The Alfred H. Joslin Award
The Joslin Awards recognize a small group of seniors who have contributed in a very significant way to the quality of student life at Brown.Award winners generally demonstrate a wide breadth of involvement during their campus years as well as substantial depth in one or more areas.Through their leadership and involvement they have not only enhanced their own liberal education, they have also provided services, programs and other opportunities for involvement to their peers, thus enhancing the learning environment for all students
The Joslin Award is one of many awards recognizing student leadership offered by the University. Information about some of these other awards is available on the Student Activities Office website.
Nomination Process
Nominations may be submitted by any member of the Brown community and are DUE FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2013
The process is highly selective, and successful nominations should address the nominee’s character, involvement, and impact. Nominees must be college seniors anticipated to graduate in May 2013 or December 2013.
In the area of CHARACTER, the selection committee is interested not just in what a nominee has done, but the personal qualities and attributes that model the highest ideals of leadership, citizenship, and community. Please identify known INVOLVEMENTS, leadership positions, and noteworthy accomplishments in co-curricular activities (whether they be on or off campus). Please also address the nominee’s IMPACT on Brown (the student experience, community engagement, etc.). Aspects of impact that may aid in the committee’s evaluation include sustainability, breadth, or depth of their efforts.
Please send nominations to joslin-awards@brown.edu or Laurie Custodio at Campus Box 1896. Electronic submissions are preferred.
Recipients will be honored at the Student Leadership Award Ceremony to be held on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. and at the Jin-Joslin-Joukowsky Award Ceremony on Friday, May 24, 2013 at 3:00 p.m.
About Judge Alfred H. Joslin ‘36
The award is given in the name of Judge Alfred H. Joslin, a 1936 Brown graduate, a member of the Corporation from 1963-1985, and a member of the Board of Fellows. Because of this extraordinary service to the Brown community, his initial chairmanship of the Corporation Committee on Student Life, and his abiding concern for the interests and welfare of undergraduates, it is fitting that this award should be designated in his honor.
2012 Recipients
Jessica Biesel is from Wyckoff, New Jersey and will be receiving an A.B. in Sociology with honors. Through her leadership of the Student Volunteers for the Samaritans of Rhode Island, Jessica has developed and brought to fruition programming and initiatives that were able to both create safe spaces and encourage broader awareness and dialogue, from a hotline, to teach-ins, to open mic events. Her work has also spanned other social concerns both on and off campus as she identified other topics and places where more dialogue is critical. For those who struggle with suicidal urges or are faced with the aftermath of the suicide of a loved one, the results can be isolating and devastating. In ways both subtle and obvious, she has made Brown a campus more receptive to discussing suicide specifically and mental health more generally. After graduation, Jessica will work as a staff sales engineer at Citrix.
Brandon James Broome is from Charlotte, North Carolina and will be receiving an A.B. in Economics and Education Studies with an emphasis in Human Development. Brandon has taken full advantage of his liberal education in the form of personal academic enrichment as well as community involvement. He has had a number of mentoring roles within the Brown and Providence communities, including serving as a Meiklejohn advisor, minority student mentor through The Brotherhood, and a youth mentor through the John Hope Mentoring Program. He has been a leader of the Imani Jubliee worship community and, as a member of the University Disciplinary Council, demonstrated sound judgment, consideration, and ethical acumen. He was one of two students chosen by his peers to serve on the committee to select Brown’s 19th President. In the classroom, in the Chapel, in the dormitory, on and off campus, and through his friendships and the roles he chosen to shoulder, he made Brown a better place. After graduation, Brandon plans on spending a few years working in the consulting or financial sector and enrolling in a graduate business program.
Lorena Carmen Garcia is from El Paso, Texas and will be receiving an A.B. in Ethnic Studies. Throughout her time at Brown, Lorena has held several positions at the Third World Center as Minority Peer Counselor (MPC), MPC Coordinator, MPC Friend, and member of the director search committee. Aside from her residential counseling responsibilities, Lorena has been an active member of the Brown and greater Providence queer communities as facilitator of The Next Thing and volunteer at Youth Pride and AIDS Care Ocean State. She has been an active member of the Brown Immigrant Rights Coalition, Brown Students for Financial Aid, and the Brown Women’s Rugby Team. Lorena is a Royce Fellowship recipient and a member of the staff of the Science Center. After graduation, Lorena is hoping to get EMT certified and live in Spain and Ireland to study their organ donation policies and programs. She will then continue her research as a medical student at Brown’s Alpert Medical School.
Amit Jain is from St. Louis, Missouri and will be receiving an A.B. in Political Science and Economics. At Brown, Amit served as a Meikeljohn advisor, Minority Peer Counselor (MPC), MPC Coordinator, MPC Friend; co-director of the Badmaash Dance Company; co-coordinator of the John Hope Mentorship Program; co-founder of Brown for Financial Aid; staff writer for the Brown Noser and the Brown Daily Herald; and member of the Janus Forum. Amit was also a co-founder of the Learning Exchange, a program that connects students at Brown and Providence schools to teach math and science through excitement with music and animation. After graduation Amit hopes to join the Obama campaign as a member of the field team in Florida. After the election, he would like to work in education, preferably with a school or nonprofit. He then hopes to enter graduate or law school before pursuing education policy work.
Amanda Kozar is from Springfield, Illinois and will be receiving an A.B. in Political Science. Amanda found a community at the Sarah Doyle Women Center early in her time at Brown, and for the next four years became an integral part of and leader at the Center. Jessica enhanced the impact and relevance of the Center’s programming, including engaging the larger Providence and Rhode Island communities. For example, in her junior year, she brought together scholars from across the state to discuss the future of women in US politics. Outside Sarah Doyle, she has served as an intern at RI NOW and in the office of Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts. For the past two summers she was an intern for United States Senator Richard Durbin. She has worked for New Moon Girls magazine and brought the magazine’s founder to speak to students from both Brown and Sophia Academy, a local middle school for girls from low-income families. After graduation, Amanda will be working in campaign politics.
Araceli Méndez is from Laredo, Texas and will be receiving an A.B. in Ethnic Studies. Throughout her time at Brown, Araceli has worked tirelessly to help reenvision Greek Life and has been a driving force in mobilizing the community to translate ideas into action, both within her fraternity (Zeta Delta Xi) and as a leader and chair of the Greek Council. After years of dwindling interest, she challenged the Greek community to rethink the Rage on Wriston – creating Fratty at the Ratty. She pushed the Council to play a greater role in the accountability of member organizations, including reworking new member education programs and increasing the philanthropic profile of the community. With changes in Residential Life and Brown preparing to celebrate its 250th anniversary, she began an archive project on Greek history at Brown, recognizing that understanding the past is critical to charting a course to the future. Araceli was also a member of the Queer Alliance Dance Committee and Conexiones. After graduation, Araceli hopes to channel her passion for cultural preservation into a career in library sciences and archival management.
Remy Fernandez-O’Brien is from Shutesbury, Massachusetts and will be receiving an A.B in Political Science. Remy’s leadership in the areas of dance, choreography, peer mentorship, and sexual assault education have touched and inspired the lives of hundreds of people on campus and in the greater Rhode Island communities. In addition to being a workshop facilitator for the Sexual Assault Peer Education Program (SAPE), he got involved in this issue at a University level, including serving on the Student-Staff Sexual Assault Advisory Board and the Campus Life Subcommittee on Alcohol and Other Drugs. He was a dancer and puppeteer with Big Nazo, an innovative organization that combines life-sized puppets with dance to bring joy to the Providence community. He was a teacher at the Woodlawn Community Center where he taught a Spanish language adult computer class to non-native English speakers. After graduation, Remy plans to attend the Headlong Performance Institute in the fall. He aspires to be a community organizer, choreographer, and humanitarian.
Tara Kane Prendergast is from Crawford, Colorado and will be receiving an A.B. in History. Throughout her time at Brown, Tara has devoted herself to community service work. Tara has been a leader of the Brown Refugee Youth Tutoring and Enrichment (BRYTE) program, member of the University-Community Academic Advising Partnership (UCAAP) planning team, a Breaks Project leader, and has been engaged in homelessness outreach work. As a member of Brown for Providence, Tara helped organize student response to the tax and payment negotiations between Brown and the City. Tara also served as a Writing Fellow, eventually being selected by her peers to be the program’s Assistant Director. She was awarded a C.V. Starr Fellowship, spending a summer working at the International Institute of Rhode Island to strengthen BRYTE as a program. After graduation, Tara plans to continue doing refugee support work, eventually returning to school to earn a Ph.D. in human geography.
David P. Salsone is from Oceanside, New York and will be receiving an A.B. in Economics. David has served as president of both the Resumed Undergraduate Students Association and the Brown University Student Veterans Society, participated in the Brown Outdoor Leadership Training (BOLT) program and Brown for Financial Aid, and coordinated fundraising efforts for The Mission – a non-profit organization committed to helping disabled veterans continue to serve their communities. David came to Brown after having served in the United States Navy, and sought out the opportunity to join the Mens’ Crew Team. After the NCAA determined he was ineligible, instead of leaving the team, David voluntarily took on a new role as tutor, advisor, and mentor, demonstrating the ideals of integrity and commitment. In all roles he consistently looked for broader systematic, cooperative solutions - forgoing short-term gains for long-term, sustainable change. After graduation, David plans to volunteer in a developing country for several months, and then return to the U.S. to begin his career as an analyst for Morgan Stanley’s Technology Investment Banking Division in Menlo Park, California.
Emily C. Simmons is from Buffalo, New York and will be receiving an A.B. in Literatures and Cultures in English. Emily has been the driving force behind the vision, mission, and expansion of the Brown Women in Business Group, leading organizational process across a spectrum of areas, including visibility, financial planning, connections with alumnae, and expanding the group’s membership. Emily has also played crucial roles on Brown’s Ski Team. As a competitor, she was an Academic All-American for three years in a row, received conference honors for top-15 in the MacConnell Division, and received the team overall third place award at nationals in her sophomore year. When the Athletic Review Committee recommended skiing be discontinued, she was instrumental in leading the team’s response. She also brought her motivational talents to the sales and marketing teams in the Brown Daily Herald, lifting morale during a very challenging economic climate. Emily is starting in October as an associate consultant at Bain & Company in New York City, before pursuing an MBA at Harvard Business School beginning in 2014.
2011 Recipients
Dena Perri Adler is from New York City, New York and will be receiving an A.B. in Environmental Studies with honors. Throughout her Brown career, she has demonstrated the strength and capacity of her compassion, drive, and devotion. She has been actively involved in the Sustainable Food Initiative (SuFI), overseeing significant growth and expansion in its market share program, and was the Managing Editor of Watershed: Journal of Environment & Culture. She has also been a trip-leader for the Brown Outdoor Leadership Training (BOLT) program; served as community service chair for St. Anthony Hall, Brown’s co-ed literary fraternity; and been a University tour guide for the Bruin Club. Outside of campus she received an Udall Scholarship and worked for Round River Conservation Studies establishing a student conservation program in Wyoming. Over the next two years she plans to continue gaining experience working on environmental issues domestically and internationally before pursuing further degree work in law and environmental management.
Max H. Clermont was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts and will be receiving an A.B. in Community Health. Throughout his time at Brown, Max has been at work enhancing the experience of community and finding ways to encourage participation. He has been very active in the Third World community and Imani Jubilee, holding both formal and many informal roles, including serving as an MPC Friend. He has worked with Admission on minority recruitment efforts and in the planning and organization of A Day on College Hill. In January 2010, he played a critical role in organizing Brown’s response efforts to the earthquake in Haiti, brainstorming ways to mobilize various campus resources in order to support relief efforts and organizations on the ground. Max was also selected by Brown to serve as a Presidential Host and is a member of the Class of 2011 Senior Gift Committee. Max is enrolled in the 5-year AB/MPH program here at Brown and is seeking to strengthen his training in and deepen his understanding of social change, global health and education, and community organizing.
Chaney Luke Harrison is from Gainesville, Florida and will be receiving an A.B. in Education and in Public Policy and American Institutions. Chaney volunteered as a paramedic with Brown EMS, worked as a Head Writing Fellow, started for the Brown Men’s Rugby Football Club, and served in the roles of Leader, Manager, and Mentor with the Brown Outdoor Leadership Training (BOLT) program. Chaney gave voice to Brown students who are veterans, organizing the Brown University Student Veterans Society and reinvigorating Brown’s annual commemoration of Veteran’s Day. He served on the University Resources Committee, the Brown University Community Council, and the Committee on R.O.T.C. He received an Oliver Kwon Research Award and a Starr Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship for his work in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Prior to Brown, Chaney served on active duty in the United States Air Force and has continued his service through the 306th Rescue Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. Following graduation in December, Chaney is expecting to deploy to Afghanistan to conduct search and rescue missions. Upon returning he plans to work in the public sector.
Arthur Adam Matuszewski is from Rockaway, New York and will be receiving an A.B. in Africana Studies. Through his involvement on the College Curriculum Council, University Resources Committee and Swearer Center Advisory Board, Arthur has helped shape the future direction of Brown. Through his work as the Independent Study Coordinator at the Curricular Resource Center, a Writing Fellow, and a Sophomore Matched Advising Program (MAP) Advisor, he has enabled his peers to make the most out of their Brown education. Arthur has also established sustainable connections between Brown and Rhode Island’s Adult Correctional Institutions through founding Brown Education Link and volunteering with Space in Prison for the Arts and Creative Expression (SPACE) and Youthbuild Providence. Arthur received a Slavery and Justice Undergraduate Research Award, an Arlene Rome Ten Eyck & Peter H. Ten Eyck Prize from the English Department, and a Swearer Center Royce Fellowship. Arthur is a stain glass artist and plans to spend the summer returning to his roots working in a local stained glass studio in Rockaway while looking for work in design firms and contemplating further graduate study.
Alicia Cepeda Maule is from Chicago, Illinois and will be receiving her A.B. in Africana Studies. Alicia is passionate about empowering individuals to make positive change from a position of confidence and assurance about their rightful place in their communities and the world. She has worked tirelessly as a member and leader within Brown’s Third World and LGBTQ student communities, including serving as a Minority Peer Counselor (MPC), MPC Coordinator, MPC Friend, coordinator for Brown’s first Black Lavender Experience, and Pride Month Coordinator. She has also tutored with the Brown Refugee Youth Tutoring & Enrichment program, mentored through CityGirls, and been involved with The HistoryMakers, an African-American oral history archive project. Alicia founded and is currently the executive director of MAINGREEN.TV, an online creative community that profiles artists and social activists. Alicia received the Honorable Mention for the Student Leadership Citation for Fostering Understanding in 2010. This summer Alicia will be working for Columbia Records. Afterwards, Alicia will be undertaking the expansion of MAINGREEN.TV and pursing entrepreneurial endeavors.
Ari Shalom Motzkin Rubenstein is from Saratoga Springs, New York and will be receiving an A.B in Hispanic Studies, Language and Linguistics. Ari has been an active contributor to the Brown community since he arrived in 2007. He served as the Executive Director of EmPOWER, was a member of the leadership for the Meiklejohn peer academic advising program, and was a teaching assistant for the Center for Environmental Studies. He is also a member of the Brown Derbies, an all-male a cappella group, and a Hebrew School Teacher at the Temple Beth-El. Ari was a founding force behind the Beyond the Bottle Campaign at Brown. Beyond the Bottle not only educated the campus community about the environmental and economic consequences of purchasing bottled water, it also accomplished a 50% reduction in bottled water consumption in one year. This summer, Ari will lead a four-week language learning program for high school students in Barcelona with Overland Programs. He will then begin training for a year with Green Corps through which he will work in various communities across the United States to run environmental campaigns.
Marco Antonio Sanchez Junco is from Guadalajara, Mexico and will be receiving an A.B. in International Relations and East Asian Studies. First as a mentor and then as a coordinator, Marco ensured the success of the International Mentoring Program and International Orientation during a period of significant transition for the programs and was instrumental in working with Brown to implement significant improvements. This past year Marco also strengthened connections between international students and the broader Brown community through his participation in the student advisory board of the Third World Center. Marco was also a physical education instructor with the Department of Athletics and Physical Education, taught English and Spanish at the MET Family Literacy Program, and was a member of Brown’s hip-hop dance group. Marco will spend this summer as a project manager in the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services at Brown to continue implementing improvements to the international student experience. Marco then plans on pursuing a career in diplomacy and public services.
Meara Priyanka Sharma is from Sharon, Massachusetts and will be receiving an A.B. in Comparative Literature. Meara understands and taps the power of the arts as a vehicle for social change. She taught theatre at the William D’abate Elementary School afterschool program; edited Paper & Pixel, Brown’s photography magazine; was a photography editor for the Brown Daily Herald; and performed as a member of the Badmaash Dance Company. She was instrumental in the organization of the Arts in the One World Conference at Brown. She has also been a Meikeljohn peer academic advisor and directed South Asian Identity Week. Last summer, she traveled to Rwanda to research arts initiatives contributing to reconstruction and reconciliation in the wake of the 1994 genocide. After graduation, Meara will research freedom of expression in the realm of the arts in Rwanda as an AT&T New Media Fellow. From this work she plans to make a short documentary as well as a text and multimedia project. Beyond the summer, Meara will continue to explore the creativity that emerges out of conflict and hopes to fuse her passions for storytelling and social engagement through film, writing, and performance.
Cara Lea Smith is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and will be receiving an A.B. in Science and Society. Cara is an active and involved citizen at Brown, in Providence, and in the world. At Brown, she served as President of Brown’s Women’s Rugby Football Club, successfully leading the team to the Ivy League championship and being a significant source of support and encouragement for her individual teammates. She has sung in the Brown chorus; accompanied students safely home at night as part of SafeWalk; participated in the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, raising awareness about domestic violence, rape, and assault; and served as a Teaching Assistant in the Biology department. In the community she tutored at St. Patrick’s Middle School and coached the Science Olympiad team at Nathan Bishop Middle School. Cara is the co-founder of AIDS Relief International and successfully secured a Starr Fellowship from Brown to spend a summer working on its pilot program in Mumbai, India. Cara will be applying to Medical School for 2012 and will hopefully continue her work in India.
Chelsea Elizabeth Waite is from Los Gatos, California and will be receiving an A.B. in History with honors. She is fluent in Portuguese, and the author of remarkable thesis on the cultural history of coffee between World War II and the 1960s. She has served as a co-chair of Brown’s MultiFaith Council for two years; been an active member and past president of the Brown University Unitarian Universalist Group; authored regular opinion columns for the Brown Daily Herald; and was a key student participant in Brown’s first Catalyzing Conversation, a University-wide initiative to facilitate community dialogue on critical topics related to diversity. Beyond the domains of diversity and religious life, Chelsea served as Meikeljohn peer academic advisor and provided leadership within Brown’s residential experience as a Residential Peer Leader and then as a Community Assistant. Chelsea was one of a few students selected by your peers to be their voice in the University’s organizational review process and is the 2011 recipient of Brown’s Kapstein Interfaith Leadership Award. Her future plans include a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Brazil.
2010 Recipients
Samuel H. Byker is a double concentrator in Economics and American History from Los Angeles. Sam has served as a mentor, manager and leader with the Brown Outdoor Leadership Training (BOLT) Program and has organized and designed new events and programs to foster a sense of community within the BOLT program. Sam has served as a senior staff writer at the Brown Daily Herald and interned in Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s Providence office. Sam founded and led the Brown Socially Responsible Investment Fund through which students manage $30,000 of the University’s endowment. He also served as an undergraduate member of the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility and Investment Policy. Sam will spend most of the summer on a cross-country road trip then start work in September as an associate with the Boston Consulting Group in Chicago.
Joshua R. Curhan is from Lincoln, Massachusetts and will be receiving his degree in Education Studies. Joshua started out in his freshman year working in the news department for WBRU Radio with an emphasis on education in Rhode Island and beyond. For the past three years, Joshua has coordinated and volunteered with the Swearer Classroom Program at the Swearer Center for Public Service which is a community service program that provides mentoring and tutoring for elementary-aged children in Providence. Last spring Joshua founded an afterschool reading program focused on strengthening the literacy skills of elementary school students. Beginning this summer, Joshua will be pursuing a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Teaching at Columbia University with the goal of achieving dual certification in Elementary Inclusive Education and Teaching Students with Disabilities.
Kenneth M. Estrellas is from Piscataway, New Jersey and will be receiving his degree in Biology with Honors. Ken has been a member of the Bruin Club working on, among other programs, A Day on College Hill and Third World Weekend. He has been a passionate and energetic leader within the Third World community, including co-chair of the Filipino Alliance. He has been active in the dance community at Brown, co-directing the imPulse Dance Company, helping to establish and strengthen the popular Dancing with the Profs event, and establishing free hip hop dance workshops open to the Providence community. Ken has been a videographer for the Third World Center and several groups at Brown, including archiving Fusion Dance shows from 1984 to the present. Ken’s future plans are to get a Masters in Medical Science in the Artificial Organs, Biomaterials and Cellular Technology Program here at Brown.
Molly A. Jacobson is from Harvard, Massachusetts and will receive her degree in Economics with Honors. Molly was a residential counselor in her sophomore year, coordinated the planning of a Day on College Hill, and has been a Meiklejohn advisor for the past three years. This past year, she founded and coordinated the Matched Advising Program for Sophomores. She participated in the Urban Education Semester and then served as its co-coordinator. Molly has volunteered every year in the Providence public school system and has worked at the Curricular Resource Center, the Annual Fund, Maddock Alumni Center, and the Swearer Center for Public Service. Molly will teach this summer at Phillips Andover and begin work as an associate at the Boston Consulting Group in Boston in the fall.
Winifred B. Jumbo is from the Navajo Nation and grew up in Two Grey Hill, New Mexico and is graduating with honors in Anthropology and Ethnic Studies. Winnie is a member of Native Americans at Brown (NAB) and has served as the Native American Heritage Series programmer. This year, Winnie’s leadership enabled NAB to overcome obstacles to finally bring the annual All Ivy Native Council Conference back to Brown in addition to hosting the 9th annual Brown University Spring Thaw Pow Wow. After interning for the National Science Foundation under the Documenting Endangered Languages Program, Winnie was inspired to write her senior honors thesis on the Navajo language, specifically generational shifts and social stigmas. She will be returning to work for the Navajo Nation government after graduation and intends to pursue her education either in the field of linguistics or law.
Kathryn E. Lamb is from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and is graduating with honors in Classics and Comparative Literature. Katie has been involved in the Queer Alliance since arriving on campus, taking on various leadership roles over time and serving as head chair. One of her most significant contributions to the Queer Alliance was her involvement in the planning and implementation of the QA dances. Katie inherited the difficult task of taking on Pride Month coordinator mid-year, managing to put on one of the most successful Pride Months ever. She also took on leadership roles as social chair and pledge master in Zeta Delta Xi, served on the steering committee for the Brown University Activities Council, was a board member of the Students for Sexual Health Education and Empowerment Council, and served on the Gender Neutral Housing Committee. Katie will be entering a graduate program which combines Classics with Gender and Sexualtiy Studies at the University of Toronto.
Amelia S. Plant is from Charlestown, Rhode Island and will be receiving her degree in International Relations. Amelia has been a leader in Brown Model United Nations all four years, serving in several capacities and having primary responsibility for organizing one of the most complicated events held at Brown – a multi-day conference for over 700 high school students. The manual and process she developed set the campus standard for documentation and organization of successful transition from one leadership team to the next. Amelia has been actively involved in Students for Choice and a valuable contributor to the Sexual Assault Task Force. Over her time here she has grown and matured as a leader as evidenced by being one of only four students selected by her peers to serve on the recent University-wide organizational review process. She took being a student representative very seriously while at the same time managing her existing commitments. Additionally, Amelia worked in University Events for the last three years, helping to plan major events. Amelia was recently accepted into the Peace Corps.
Julie A. Pridham is from New Castle, New Hampshire and will be receiving her degree in Egyptology. Julie has been one of the strongest forces behind the Meiklejohn Peer Advising Program since she joined the Meiklejohn Leadership Council as a sophomore. Though Julie is one of twelve student leaders on the Council, she is considered to be the leader; the one to take on major program events as well as the more mundane tasks. Julie was one of the founders of the First Generation Mentoring Program and has been a leading figure in the Egyptology Department Undergraduate Group. Julie has served on several prominent committees at Brown, including the Campus life Advisory Board, the Library Advisory Board, and the selection committee for the Karen T. Romer Prize for Undergraduate Advising and Mentoring. She had volunteered for Colleges Against Cancer, Brown Relay for Life, and Habitat for Humanity. Julie plans to take a year off before pursuing a Ph.D. in Egyptology.
Sumbul Siddiqui is from Cambridge, Massachusetts and will graduate with Honors in Public Policy and American Institutions. Sumbul has been a Meiklejohn Advisor for the past three years, vice president of the Pakistani Students Association, community outreach chair of the South Asian Students Association, and a University-community partnership advisor at the Swearer Center for Public Service. She has served as a mentor for three years to over sixty students in Providence public schools and has worked to promote civic engagement in the schools by serving as a facilitator for both the District Wide Student Government and Generation Citizen. Sumbul is also the recipient of a White Internship Award, through which she pursued policy work in New York City. Following graduation, Sumbul will be working and attending law school in the future.
Anthony D. Staehelin is from Geneva, Switzerland and is receiving his degree in Political Science. Anthony has been involved in the Bruin Club for the past four years, participating in tours, high school networking and being vice president in his junior year. While coordinating A Day on College Hill (ADOCH), he launched a number of completely new programs and events and a computerized ADOCH registration system. For the past three years Anthony has dedicated himself to the Janus Forum, first as assistant director and, most recently, as executive director. Through the Janus Forum, Anthony has been instrumental in elevating the level of political discourse on campus by exposing students to different political perspectives and ideologies. Anthony has been a TA in the Economics Department for the last two years, was a columnist for the Brown Daily Herald, was treasurer of Sigma Chi, and has been involved in Brown theatre throughout his four years. Starting in August, Anthony will be a strategy analyst in Capital One’s Internal Consulting Group in McLean, Virginia.
2009 Joslin recipients recognized at the Student Leadership Award Ceremony
Pictured left to right: Vijou Bryant, Alison Cohen, Jakina Debnam, Michael Glassman, Fiona Heckscher, Zahra Hirji, Nicholas Leiserson, and Nabanita Pal. Not pictured: Srividya Kalyanaraman and James Reed III.
Vijou F. Bryant is an Ethnic Studies concentrator from Seattle, Washington. While at Brown, Vijou has been a passionate advisor to minority students. Vijou was a Minority Recruitment Intern, Minority Peer Counselor, Multicultural Identity Week Co-Programmer, and served on the executive board for the Brown Organization of Multi-Biracial Students. In addition, Vijou is a member of Archipeleg-a, a Filipino female spoke word group. Vijou also completed an honors thesis in Ethnic Studies, served as a Randall Advisor with Professor Evelyn Hu-Dehart, and received an Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistantship in Ethnic and Gender and Sexuality Studies. After graduation, Vijou plans to move back to the west coast, where she will be working and possibly pursing graduate school.
Alison K. Cohen is from San Francisco, California and will graduate with Honors in Community Health and Education Studies. During her time at Brown, Alison was the Education Policy Editor for the Brown Policy Review, a University-Community Partnership Advisor at the Swearer Center for Public Service, a Student Representative on the Brown Community Council, a Meiklejohn Peer Advisor, and a teaching assistant for four courses. In addition, Alison won several awards for accomplishments, including a Royce Fellowship and a Harold Ward Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award. After a month-long train trip around the US with her younger brother this summer, Alison will head to the European Union as a Fulbright Scholar to consider how policy advocates and policymakers use environmental science to inform their work.
Jakina R. Debnam hails from Marietta, Georgia and will receive her degree in Applied Mathematics-Economics. As a student at Brown, Jakina dedicated much of her time to community service projects. She was the Head Program Coordinator for the City Girls City Brothers Project, a program that provides tutoring services to Providence school children, and was the Service Coordinator for the Imani Jubilee Worship Community. An outstanding writer and teacher, Jakina was also a Writing Fellow and a tutor for two classes in the Economics Department. Additionally, Jakina was a Residential Peer Counselor. After Brown, Jakina will be a Koch Associate, working as Research Assistant to Veronique DeRugy, a Senior Fellow at the Mercatus Center in Washington, DC.
Michael R. Glassman is from New York, New York and is graduating with degrees in Biophysics and Classics (with Honors). While at Brown, Michael spent much of his time encouraging Brown to take positive action to increase environmental sustainability. Michael was an influential member of the Energy and Environmental Advisory Committee. He was the founder and a member of the Community Carbon Use Reduction at Brown Steering Committee. He led the creation of Project 20/20, a group that installs high efficiency compact fluorescent light bulbs in low income homes in Providence. He co-founded the Hope Street Garden, an ongoing community garden and organized the Brown is Green Conference. Michael was the President of the Undergraduate Council of Students and a Meiklejohn Peer Advisor. Michael’s plans after graduation are undecided.
Fiona Heckscher is from Princeton, New Jersey and is concentrating in Public Policy and American Institutions. At Brown, Fiona was an Undergraduate Representative on the University Resources Committee and the Task Force on Undergraduate Education. She was a Leader, Manager and Mentor of Brown Outdoor Leadership Training, Coordinator of the Student Hunger and Housing Action Coalition, Coordinator of the Affordable Housing Winter Breaks Projects, and a member of Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere. In addition, Fiona was a Writing Fellow and a Senior EMT with Brown EMS. She is also the recipient of a Starr Fellowship, which allowed her to conduct a project on HIV/AIDS in Mali. Following graduation, Fiona will be starting as a Teach for America Corps Member in Phoenix, Arizona.
Zahra R. Hirji is from Chevy Chase, Maryland and will graduate with a degree in Geological Science. While at Brown, she has been extremely active in the Geology Department. She helped organize the department’s rock collection, worked at the Providence Natural History Museum as a docent, and wrote for the faculty online publication Today at Brown. Zahra was also heavily involved with Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) and has been one of the group’s coordinators for two years. In her junior year, Zahra organized an inter-university conference, and as a senior, she was Head Coordinator for WiSE and oversaw all the WiSE programs. Zahra was also one of the captains for the Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Team and was a member ARRR!!!, Brown’s pirate a cappella group. After Brown, Zahra will be heading to DC to intern at EARTH Magazine and plans to travel to East Africa in the Fall.
Srividya Kalyanaraman is from High Point, North Carolina and will receive a Bachelors of Art in English, Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry, and Bachelors of Science in Applied Math. In addition to working hard to complete three degrees, Srividya was a Meiklejohn Advisor, Community Assistant, and a member of Res Council. A compassionate advisor to female students, Srividya was also a Women Peer Counselor and a Sarah Doyle Women’s Center volunteer. Additionally, Srividya was actively involved with the Brown University Relaxation Project, Brown University Mediation Project, Late Night Fund, Interfaith House, and Women in Science and Engineering. Following commencement, Srividya will be pursuing a Ph.D. program or some form of graduate school.
Nicholas J. Leiserson is from North Haven, Connecticut and is graduating with a degree in Computer Science. During his time at Brown, Nick has been a leader in the Brown community. When student leaders were asked to volunteer to help form the Brown University Activities Council, Nick was the first to come forward and accepted the role as chair of the committee. Nick was also an active member of the Alumnae Hall Advisory Board, on which he was influential in the hall’s $250,000 renovation. A lover of music, particularly opera, Nick was involved with the Brown University Gilbert & Sullivan Society and Brown Opera Productions where he managed, produced and performed in many shows. Though his future plans are undecided, Nick is contemplating law school, public policy work and software engineering.
Nabanita Pal is a Development Studies concentrator from Gaithersburg, Maryland. She has been involved with Third World Center as a Minority Peer Counselor and a Minority Peer Counselor Coordinator. Neeta has also assisted with programming South Asian Identity Week and the South Asian Student Association’s lecture series. Neeta has been active in the Swearer Center for Public Service since she was a freshman. Specifically, she coordinated and taught a debate and public speaking class to incarcerated young women at the Rhode Island Training School, she servied as chairperson for the RI Right to Vote Campus Coalition and was a mentor and tutor in the city Girl’s Program. Next year, Neeta will be training in Odissi, an Indian classical dance form with a Fulbright creative arts grant. She will be studying the performance of gender through dance in Orissa, India.
James E. Reed III is from Providence, Rhode Island and will graduate with a dual degree in Psychology and Africana Studies. James is a three year member of Residential Council, and recently held the position of Chairperson. He has also been a writer and Editor-In-Chief of the Critical Review, Residential Peer Leader, a teaching assistant for the Psychology Department, a tutor and volunteer coordinator for the Providence Summerbridge Program, and a member of both the Africana Studies Departmental Undergraduate Group (DUG) and Psychology DUG. James was also a three-time recipient of a Jude Taylor scholarship. Following graduation, James will be attending the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work to pursue a MSW in Clinical Social Work with a focus on Mental Health.
2008 Recipients
Hillary Anderson: Brown Lacrosse team (4 years), recipient of the Royce Fellowship, started a new “Market Share Program” at the Brown Farmers’ Market while acting as a facilitator and organizer of the Sustainable Food Initiative, Meiklejohn advisor, volunteer at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School, and Co-Chair of the Faculty-Liaison Program of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
Catherine Auriemma: Phi Beta Kappa (secretary), Brown Field Hockey Team (4 years), Meiklejohn advisor, WiSE mentor, volunteer at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School, and National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Academic Squad.
Darnell Fine: Writing Fellow, Minority Peer Counselor, a Minority Peer Counselor Coordinator, co-programmer for the Black Heritage Series, and a College Guidance Project Advisor through the City Brothers Program.
Seth Izen: founder of the Meditation Community at Brown, student advisor for independent concentrations, Meiklejohn Advisor, Online Media Transfer Counselor for Brown/RISD Hillel, Table Tennis Team, and Director of Media Relations and Webmaster for the Brown University Mediation Project.
Anna Levine: Campus Coordinator for Project HEALTH, Co-Chair of the Orientation Welcoming Committee, member of the Board of Trustees of Brown/RISD Hillel Foundation, and, and participant in the American Jewish World Service Alternative Break.
Yang Long: Minority Peer Counselor, MPC Coordinator, MPC Friend, Asian American Students Association (4 years), steering committee member for Asian/Asian American History Month, Bruin Club (3 years), Providence Science Outreach volunteer, and volunteer in the Rhode Island Hospital Pediatric HIV Clinic.
Cash McCracken: Student Activities Chair of the Undergraduate Council of Students, Chair of the Undergraduate Finance Board, Administrative Chair of the Brown Concert Agency, and head coordinator of the Brown Human Rights Film Festival.
Monica Pelayo: Semana Chicana programmer, Latino Programmer for the Office of Student Life, Community Assistant, ESOL tutor in Olneyville, College Guidance Mentor at Hope High School, and volunteer at Providence Children’s Museum.
Eric Rodriguez: Brown Outdoor Leadership Training program, Brown’s Peer HIV/AIDS & Sex Education program, and volunteer at the Swearer Center for Public Service. Eric served as an Army Reservist in the Iraq War during 2003-3004 and was attached to the 308th Civil Affairs Brigade and the 4th Infantry Division and during which time he was a part of humanitarian missions that the building of schools and clinics, and distributed school supplies.
Stephanie Syc: Co-Chair of the Orientation Welcoming Committee, Meiklejohn advisor, WiSE mentor, Brown Democrats, Varsity Equestrian Team, Brown University Orchestra, and safeWALK.
Hope Turner: coordinator for the Coalition Against Relationship Abuse, Women Students at Brown, programmer for Women’s History Month, Female Sexuality Workshop facilitator, housing coordinator for West House, publicity manager at the Hourglass Café and co-president of Brown’s Oxfam chapter, and facilitated the emergence of the Sustainable Gift Bazaar that is co-sponsored by Sarah Doyle and Oxfam.
2007 Recipients
John Butler: City Brothers Program through the Swearer Center (4 years), Minority Peer Counselor, captain for the MPC Friend program, co-chair of the Latin American Student’s Organization, and a Presidential Host.
Terrence Gong: President of the Asian American Student’s Association, Programmer for Asian American Student Services, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Queer Community Committee, Residential Peer Counselor, and organizer of a fundraiser for Indonesian fisherman impacted by the 2005 tsunami.
Geoffrey Gusoff: Interfaith House and the Christian Life Community, People to End Homelessness, Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere, RISE Tutoring Program for Children of Incarcerated Adults, and Family Life Center: Prisoner Re-Entry Services.
David Healy: Brown Football Team (4 years), Student Athlete Advisory Committee (4 years), volunteer at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School, organizer of the David Zucconi Memorial 5K Run which raised more than $12,000 for the Providence Ronald McDonald House, volunteer at RI Special Olympics, member of the Campus Life Advisory Board and the NCAA Recertification Steering Committee, and organizer of the Haunted House for the Fox Point Boys and Girls Club and Charity Basketball Tournaments.
Robert Klaber: Co-President of the Entrepreneurship Program, Meikeljohn advisor, CV Starr Fellow, and a founding member of DormSnacks. Robby completed a 4,000 mile charity bicycle odyssey that raised $70,000 for Habitat for Humanity.
Kathryn Marckworth: Instructor and Workshop Coordinator for the Swing Club (4 years), Brown University’s Mediation Program, volunteer at the community Mediation Center of Rhode Island, Musical Director of ARRR!, and Pre-Law Society.
Diana Moke: Coordinator of Brown’s Multi-Faith Council, Chair of the Community Health Advocacy Program, President of the Interfaith House, and Brown Outdoor Leadership Training program.
Liliana Ornelas: Minority Peer Counselor, an MPC Coordinator, an MPC Friend, programmer for Semana Chicana, mentor for the Swearer Center’s College Guidance Project, and a volunteer for the International Charter School.
Frinny Polanco: Women Peer Counselor and a WPC representative, President and Choreographer for Mezcla, Co-Chair of the Latin American Student Organization, Diversity Co-Chair of the Senior Class Gift Committee, served as an interpreter at Rhode Island Hospital, a teaching assistant for a public health course in the Providence Public Schools, and a Swearer Center Breaks Project Leader.
Orville Carey Turnquest: Minority Peer Counselor, Caribbean Heritage Week Co-Programmer, Presidential Host, and alto clarinet player in the Brown Wind Symphony.
