Celebrating the Recipients of This Year's Excellence Awards

This semester's unprecendented changes as a result of COVID-19 have unfortunately necessitated the cancellation of a few special campus events, one of which being the Graduate Student Government's annual Spring Ball. Each year, the graduate student community comes together at the ball to dance, eat, and celebrate their achievements from the year. The Spring Ball is also where the Graduate Student Excellence Awards are given out to their recipients. 

"The Graduate Student Excellence Awards celebrate the work and achievements of the most outstanding of our colleagues," says the GSG's vice president, Mohan Pillai. "We recognize the exceptional work that some of these Bearcats have put in, as they get ready to move on to what's next for them. In doing so, we are also mindful that cooperation leads to success, and thus celebrate our own community."

This year saw applications increase four-fold, which is a testament to the great work being done by students. Mohan says, "The committee, of course, had a difficult time deciding between the nominees; all the applicants were exceptional in their own way. Several meetings, many hours and a few pizzas later, the committee agreed upon the winners."

Shaonta' Allen, sociology PhD candidate

Graduate Student Award for Exemplary Initiative

"My goal is to cultivate an equitable campus community- one we all would want to work in. I've pursued this goal over the years by serving in a variety of leadership roles across campus. In these roles, I have worked alongside others to ensure that the campus community, and graduate students in particular, have the resources that they need to be successful. 

 I prioritize serving in various leadership roles because when I was an early graduate student, older students, both in and outside of my department, assisted and mentored me through their service in graduate student organizations. I think it's important to continue the trend of paving the way for future students' so they can advance smoothly through their programs with the support of organizations like these. UC embodies a spirit of innovation that inspires each of us to be the best that we can be. I've benefited from this spirit but also felt it important to play an active role in contributing to this culture and standard of excellence.   

It is always rewarding to be recognized publicly for "invisible labor." Research shows that woman of color are often over-burdened with service work like this, so as a Black woman I am grateful to be recognized with this award because it validates this labor as being important for the ultimate success of our university."

Sahar Heydari-Fard, philosophy PhD student

Graduate Student Award for Exemplary Scholarship

My research focuses on analyzing our moral obligations toward, and relationships with, social movements, as well as the causal role those movements, play in creating social change. Despite past scholars’ acknowledgment of and respect for successful social movements like the Civil Rights and Women’s Suffrage movements, there is surprisingly little philosophical analysis of how such social movements do or do not effect change, and how individuals should relate to such movements. My main contribution to this literature is to further the philosophical and normative conversations about social movements.

Clair Cronk, biomedical informatics PhD student

Graduate Student Award for GSA of the Year (Clair is president of the Health Sciences GSA)

"Where to begin with this one! I suppose, as we all get older and more experienced, it is easier and easier to become jaded—it is easier to say “it is how it is” and just hope that certain things won’t affect you, your friends, your family, and your loved ones. I’ve oftentimes found myself feeling that way. As a member of the transgender community, I’ve seen my siblings trampled on and abused and no one else would stand up for us. So when international students or sexual assault victims or those in other colleges were being mistreated, I had to become involved. I couldn’t just sit there and watch. It is important to be engaged because that is the only way these things change. It’s the only way things get better. People have to stand up not just for themselves, but for others, especially those whose voices have been silenced. And hopefully, that engagement can inspire those in power to help fix issues—we’ve seen this just this year in making sure graduate students have humane payment and health insurance coverage. People who are engaged can help engender change just by speaking up and empowering others to speak."

-Scott Gibbons, curriculum studies & teacher education PhD candidate

Graduate Student Award for Exemplary Scholarship

"I won the award for Exemplary Scholarship. I am excited to receive this award because it is so nice to be recognized for my hard work and countless hours committed to research, teaching, and mentoring. Currently, I am a doctoral candidate in curriculum studies and teacher education. I have taught educational methods courses at UC and am currently teaching educational technology courses. For the past two years I have served as a student teacher supervisor and have mentored other student teachers during their practicum experience. My research includes teacher development, educational technology, and learner engagement strategies. Before coming to UC, I taught high school English for 11 years. I truly believe being a teacher educator is my calling in life because I love what I am doing now, and I love being able to apply my research to my role as a teacher educator. In a field where our successes are typically only realized through the success of our students, it is great to know that others see value in what I have done while at UC."