When Noah Romero transferred to the University of Arizona, he was searching for a place to continue honing the leadership skills he learned in the Marine Corps. What he found surprised him: a campus community dedicated to supporting personal growth.

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Now three years into his Wildcat Journey, Romero is a senior peer mentor for Blue Chip Leadership Experience, a program hosted by the Dean of Students Office that each year guides hundreds of undergraduates through a series of classes, workshops and projects that inject a sense of guidance and responsibility into the Wildcat journey.

"As a Marine, we are leaders wherever we go. That is our culture," Romero said. "But, based on my own experiences I knew there was still a lot for me to learn. I cannot operate the same way on a college campus or in the classroom as I did in the Marine Corps, and Blue Chip helped me refine those leadership skills in different areas. Now, I am the first line of support and the bridge between students, staff and faculty, and I love building that rapport."

Romero's dedication is shared by his colleagues, and their hard work has earned national recognition: Excelencia in Education recently named Blue Chip one of 11 finalists for the 2026 Examples of Excelencia award. Excelencia in Education is an organization focused on supporting Latino students in colleges throughout the country, and the award recognizes programs for facilitating student success.

Excelencia in Education first included the university in its 2025 list of "programs to watch," and this year recognized Blue Chip in the career and workforce division. Aaron Davis Martinez, associate director of the program, said that recognition is a testament to nearly 30 years of dedication to student success. The program was founded in 1999 and takes its name from the stock market, where businesses with long histories of success are known as "blue chips."

"Leadership shouldn't be reserved for certain students depending on their major, but for all students," Davis Martinez said. "We offer a new approach to leadership; one that isn't necessarily competition-based or reliant on rankings. We try to show students that leadership isn't a role, and that being a leader is more than delivering a charismatic speech like Abraham Lincoln. We engage in acts of leadership every day – it's a skill that you develop and practice. Even if you're a shy, analytical student, there is still a leadership pathway for you."

From first-year to peer mentor

For students, the Blue Chip experience begins when they meet the 15 to 20 other Wildcats who compose their team. Those groups convene once a week for a brief lecture from peer mentors like Romero, who also lead workshops and hands-on activities such as escape rooms and campus-wide scavenger hunts to develop communication, strategic thinking and decision-making skills.

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While most students participate in one year of Blue Chip, the program offers four years of courses and training for anyone interested in developing their leadership potential. The second year explores the challenges of developing a new model for leadership and understanding the impact of peer mentorship, while third- and fourth-year participants build on and use the knowledge they gained as peer mentors. Those who complete the entire program can earn a minor in leadership studies and practice from the College of Education. 

"There are so many generations of students that have been through the program, many of whom have grown into exceptional community leaders," said Chrissy Lieberman, dean of students. "Some were students in the program early in my career, and at the time I could see how much leaning into the Blue Chip program brought these students out of their shell and gave them the tools to confidently step into leadership within the program, clubs, student government and more."

Teaching tomorrow's leaders

The Blue Chip program was nominated for the Examples of Excelencia award by Karla Silva, director of Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives. The U of A earned the Hispanic-Serving Institution designation from the U.S. Department of Education in 2018. A Hispanic-Serving Institution, also known as an HSI, is defined as having an undergraduate student body that is at least 25% Hispanic. The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities includes more than 600 HSIs in the country, including 22 in Arizona.

"Each student needs a place to belong, and it's not one size fits all," Silva said. "We are a campus of more than 40,000 students, and when you add staff and faculty, students can feel at a loss. I think that Blue Chip and programs like it offer a sense of belonging and a sense of purpose. Not only is there a welcoming staff, but you are empowered to grow and become a leader."

Looking forward, Davis Martinez and Silva want to see Blue Chip expand into general education curriculum so that Wildcats from across the campus community can learn what it means to be a leader.

For his part, Romero thinks that any student willing to give the program an honest try will find something – or someone – that benefits their university experience.

"When I transferred out of the Marine Corps, I thought I would never be able to capture some of those feelings, relationships and intensity I felt," Romero said. "But, almost instantly, Blue Chip provided me with an environment that not only let me feel like a leader, but I was able to develop and put those intangible skills to use in a productive and profound way."