Gabrielle Giffords

Gabrielle Giffords will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters from the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. A native Tucsonan, Giffords began her political career in 2001 when she won a seat in Arizona State House of Representatives and later served in the Arizona Senate. In 2006, she was elected to represent Arizona's 8th Congressional District in Washington, D.C. On Jan. 8, 2011, Giffords' life changed forever when a gunman opened fire at a "Congress on Your Corner" event in Tucson, killing six people and critically wounding Giffords. She stepped down shortly thereafter to focus on her recovery, but she later returned to public life as an advocate for gun violence prevention. Giffords co-founded Americans for Responsible Solutions, an advocacy and research organization later renamed Giffords.