positions around campus in areas such as admissions, parent and family programs, and athletics. In addition to his work at THINK TANK, Eric is involved with the UA Center for the Study of Higher Education, where he has experience as a teaching assistant and researcher. He lives in midtown Tucson and loves to enjoy the city’s nightlife and outdoor recreation in his free time.

Angel Navarro

Angel Navarro is a Learning Specialist at THINK TANK which is the centralized academic support unit at the University of Arizona. He works one-on-one with students to help them refine necessary skills that will encourage them to become successful students and life-long learners. Angel graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Language, Literacy, and Leadership from the University of Arizona and is currently working on his Masters in Educational Leadership through Northern Arizona University. Outside of Angel’s busy work life, he enjoys going to the gym, volunteers with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Arizona organization, and also plays the saxophone, which he has been playing since the age of 10.

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