Past Recipients of the Alfred H. Joslin Award

2023 Joslin Award

Individual Awards

Ritiika Avarrsekar

Ritiika is a senior from Mumbai, India. She is receiving an AB in International and Public Affairs on the Development Track and an  A.B. in Economics.

Ritiika's contributions to Brown's campus have centered around creating community & ameliorating the student experience writ large. At the CareerLAB, Ritiika worked as a Peer Career Advisor for 2 years before being appointed the program's Student Coordinator. She helped set up the first-ever BrownConnect First Year Immersion Program, wrote a HireVue guide and has interacted with more than 400 students on campus, educating them about the internship search process through workshops, panels and open hours. 

Additionally, Ritiika served as the Education Chair, Coalition Chair, Social Chair & Senior Vice President of the South Asian Students Association, Brown's largest cultural organization with 300+ members. She revitalized their SASA Pals programs connecting freshmen to upperclassmen, created the club's first-ever website and initiated the first-ever Ivy League collaboration with Yale's SAS. 

During her tenure on the International Students Advisory Board, Ritiika drafted recommendations about the gaps in financial support for the often neglected low-income and first generation international graduate students. She initiated collaborations between the OISSS and CareerLAB to provide tailored advice to international students navigating their visa and work authorization status.

As Treasurer of the Undergraduate Council of Students, Ritiika secured the first-ever $26,000 lump sum from UFB that created funding for collaborations with organizations like Art for Impact. She sustained these efforts as UCS' Chair of Health and Wellness the next year. Furthermore, Ritiika shared her immense love for Brown with hundreds of prospective students as a Tour Guide and Admissions Rep for the Office of Admissions. 

She also infused her academic passions outside the classroom as a Royce Fellow, receiving funding to study the Portuguese postcolonial legacy in Goa, India. Ritiika pursued her love for teaching as a Teaching Assistant for the Watson Institute's MPA course “Management and Implementation in Non-Profit Organizations” and the College's UNIV 0060 "Exploring Career Options". 

After graduation, Ritiika will be working as an Investment Analyst at Partners Capital in Boston. Her two greatest passions lie in increasing access to education for underprivileged children and destigmatizing women's health. She intends to use her time at Partners to develop skills in strategy and finance that will eventually allow her to contribute to startups or companies that work towards either of the two aforementioned goals.

Aliyah Blattner

Aliyah (she/her) is from Beaverton, Oregon. She received an A.B. in literary arts with honors and an A.B. in gender and sexuality studies. Her academic work largely explored the intersections of queer, Jewish, feminist identity and politics as frameworks for envisioning and enacting more liberated futures. 

Blattner's work mostly revolved around community building and story sharing. She worked as the inaugural Gender and Sexuality Peer Counselor Coordinator, mentoring a cohort of ten student leaders between the Sarah Doyle Center for Women and Gender and the LGBTQ Center. She also worked as a Women Peer Counselor Coordinator and a Women Peer Counselor, living in first year dormitories and supporting students as they transitioned to college. Additionally, Blattner facilitated workshops on gender-based violence as a Sexual Assault Peer Educator. 

Blattner was also deeply engaged in Jewish life on campus. She served as Brown RISD Hillel’s student president, Conservative High Holy Day Intern, Executive Student Trustee, and Shabbat Chair. For her incredible commitment, Blattner was honored with the Levi Adams Citation, the Elie Hirschfeld Modern Hebrew Award, Brown RISD Hillel President’s Award, and the Goldberg Family Ruach Award. Ultimately, these experiences empowered Blattner to create home spaces on campus that empowered students to show up authentically as their whole selves. 

After graduation, Blattner will move to Brooklyn to work at Sanctuary for Families, a non-profit that supports survivors of gender-based violence, as part of Avodah’s Jewish Service Corps. Specifically, Blattner will work on Sanctuary for Families’ Matrimonial/Economic Justice Project.

Elon C. Colins

Elon Constance Collins is from the Bronx and Queens, New York. She will receive a A.B. in Gender and Sexuality Studies with honors in December 2023. Elon champions Black women’s social wellbeing in her academic work where she examines the visual cultural productions of contemporary Black women pornographers, and advocates for their inclusion in critical Black feminist theory. The Pembroke Center awarded Elon the Linda Pei Grant to further enrich her thesis research. She was also awarded the John Hay Racial Justice Fellowship to work within the Black Feminist Theory collection and transcribe the personal journal entries of each scholar.

Putting theory to practice, sex education forms the foundation of Elon's extracurriculars at Brown, exemplified by her participation in the Sexual Health Awareness Group (SHAG) during all four years of her time in undergrad. In addition to advocating for healthy relationships campus wide, Elon supported the freshman community as a Women's Peer Counselor and Bruno Leader, guiding students through their first experiences at Brown.

She engaged the wider community in her role as a Graphic Designer for both the LGBTQ Center, the Sarah Doyle Center, and BWell Health Promotion. Throughout her time at each center, she designed the current LGBTQ Center logo and sticker, various event graphics, and the 2023 Spring Weekend BCA and BWell collaboration graphics. 

Elon dedicated her time in undergrad to uplifting student voices through events coordination with the Underground Thursdays performing arts collective and the creation of Chronic Community, Brown's first support group for students dealing with chronic illness.

Following commencement, Elon will study abroad at Goldsmith’s University of London where she will continue research on Gender and Sexuality Studies. Elon also hopes to stay in performing arts spaces by attending events and performing her own poetry. After completing her final semester, Elon aims to work with Sotheby’s Institute of Art again at their London headquarters, helping students attain their arts education dreams.

Alexa De La Fuente

Alexa De La Fuente (she/her) is from Dallas, Texas. She is graduating with an A.B. in Ethnic Studies and Education. She has conducted research while at Brown supported by the SPRINT Faculty Collaboration award and the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. She is interested in thinking through gender-based violence, power dynamics, borderlands, and media analysis with a focus on considering theory as praxis. Alexa’s thesis research analyzes representations of Latina survivors of gender-based violence in U.S. television shows.

In tangent with her academic work, Alexa has been involved with the Sexual Assault Prevention Education (SAPE) program since her first-year, and she became a coordinator during her sophomore year. In SAPE, she has facilitated community-based workshops to navigate conversations over sexual, relationship, and gender-based harm on campus. Within the SAPE community, she has hosted numerous community-engagement events and helped develop educational content for the group. Plus, she has facilitated Culture of Consent workshops for three years. 

Relevant to her passion for feminist thought and action, Alexa has also co-coordinated Women’s History Month events for the Sarah Doyle Center for Women and Gender surrounding questions on how communities have been and continue to build the worlds they want to live in. Additionally, Alexa has been active in the Student Clinic for Immigration Justice as a trained asylum advocate for three years, the First-Gens at Brown group as the Community Outreach Chair for two years, Project LETS as a trained Peer Mental Health Advocate, WORD! Performance Poetry, and the Campus Life Advisory Board.

This upcoming year, Alexa will be serving with CIty Year as a Student Success Coach in her hometown as she hopes to one day become an educator for her community and build curriculums providing intersectional and transformative viewpoints into silenced violences. Alexa hopes to apply to an interdisciplinary PhD program in the upcoming future to continue her research significant for its theorizations over movements against violence.

Bintou Diarra

Bintou Diarra is from the Bronx, New York. She is receiving an A.B. in Medical Anthropology, and will matriculate into Alpert Medical School this August. Her work on campus spans many spheres. During her freshman and sophomore year, she participated in clubs and organizations to enhance the experiences of Black students at Brown. One of her contributions was the first talk honoring diversity within the Black community, which acknowledged the manifestations of colorism and its impact on Black women and femmes on campus. As a first-generation, low-income college student, Bintou is led by her desire to pay it forward. The summer of her freshman year, she worked alongside a mentor at New York University's School of Medicine to teach low-income middle and high school students STEM-related topics.

Bintou prides herself on her multidimensionality, and her work on and off Brown's campus reflects it. Among her various roles was her presidency of the League of United Black Women, where she worked to create a safe space for Black women and femmes at Brown. Additionally, she led [email protected], where she worked alongside others to bring the principles of reproductive justice to Brown's campus. Through her hair-braiding venture, Bintou's Beauty, Bintou was able to meet a range of students at Brown while filling a communal need. Much like the defining component of Brown University's open curriculum, Bintou emphasizes the significance of bringing her personal interests to her education and vice versa. Pulling from her love for medical anthropology, she writes articles about bioethical issues and has been published on major platforms such as KevinMD, The Las Vegas Sun, the Miami Herald, Inside Higher Ed, and Mama Glow.

Bintou currently leads editorial efforts at maternal health and lifestyle brand Mama Glow. She was recently awarded a Sexual Health Advocacy and Policy Education (SHAPE) Grant for future research, where she will work to integrate and strengthen reproductive justice curricula at Alpert Medical School. 

Michael Foiani

Michael is an Italian-rooted Clevelander who now abides in Naples, Florida. He will receive  an ScB in Computer Science with honors and an AB in Physics. He grew up deeply intwined with technology as his father revolutionized surveillance methods, which deeply influenced him to take a yearning to apply technology in a more positive way at a young age. In high school, his contagious passion for educating and mentoring others has bled into his impact here at Brown. In all he does, his core goal is to make the college experience as best as it can possibly be for others, through doing things he personally enjoys.

He started serving as an RPL and CS TA in his sophomore year then joined the CS DUG his junior year. Now as a senior, he has revived the CS DUG after assuming presidency, set the foundation for a safe, booming community in Metcalf Hall as a Community Coordinator, and managed one of the largest User Interface’s course with ~400 people as it’s Head Teaching Assistant. 
In his smaller roles, he has served on the IT Advisory Board, organized the creation for the CS Yearbook, participated in Club and Intramural sports, mentored new research assistants within Andy’s Dash group, shared his Italian heritage, spurred initial design of Tagg App (a Brown startup), sang for the Catholic Community’s Choir, rebuilt Brown’s Esports overwatch team, and traveled home to volunteer in repairing unreal damages from Hurricane Ian.

Lastly, he is truly grateful to have connected and worked with such amazing people here at Brown, especially those outside of academics - advisors, department staff, facilities workers, police officers, custodians, BUDs employees, and others who deserve more recognition. He hopes his impact in the Brown communities, big or small, will motivate others to educate or mentor others - in an enjoyable way using their talents through a perspective of joy and gratitude. His time here at Brown allowed him to develop skills as a strong, effective, and professional leader, which he will take with him as he inevitably becomes manager of his family’s fiscal management and investment company in south Florida after pursing a PhD program.

Leona Hariharan

Leona is from San Diego, California and will be receiving a Sc.B in Neuroscience and Theatre Arts and Performance Studies with honors. She is passionate about healing justice and consistently centers community-based models of care in her work. She founded [email protected], a birth and postpartum doula collective dedicated to advancing reproductive justice on campus, and supporting the birthwork already being done in the community. In this role, She spearheaded the expansion of the program to Tougaloo University, an HBCU with a long standing partnership with Brown. Additionally, she served as a community-based learning and research fellow for GNSS 1501A: Reproductive In/Justice, where she supported the integration of doula training into a university based course. 

Hariharan also works on campus in a wide variety of roles. As a Women, Gender, and Sexuality Counselor with the Sarah Doyle Center for Women and Gender and LGBTQ Center, she organized events like Queering Intimacy: A workshop on arousal and desire, and a screening of the seminal reproductive justice film, Belly of the Beast. At BWell, she works as a Sexual Assault Peer Educator (SAPE) and a Wellness Peer Educator. In her Wellness Peer Educator role, she has worked with student groups and individuals to create educational interventions like a Restorative Yoga Series, Silver Linings Recovery Dinners, and refill your cup : a day of radical rest and restoration. As a SAPE, she has facilitated workshops on sexual, relationship and gender-based harm prevention across campus.

She recently submitted her Theater Arts and Performance Studies honors thesis entitled “Embodied Imaginations: Performance, Care, and Healing Justice,” which explores the relationship between performance and care through a series of ethnographic encounters in performance and care specific space. As a part of this work and with the support of the Swearer Center’s Royce Fellowship, she traveled to Mysore, India where she conducted ethnographic research on experiences of maternal social support.

After commencement, Leona plans on continuing her work in Reproductive Justice and Community Based Healing.

Shantal Hernández Guerrero

Shantal is a Mexican-American immigrant raised in Monterrey, México and Ankeny, Iowa. She will receive an A.B. with honors in Latin American & Caribbean Studies and an A.B. in International & Public Affairs.

Shantal has focused both her work and studies on uplifting students and communities of color. As a Minority Peer Counselor (MPC) and MPC Coordinator, she has served the Brown Center for Students of Color throughout the academic year and during the pre-orientation Third World Transition Program for three years. As an immigration advocate, Shantal has volunteered for the Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice throughout three academic years and interned for the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic for two summers. She worked on more than 35 pro-bono immigration cases. She also volunteered at Women’s Refugee Care in Providence as a French translator. Shantal served as the Company Director for Mezcla, the only Latinx dance troupe at Brown. Additionally, she participated in Brown’s Mock Trial team, the Latin Student Union, and MeCHA de Brown. She was asked to inaugurate the role of Chair for the Watson Student Advisory Council in 2021 after serving as an officer for two years. Shantal also served as one of the leaders for the LACA Department Undergraduate Group. 

After studying abroad at the Sorbonne University in Paris, she was also granted an Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award to help create a new course that traces the relationship between Latin America and Paris. This experience also inspired Shantal’s LACA honors thesis "Student Protests as a form of Political Power: 1968 in Paris and México." Shantal’s IAPA senior capstone “How Employment Authorization Can Save the Lives of VAWA Self-Petitioners” was chosen to be published by the Brown Undergraduate Law Review.

After graduation, Shantal plans to continue to fight for the immigrant community. Next year, Shantal will be researching Nicaraguan migration and resettlement in Costa Rica as a Fulbright Scholar. In the future, Shantal hopes to attend law school and become an immigration attorney. 

Rachel L. Huynh

Rachel Huynh is from San Jose, California, and is graduating with an Independent Concentration in Food and Health in U.S. American Society (AB). She has been an Army ROTC cadet since her freshman year and will commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army upon graduation.
Rachel is a supervisor with Brown Emergency Medical Services, where she has been an active member since her sophomore year. She has assisted with campus-wide COVID operations, has taught CPR and First Aid classes to the Brown community, and works weekly shifts where she provides patient-centric, trauma-informed care to Brown students and staff in their greatest moments of need.

Her passion for addressing health disparities and encouraging community members to adopt healthy lifestyle changes motivated her to teach nutrition and fitness classes to children with autism and neurotypical children –– both virtually and at home in San Jose. She has also engaged in public health-related research. Under the mentorship of Dr. Tayla von Ash, Rachel published a paper in the International Journal of Eating Disorders titled “Associations between Mukbang Viewing and Disordered Eating Behaviors.”

Rachel also works closely with Dr. Celeste Corcoran, a Hasbro pediatrician working with children with obesity, to ensure her patients receive the follow-up care and health advocacy they deserve. Through conversations with parents of hundreds of pediatric patients, she has positively impacted the lives and health of Providence youth. She has also been involved in other health initiatives, such as promoting vaccination efforts at Rhode Island Community and Justice.

Finally, Rachel is a co-coordinator for the Independent Concentration (IC) program at Brown. She has made an incredible impact on the academic pathways of many students at Brown by giving them peer mentorship and guidance as they undergo a particularly challenging but rewarding IC proposal process.

This fall, she will be attending the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine to pursue her dream of becoming a physician in the United States Army.

Justin Lu

Justin Lu is from Hastings on Hudson, New York. He is receiving an S.c.B in Biology. Lu cultivates religious and multi-faith communities on campus, deeply caring for the spiritual, mental, and emotional health of all Brunonians. As coordinator of the Brown Meditation Community (BMC), he welcomes and helps facilitate students, faculty and staff in contemplative practice. Lu spearheads collaborations with organizations inside and beyond Brown, such as BURP, Wellness Peer Educators, RISD Residential Life, Providence Zen Center, and the Rhode Island Zen Dojo. He represented BMC on a student panel as part of Faith in Blue, an event hosted in collaboration between the Office of Chaplains and Religious Life and the Department of Public Safety. Lu pioneered Brown's first week-long spiritual retreat at the Amata Meditation Center where he fostered a community that aided all to deepen their contemplative practices. Amongst his many contributions to supporting students throughout their spiritual journeys, he has helped others work towards inner peace, building genuine connections with one another. Lu's leadership nourishes the interfaith spiritual care of many individuals on campus, even those who are spiritual but not religious or have no faith/affiliation.  

Lu has also served as co-captain for Brown Club Swim where he organized community service events, ran weekly practices and mentored younger teammates. He has volunteered with Brown Math Circle, leading math enrichment activities for Providence high schoolers historically underrepresented in STEM. Lu tutored for Partnership in Adult Learning, assisted in the surgical recovery room of Rhode Island Hospital, and facilitated food distribution in the Brown Market Shares Program. Across ten first author publications, Lu is advancing clinical knowledge with big data and machine learning. At Brown and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, his research on long COVID combats healthcare disparities and improves clinical guidelines. After graduation, Lu plans on attending medical school.
 

Victoria Rose

Victoria Rose grew up on her family’s sheep farm in Hillsboro, WV. She is receiving an AB in Geology-Biology and Education Studies. 

Victoria’s biggest accomplishment was creating Rural Students @ Brown, a space for students from rural backgrounds. The group provides a welcoming community by hosting events like end-of-semester celebrations, a family weekend reception, and a meet & greet with rural faculty members. Victoria also led the club’s outreach by working with the admissions office to improve recruitment of students from rural areas and centering current students’ voices. She is most proud of her work on the Rural Students Fly-In Program, where she successfully advocated for current rural students to play a central role as the admissions office invited rural high schoolers to visit Brown and learn about life at college, financial aid, and how to create a strong application.

Victoria has been a trombone player in the Brown Band since her freshman year. She was a section leader and served two years on the Band Board. As the Vice President and Corresponding Secretary, she helped to transition the band from virtual to in-person operations after the pandemic and strove to make sure that the band was an accepting, welcoming community. For her dedication to the band, she was awarded the Axlerod award for outstanding first-year, and later the Irving Harris award for contributing the most to the welfare of the band.
Victoria was active in several other groups at Brown. She served as a BOLT manager for two summers, re-envisioning what the wilderness leadership program could look like after a hiatus and with pandemic restrictions. As a member of Alpha Chi Omega, she guided prospective sorority members as a Recruitment Counselor. She worked with Professor Lindsay Page to redevelop and TA the “Current Issues in US Higher Education” course.

After Brown, Victoria plans to work as the Music Coordinator at the National Youth Science Camp, and then seek employment in outdoor STEM education. She eventually plans to attend grad school to study rural access to higher education.

Team Awards

Andre Grossmann-Level and Davi Sapiro-Gheiler

Andre Grossmann-Level

Andre is a Venezuelan-American student and grew up in Holden, Maine. They are receiving an A.B. in Ethnic Studies and Environmental Studies (Conservation Science & Policy). At Brown, Andre has spent their time finding and cultivating spaces that center leaning into discomfort, transformative conversations, and love. They have engaged with a variety of student centers in their work as a Minority Peer Counselor, Gender & Sexuality PC, and B-TEAM Coordinator. 

Grossmann first got involved in facilitation work through the Community Dialogue Project’s weekly discussion group, Masculinity 101. They became a facilitator quickly afterwards and aided in the transition of M101 into BWell. Here, they helped co-found B-TEAM through an extension of the pre-existing Masculinity Peer Education program. They led initiatives of collaboration that aimed at bringing conversations around critical masculinities to a wide variety of audiences. Some of their favorite aspects of this work include the ability to surround themselves with community invested in each other’s growth, facilitation through humor, and forming relationships with many mentors along the way. 

After Brown, they hope to spend some time remembering their home state before diving back into gender-based violence prevention, facilitation, and education work. 

Davi Sapiro-Gheiler

Davi Sapiro-Gheiler is a daughter, a sister, a friend, sometimes a mentor, often an artist, and always a femme queen from Durham, NC. She is completing an Independent Concentration in “The Body: Trans Studies, Aesthetic Culture, Creative Practice.” Davi began her journey at Brown as a freshman at the Third World Transition Program (TWTP) organized by the Brown Center for Students of Color (BCSC), where she found community and learned essential perspectives for her time at the institution. She would continue working with the BCSC as a cohort member for the next two TWTPs before serving as co-coordinator for TWTP 2022, “Beautiful Monstrosities: Crafting our Own Mythologies.” During her first weeks at Brown, she was also introduced to the Community Dialogue Project through Masculinity 101, where she would eventually work as a facilitator. This work led Davi to help oversee the transition of masculinity education over to BWell Health and Wellness, where she served as a co-founder and co-coordinator of Brown Transforming Exploring and Affirming Masculinities, better known as B-TEAM. She is so excited to see where the program grows and sends much love to the gang.

Davi’s visual art exhibit, after Ooze, has displayed at the Aborn Gallery at AS220 in Downtown Providence and is currently up at the Grannof Center on campus. She has been a spoken word performer at a number of campus events for the BCSC, LGBTQ Center, and Sarah Doyle Center and is a loud voice for trans woman of color communities on and off campus.

After Brown, Davi will continue building community through engagement with queer creative spaces and further involvement with family histories and our cultural legacies. After some time evolving her artistic practice both as an expression of self and as a tool for individual, and collective liberation she will enroll in the Master’s Program at NYU to pursue a degree in XE: Experimental Humanities and Community Engagement, one of the oldest interdisciplinary masters programs in the country. 

Jasmine Lee and Calista Manuzza
Jasmine Lee

Jasmine Lee is a senior from Bremerton, Washington. She is receiving an Sc.B. in neuroscience and a certificate in data fluency. During her time at Brown, her work has centered around peer mentorship and promoting mental wellbeing. Lee competed for the Brown Gymnastics Team and served as team captain for the past two seasons. Outside of the gym and the classroom, Lee worked as an undergraduate research assistant in the Burwell Lab of Memory and Attention. She also served as an academic coach through which she provided individualized support to help peers develop academic skills, explore self-care and wellness strategies, and connect with other resources to manage challenges and ultimately enhance their Brown experience. Lee is also interested in promoting youth financial literacy. In 2020, she co-founded the Gen-Z Project, an extracurricular program where undergraduate students are equipped with personal finance fundamentals and then teach the curriculum to high school students. The curriculum placed a large emphasis on applicability and mentorship. 

Lee is passionate about mental health advocacy, specifically with a focus on the intersection between mental health and sport. She co-founded Brown Student-Athletes for Mental Health (SAMHA), a new organization designed to help address the mental health stigma and create a community where student-athletes can learn and support one another through the unique mental health and performance challenges of collegiate athletics. In addition, Lee worked extensively with Galea Health, a platform designed to provide tailored mental health support and education to athletes. After graduation, she plans to take a gap year and work in clinical research before attending medical school. 

Calista Rosemarie Manuzza

Calista is from North Caldwell, New Jersey. She received a Sc.B. in Cognitive Neuroscience and is a first-year MPH student through Brown’s Five Year Undergraduate/Master’s of Public Health program. During her time at Brown, Calista’s involvement has spanned Athletics, Greek Life, and Research. As a four-year member of the Varsity Field Hockey team, she has spent a significant amount of time working with Brown Athletics. As the Co-Founder and Co-President of Student Athletes for Mental Health Awareness (SAMHA), Calista has worked alongside Jasmine Lee to bring speakers, workshops, and resources to improve mental health within Brown Athletics. Together, they hosted numerous Mental Health Awareness games, created a Constitution and Executive Board, and helped with the hiring of a Sports Psychologist and Sports Nutritionist. Since its launch in August of 2022, SAMHA has partnered with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and The Mindfulness Center at Brown’s School of Public Health to bring resources to the Student Athlete community.

Calista is also an Ambassador for the Student Athlete Gay Alliance (SAGA) which strives to provide a welcoming and inclusive space for athletes of all genders and sexual identities. After the group disbanded during COVID, Calista and Claire Pisani, a Water Polo senior, relaunched the group with the help of Vicky Flowers. This semester, SAGA created an Executive Board to launch programing, sexual and gender identity education, and Pride Events within Brown Athletics. 

Outside of athletics, Calista served as a New Member Leader for Zeta Delta Xi, a local queer fraternity at Brown. She also works at the Weight Control and Diabetes Center, affiliated with Brown Albert Medical School, on a pilot weight loss intervention for LGBQ+ women. During her senior year, she worked as a Teaching Assistant in the Cognitive, Linguistics, and Psychological Sciences and Public Health Departments at Brown. Upon completion of her MPH in 2024, she will be immediately pursing work at a nonprofit to improve US Medicare policy. 
 

2022 Joslin Award

Jamila Beesley 

Jamila is from Bethlehem, New York. She received an A.B. with honors in American studies and an A.B. in international and public affairs (development). She was elected Phi Beta Kappa as a junior. Beesley’s academic work interrogates intra-community caste discrimination in South Asian American diasporic spaces through a gendered lens. Her senior honors thesis was supported through participation in the Swearer Center’s Royce Fellowship. She has been a member of Sexual Assault Peer Education (SAPE) for all four years at Brown, serving as coordinator of the program for two years. Through this position, she has facilitated workshops on sexual, relationship and gender-based harm prevention with a wide range of student organizations, athletic teams and groups on campus. She led the Culture of Consent webinar during Orientation for more than 1,600 first-year students. Beesley also served on Brown’s Culture of Respect Core Leadership Team as the Multitiered Prevention Education Subcommittee co-lead. 

As a member of the Watson Institute Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Beesley helped facilitate discussions around restructuring course syllabi to reflect values of epistemic diversity, including organizing a student and faculty event panel entitled “Colonialism in the Curriculum.” She led a Decolonization at Brown task force to develop a rubric and self-assessment tool for Watson to evaluate syllabi and teaching intentions to include non-western intellectual traditions. 

Following graduation, Beesley will be working as a legal assistant at Sanford Heisler Sharp, a civil rights law firm, in New York City. She hopes to eventually pursue a career in civil rights and immigration law supporting caste-oppressed South Asians and other marginalized communities against employment discrimination.

Christina Bonaparte

Christina is from Long Island, New York. She is receiving an A.B. in public health with honors. Her work on campus has focused on supporting the Black community, and she is passionate about health promotion and health equity for the Brown and greater Providence communities. Bonaparte served as the co-president of Harambee House and as Harambee’s community-building director. In these positions, she worked on fundraising and community outreach, collaborated with other Black student leaders, and served as a voice for the community with administrators. 

Bonaparte has worked with BWell Health Promotion in a variety of roles. She worked as the BWell student office and communications coordinator, helping to create and distribute materials promoting mental, physical and sexual health on campus. She was a presidential intern for Brown Takes Care and helped implement Brown’s COVID-19 public health campaign to promote positive behavior change. She presented at the American College Health Association with Tanya Purdy on the success of this campaign. At BWell, Bonaparte is a wellness peer educator and works with student organizations to deliver educational interventions to students wishing to improve their wellness practices. She also served as a patient advocate with Connect for Health, where she helped connect low-income families to health resources and social services. She was a board member of the Campus Life Student Advisory Board. She is Brown’s representative for the Rhode Island Association of Independent Colleges and Universities Student Leaders Committee. 

Bonaparte recently submitted her honors thesis in public health, which evaluated the impact that doulas can have on improving Black maternal mortality. She has published three additional research papers on the effects of vaping, COVID-19 and cardiac health issues. She will be continuing with research in her gap year before beginning medical school. When she is not working, Bonaparte loves trying new restaurants and planning get-togethers for friends and family. 

Amanda Cooper

Amanda is from Moorestown, New Jersey. She is receiving an A.B. in sociology. During her time at Brown, her work centered on building a more just, safe and equitable community in a variety of spaces, including athletics, as well as activism around community-based anti-sexual violence mobilization. Cooper spent a significant amount of time involved with varsity athletics at Brown, where she played four years of Division I field hockey. She was elected by her peers to serve as the co-president on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Executive Board, Brown’s student-athlete government. During her tenure as co-president, Cooper fought for graduate student eligibility in the Ivy League, increased the visibility of Brown’s student-athletes through the SAAC social media pages, met weekly with senior-level athletics administrators, helped write a 10-year master plan for SAAC, and got student-athlete graduation stoles approved by the vice president for athletics and recreation for all Brown student-athletes beginning in 2022. 

Cooper fought for and helped implement a mandatory annual sexual assault prevention module for all student-athletes at Brown. She served as a student representative on Brown’s Culture of Respect Campus Leadership Team as well as on Brown University’s Title IX Council. Cooper worked as an organizer of Voices of Brown, a group made of current and former Brown students who run an Instagram page that serves to facilitate community-based anti-sexual violence work at Brown. Cooper sat on the Brown Campus Life Subcommittee on Athletics and Physical Education; served on the Executive Council of Brown’s nonprofit group Circle of Women; worked as a student ambassador for the Student Conduct and Community Standards Office; worked as a teaching assistant in the Department of Engineering (ENGN 0090); volunteered as a junior mentor in the Matched Advising Program for Sophomores; and re-founded an a capella group for student-athletes called Jockapella.

Lijin (Summer) Dai

Summer is from Beijing, China. She is receiving an A.B. in economics (honors) and an A.B. in education studies. Dai has dedicated much of her time as an undergraduate to building community and enhancing the student experience at Brown. She joined the Undergraduate Council of Students (UCS) her freshman year in an attempt to find ways to engage with and improve the student experience within the Brown community, and she served on the UCS first as treasurer (2019-20), then as vice president (2020-21), and finally as president (2021-22). During her time on UCS, she established the Startup Fund, which increased funding access for new student groups on campus in collaboration with the Undergraduate Finance Board; organized a series of virtual Student [email protected] fairs with the Student Employment Office to increase student exposure to employment opportunities; initiated and hosted the first series of Undergraduate Town Halls with the Office of the President; and collected student feedback from campus-wide surveys to discuss during meetings with the Brown Corporation. She also met frequently and worked closely with the Department of Campus Life to address student concerns and compile helpful resources for the student body. 

Outside of UCS, Dai worked as a research assistant for the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, where she examined the impact of tutoring on educational outcomes. In addition to her role as a mentor in both the Meiklejohn Peer Mentorship Program and the Matched Advising Program for Sophomores, Dai served on the New Alumni Trustee Candidate Advisory Committee and the Brown University Community Council. Driven to action after learning about economic and educational inequalities through her coursework as an education studies and economics concentrator, Dai is passionate about increasing resources and better supporting students both at Brown and around the country. She is excited to work toward these goals while pursuing her master's in education policy and analysis at the Harvard Graduate School of Education after Brown.

Raelee Fourkiller

Raelee is from Tahelquah, Oklahoma. They are receiving an A.B. in education studies. During their time at Brown, they spent much time in the House of Nínnuog, the Brown Center for Students of Color (BCSC) and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative, where they found communities to make a sprawling home across campus. Over their four years in the BCSC community, they worked as a graphic designer; a Third World Transition Program (TWTP) 2021 workshop facilitator; a coordinator for TWTP 2022: omi/ama bodies: sites of (re)memory; and a Native American Heritage Series (NAHS) coordinator. As a NAHS coordinator, Fourkiller helped plan and organize the 19th annual Spring Thaw Powwow. Further, their role as the Natives at Brown coordinator led them to holding various fundraisers for their community and to donate to transnational Indigenous movements, hosting Ivy Native Council in fall 2019, drafting the Native American and Indigenous studies curriculum, and co-creating space for Native students across the globe. 

As an educator, Fourkiller has been involved with College Horizons, as a volunteer and mentor for Native high school students since 2017; published an article titled “The Teachers Have Something to Say: Lessons Learned from U.S. PK-12 Teachers During the COVID-impacted 2020-21 School Year”; created various syllabi dedicated to teaching Native literature in middle and high school classrooms; and drafted a syllabus for self-taught Cherokee language learners. By threading their artists pursuits with education, Fourkiller created an anthology titled “Skadugi” for their senior capstone. “Skadugi” explores the intimate connection, artistic curation and transformative creation a learning community can develop through creative writing; they looked to Cherokee pedagogies of care and relationality to create writing prompts and guidelines that they ultimately shared with their closest and dearest loved ones during circles. 

Fourkiller has published in many campus magazines and newspapers, offering readings during community events and publishing three chapbooks, and now hosts open mic nights at Riff Raff bookstore in Providence. They hope to complete their chapbook titled “My Love is a Dedication” after graduation.

Jared Jones

Jared is from Lithia Springs, Georgia. He is receiving an A.B. in English and an A.B. in religious studies. His passions and interests lie in community building, particularly in accountability and healing practices dedicated to supporting and transforming individuals without the punitive system. He has been a caucus leader for the Gun Violence Prevention Caucus of Brown Democrats and an advocacy committee leader of Brown Votes, an organization dedicated to improving voter registration, voting participation and civic engagement at Brown University. 

Jones served as president of Harambee House as a sophomore, a leader of Black Christian Ministries since freshman year, and the president of Beta Omega Chi as a senior. In all of these organizations, he has dedicated himself to supporting Black students in achieving greater heights in every enterprise throughout their time at Brown. 

Jones will be attending Yale Divinity School (YDS) in fall 2022 to start his journey of receiving a joint degree with Yale Divinity School and Law School. He plans on using his time in divinity school to study methods, techniques and ideologies of accountability and healing. Using what he learns from YDS, he plans to study criminal justice, doing abolitionist work, and to begin implementing a transformative justice framework that will seek to transform individuals within our community, reduce harm and install an alternative justice system that will hopefully replace this current punitive justice system. 

Ashton C. Lam

Ashton is from Pleasanton, California. He is receiving an A.B. in economics and an A.B. in international and public affairs (development). At Brown, Lam’s work has centered around promoting equity and inclusion in spaces that have historically and systemically been inaccessible to underrepresented identities, namely pre-professional groups and academic departments such as economics. As co-president of the Economics Departmental Undergraduate Group (DUG), he created the DUG’s equity and inclusion team to broaden the range of perspectives and backgrounds represented by the department. One key initiative that he directed was a symposium titled “Conversations on Race and Capitalism,” hosted in April 2021 in collaboration with the Department of Sociology. Featuring speakers from the Rhode Island Senate, Stony Brook University and the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice as well as attendees from across the country, the event aimed to uncover the structural racism rampant in modern market systems in the U.S., issues not widely discussed in introductory economics coursework. 

Beyond the Department of Economics, Lam served as internal vice president of the Brown Consulting Club, where he conducted interview-based primary research with members of the student body to determine the biggest sources of inequality in recruiting for pre-professional clubs. His findings were promptly implemented into the club's recruitment protocol in the form of implicit bias trainings, a demographic survey and application mentorship, and these efforts culminated in a workshop that he co-hosted in late 2020 with Tidal Equality to disseminate recruiting best practices to the wider Brown community. Additionally, in 2021, Lam piloted a bilingual introductory business program that took place as a part of Hope High School's media arts class, through which he led biweekly educational sessions and hosted a college and career panel to connect high schoolers to college students of similar identities and backgrounds. 

Outside of these roles, Lam has served as a teaching assistant, economics peer advisor and member of the College Curriculum Council. After graduating, he will be joining The Bridgespan Group in Boston as a consultant, through which he hopes to build greater expertise on the issues of sustainability and development and continue to champion justice, equity and inclusion.

Mia McKinney

Mia is from Trumbull, Connecticut. She is receiving her A.B. in Africana studies. Throughout her time at Brown, she spent the majority of her extracurricular time dedicated to student theater and the performing arts. Since enrolling at Brown as a sophomore transfer student in Fall 2019, McKinney has been a part of countless productions, both on and off stage. She also joined Harmonic Motion a cappella and served as the business manager for two years. In Fall 2020, McKinney joined Production Workshop, one of Brown’s student theater-producing boards. Production Workshop is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of T.F. Green, the only space on campus exclusively for student theater. As a part of her board responsibilities, McKinney served as one of the chairs of the T. F. Green Administrative Board and a liaison to the Student Activities Office (SAO). 

As the community returned to campus after COVID, there were huge gaps in institutional knowledge in the student theater community. McKinney worked to rebuild the lost knowledge and assist in the production of multiple student productions. In Fall 2020, she started working for SAO as one of the coordinators of Underground Thursdays, a performing arts programming series. At first, the series was completely virtual because of COVID-19, and the programming was one of the only ways for students to engage with the performing arts. McKinney planned virtual events that were attended by hundreds of students throughout Spring 2020. After returning to campus, she cultivated a supportive and safe space for student performers to share their music and spoken word in person each month in the Underground. While working for SAO, McKinney has served on a number of interview processes for new staff members, assisting with panels and other events, lending a hand whenever she could. Through her relationships with SAO, McKinney has been able to help resolve conflict in the theater and a cappella communities by providing insight and advocating for students engaged in performing arts on campus. 

After graduating from Brown, McKinney plans to get doula certified and eventually to go on to become a certified nurse midwife, hopefully assisting in efforts to lower rates of Black maternal and infant mortality. 

David Onabanjo

David is a Nigerian-American student, artist and facilitator from the Bronx, New York. He is receiving an A.B. in communication and social influence (independent concentration). Since childhood, he has taken an interest in how communication styles and methods can change environments and affirm those who are often purposefully ignored. As a “freelance artist” at Brown, instead of an enrolled student (as his peers say), he has dedicated countless hours toward supporting Black students and Black creativity on campus. In numerous settings, such as the Black Student Union, the Alpha Gamma chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the Multimedia Labs, the Community Dialogue Project and the Minority Peer Counselor Program, he has worked consistently to make sure Black students feel seen, supported and encouraged to create and celebrate. He has also spent much time offering support in spaces off campus, ranging from facilitation support in elementary school classrooms to offering spaces for students from multiple college campuses to connect. 

He moves forward from Brown leaving behind pervasive multimedia documentation of Black life on campus, the newly founded Black Together Artist Group, many memories of what a care-filled affirming space feels like, and hopefully many deep breaths and lasting smiles. He often says “the way you let people know ‘this is what we do here’ is an immeasurably powerful responsibility.” With that, he hopes to continue encouraging more care-filled communication and art sharing in his communities. While progressing his personal multimedia work in photography, videography, sound, artistic curation and creative facilitation, he hopes to attend graduate school and then work in the arts and education.

Ciara Sing

Ciara is a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece and aunt from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is receiving an A.B. in education studies and an A.B. in urban studies. As an individual holding identities that often get examined and theorized most in education research —  a first-generation Black woman produced by inner-city public schools — Sing’s passion revolves around combating education inequity and working to reform education in a way that does not reinforce trauma. 

At Brown, her work has consistently been centered around healing and joy for all students of color. She has committed her time to the Brown Center for Students of Color (BCSC), the Swearer Center, Bonner Community Fellows, ResLife, Brown's Pre-College Program and Brown Recreation. Through the BCSC, Sing has served as co-program coordinator of the Black Heritage Series, a minority peer counselor and a minority peer counselor coordinator. She facilitated workshops around transformative justice, the power of storytelling and ways to help students of color navigate Brown. As a Bonner Community Fellow, Sing worked in Providence nonprofit education organizations, working with children to advance their academic success. Through the Swearer Center, Sing was the student coordinator for the Civil Rights Trip at Tougaloo College and explored ways to enhance Bonner’s connection to the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership. Sing has served on the executive board of the Black Student Union (BSU) as first-year liaison, event coordinator, vice president and president. In her work with BSU, she provided opportunities for cultural enrichment and intellectual growth through educational, social and political programming. She forged connections across Brown’s Black network and built upon its beautiful legacy. 

Sing is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., the oldest Greek-letter organization established by African American college women, and is serving as Brown’s Iota Alpha chapter president. After graduation, Sing will be continuing her educational career at Brown University, obtaining her Master of Arts in Teaching. In life’s next step, Sing hopes to continue promoting equity, healing and love.

2021 Joslin Award

Rhian Alley

Rhian is from Tryon, North Carolina. She received an Sc.B. in Cognitive Neuroscience and was elected to Sigma Xi as an associate member. At Brown, Rhian's involvements have centered around building inclusive and welcoming communities in a variety of spaces. She has spent the most significant amount of time involved in club sports, playing both ultimate frisbee and soccer (captaining 2019 - present), in addition to serving on the Club Sports Executive Council. During her two years on the council, she helped keep the program running during a management transition, got social media up and running to increase visibility, worked to streamline internal processes to make club sports run more smoothly, and began revising policy to increase accessibility and support for club sports teams. Rhian has also served as a teaching assistant in the Biology department (BIOL0200 and BIOL0470), been a Meiklejohn and MAPS mentor, worked as a barista in the Underground, and spent the better part of three years as a leader and mentor with Brown Outdoor Leadership Training (BOLT). She plans to immediately pursue working in outdoor education and wilderness medicine, with hopes of one day attending graduate school in either medicine, social work, or education.

Rainbow Chen

Rainbow Chen is a proud first-generation and low-income student from Winooski, Vermont. She will be earning an A.B. in Education Studies (Policy & History) and an A.B. in History. Having attended a school district whose reputation was labeled as “poor performing” and “unlikely to send students to college” by a racist education system, she has witnessed and experienced education inequality and has since made it her mission to reconstruct America’s education system into one that is equitable, accessible, healing, and just. With her belief that students and young people should be at the center, Rainbow has committed her time at Brown to the Swearer Center, ResLife, the Brown Center for Students of Color, and the Bonner Community Fellows. Throughout these experiences, Rainbow has served in leadership, educational, and mentoring capacities, having served as a member and co-chair of the Swearer Student Advisory Council, an MPC and facilitator of workshops like “Not Asian Enough”, an RPC, and a TWTP workshop co-facilitator. As a Bonner Community Fellow, she has also spent four years working alongside nonprofit Youth in Action on the south side of Providence, learning alongside amazing Providence youth and dedicating herself to the broader Providence community. Outside of school, Rainbow has a soft spot for the Brown University Orchestra as its former President and long-time upright bassist, where she has reorganized the Orchestra Board and executed multiple successful projects to set the orchestra on a greater note. After graduation, Rainbow will be a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship grantee to the Netherlands before attending Boston College for her Masters of Arts in Teaching as a Donovan Urban Education Scholar. She aspires to be a high school ethnic studies teacher, hoping to use her education and teaching experiences in future education policymaking and her dream as the Vermont Secretary of Education.

Quentin Thomas

Quentin lives in Winchester, Virginia, with roots in Montgomery County, Maryland and El Paso, Texas. He received an A.B. in Public Policy with a specialization in Education. During his time at Brown, Quentin's work has been focused on masculinity, supporting students of color, and community building. Quentin strongly believes that strong, supportive communities have a large role to play in affecting positive social change. As a co-coordinator of the Masculinity Peer Education (MPE) program since his first year, he facilitated workshops on topics such as male privilege, empathy, and group culture with a variety of student groups on campus, as well as with local Providence high school students. He also helped in facilitating Masculinity 101, a weekly discussion space for students of all genders to interrogate societal norms and expectations around gender. Quentin served as Vice President of the NAACP, and in his sophomore year he helped put together the Love and Justice event which highlighted the musical talents of Black students on Brown's campus. He also served as a Minority Peer Counselor (MPC) in his sophomore year, helping first-year students of color navigate a predominantly white institution. This past year, Quentin helped to develop and co-facilitated BRANCH FYE as part of the Community Dialogue Project. The cohort-based program is designed to help first-years build community with one another by engaging in discussions around meaningful topics, ranging from conflict to transformative justice. He particularly enjoyed working with first-year students in this way given the challenges COVID-19 has presented for community building among first-year students. In the fall, Quentin will be attending the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis to pursue an MSW. He hopes to continue the work of empowering communities, building connections, and advocating for people of color that he’s been engaged in at Brown throughout his professional career.

Sumera Subzwari

Sumera is an Asian-American Muslim woman who claims Miami, FL & Sydney, Australia as her hometowns. She received a B.A. in Health & Human Biology. As the proud daughter of immigrants from South Korea & Pakistan, her work on campus focused on activism & organizing around disability justice & mental health advocacy especially as they intersect with her other identities. Sumera was a Peer Mental Health Advocate in Project LETS & a founding member of Disability Justice at Brown (DJAB). As DJAB lead coordinator, she led initiatives, advocated for change, & built community for disabled & mentally ill students. She co-established the Disabled Student Study Space in the Rock, facilitated universal design & accessibility workshops, brought disability justice-centered activists to speak/perform on campus, created a timeline of disability history at Brown, petitioned for a Disability Justice Cultural Center, & co-launched the Disability Justice Student Initiative. Sumera was also on the Campus Life Student Advisory Board, Disability Inclusion Working Group, President of the American Medical Students Association, and in the Applied Music Program. She has been awarded an UTRA, Engaged Scholarship Award, nomination to Sigma Xi, & Hope Chatterton Prize. Sumera also engaged with the surrounding Providence & RI community. As a Clinica Esperanza volunteer, she provided free clinical services to undocumented, low-income folks. As an iProv Fellow with Women's Refugee Care, she developed curricula for women's trauma & support programs and built WRC's internal capacity. Sumera also worked with the Childhood Asthma Research Program, conducting research & educational interventions for low-income, Black & Latino asthmatic children and families to improve health outcomes & decrease health disparities. After graduation, Sumera hopes to pursue medicine in ways that promote community empowerment. She wants to ensure any work she does includes aspects of disability justice and increases healthcare accessibility, particularly for individuals with multiple marginalized identities.

María Guerrero Martínez

María Guerrero Martínez, known as Puchun by her friends, is from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. She received an Sc.B (Honors) in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Before coming to Brown, she was the starting goalie in the u20 Puerto Rican Women’s National Team (PRWNT), captained the u17 PRWNT and the youngest member of the professional PRWNT, which made it to the last round of the Olympic Qualifiers. María was then recruited as a goalkeeper for Brown Women’s Soccer (BWS), where she was a member of the Team Impact Leadership Group and helped the team become 2019 Ivy League Champions as well as reach the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in 25 years. Outside of soccer, she was also a volunteer for Project GOAL, a Community Sports Fellow in 2019, co-founder and vice-president of the Puerto Rican Students Association and the undergraduate student representative for Brown’s Healthy Fall 2020 Task Force. In exploring her academic interests, María has also served as an athletic tutor for Organic Chemistry, Calculus and French; a teaching assistant in the Chemistry department (CHEM 350 and CHEM 360); and a Biology Peer Advisor. These experiences led to her writing her honors thesis: Pivoting During a Pandemic-Developing a Research-Based Laboratory Curriculum to Increase Confidence and Sense of Belonging in Underrepresented Groups in STEM. Her senior year, she was an intern for Brown Takes Care, a member of AICU RI Student Leadership Committee and co-chair for Young Adult Task Force of RI. María’s time at Brown has helped her find her passion for working within the intersection of public, mental and physical health, particularly as it pertains to the impact our societal structures have in perpetuating healthcare disparities. When she’s not on the field or doing schoolwork, Puchun spends her time watching sitcoms, going outdoors, singing karaoke or making friendship bracelets. María plans on taking a gap year to gain more clinical experience as she applies to Medical Schools.

Clare Grossman, Sarah Martinez & Isabel Mirfakhraie (group award)
 

Clare Grossman is from Occidental, California. She received her A.B. with honors in Health and Human Biology on the Social Context of Health and Disease track. Throughout her time at Brown, she has worked to center mentorship and community support in the organizations she has been a part of. During 2020, Clare served as one of the managers of the Brown Outdoor Leadership Training (BOLT) program, where she played a pivotal role in maintaining the inclusive community that BOLT fosters through the COVID-19 pandemic. Alongside the other managers, Clare transitioned leader training to a virtual platform and facilitated the first (and hopefully last) virtual BOLT program in the fall of 2020. Her work with BOLT as a manager, leader, and mentor has informed her team-based, community-centered approach to mentorship that she will carry with her beyond Brown. Clare has also been deeply involved with Brown EMS. As an EMT at Brown, Clare provides compassionate, trauma-informed and patient-centered care to her peers. During her time as the director of BEMS, Clare initiated a peer mentorship network and facilitated training in leadership and trauma-informed care. Clare has also been a Meiklejohn Peer Advisor and a Sexual Health Advocacy Group Peer Educator, and has volunteered with Clínica Esperanza and the Rhode Island Free Clinic to serve the under- and uninsured population in Rhode Island. In 2019, Clare received a LINK award to work at Every Mother Counts, a nonprofit working to achieve quality, respectful, and equitable maternity care for all. Her senior honor thesis investigated the educational outcomes of the children of adolescent mothers, and she hopes to continue advocating for maternal and child health and reproductive justice as she pursues a career in medicine.

Sarah R. Martinez is a first-generation college student from Claremont, California. She will be receiving an A.B. in Biology. Her work at Brown has pulled from many disciplines, but has largely focused on peer-peer support and mentorship. Sarah served as a student manager for BOLT (Brown Outdoor Leadership Training Program) during the 2020-2021 school year, and previously served as a summer manager, trip leader, and program mentor. Alongside fellow Joslin recipients Isabel Mirfakhraie and Clare Grossman, Sarah was instrumental in carrying the 30+ year leadership and community-building program forward through a tumultuous year. As a manager, Sarah planned and hosted recruitment events, virtual leader training, weekly newsletters, and facilitated program-adjacent steering committees. She was a key player in reshaping the program to continue amidst a newly remote school year, and spearheaded the development of both revised leader training curricula and written propositions to ensure and improve the program’s longevity following her matriculation from Brown. In addition to her work with BOLT, Sarah served as a supervisor for the Safewalk program, a contributing writer and Graphics Editor for the Brown Daily Herald, a mentor for New Scientist Collective, and as a Teaching Assistant in both Brown’s Environmental Science and Geology departments. Through her work in the classroom and the Swearer Center’s iProv program, Sarah became interested in the intersection between environmental sustainability, justice, and human health. After graduation, she will work with Montana Conservation Corps’s youth program, which provides outdoor access, training, and paid conservation work experience to high school students. This fall, Sarah will begin working in environmental due diligence and consulting in California. At this time Sarah hopes to follow a long-term career path that unites conservation and environmental health and justice.

Isabel Mirfakhraie is from Morgantown, West Virginia and will be receiving an A.B. in Health and Human Biology (Honors) on the Social Context of Health & Disease track. She has been elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi. Her work at Brown has primarily focused on community building and peer mentorship. Isabel has been involved with the Brown Outdoor Leadership Training (BOLT) program since the beginning of her sophomore year as a BOLTer, Leader, Mentor, and Manager. After participating in the program as a BOLTer, Isabel was selected and trained as a BOLT Leader, learning a variety of community building and group facilitation skills, as well as outdoor technical skills. She used and taught these skills while leading a group of sophomores, transfer, and RUE students on a five-day backpacking trip in the White Mountains. After returning from her study abroad program in March 2020, Isabel taught these skills virtually to a new Leader class as a Mentor. Isabel has played an important role in leading the BOLT program through a difficult and uncertain year. Along with the other BOLT Managers, she created and implemented a virtual BOLT program for sophomores, led virtual trainings for a new BOLT leader class during the Spring, and planned for a new BOLT experience in the Fall. Isabel is especially proud of the resilience and dedication of the BOLT community and the work it does to provide community and outdoor experiences to folks from a variety of backgrounds and experiences with the outdoors. During her time at Brown, Isabel has also been an undergraduate Teaching Assistant in the Biology and Chemistry departments, a Biology Peer Advisor, and a WiSE Mentor. Isabel plans to spend the next five months combining her love for the outdoors and science while working at a winery in Napa Valley, after which she hopes to attend pharmacy school.

2020 Joslin Award Recipients

Harini Balakrishnan

Harini is from Katy, Texas, and received an A.B. in Economics (Honors). She has been elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Harini’s work has centered around sustaining institutional memory, starting at the community-building level. She believes there is value in drawing on a community’s collective knowledge, and maintaining its integrity so that future generations can learn from this insight. She worked and grew within roles across multiple years when possible giving her the opportunity to pass along knowledge, both formally (e.g. as a TWTP workshop facilitator) and informally (through relationships). Her mentors were important to her growth at Brown, which made her value serving as a mentor – as a Women’s Peer Counselor (WPC), a Departmental Meiklejohn, or a TA for biology courses. She was in Brown’s delegation to the United Nation’s 2018 Economic and Social Council Youth Forum – focused on working toward sustainable and inclusive communities, inspiring her interest in sustainable solutions to systemic issues.⁣
Harini’s most significant impact was serving as an RPL and as a WPC Coordinator. She learned how to play an active role in shaping the values of her community and the challenges faced while doing so. As a WPCC, she worked with the WPCs to organize campus-wide events exploring how gender and intersectional feminism influence student experiences and the relationships they build, with themselves and others. Harini volunteered as a Spanish interpreter for the Rhode Island Free Clinic which, along with her research for the School of Public Health and for her senior thesis, showed her examples of specific administrative and logistical barriers folks face in navigating the healthcare system; this inspired her career interests in improving accessibility for folks made vulnerable by factors such as their immigration or insurance status or income.⁣
⁣Harini plans to pursue medicine and work in health policy that incorporates community empowerment. She hopes to see systemic, sustainable change to make healthcare more accessible.⁣

Noëll Cousins

Noëll is a Black trans woman from Prince Edward Island, Canada. She received an A.B. in Computer Science - Economics. Her work at Brown has primarily focused on community building and student organizing. Noëll liked to spend a lot of time at the BCSC, and she worked there as a Minority Peer Counselor (MPC), a MPC Coordinator, and a Third World Transition Program (TWTP) Coordinator for TWTP 2019: Homecoming. Further, in her role as a Legacy Series Program Coordinator at the LGBTQ Center, she piloted a study group called QUeers Against Capitalism (QUAC). As an educator, Noëll has worked as a tutor for the Petey Greene Program, a teaching fellow for Generation Teach, and a senior counselor for Camp RYSE. ⁣
She has also spent 3 and a half years tutoring through the BRYTE program, where she found the most wonderful crew of younger siblings. Noëll was also fortunate enough to work with and witness an incredibly compassionate and dedicated team of people while volunteering at Project Weber/RENEW, an organization committed to supporting sex workers. In the company of folks who would become some of her best friends, Noëll helped to organize #BlackWalk50, BrownDivest, and #SaveTheBCSC. Building on the work of organizers before her (particularly those from SAPIC), she assisted in the formation of a new group on campus called Railroad. ⁣
Noëll was also a big fan of GISPs and coordinated two. In the first, Critical University Studies, the group created the forthcoming disorientation guide titled The Burn Brown Book (a play on the mean girls burn book that also implies an abolitionist orientation to the university). In the second, How to Survive the End of the World, the group investigated impending global economic, political, and climate crises and developed skills related to apocalyptic survival. In the future, Noëll hopes to hone her craft as an educator, organize around the possibility of solidarity economics, and use her newly acquired hacking skills to empower abolitionist, socialist, and black feminist movements far and wide.⁣

Loretta I. Eboigbe

Loretta lives in Queens, New York. She received an A.B. (honors) in Psychology and was elected to Sigma Xi. Her work at Brown has focused on peer education, community engagement, research, and wellness. Loretta has been a Social Justice Peer Educator, a Minority Peer Counselor and Coordinator, and a Meiklejohn Peer Advisor and Leader. In these roles, she trained peer mentors, supported students of color, consulted on academic affairs, and implemented campus-wide workshops on social justice. Additionally, she was a POC Meditation Coordinator and Social Wellness Coordinator. In these roles, she facilitated meditation workshops, hosted stress-management practicums, and created community wellness resources.⁣
Loretta has been a Bonner Community Fellow at the Boys and Girls Club, where she led SMART GIRLS, a program for girls ages 11-13 that addresses socioemotional health, coping skills, and healthy relationships. Loretta has explored the intersection of art and health. She received an UTRA to be a TA for Artists and Scientists as Partners, a class advocating an integrated approach to neurological disorders. She was also the Community Outreach Coordinator at Art to Reduce Mental Health Stigma, and has been a member of the OJA! Modern African Dance Team and uses dance for her own healing. ⁣
Her research at the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab led to her honors thesis on parent and child perception of stressful life events, home environment quality, and cognition. She interned at the Childhood Asthma Research Program and the Rhode Island Partial Hospital Psychiatric unit, assisted with research that explored holistic practices used by caregivers of children with cerebral palsy in Ghana as a Minority Health International Research Fellow, and received the 2020 Davis Projects for Peace Award. This summer, Loretta will be interning at SJSU’s Early Childhood Institute and contributing to applied research on child-caregiver relationship and teacher training. She hopes to attend graduate school for child clinical psychology.⁣

Jabril Malik King-Mahdi

Jabril is from San Diego, California, and he received an Sc.B. in Environmental Engineering from Brown. Jabril is passionate about protecting our environment, a spirit that developed from growing up under drought conditions in southern California. Jabril's involvements at Brown reveal his dedication to positively affecting every facet of student life, particularly for Black students because of his understanding of the barriers they face every day at Brown. ⁣
At Brown, Jabril has been a LINK Award recipient for environmental work that has helped a community increase their access to and preservation of water resources, a Co-President of The Brotherhood, a Teach For America Campus Ambassador, an NSC Learning Team Leader, a Black Student Union member and student mentor, an interim Harambee House Advisor, Vice-President of Beta Omega Chi when the fraternity was recognized as "Greek Organization of the Year" as a junior, and (most significantly) President of Beta Omega Chi as a senior. ⁣
In the future, Jabril plans to continue work being done in his home state of California to preserve the health of our natural environment, being particularly mindful of how environmental harms disproportionately impact communities of color.⁣

Junaid Malik


Ethan Mikael Morelión

Mikael is from Big Spring, Texas. He is a proud graduate of Brown University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in Political Science with a focus on American Politics and Engaged Scholarship. Having experienced the effects of harmful legislation that limited educational opportunities and reproductive healthcare access in his rural town in Texas, he has worked to become a changemaker in these fields.⁣
Mikael is an experienced political organizer and researcher with an extensive background collaborating with communities in Texas and Rhode Island to work towards greater education access, protections for reproductive rights, improved conditions for immigrants' rights, and expanding voting rights. At Brown, Mikael was part of the inaugural cohort of the Swearer Center's Bonner Community Fellows program. Through the fellowship, Mikael worked for four years with Planned Parenthood of Southern New England in both their education and public policy programs. In addition to his work in the Providence community, he served as a Coordinator for the Sexual Assault Peer Education program, a Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee Chair for the Swearer Center's Student Advisory Council, a Minority Peer Counselor with the Brown Center for Student of Color, and a member on the University's Title IX Committee. He also founded and served as president of the Brown University Latinx Political Coalition.⁣
At the core of Mikael's work is his passion for making our world more just, inclusive, and social-justice oriented. In line with these goals, after graduation, Mikael will be working as a Research and Program Associate with the Brennan Center for Justice's Democracy Program. He has aspirations to go to law school and become a civil rights lawyer.⁣

Alexis Newell

Alexis earned A.B.s in Public Policy and Africana Studies. She was the Co-President of the Black Pre-Law Association, President of Brown Black Hairitage and the Community Engagement Coordinator for the Sarah Doyle Center for Women & Gender.⁣

Camila Simone Pelsinger

Camila is from San Francisco, CA. She received her A.B. in International Relations (Honors) and has been elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Overall, Camila’s work on campus in sexual violence prevention and awareness, building a culture of consent in student communities, and developing pathways for accountability for people who have experienced harm have shaped her desire to work towards breaking cycles of harm and violence in both her scholarship and activism. As Coordinator for the Sexual Assault Peer Education (SAPE) program for three years, Camila facilitated workshops on sexual violence prevention for hundreds of students in Greek houses and student groups about intersectionality, consent & survivor support. She also developed additional curriculum around accountability and intervention after gendered harm occurs.⁣
As Vice President of the Undergraduate Council of Students, Camila launched and funded the Campus of Consent initiative to train over 190 student groups on consent, intersectionality, survivor support, masculinity & mental health advocacy in partnership with four peer education organizations. Camila launched this initiative to focus on victim-centered restorative justice responses to gendered violence through an interdisciplinary analysis of violence from critical criminological, decolonial, critical race feminist, and neurobiological approaches. Camila will be attending graduate school at Oxford with a Rhodes Scholarship with the hopes of continuing to examine non-carceral means of addressing cycles of state and interpersonal violence.⁣

Ijahala A. Pottinger

The proud daughter of Caribbean immigrants from Grenada and Jamaica, Ijahala was raised in West Palm Beach, Florida. She received an A.B. in Political Science. During her time at Brown, Ijahala focused on advising, mentorship, and community building. She worked as a Residential Peer Counselor, a Minority Peer Counselor, and a summer Residential Assistant. She volunteered with the Swearer Classroom Program (SCP), BRYTE (Brown Refugee Youth Tutoring and Enrichment), and Brown SAT tutoring to decrease the academic achievement gap and support low-income, refugee, and minority high school students in their college application process. She also interned at College Access: Research & Action where she planned and executed a Summer Training Institute to support and strengthen the college-going culture in New York City high schools.⁣
In the inaugural role of Community Dialogue Facilitator, Ijahala deepened her passion for fostering intentional community and bringing others into meaningful conversations through facilitated dialogue, critical reflection, and educational programming. Her work centered around a social and racial justice lens that highlights identity and intersectionality, dominant narratives, and implicit bias. Passionate about the experiences of students of color on campus, Ijahala supported and created community gathering spaces through Black Student Union, the Brown Center for Students of Color, and as the Events Coordinator for The League of United Black Womxn. Ijahala intends to bridge her focus on education and law with her passion for social and racial equality to advocate for marginalized communities.⁣
After Brown, Ijahala will work as a Litigation Paralegal at Cravath, Swaine, and Moore, LLP before attending law school. She plans to practice civil rights and public interest law to dismantle societal inequalities and ensure equitable access to justice for all before the law. Ultimately, Ijahala aspires to become a constitutional lawyer and scholar, and hopes to become a U.S. Supreme Court Justice in the future.⁣

Jasmine E. Ruiz

Jasmine is the daughter of Mexican immigrants – a first generation, low-income student from mixed family status — from Alameda, CA. She is earning an A.B. in Ethnic Studies and an A.B. in Education Studies (History and Policy). Her work has focused on historicizing and documenting the experiences of marginalized communities, particularly those of immigrant and working-class students utilizing her skills in photography and storytelling.⁣
She served as the Communications Coordinator in the Undocumented, First-Generation College, and Low Income Student Center (U-FLi) for three years. In her work at the U-FLi center she spearheaded the Community Narrative Project to affirm shared experience, provide intergenerational advice, and amplify student concerns. She created a digital archive to document the center’s history and growth through the years. As the Digital Archives & Media Coordinator at the Curricular Resource Center (CRC) she worked on storytelling, advising, and connecting students to University resources. Jasmine served as Communications Coordinator with Brown Immigrant Rights Coalition (BIRC) for two years. In this role she advocated for a Migration Studies Initiative (now [email protected]), created & published visual content to promote fundraisers and events, and participated in logistical planning for the “I Stand With Immigrants” annual event.⁣
Jasmine plans to return to the Bay Area in California after graduation to connect with local organizers, particularly those involved in immigrant rights work. She hopes to explore multimedia storytelling as a medium for social change, learning how to incorporate responsible and non-exploitative storytelling into advocacy efforts within the field of communications, and continue learning how to practice healing within community organizing.⁣

Ella Satish

Ella is from Dover, NH but currently lives in Providence. She received her B.A. with honors, in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Ella’s work has been truly interdisciplinary: as a member of the Program in Liberal Medical Education and the Engaged Scholars Program, she has prepared for medical school in her academics and community work. Reciprocal relationships between institutions and the communities in which they exist has been central to her work.⁣
She received a Summer Research Assistantship to do research with a pediatric trauma surgeon at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Ella received a LINK Award to work at Clínica Esperanza/Hope Clinic (CEHC) in Olneyville, a free clinic serving uninsured patients. At CEHC, Ella provided medical interpretation and cervical cancer education and plans to continue this work. As a member of the Swearer Center’s Brown Elementary Afterschool Mentoring program, she taught enrichment classes at William D’abate Elementary School. As a volunteer with Inspiring Minds, Ella was a teaching assistant for English Language Learning students at two schools and teaches robotics and Spanish at the Wheeler School. Ella was a multiracial heritage series co-coordinator with the BCSC as well as an engaged scholar representative for the LACA department. She worked as a Community Assistant with ResLife the past two years as well as a program assistant with [email protected].⁣
She studied abroad in Havana, Cuba, and completed her senior honors in LACA analyzing the Cuban Maternal Health Program as a model for reducing disparities and improving care for Black mothers in the U.S. This thesis was supported by the Linda Pei award from the Pembroke Center for Women’s Research and was awarded the LACA prize for best capstone. Ella was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Colombia to be completed before matriculating to the Warren Alpert Medical School. Her efforts have also earned her the Brown Alumni Magazine Exceptional Students Award and the PLME Diversity, Inclusion, and Multiculturalism Prize.⁣

Kelley R. Tackett​

Kelley is from Columbia, Missouri. She earned three A.B.s – Middle Eastern Studies, Anthropology, and Archaeology & the Ancient World (Honors). Her research focuses on the relationships between archaeological sites and contemporary communities, working to better understand how the past is mobilized, manipulated, and made meaningful in the present. It emphasizes how collaborative practice, multivocal narratives, and the choice to value the well-being of modern communities above ancient material heritage are necessary in imagining a justice-oriented, decolonial disciplinary future. Her honors thesis, funded by a Royce Fellowship, centered on archival restitution and community engagement in Petra Archaeological Park (Jordan). ⁣
She is also a stalwart supporter of [email protected], a group dedicated to increasing accessibility and understanding intersectionality in archaeology, and she spearheaded an exhibition titled “Hidden Figures in Archaeology”. Kelley is also a Community-Based Learning and Research Fellow at the Swearer Center, where she helped to design and implement twelve TA positions dedicated to fostering long-term, mutually beneficial exchanges between Providence organizations and University courses. As co-President of the Haffenreffer Museum Student Group, she organized workshops on multi-sensorial engagement with artifacts and reimagining museums and created a bridge between the student body and the Museum. She taught with Think Like An Archaeologist, served on the advisory board for the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, and served on the student advisory committee for the Watson Institute. ⁣
She was a Meiklejohn and leader of three DUGs, as well as Copy Desk Chief at the Brown Daily Herald, a varsity swimmer, and an avid swing dancer. Following a year in India researching community-engaged archaeology on a Fulbright fellowship, Kelley will pursue both a JD and PhD to eventually work at the intersections of heritage law and archeology. ⁣

Team Award

Melissa Lee

Melissa is from Irvine, California and earned an A.B. Business, Entrepreneurship, Organizations. Melissa values learning from her peers, leading her to be involved in peer mentorship programs. She focused on her co-curricular learning by advocating for student needs, advocating with those who are underserved, and having critical conversations about inclusion and engagement for all members of our community. ⁣
She served on the Undergraduate Council of Students (UCS) as Chief of Staff and Chair of Campus Life. Her work included installing water stations on campus, institutionalizing a free airport shuttle, and working with dining services to include QR codes on menus. She worked to create change within UCS by creating three new roles, including an Equity and Inclusion Chair, overhauling the Constitution and Bylaws, revamping Publicity and Communications, and leading difficult conversations on inclusion and white supremacy. She wrote the Constitution for the Dining Council, designed a UCS retreat, led the management board and supported the creation of an Alumni Mentorship Program and Reception. As Co-Fundraising Chair, and a Direct Service Worker for Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere (HOPE) she got 2 referenda on meal plan swipe donation on the school ballot and advocated for equitable student group funding. She saw the impact of Brown on the greater community and advocated for the development of the new University Committee for Community Engagement. She served as Class Coordinating Board VP and Community Outreach Officer, a Meiklejohn, BEO DUG Chair, and Delta Gamma Director of New Members. She was a Matched Advising Program for Sophomores mentor, Bruin Club Tour Guide, and a Varsity Track and Field Thrower.⁣
This past summer she worked at SharkNinja and led a project for sustainable packaging that paved the way to committing the entire company to 100% sustainable packaging by 2022. Her future aspirations include tackling issues of environmental sustainability and poverty alleviation through sustainable business.⁣

Shivani Nishar

Shivani is from Los Altos, California and will be receiving a Sc.B. in Cognitive Science. As a mentally ill woman of color, Shivani's focus has been to shift campus wellness culture away from self-care towards actively providing community support, informed by disability justice values. She served on the Executive Board of Project Let's Erase the Stigma (LETS) since her sophomore year, working on educational outreach and policy reform to cultivate structures of administrative accountability and support.⁣
From organizing Brown's first ever Disability Justice Town Hall to helping shed light on involuntary hospitalizations, Shivani concentrated on elevating and acting upon student voices that have often been dismissed. In order to enact university-wide reform, Shivani was twice elected Chair of Student Wellness on the Undergraduate Council of Students. In this role, she developed a SEAS reporting system for students whose accommodations were not being met by faculty, created the Leavetaking Peer Program where students on leave receive semesterly care packages, and developed the Student Health and Wellness Advisory Committee. The Leavetaking Peer Program won a BSA Inspire Award after its first iteration, proving the need for more community care initiatives. She is especially proud of partnering with Disability Justice at Brown and the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning to create a series of faculty trainings around universal design in teaching, which will be implemented in the fall. ⁣
Outside of these roles, Shivani continued to support her peers as a Peer Mental Health Advocate, Meiklejohn, Cognitive Science DUG leader, and member of the CAPS Student Advisory Board. She believes her efforts are best reflected in the wonderful community relationships she has built over the years. Next fall, Shivani will be moving to London to obtain a Masters of Science in Clinical Mental Health Sciences at the University College London; she is committed to working at the intersection of disability justice, racial liberation, and prison abolition.⁣

William Zhou

William is from Palo Alto, California. He received an A.B. in Economics and an A.B. in Computer Science. Over the past four years, William has dedicated himself to student advocacy and peer advising. William served on the Undergraduate Council of Students (UCS) as the student activities chair, chief of staff, vice president, and president. As Student Body President, William ran weekly general body meetings, the executive board, and campus life initiatives. William collaborated with UCS members and administration to lead the expansion of the meal-plan to cover spring break, installation of filtered water stations, expansion of airport shuttles, reduction in minimum laundry/printing deposit, creation of dorm donation programs, and institutionalization of an on-campus career fair. ⁣
In the wake of COVID-19, William met frequently with the Campus Life Department to address community concerns, support students through remote transition, and provide wellness resources. He also organized a coalition of 160 student body presidents and co-authored a letter that successfully pushed universities nationwide to accept pass-fail grades without condition. William served on the Brown Community Council, New Alumni Trustee Advisory Committee, Undergraduate Finance Board, and on the University Resources Committee (URC). On the URC, William and the other undergraduate representatives cut summer earnings expectations by 10.7%. ⁣
As a Meiklejohn Leader, William collaborated with the Dean of the College and team of 12 other students to run Brown’s first year peer advising program. William focused on revamping spring orientation so advisors could better engage with students from different backgrounds and help their advisees build communities of support. He personally trained a group of 32 advisors and mentored 6 first-year students. William is excited to join Bain & Company in New York City as a consultant, continuing to solve problems while working with others.⁣

View Slideshow from Awards Ceremony

Nothando Adu-Gyamfi is from Hartswater, South Africa. She will be receiving an Sc.B. in Engineering (Chemical and Biochemical). Nothando’s work at Brown has primarily focused on advocacy and community building with low-income international folks, particularly those of African descent, based in her belief that all students should be truly seen and heard, especially in a place that can seem overwhelming and intimidating. Nothando has been active on the International Student Advisory Board advocating for resources, which led to the hiring of a dean for international students and the creation of a new international student center through Campus Life. Nothando has been a member of the African Students’ Association (AfriSA) and served as president in 2017-2018, during which time they were awarded the Student Activities ‘Event of the Year’ award for their annual culture show. She interned with Brown’s Office of Sustainability, where she led the Departmental Sustainability Program, a project to encourage Brown departments to engage with and adopt sustainable practices within their departments, all as part of a larger, campus-wide goal. She also worked on planning and successfully launching the Campus Yard Swap, an initiative to divert waste from the landfill and increase visibility of the Office by allowing community members to donate or exchange unwanted, usable items. She served as a Coordinator for Safewalk at Brown, a student-run program that aims to foster a sense of community, safety, and comfort on campus. This year, Nothando worked with the Sexual Assault Peer Education (SAPE) program to improve the training curriculum for Safewalkers, to ensure that they are better equipped for bystander engagement and have the tools necessary to navigate campus. She has additionally served on the National Society for Black Engineers, OJA Modern African Dance, and on multiple university-wide search committees and working groups. Nothando plans to work in the United States for a few more years, before returning to South Africa where she hopes to work at the intersection of social enterprise and renewable energy.

Katie M. Hammaker is from Ephrata, Pennsylvania. She will be receiving an A.B. in Education Studies (Human Development). Katie has focused her work and contributions on athletics and collaborating with the greater Providence community to increase athletic opportunities for kids in Providence. She has been a starter on the field hockey team for four years, serving as captain for two years. Katie serves as the Student-Athlete Services Chair on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), working to better the experience of athletes and their impact on the Providence community. She helped start Project P.V.D. (play, venture, dream) at Brown to build playgrounds and help improve the facilities of local elementary schools; she helped organize Brown’s Tug For a Cure event by partnering with the Brown Oncology Research Group to raise proceeds for their research; and she participated in Athletes in Action which helped her develop her faith and equipped her to mentor her peers in their faith journeys. The heart and passion of her work at Brown has been through the Global Sport Community Fellowship with the Swearer Center, winning her the Words Unlimited Community Service Award. Katie has also worked alongside students from other Brown varsity sports to collaborate on ways to identify the challenges to and increase the opportunity for underserved students in Providence to play sports. Throughout the summer, she worked four days per week at a local elementary school teaching their students how to play field hockey as part of their summer enrichment program. This became an after-school club, which Katie and others lead once a week. Katie plans to get her certification in K-6 education so that she can teach (and coach) before going back for a degree in educational leadership and becoming a principal or administrator. 

Cailyn Ella Hansen is from Hermantown, Minnesota. She will be receiving an A.B. in Ethnic Studies and an A.B. in Computer Science. While at Brown Cailyn has focused on transparency, equity, and organizational longevity within the structures of the university. Cailyn has been instrumental in leading the initiative to rebuild the Residential Council, serving as Chair for one and a half years. She re-organized sub-committee structure, launched a website overhaul, assisted in the development of work stipends for members, served as primary author for the Gender Designation Policy in residential buildings, and helped drive the introduction of feedback surveys and town halls to allow students to voice concerns and suggestions. Cailyn has also worked closely with administrators through Greek Council, first as Director of Communications and then as Co-Chair. She pushed for the creation of a Greek community listserv to increase transparency and engagement, aided in the creation of a new mission statement for Greek Life, and assisted in the transition of Greek programing from the Office of Residential Life to the Student Activities Office, writing new bylaws for Greek Council with an updated leadership structure. As President of the Alpha Delta Phi Society, she has led initiatives to increase accountability and strategies for conflict resolution. She has also collaborated in an institutional review of policies to address and correct inequities and biases. Cailyn hopes to eventually continue study in a graduate program in Higher Education Administration with a focus on multicultural student affairs and inclusive operations management. Before then, she plans to work in the non-profit sector, emphasizing social justice, as a researcher or program manager.

Quinton Huang is from Vancouver, BC, Canada. He will be receiving an A.B. in History and an A.B. in East Asian Studies. He was elected into Phi Beta Kappa as a junior. Quinton’s work at Brown has focused on establishing spaces for students to talk about important, and sometimes underrepresented, topics at Brown. He co-founded the Southeast Asian Studies Initiative (SEASI) in 2017, to campaign for more courses, faculty, and opportunities in Southeast Asian/American Studies. Quinton was president of Strait Talk Brown, a student organization devoted to discussion about the Taiwan issue and US-China-Taiwan relations, in 2017, and senior advisor for 2018 and 2019. They host an annual conflict resolution symposium hosting 15 young professionals from China, Taiwan and the US for interactive conflict resolution regarding the Taiwan issue, facilitated by a UN professional conflict mediator and students in conflict resolution programs. Quinton was a DUG leader in East Asian Studies and History and helped organize the first three undergraduate research colloquia on East Asia. As an East Asian Colloquium Student Coordinator, he compiled and maintained a list of East Asian scholars in the region and helped design and maintain a website dedicated to research and teaching on East Asia at Brown. Quinton was a member of Brown Model UN on which he has served as a coach and as president, taught Model UN to high school students through Providence After School Alliance (PASA), and trained the first competitive travel team from Brown. Quinton will be a Princeton-in-Asia teaching fellow (English) at Can Tho University, Vietnam, and then plans to go to graduate school in History and work on public history and historically-informed policymaking.

Victoria Thanh Nguyen Huynh is from San Diego, California. She will be receiving an A.B. (honors) in Ethnic Studies. Her work at Brown has focused on advising, mentorship, and community organizing. Victoria founded the Asian/American Mentorship Program (AAMP) to support first-year students after bringing together her fellow first years with sophomores. Victoria has been a Minority Peer Counselor, an Asian American Student Initiative Coordinator, and the FIRE (Fellowships, Research and Internship Experiences) Coordinator in the Curricular Resource Center, supporting students of color and U-FLi students to navigate institutional resources at Brown. Victoria was also part of the group to bring back Brown Asian Sisters Empowered (BASE), a historically well-known group at Brown for Asian womxn that had been inactive for several years. Victoria credits her growth to Providence Youth Student Movement, a Southeast Asian grassroots organization at which she has interned since her sophomore year. With PrYSM, Victoria has mentored youth organizers and helped organize a recent teach-in on Southeast Asian deportation. PrYSM and other Southeast Asian activists helped her develop her commitments to transformative justice and healing. Victoria has received a Royce Fellowship to work with Khmer Girls in Action (KGA) in Longbeach, CA, did a Seeding Change Fellowship to work in Camden, NJ with Vietlead, and studied abroad and did a GLISP (global independent study project) in Vietnam. She has also been awarded the BCSC Rising Star Award, an UTRA, and a Beineke Fellowship. She is a Mellon Fellow and Cogut Fellow and her honors thesis studies Vietnamese intergenerational trauma, healing, and resilience-based organizing. After graduation, Victoria hopes to write and to work toward intergenerational healing in Vietnamese communities in California. 

Jardelle M. Johnson is an international student from Birmingham, England. She will be receiving a Sc.B. (Honors) in Social Analysis and Research. She has dedicated three years to working with the Office of College Admissions, in particular with A Day on College Hill (ADOCH), for which she served as coordinator in a year of restructuring from a 3-day program to two 2-day programs. She worked with the office to establish three new paid positions to expedite the planning process. Jardelle then took on a position as the Information Session Coordinator which involves the recruitment, selection, and training of information session leaders. She revamped the information sessions to ensure a consistent message throughout the program. In addition to her work with admissions, Jardelle has been active in the Greek community and served as chapter president of Kappa Delta sorority. As the president she established a diversity and inclusion committee to address issues ranging from cultural appropriation to implicit bias during recruitment. She also initiated conversations about a financial aid initiative, coordinating with the Vice President of Finance to take steps toward implementing a program for low-income members. Jardelle has been a TA for Introductory Statistics for Social Research, worked on research on the differences between first-generation and continuing-generation students in their transition to and perception of college, and served as DUG leader for Social Analysis and Research. Furthermore, she served as a senior counselor at RYSE (previously BRYTE) teaching middle school refugee students ESL and volunteered for the US-UK Fulbright Commission mentoring low-income British students applying to U.S. universities. Jardelle will be working as a trainee lawyer at Slaughter and May, a multinational commercial law firm headquartered in London.

Soyoon Kim is an international student from Korea. She spent her childhood in Korea (Seoul and Busan) and the U.S. (Rochester, NY and Wilmette, IL). She will be receiving an A.B. in Sociology and an A.B. in Education Studies (Human Development). Soyoon has aimed to bridge communities, center relationships, and build/connect/learn as a student and as a future educator. She spent two years as a mentor and then as a Community Fellow for Brown Afterschool Mentoring (BEAM), training and coordinating student volunteers and engaging in critical conversations of positionality and power during the Swearer Center’s leadership transition. She also spent two years as a mentor in the International Mentoring Program (IMP) in the ‘15-’16 and ‘17-’18 cohorts helping first-years, transfers, and visiting international students acclimate and build community in a new place. Through her work with VISIONS magazine (Brown/RISD’s Asian/Asian-American literary and visual arts publication), she’s found greater voice in navigating her own identity and forged actionable solidarities with other publications of color on campus including SOMOS and OBSIDIAN. More recently, Soyoon has found great joy in co-coordinating and working with Brown Asian Sisters Empowered (BASE) in bringing speakers to lead talks and workshops, building community among Asian/Asian-American womxn, and challenging herself and others towards an anti-racist, feminist orientation of liberation and justice that centers relationships, love, and healing. Soyoon has also worked as a Leave-taking co-coordinator and peer advisor at the Curricular Resource Center (CRC) for the past three semesters, advising students on the process and helping create a leave-taking process that is accessible, inclusive, and affirming of student needs.

Andy M.T. Phạm claims both Portland, Oregon and Quincy, Massachusetts as his hometowns. He will be receiving an A.B. in Ethnic Studies and an A.B. in Gender & Sexuality Studies (Critical Histories of Medicine). Andy’s work has been around community building, empowering education, space holding, and critical conversations surrounding health and healing. Andy has spent 3 years working on the 2019 Class Coordinating Board, 2 years as Vice President and one as President. He was involved with the Sexual Health Education and Empowerment Council (SHEEC), serving on the board for a year and co-facilitating a workshop on how the medical system can be harmful toward intersex and non-binary folks. He also did work through the Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights and the RI Department of Health creating health education materials specific to the prison system in RI. Andy spent two summers as an RA for [email protected], was a Minority Peer Counselor (MPC), and worked on TWTP as an MPC and then in an inaugural role of Community Care Coordinator, which focused on setting up spaces for and education on self-care. After a semester in Vietnam researching NGO HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts through Brown’s Global Independent Study Project (GLISP), he returned to an internship with Community Catalyst in Boston to focus on health equity related to immigrant health and TLGBQ+ health. He currently serves as a Legacy Series Program Coordinator for the LGBTQ Center bringing in speakers around the theme “Building Our Futures: A Trans and Queer Vision.” Andy plans to travel to Japan to facilitate self-empowerment courses for high school students and then to work in health education before going to graduate school for a joint Master’s in Social work and in Queer Theory, eventually going into mental health counseling.

Kiana Phillips is a Christian, Black American, who was raised by her mother and older sisters in Aurora, Colorado. She is a triple concentrator and will be receiving an A.B. in Africana Studies, Education (Honors), and Political Science. She is passionate about building community with and support networks for members of the Brown community and the greater Providence community who are often overlooked and/or underserved. At Brown, Kiana has helped lead Black Christian Ministries since her first semester and has been the executive leader for two years. There she has helped foster spiritual growth and fellowship in the Black community and with other faith communities on campus. Kiana has led the Black Pre-Law Association for three years, serving as president for the past two, and connecting students to academic and professional resources. She has also connected students to various campus resources as a Residential Peer Leader (RPL) for the past three years. Kiana has specifically served as the RPL of the Donovan House for two of those years, part of the Donovan Program for substance-free student support, a program that Kiana helped coordinate for two and a half years through the Dean’s Office. There she helped found the Donovan House and to create more structural support for sub-free students in a range of Campus Life offices. She also expanded research on this student population through her senior thesis. Kiana has tutored for Brown Refugee Youth Tutoring and Enrichment (BRYTE), taught young children at King’s Cathedral, and tutored incarcerated adults through the Petey Greene program. Kiana plans to teach elementary school in her hometown before attending law school to become a youth justice attorney.

Karishma Swarup is an international student from Kolkata, India. She will be receiving an A.B. in Geology-Biology and has been nominated to Sigma Xi. In her time at Brown, Karishma has focused on being a mentor and advocate for students. Karishma has worked as a Residential Peer Leader (RPL), a regional representative for RPLs, a Meiklejohn peer advisor and an International Mentor. She volunteered with the Swearer Center Community Corps program SHAPE (Sexual Health Advocacy through Peer Education) to facilitate workshops around holistic sexual health education with high school students in Providence. She has been a student leader for SHAPE for the last two years, working with Providence high school administrators to assess the needs of the students, and working with Planned Parenthood of Southern New England to recruit, train and support Brown student volunteers. She was able to increase the number of classrooms reached by SHAPE by 100% and solidified and organized an evidence-based sexual health curriculum for the volunteers to use in the program. She has used her experience with SHAPE to help a school in her hometown, Kolkata, establish its first ever sexual health curriculum. Karishma has also been extensively involved with student theater and performance at Brown, often spending over 25 hours a week rehearsing for plays and acting in student films at Brown and RISD. Karishma hopes to bridge her focus on the earth and environment with her passion for the performing arts in order to advocate for environmental conservation.

Monica Yenglai Yang is from St. Paul, Minnesota and is the child of Hmong refugees. She will be receiving her A.B. in Education Studies. As a first-generation college student, her passion in education equity stems from her parents’ resilience and experience as refugees. At Brown she was an active leader in organizing around access and inclusion for first-generation and low-income college students. As the co-president of the [email protected] student organization, she advocated for the establishment of the Undocumented, First-Generation College and Low-Income Student Center (U-Fli Center). It is the first center of its kind in the Ivy League that specifically supports and affirms the intersectional identities and experiences of U-Fli students while transforming elite, historically white institutions like Brown. She served on the search committees that designed the roles for the Assistant Dean of the College for Financial Advising, and the Program Director for the U-Fli Center. To Monica, her most meaningful impact at Brown lies in the communities she fostered and grew from. She is described as a warm and welcoming person who engages with people deeply. She stresses self-love and community care and makes herself available to check in with peers. These communities are living proof that U-Fli students belong and thrive at Brown. Aside from the institutional changes she pushed for at Brown, Monica volunteered as a tutor for adult English language learners, raised funds to resource a refugee school in Kenya, and developed a full curriculum about social change for high school students in Japan. Upon graduation, Monica is excited to work in education and the public humanities before pursuing a Ph.D.

Lianne Loc-Ian Cho is an international student from Toronto, Canada.  She will be receiving a Sc.B. (Honors) in Neuroscience and has been nominated to Phi Beta Kappa.  In her time at Brown, Lianne has focused on being a mentor and a voice for change. Through her advocacy and work in creating a stronger network for students she has identified shortcomings, identified ways to improve the work, and then worked on the ground to help it all come to fruition.  Lianne has served as a mentor and then coordinator of the International Mentoring Program.  After a difficult year with many pitfalls, she identified the problems and advocated for increased support for International Students.  She served on the search committee for the inaugural Program Director of International Student Experience and then continued her work in working with the Program Director to ensure she was oriented and supported in its year of implementation. Lianne has also served on the Campus Life Advisory Board and as a Meiklejohn Peer Advisor.  She has been active in the music community since she came to Brown and has participated as part of the Wind Symphony, Orchestra, a Chamber Music ensemble, and in  two pit orchestras.  Lianne will be pursuing her MD/PhD at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, after which she plans to advocate for structural change based on her observations and experiences at various levels of the healthcare system.

 

Maryori Marie Conde is from South Central Los Angeles, California.  She will be be receiving an A.B. in Ethnic Studies.  The themes of her work and contributions at Brown have focused on the Latinx and low-income communities.  Mayori is from a low-income family and is the child of Salvadoran immigrants.  These two aspects of her identity are what have motivated her work.  Maryori has been involved in a variety of ways since her arrival on campus.  She co-founded Latinx House as well as the Central American United Student Association.  She also founded the Latinx Conference which was recognized for its collaboration.  But at the heart of Maryori’s work is her passion to “fight for what she believes in and use her voice and privilege to uplift others” as stated in one of her nominations.  She has been described as “a warm and compassionate woman who embodies hard work and perseverance.”  Her impact has extended beyond campus with her work as a teacher and tutor at Breakthrough Providence as well as through her constant efforts to include the Providence community in the work she engages in on campus.  She has also played for the Brown Women’s Rugby Team while here at Brown. She gives “credit to her mom’s sacrifices and the work of past activists at Brown whose labor continuously gets erased.”  Maryori will be staying at Brown to complete a 5th year MAT program with the aspiration of being a high school U.S. History teacher that serves predominantly low-income, first-gen students of color.

 

Gabriel Reyes is from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He will be receiving his Sc.B. (Honors) in Cognitive Neuroscience. Gabriel has been passionate to improve the experience for marginalized students. Gabriel has been an active member of the New Scientist Collective (NSC), an organization aimed at supporting minorities in science at Brown. He is currently a co-coordinator for the program and during his time involved with NSC he has worked to elevate its presence and implement mechanisms for sustainability. He developed a Mentor-Mentee pairing tool which he was able to implement by  receiving feedback and reaching consensus with the group. Additionally, in his time participating in NSC he has spearheaded several activities such as the NSC Faculty Lunch Dates, NSC Scholars Gala, and the NSC Learning Teams. All these activities were meant to encourage other students to learn how to build relationships with peers and faculty. Gabriel has also served on the Executive Board for QuestBridge where he aimed to foster community for low-income students by leading several events such as a dinner with QuestBridge CEO. He is a leader in the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, has received a Careers in the Common Good grant, served as a head coach and site director for Let’s Get Ready, and worked as a TA for three courses at Brown. After graduation, Gabriel will be working in education and research before pursuing advanced graduate studies in neuroscience and education.

 

Jeanelle Wheeler is from Auburn, Massachusetts.  She is a double concentrator and will  be receiving an A.B. in French & Francophone Studies and an A.B. in Literary Arts and has been nominated to Phi Beta Kappa. Jeanelle has combined her love of languages, the arts, and teaching to work for social justice in both the Brown and Providence community.  Jeanelle served as the Social Justice Coordinator of the Brown-RISD Catholic Community (BRCC),  hosting weekly social justice dinners with activist speakers and facilitating weekly discussions. This led to the creation of Interfaith Justice Dinners and formation of  Multi Faith Organizing for College Hill Activism (MOCHA).  As co-president of the Brown Animal Rights Coalition (BARC), and campus fellow for Mercy for Animals, has led a weekly Difficult Dialogues series and Meatless Monday campaign to promote animal rights and environmentalism.  She is deeply involved  in the music community and has participated in the Wind Symphony, Brown Band, chamber groups, and the Catholic Community choir in addition to Harmonizing Grace Gospel Choir, Javanese Gamelan,  World Music Ensemble and in pit orchestras.   Jeanelle has also been in involved with the Providence community through Dorcas International Institute, Women’s Refugee Care, and in volunteering  at Hope High and Blackstone Academy.  Jeanelle plans to work at Brown as a Summer Leadership Institute Assistant this summer and then will be teaching high school English in France for which she was granted a Fulbright Scholarship.  She will then return to Brown and complete a 5th Year MAT program.

 

Chelse-Amoy Steele is from Atlanta, Georgia. She is a double concentrator and will be receiving an A.B. in Africana Studies and an A.B. in Computer Science. As president of the Undergraduate Council of Students (UCS), Chelse-Amoy has designed and presented a new form for Bias Related Reporting, drove institutionalization of free menstrual products, and collaborated with administration to address issues specific to low-income students as well as around consent and sexual violence prevention. She organized feedback sessions for four new administration hires, managed four internal committees, and hosted weekly General Body meetings to hear feedback on project implementation. In Computer Science, Chelse-Amoy was a leader in making the department a welcoming space for those who are underrepresented in the program. She founded and co-coordinated Mosaic+, an  organization not just representing those who are underrepresented in CS, but also providing support, mentorship, and fellowship. She was able to establish the group as a UCS and CS Department recognized group, obtained space within the CS department for the group and grew the mentorship program by over 50 people. In addition, she has served as the co-coordinator of The Artemis Project, a summer program for underrepresented genders in Computer Science, as the Diversity Advocate for the Computer Science Department, and as a Teaching Assistant for Computer Science and the Mande West African Dance Program.

 

Alex Vidmar is from Aurora, Colorado.  He is a double concentrator and will be receiving an A.B. in Western Esoteric Studies (Independent Concentration) and an A.B. in Renaissance & Early Modern Studies.  Alex has focused for the past four years on committing himself to the service of the Brown community with a mind to advising and counseling. Upon arriving at Brown he started working at the IT Service Center providing technical assistance to the Brown community from applicants to alumni and everyone in between.  He was promoted to manager and led reforms to the office systems increasing the accessibility and efficiency of IT services.  Always looking for opportunities to serve, Alex joined the Student Conduct Board and went on to be the founding member of their Student Ambassador Program. Through this program, he has promoted outreach about Brown's code and guided students through the conduct process and served as a leader in creating the mission and focus of the program. He served on the Independent Concentrations sub committee of the College Curriculum Council and  has also worked with students to advise them as they crafted their own curricula.  In Providence he has  has run tabulations for the Rhode Island Urban Debate League (RIUDL) and created a sustainable tabulating system.  He also coaches high-school students in debate and has won awards for being the top Coach Assistant at tournaments.  This summer Alex will be teaching English in Japan with an emphasis on public speaking and thinking through their life’s mission.  Upon his return he will work as a Campus Organizer in Hartford, CT to help facilitate public interest campaigns headed by college students.

 

Adrija K. Darsha is from Fremont, California. She is receiving an Sc.B. in Biology (Immunobiology).  Her love of science has led to her desire to increase the accessibility and inclusiveness of science in its many forms. Her leadership style is highly collaborative and “inspires enthusiasm from her team while focusing on uplifting members from various backgrounds.” As the lead coordinator for the Women in Science and Engineering Program (WiSE) she changed the way mentees were matched with mentors to better account for how different the college experience is for each student.   She increased programs through WiSE including programs for high school students to increase interest in the STEM fields.  She advocated for greater diversity and inclusion in science and engineering student groups and is working on improving recruitment processes and implementing diversity and inclusion trainings for student leaders.  As Editor-in-Chief of Triple Helix, a campus publication that features articles on scientific advancements and their implications for society, she changed the acceptance policy for writers so that people are accepted regardless of their writing level. This is to accommodate the different backgrounds that students come from and foster a more diverse cohort of writers and creative thinkers.  This successfully increased the staff, diversified the ideas, and allowed for mentorship of other students within the field.  Adrija has also served as a Meiklejohn,  Residential Peer Leader, and as a Teaching Assistant while at Brown.  After taking a gap year, she hopes to enroll in medical school.  As a physician, she wants to treat people while exploring ways to make healthcare more accessible and give people more agency and control over their own health.

 

Sholei M. Croom is from Morristown, New Jersey.  They are receiving an Sc.B. (Honors) in Cognitive Science.  Sholei cares deeply about equity in the Brown and larger community.  They took a leading role in the revival, reconstruction, and development of the Queer Alliance (QA).  They overhauled the mission statement of QA ensuring it reflected the values of the group. Their work in the revival of the group as well as their taking leadership as the coordinator of the organization led to a strong and vibrant organization.  QA is now thriving and includes many subgroups, events, and supports.  Under their leadership QA has also won best event for their Pride Prom last year.  Sholei is committed to social justice and is cognizant of taking steps to make the community inclusive.  They advocated for making QA more welcoming for queer students of color, encouraging them to apply to the executive board.  They also served as coordinator of The Next Thing (TNT), a group for queer, trans, and questioning students of color.   Sholei has also served as a Women’s Peer Counselor,  Women Peer Counselor Coordinator, Social Justice Peer Educator with the Brown Center for Students of Color,, TWTP workshop facilitator, and LGBTQ center rep for the Student Advisory Board. They have also worked to create an inclusive environment in the Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological sciences by helping draft their Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan and serving as a Departmental Undergraduate Group Leader.  They are involved in research at the 3D Information for Perception and Action Lab as a sophomore received an international UTRA to do visual science research at the Italian Institute of Technology.   Sholei plans to continue her research and eventually enter a Ph.D. program in Cognitive Science.

 

Aidea Downie is from Long Island, New York.  She is a double concentrator and will be receiving an A.B. in History and an A.B. in Anthropology.  Aidea is a first generation, African American student who has created spaces of mentorship and learning on campus and within the community.  One of her most notable accomplishments has been bringing the Petey Greene Program to Brown in September of 2015.  She served as the Chapter Founder and remains as one of the head coordinators.  The Petey Greene Program works to recruit and train around 40-50 undergraduate and graduate students to tutor and TA in educational classes in RI and MA prisons.  She has built a sustainable program, through recruiting volunteers and raising funds of $10,000 a year, to actively work on prison reform such as prison education and restorative justice.  Her work extends to educating the community by having the program host events and panels on different aspects of the criminal justice system.  Aidea has also served as a black heritage series programmer organizing  events that explored African and African Diaspora culture and brought speakers, such as Angela Davis, that intellectually engaged with issues within the Black community.  She participated in the Donald J. Wiedner Summer for Undergraduates at the College of Law,  interned for the NYC Division of Human Rights, and RI Senate Policy office as a part of the Arthur Liman Public Interest Fellowship, received an UTRA to serve as the Research Assistant under Historian Nancy Jacobs, spending a summer in Kenya to interview and research a former Kenyan diplomat, Washington Okumu who was influential in South Africa's transition from apartheid to democracy. She also studied the criminal justice system and police brutality through a research assistantship with Anthropologist Kay Warren.  Aidea will remain at Brown to earn her MA in Urban Education Policy while working as the Regional Manager of the RI Petey Greene Program.  She eventually plans to attend law school.

 

Liliana Sampedro is from Eugene, Oregon.  She is a double concentrator and will be receiving an A.B. in Ethnic Studies and an A.B. in Sociology.  Liliana is a “strong and compassionate leader who is committed to realizing the leadership potential in others.”  Her work has centered around labor and immigration rights.  She has advocated for the rights of workers as part of the Student Labor Alliance, successfully organizing a campaign with library workers for a higher wage, and has worked  with the fair food movement by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.  She revived and organized the Brown Immigrant Rights Coalition and is part of the FLi Center Undocumented Student Initiative Advisory Board. In addition to her work with the FLi Center and with labor rights, she has been instrumental in the work around supporting Latinx students on campus.  She has served as the Latinx Student Initiative Coordinator at the Brown Center for Students of Color (BCSC).  During that time she was part of the team organizing the first 1vyG conference for first generation students across the Ivy League.  She created programs to continue to unite and support the Latinx student community as well as facilitating workshops during the Third World Transition Program (TWTP).  For her work with the BCSC she was awarded their Rising Star Award.   She has received an UTRA for her research and is a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow.  She has used these platforms to encourage others to explore their possibilities as students.  She has served on the Diversity and Inclusion Oversight Board, as a Fellowships, Internships, and as the Research Experiences Coordinator at the Curricular Resources Center.  Liliana will return home for a year to work as a bilingual aid in classrooms. She hopes to further develop her social justice politics before pursuing a PhD in Ethnic Studies with the hope of becoming a professor.

 

TEAM

 

Adeiyewunmi "Ade" Osinubi is from Somerset, New Jersey.  She will be receiving an A.B. in Public Health.  Among her family and peers, Ade is known as a compassionate, God-fearing, and hardworking person who proudly represents her Nigerian roots.  A significant theme in her engagement at Brown has been social justice and supporting students of color, particularly Black Students. As a Minority Peer Counselor, Women's Peer Counselor, and Co-President of the Black Student Union (BSU), Ade has worked to make students of color feel comfortable, encouraged, and included while being at a predominantly white institution.  Her most significant contributions have been in her work with the Black Student Union Executive Board for which she has served as Co-President, Vice-President, Historian, and First Year Liaison.  In her role as Co-President with Keyanna Thompson Atticot ‘18she helped organize Brown University’s first ever Black History Month Concert, headlined by Jamila Woods ‘11 and was free of charge to the student community.  She was also able to help raise$14,000 to support 50 Black students’ attendance to the annual Black Solidarity Conference at Yale University. During her tenure, the BSU also held a pageant to spotlight Black students on campus, and started affinity group mixers which have created smaller spaces for people of marginalized identities within the Black community, such as Black LGBTQIA students and Black low income students.  They have also focused on community service through events such as gift wrapping with the Salvation Army, projects with DARE, and food drives.  As a member of the Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) Class of 2020, Ade will be pursuing a medical degree at the Warren Alpert Medical School here at Brown University, after which she hopes to focus on minority women’s health and health disparities.

Keyanna Thompson-Atticot is from Queens, New York.  She will be receiving an A.B. in Economics.  Keyanna is a first generation college student who has been invested in using her various leadership platforms to foster and deepen conversations on diversity and inclusion and amplify the voices of marginalized and intersectional identities.  As Co-President of the Brown Student Union (BSU) with Adeiyewunmi “Ade” Osinubi ‘18, she helped organize Brown University’s first ever Black History Month Concert, headlined by Jamila Woods ‘11 and was free of charge to the student community.  She was also able to help raise$14,000 to support 50 Black students’ attendance to the annual Black Solidarity Conference at Yale University.  During her tenure, the BSU also held a pageant to spotlight Black students on campus, and started affinity group mixers which have created smaller spaces for people of marginalized identities within the Black community, such as Black LGBTQIA students and Black low income students.  They have also focused on community service through events such as gift wrapping with the Salvation Army, projects with DARE, and food drives.  In addition to the BSU Keyanna has held leadership positions in a variety of organizations and offices on campus  including the Students of Caribbean Ancestry Club, the Black Pre-Law Association, the Minority Peer Counselor, Women Peer Counselor, and Residential Peer Leader programs.  She has also been a Regional Representative for Keeney Quad in the Office of Residential Life.  Outside of Brown she has been a volunteer at the YMCA, conducted research on informality and human rights violations while abroad, and served as a communication fellow for Social Change Agents Institute.  Keyanna will be moving home to New York to pursue her interests in the entertainment industry before applying to law school with the goal of becoming an entertainment lawyer.

As Co-Presidents of the Brown Student Union (BSU), Adeiyewunmi "Ade" Osinubi and Keyanna Thompson-Atticot helped organize Brown University’s first ever Black History Month Concert, headlined by Jamila Woods ‘11 and was free of charge to the student community.  They were also able to help raise $14,000 to support 50 Black students’ attendance to the annual Black Solidarity Conference at Yale University.  During their tenure, the BSU also held a pageant to spotlight Black students on campus, and started affinity group mixers which have created smaller spaces for people of marginalized identities within the Black community, such as Black LGBTQIA students and Black low income students.  They have also focused on community service through events such as gift wrapping with the Salvation Army, projects with DARE, and food drives. 

 




2017 Alfred H. Joslin Award Recipients: (from left to right) Alex Karim, Tionne Nicole Pete, Madeline Jinsook DiGiovanni, Jordan A. Ferguson, Myacah H. Sampson, Victor Bramble, Renata Mauriz, Ben Miller-Gootnick, Viet Nguyen, and Lehidy Laura Frias

Victor Bramble is from Newburgh, New York. He will be receiving an A.B. in Modern Culture & Media and Ethnic Studies. Victor’s work at Brown to increase academic access and resources has been led by his belief that true inclusivity requires active outreach to and support for those from historically underrepresented and marginalized groups. Through the Brown Center for Students of Color, Victor worked as a Minority Peer Counselor and a workshop facilitator for the Third World Transition Program. Victor has also worked through the Department of Modern Culture and Media on their Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan Committee and served as Departmental Undergraduate Group Leader. In his senior year, Victor has continued to push for the needs of students from historically underrepresented groups in his role as the Fellowships, Internships, and Research experiences (FIRe) Coordinator at the Curricular Resource Center. Victor has also been an active researcher, focusing on the role of digital media technologies in the construction and negotiation of identity in America. He received multiple awards, grants, and fellowships while at Brown, including Cogut Center for the Humanities Undergraduate Fellowship, the Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers Associate Fellowship, and the Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program Fellowship. In the Fall, Victor will continue his research while pursuing a Ph.D. in American Studies at the University of Maryland, with the ultimate goal of serving as a teacher, researcher, and mentor at a college or university.

Madeline Jinsook DiGiovanni is from Mountain Lakes, New Jersey and will be receiving her Sc.B. in Psychology. The most significant theme of her involvements has been working to make sure that students feel and are more supported by the university and that they are aware of what resources are available. She served as President of Active Minds, as a Residential Peer Leader for two years, and a Meikeljohn Peer Advisor for three years. She was also active in campus arts communities, including What’s On Tap and the Brown University Chorus. Off-campus, she volunteered at the Rhode Island Free Clinic and Butler Hospital. She has also served as a research assistant in Brown's Social Cognitive Science Research Center and as a teaching assistant. Her efforts have also earned her the Active Minds’ Received Exceptional Student Leader Award (Spring 2017), Residential Life’s Excellence in Collaboration Award (Spring 2016), and the Kling Premium in Psychology for Excellence in Service as a Teaching Assistant (Spring 2017). Upon graduation, she will be teaching 9th grade special education in Massachusetts as a member of Teach for America's 2017 corps. She hopes to attend medical school in the future to potentially pursue psychiatry. 

Jordan A. Ferguson is from Los Angeles, CA, and he will be receiving his A.B. in Urban Studies. While at Brown, Jordan was active both on the field and off. As an athlete, he was on both the football and track teams. On campus, he serves for four years, including as chair, of the Undergraduate Finance Board, distributing funds to student organizations. As a Sexual Assault Peer Educator, Jordan trained Greek and Program houses on issues related to sexual assault and domestic violence. Jordan also worked closely with Marc Peters in Health Services to create and implement a Masculinity Peer Education Program, focusing first on the football team and with plans in place to expand that work. Jordan was part of the founding class of Beta Omega Chi Fraternity, serving as Vice-President for two years. Through his leadership of the Black Student Union, Jordan was instrumental to the creation of three initiatives – BSU Unite, BSU Engage, and BSU Seeks – that, together, fostered a more cohesive community. After graduation, Jordan will be moving to the New York City area to work for Goldman Sachs as Real Estate Strategy Analyst.

Lehidy Laura Frias is from the south side of Providence, Rhode Island and will be receiving her A.B. in Anthropology and Public Health. Lehidy’s involvement in the Brown community ranged from social justice advocacy to women and youth empowerment to cultural appreciation. She was the president of Dominican [email protected] where she implemented the group’s first Carnaval annual celebration. She was active in the Brown Center for Students of Color, serving as the Latinx Heritage Series Programmer for three years and volunteering for the Third World Transition Program. She was also co-chair for the fall 2015 Latnix Ivy League. Through Alpha Chi Omega, Lehidy faught against domestic violence and worked to instill and normalize conversations of race, love and self-care with her fellow sorority sisters. Her community engagement work extends beyond Brown, including volunteering at a literacy center for Hatian communities in the Dominican Republic, translating for Spanish-speaking patients at Clinica Esperanza, working as an intern at the Childhood Lead Action Project, and teaching with the Brown Refugee Youth Tutoring and Enrichment program. She has also gone to elementary schools to speak to students about college and has taught math to kindergarten to third graders. She received an UTRA to research health and racial disparities in the elderly population in Peru. Upon graduation, Lehidy will be taking a year off to apply to graduate school where she hopes to pursue a PhD.

Alex Karim is from Streamwood, Illinois and will be receiving an A.B. in Computer Science and Ethnic Studies. Throughout her time at Brown, Alex has been invested in supporting and mentoring underclassmen. She has been involved in the Brown Center for Students of Color since her sophomore year, first as an MPC and then as a multimedia specialist, as well as a workshop facilitator at TWTP. Currently she is working with three other students to restructure TWTP. Within the CS Department, Alex has served as a TA for CS15 twice, and a Head TA for CS32 because she loved working with students. She continued this work as Director of Workshop for [email protected] and led workshops on coding and web development. She has been working on diversity and inclusion in the CS department since her sophomore year. She created and lead a diversity training for CS TAs that has since become a primary component of TA training. Her unofficial advocacy for students of color lead to the creation of the Student Advocate positions in the department, which she and nine other students of color in the department now hold. After graduation, Alex will be moving to San Francisco to work as a software engineer at Lyft.

Renata Mauriz is a community college transfer first-generation immigrant student and will be receiving her A.B. in Ethnic Studies and Public Policy. She was born in Brazil but also calls New Jersey and New York home. As an undocumented student at Brown, she has revived the Brown Immigrant Rights Coalition (BIRC) with the goal of building a community of students and faculty who are committed to working towards pushing for policies and initiatives that positively impact immigrant students and the Rhode Island immigrant population. Through a collaboration with a group of her peers, Renata was instrumental to successful efforts to propose and advocate for University changes to undocumented admission policies and support structures. Renata also served as the coordinator for the Brown University Latinx Council (BULC). Prior to being a student at Brown, Renata also led efforts with the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society to create a scholarship for undocumented students at her community college. She is very proud for collectively helping lead the New Jersey Tuition Equity for DREAMers Campaign, which successfully resulted in passing the NJ DREAM Act, a law granting undocumented students in NJ access to in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. She is member of Wind of the Spirit, a small grassroots immigrant rights organization, and credits them showing her how to build community power. After she graduates in December, she hopes to gain more policy experience before applying to law schools. 

Ben Miller-Gootnick is from Washington, DC, and will be receiving an A.B. in Public Policy in December. Ben's work at Brown centers around working with University administrators to translate student activism into concrete policy change. Ben served as student representative on the University Resources Committee, where he collaborated with senior University leaders to write the University's $1.01 billion annual budget. Ben also advised the Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration on a project to re-contract Brown Dining Services, and worked as a research assistant with the Assistant Provost. He served on the Swearer Center's Student Advisory Committee and as a research assistant with both the Costs of War project and the Rhode Island Innovative Policy Lab. Ben is also an Engaged Scholar through the public policy program and conducted research in Macedonia as a Royce Fellow. Off-campus, Ben worked for the Rhode Island State Board of Elections and directed election administration at a polling place in Providence during Rhode Island's 2014 primary and general elections. He has interned with Hillary for America, the Rhode Island Senate Policy Office, and with the White House Office of Legislative Affairs under President Obama. Ben also spent fall 2016 in Washington, D.C. working as the Assistant to the Director of Congressional Affairs at Hillary for America. Upon graduation, Ben hopes to pursue a career in public service, using law, policy, and government to make the world a better place.

Viet Nguyen is from Mountain View, California. He will be receiving his A.B. in Education Studies with a focus in Human Development. Throughout his time at Brown, Viet has worked tirelessly to make Brown more accessible and to significantly increase its commitment to inclusion and supporting its students. Viet’s efforts were instrumental to the successful organization of the first-ever first-generation college inter-Ivy conference. Following that conference, Viet collaborated with Emily Doglio to author a proposal to establish a new student center at Brown to support First-Generation College students, successfully advocated for the establishment of the Center and the broadening of its name and purview to include low-income students, and established and co-led the [email protected] student organization. Viet was also instrumental in enhancing support for low-income students at Brown, including service on a working group that led to significant increases in financial support, advocating that the University re-evaluate student work study, collaborating in efforts to eliminate application fees for low-income students, and creating a low-income student event fund. During his time at Brown, he served as President of the Undergraduate Council of Students, as an Academic Coach, and as a TA in Computer Science. As President of the Brown University Lecture Board, he was instrumental to the planning of lectures for Viola Davis, Jane Goodall, Gina Rodriguez, George Takei, and Laverne Cox. After Brown, Viet will be in South Korea for a year teaching English on a Fulbright, working at Bain's non-profit consulting arm, the Bridgespan Group for 2 years, and then attending Stanford Graduate School of Business for his MBA.

Tionne Nicole Pete is from Dacula, Georgia and will be receiving an Sc.B. in Biology in the Physiology and Biotechnology Track. Tionne's involvement in the Brown Community and beyond reflects her love for biology and her passion for getting involved and giving back. Her love for biology led to her involvement in a yearlong independent study course where she studied extracellular matrix mechanisms of preterm premature rupture of fetal membranes and to volunteering at the Davis Lab at Emory University and Georgia Tech University. As a means of giving back to community, volunteered at Rhode Island Hospital and with the Brown University Relaxation Project. Tionne was also a Brown Elementary Afterschool Mentoring Volunteer, the Co-President of the Figure Skating Club, and a Brown University Cheerleader. While being engaged, Tionne also worked at Brown University Dining Services (BuDS), ultimately serving as Student General Manager. At BuDS, she continually strove towards increased community camaraderie, improved organizational policies and procedures, and the development of student managerial mentoring. Her efforts resulted in selection as the recipient of the Veronica Acosta Award and to the establishment of an award in honor. The Tionne Pete Career Achievement Award will be given annually to a hard-working and dedicated BuDS student who has made a significant difference to the BuDS Community. After graduation, Tionne is excited to return to Georgia where she was selected to teach science for two years in an underserved community through Teach for America before pursuing a degree in medicine.

Myacah H. Sampson is from Farmington, New Mexico. She will be receiving an A.B in Ethnic Studies and Public Policy. She is the recipient of the Karen T. Romer Undergraduate Research and Teaching Award, the Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers Associate Fellowship, and the Hazen White Internship Award. At Brown, Myacah has been involved in the Brown Center for Students of Color as a Minority Peer Counselor and TWTP workshop facilitator. As Co-Coordinator of Native Americans at Brown, she worked with other Indigenous students to organize the University's inaugural Indigenous Peoples' Day celebration. She has also served as Coordinator of the Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence. As a Peer Career Advisor at CareerLAB, she helped to build a network of first-generation college student alumni/ae by co-spearheading the second First-Gen CareerCon. With the help of a Hazen White Internship Award, she realized their passion for constituent-centered policy work as an intern for Martin Heinrich (D-NM). Myacah plans to continue to work on policy reform to improve the lives of the most economically vulnerable in the United States. This summer, she will be conducting policy research in Washington, D.C. as an intern at the Institute for Policy Studies in the organization's Criminalization of Race and Poverty Project. In the fall, she will join New America as a Millennial Public Policy Fellow. 




Photo courtesy of Nicholas Dentamaro

Olajumoke “Jummy” Mary Akinsulire was born in Brooklyn but grew up in Queens, New York. She will be receiving an A.B. in Biology. Among her friends, family and peers, Jummy is known as a hardworking, God-fearing, and passionate individual. As an advocate for social justice, she has used her time here at Brown to foster and deepen conversations on diversity and inclusion in the various spaces that she has been involved in such as the Black Student Union (BSU) and Brown Outdoor Leadership Training (BOLT) Program. Throughout her time in each of these organizations, Jummy has taken on progressive leadership positions. Under Jummy’s leadership, BSU has not only grown in numbers but also tackled difficult and sensitive issues relating to power, privilege and oppression within the Black community. These critical conversations helped the community rally together in solidarity with MIZZOU and Yale through the fall 2015 BlackOut at Brown protest. As a BOLT manager, Jummy played an integral part in facilitating skill building exercises to develop a critically conscious outdoor leadership team. Jummy’s other involvements include being a manager of the Brown Annual Fund Calling Center, a co-chair of the Senior Gift Committee, and a member of Shades of Brown. Jummy’s skills as a bridge builder have helped her forge partnerships between students, faculty and senior administrators to advance various initiatives at Brown, including the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan. Jummy will remain ever true to Brown as she continues her studies in the Warren Alpert Medical School in August 2016.

Justice Gaines is from Somerset, New Jersey and will be receiving an A.B. in Sociology. Xe has focused on creating an inclusive campus that actively combats oppressive structures. Justice’s work is rooted in compassion and a drive to be unapologetic in xyr identities and has focused on improving support for marginalized students. In the Brown Center for Students of Color, xe has served as a MPC Friend, TWTP facilitator, and helped develop the Social Justice Peer Education Program. Xe has been a vocal advocate of improving policies and support regarding sexual assault, organizing with student campaigns Imagine Rape Zero and #MoneyTalksAtBrown, reviewing the University’s operations under BWell Health Promotion, and serving on the Sexual Assault Task Force that overhauled Brown’s Title IX policies. Xe has also challenged norms around gender, sexuality, and masculinity, organizing two Asexual Awareness Weeks during xyr time, facilitating a workshop on Sexism and Cissexism, helping to coordinate the Men’s Story Project and the Masculinity 101 student group, and wearing xyr favorite shade of lipstick whenever possible. Xe has promoted student voice through the Student Power Initiative and the Undergraduate Council of Students and while serving on the University Resources Committee and the Public Safety Oversight Committee. Justice has developed xyr critical voice through writing and spoken word, competing with the Brown/RISD Poetry Slam Team for three years, and writing for campus magazines OBSIDIAN and bluestockings. Upon graduation, Justice will be staying in Providence and continuing to hold xemself accountable to xyr name.

Andrew B. Gonzales is from Richmond, California, and will be receiving an A.B. in Political Science. Andrew’s engagements at Brown reflect his commitment to enhancing the vibrancy of the University and his deep affinity for working with Black students because of the unique obstacles and challenges they experience at Brown. Andrew was the co-founder of the revitalized Black Pre Law Association, establishing an alumni-student mentoring program, creating a space for conversation on the intersections of blackness and the law, and providing free LSAT test prep materials. Andrew was also the co-founder and president of Beta Omega Chi Fraternity, Inc., a centralized black male fraternity at Brown. In starting this organization he strived to create a band of brothers who would support one another in all endeavors and fuel each member to achieve greater heights in higher education, social development and transformative community. With a quickly growing membership of 21 brothers, Beta Omega Chi was granted status as Program House and will have dedicated space on Wriston Quad. Other campus involvements included serving as co-president of Harambee House, community service chair for the Brotherhood, student tutor in Making Moves, a member of the Black Student Union and a Questbridge Scholar Peer Mentor. Andrew was a Truman Scholars Finalist, a CareerLAB student ambassador, and a Brown University LINK Award recipient, which allowed him to intern at the White House. Upon graduation, Andrew will be moving back to Richmond to serve as a high school English teacher before applying to law school.

Sazzy Gourley is from Charlotte, North Carolina and will be receiving an A.B. in American Studies. While at Brown, Sazzy served on the executive board of the Undergraduate Council of Students for four years as appointments chair, student services chair, vice-president, and then as president. As president, he led advocacy efforts in the areas of mental health, support for low-income students, and the development of Brown’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, among other issues. Sazzy collaborated with the Office of Financial Aid to establish the Financial Aid Advisory Board and partnered with international student groups and the University to establish the International Life Advisory Board. Sazzy also served on several University-wide committees, including the Mental Health Community Council, Brown University Community Council, and the Search Committee for the Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services. Outside of university governance, Sazzy is a four-year varsity letter winner on the Men’s Swimming and Diving Team, where he qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships. Sazzy is also involved in Greek life and served as co-leader of the American Studies Department Undergraduate Group and a Teaching Assistant for “Investing in Social Change.” Sazzy was awarded the Vascellaro Social Impact Fellowship to research non-profit regulations in Moscow. As a Royce Fellow, he conducted an impact analysis on Red Bull’s Cliff Diving World Series. Sazzy was also selected to represent Brown at the 2013 Ivy-China Research, Mentorship, and Exchange Conference in Beijing. After graduation, Sazzy will pursue a Fulbright Scholarship in South Korea.

Maggie Jordan is from Niskayuna, New York and will be receiving an A.B. with Honors in Health & Human Biology. Throughout her time at Brown, Maggie has shown great dedication and self-sacrifice as a peer mentor, advocate, and four-year varsity athlete on the Women’s Swimming & Diving team. Maggie has been a tireless advocate for the wellbeing of students both on her team and in various campus roles. She served for two years as a Woman Peer Counselor, during which time she developed a passion for justice for survivors of sexual assault, and went on to make significant contributions at a time of campus activism and institutional change. As a WPC, she developed a workshop on rape culture that is now being used as a model by the University. Her involvements in the movement to decrease the prevalence of sexual assault on campus include Stand Up!, Sexual Assault Peer Education, and Imagine Rape Zero. She was also appointed to serve on the Mental Health Community Council, serving as a critical student voice and going beyond committee service to partnering with UCS to research and design a new Website for Counseling and Psychological Services. Other involvements include volunteering for the Community Health Advocacy Program and being a contributing writer for bluestockings magazine. Maggie also had significant impact on an interpersonal level, supporting her residents and teammates, and spreading kindness across diverse communities. Upon graduation, Maggie will continue to serve the greater Providence community as a corps member of City Year Rhode Island.

Olugbenga A. Joseph hails from the Creative Capital (Providence, Rhode Island) and will be receiving an A.B. in Education Studies with a focus in History and Policy. At Brown, Olugbenga served as President of Cornerstone Magazine, Brown/RISD’s Christian literary arts journal, and a Large Group Leader in Brown Christian Fellowship. Through the Swearer Center for Public Service, he has served as a College Access Scholar, Winter Breaks Project leader, and an inaugural member of the Center’s Student Advisory Committee. As both a Peer Career Advisor at CareerLAB and Life After Brown co-coordinator for the First-Generation College Student Initiative, he co-spearheaded the inaugural First-Gen CareerCon, a professional development day for over 70 First-Gen-identifying students and alumni. Through a pivotal internship as a Providence Mayoral Fellow, he worked alongside stakeholders to set education policy citywide. Meanwhile, he has served as an Education DUG leader, Ivy Council Delegate, volunteer for the Third World Transition Program, and vocalist in Shades of Brown, the Brown Jabberwocks, and Harmonizing Grace. The recipient of a Newman Civic Fellowship and the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life’s Levi Adams Citation, Olugbenga will serve as a Presidential Intern through Brown’s Office of the President this summer. In this capacity, he hopes to commence a career in higher education administration, through which he can combine his passions for social justice, engaged scholarship, and lifelong learning.

Floripa Reyes Olguin is from the Pueblo of Isleta and Navajo Nation. She will be receiving an A.B. in Ethnic studies and Public Policy. She was raised in the Pueblo of Isleta all of her life before coming to Brown University. Floripa grew up with her parents, Ronald and Karen Olguin, and four sisters, alongside three nieces and a nephew. Her love for her family and community at home is at the center of her work. Her values of love, justice, integrity, and community are evident throughout her work. Floripa is a no-nonsense person who seeks out injustice and is unwavering as an advocate for those she sees are being treated unfairly. Her impact on Brown began in her first-year during which she worked with the Brown Center for Students of Color, Native Americans at Brown, and the Ivy Native Council. Her contributions led to her receiving the BCSC’s Rising Star Award. She has continued being an advocate and critical voice throughout her Brown experience for students of color, low-income students, queer students, and first-generation college students. She has served as a Minority Peer Counselor and MPC co-coordinator. As a senior, alongside other Native students at Brown, she was critical to successfully advocating to change Fall Weekend to Indigenous Peoples’ Day and bringing attention to Brown’s nascent Native American and Indigenous Studies program. She also served as co-coordinator for the Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Relationship Abuse. After Brown, Floripa plans on continuing her education after spending two years in her community or doing policy-related work in Washington, D.C.

Sana Teramoto is most recently from Westchester, New York, but originally from Tokyo, Japan. Sana will be receiving a Sc.B. with honors for their independent concentration in Educational Neuroscience. Their work at Brown focused on developing inclusive communities where everyone could unapologetically be themselves. Sana took initiative in spaces on campus committed to social justice, working as a Minority Peer Counselor, MPC co-cordinator, and a Third World Transition Program co-coordinator at the Brown Center for Students of Color, as well as the program coordinator for the Masculinity Series at the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center. Sana has played a critical role in efforts to make Brown a trans-inclusive campus. Sana advocated for changes in university policies to be more inclusive of all gender identities and expressions as a leader of GenderAction. Sana also led educational initiatives to raise consciousness around trans identities, including coordinating the annual Trans Week and facilitating the first-ever Cissexism workshop for TWTP. Their other involvements include their roles as affinity chair of the Queer Alliance, Community Assistant, and MAPS mentor and service on the Search Committee for the Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services. Sana is passionate about investigating the impacts of injustices on people’s holistic development and how to realize an environment in education where everyone’s development is fully supported. Sana hopes to go into the field of education, contining to work with various communities, to strive toward social justice, and to support young people’s development in the future.

Jamelle Watson-Daniels is from a small town outside of St. Louis, Missouri and will be receiving a Sc.B. in Physics and an A.B. in Africana Studies. Jamelle was selected as one of two senior orators for Brown’s 248th Commencement. She was a starting flanker on the Women’s Rugby Team when they won the Ivy Championship in the team’s first year as a varsity sport. Over the years, she spearheaded efforts seeking increased support for underrepresented students at Brown, while simultaneously building a portfolio of research experiences on topics ranging from particle detectors to plasmonic materials. In Physics, Jamelle conducted research throughout all four of her years at Brown in settings that included the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland and Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and landing multiple fellowships along the way. In her third year at Brown, she founded an initiative called Inertia: Investment in Scientists of Color and partnered with the Undergraduate Council of Students to push for increased support of black students in STEM fields. She served on a variety of committees addressing structural racism in the scientific community and co-organized a group independent study project examining race and gender in the scientific community. She also was one of the founders of the Brown-Sophia Academy collaborative mentoring program and served on Brown’s Diversity Advisory Board. After graduation, Jamelle will work at Boeing while she defers her start in Harvard’s Applied Physics doctoral program.

K. Marlea Jessica Lee Brown, Manuel Issac Contreras, and Stanley Stewart (TEAM AWARD) have had, both individually and collectively, a profound impact on Brown and the experience of both current and future students. While all three vary in their many commitments, they are united in their passion and dedication to improving the first-generation college student experience at Brown and nationwide. After participating in a group independent study project on the first-generation college student experience with Professor Greg Elliott, they received a Social Innovation Initiative Fellowship to develop and ultimately co-found 1vyG: the inter-Ivy, first-generation college student network. They then mobilized fellow students at Brown, across the Ivy League, and scholars and researchers to organize and host the first 1vyG conference at Brown University. They were then instrumental in utilizing the organization, visibility, and political capital of 1vyG to advocate for institutional change at Brown, ultimately resulting in the creation of the First-Generation College and Low-Income Student Center scheduled to open in September 2016.

K. Marlea Jessica Brown is from Canton, Ohio and will be receiving her A.B. in Business, Entrepreneurship, and Organizations—Organizational Studies. Jessica is understanding, diplomatic, and thoughtful yet does not shy from voicing her truth. She cares deeply about the well-being of others, and her passion for creating an inclusive campus for those who are marginalized is evident throughout her campus engagements, including her active involvement in campus activism throughout her Brown experience. In the BCSC, she served as a Minority Peer Counselor, an MPC Friend, and TWTP co-coordinator. Through the Center’s strategic planning process, she played a critical role in identifying the need for the Social Justice Peer Educator program and was then instrumental in its creation, serving as inaugural coordinator. She also served on the Public Safety Oversight Committee and was a member of Divine Rhythm.

Manuel Isaac Contreras is from San Diego, California and will be graduating with an A.B. in Cognitive Science. Throughout his time at Brown, Manuel has continuously imagined a better Brown and worked to imagine and implement ideas for change. He has been a Minority Peer Counselor and TWTP co-coordinator, a Meiklejohn, an editor for the Brown Daily Herald, and a member of the Brown University Community Council. As a coordinator in the Curricular Resource Center, he worked to improve Departmental Undergraduate Groups, the Theories in Action symposium, and created Concentration Declaration Day. As a Minority Recruitment Intern with Admission, he pioneered the Brown Bearings program. After graduation, Manuel will be working for Senator Patty Murray from Washington as Legislative Aide on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

Stanley Stewart is from Atlanta, Georgia and will be receiving an A.B. in History. His campus engagements have centered on social change. In his sophomore year, he served as a Minority Peer Counselor, assisting first-year students through their transition to Brown and coordinating social justice programming for the Brown community. He has also served as an Access Scholar with the Brown College Advising Corps, assisting students at Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School through the college application process. Additional involvements include serving on the University Resources Committee, Brown Political Review, Brown Motion Pictures, the SEEED Conference, Swearer Center Winter-Break Projects, and serving as a tour guide with Admission. After graduation, Stanley plans to pursue graduate study in education before continuing to work towards creating transformative change with and for marginalized communities.




2015 Joslin Recipients

Michelle Bailhe is from Los Angeles, California and will be receiving a B.A. in Human Biology.  Michelle was selected as one of two senior orators for  Brown’s 247th Commencement. Michelle’s involvements in Brown and beyond were both diverse and deep. She was a leader in Brown’s dance community, serving as Director of Body & Sole and of Impulse Dance Company. Through her four years in Impulse, she has performed in over 20 pieces and 30 shows, and has produced, choreographed, and directed. She was also actively engaged in peer advising, serving as a MAPS Advisor and Health Careers Peer Advisor. While at Brown, Michelle was a Health Disparities Researcher at Memorial Hospital and the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institute for over two years. In that time she recruited other students to the research team, advised them, collaborated with them, and designed studies that they will carry on after she graduates.  Michelle was also the Founder of Brown for Marriage Equality and was an organizer of the February 2014 march to the State House. As Head Teaching Assistant for Introduction to Public Health for three years, she managed a team of ten TAs, taught over 600 students, and founded the course’s discussions sections with Prof. Melissa Clark. She was a Liman Fellow, working for New York Lawyers for Public Interest, and a Brown Chapter Global Liaison for The School Fund. Upon graduation, Michelle will be working at McKinsey & Company and hopes to then attend law school to pursue a career in public service.

Sarah Day Dayon is from Carol Stream, Illinois and will be receiving an A.B in Ethnic Studies and Biology, with an honors thesis in Ethnic Studies. In her own words, “Trusting the intentions of others is easy to say, but difficult to put in practice.” Throughout her time at Brown she has dedicated herself to this critical practice and to finding ways to use her love of art and commitment to social justice to enhance the lives of those around her. These commitments led her to be an active and engaged peer leader, including serving as a Community Assistant, Minority Peer Counselor, and MPC Coordinator. She has been instrumental in the development and creation of opportunities for the campus to engage in issues of social justice, founding and coordinating the E(RACE)D but Not Forgotten Conference on racialization of Asians in the United States and serving on the Converge for Change Planning Committee. She also worked at the intersection of social justice and the arts, serving as president of Archipelag-a, coordinating a spoken word showcase featuring alumna Sarah Kay, and helping to organize the Asian Arts Fest. Other involvements include leading the Ethnic Studies DUG; coordinating the Women of Color Collective; participating in Empowering Pilipino Youth through Collaboration, Brown Asian Sisters Empowered, the Brown/RISD Catholic Community, Model UN; working in the Student Activities Office; and serving as an undergraduate research assistant in the Swartz Lab. Sarah will be continuing her education at Brown through the 5thyear Masters of Art in Teaching program in history and social studies.

William Furuyama is from Los Angeles, California and will be receiving a Sc.B. in Chemistry. While being a staunch advocate for an inclusive campus and a vocal opponent of structural injustices, his work is always highly professional, skillfully diplomatic, and both deeply passionate and compassionate. He has been a pillar within centers and spaces at Brown committed to social justice, serving as Coordinator for the Coalition Against Relationship Abuse and Sexual Assault, Minority Peer Counselor, MPC Coordinator, MPC Friend, TWTP Coordinator, and Women’s History Month Programmer.  The issue of sexual assault has been a significant topic during his time at Brown, and he has been a critical voice and leader, serving as a peer educator with Sexual Assault Peer Education (SAPE), organizing the annual Masha Dexter Lecture featuring Colby Bruno from the Victim Rights Law Center, serving on the committee to identity Brown’s first Title IX Program Officer, and co-organizing interviews with students who had experienced sexual assault and compiling these voices to inform the work of the Sexual Assault Task Force. Other involvements include being a discussion facilitator with GuyTalk, workshop coordinator with Gay-Straight Alliance Student Support, a MAPS mentor, member of the Student Code of Conduct Review, campus tour guide, and tutor with Algebra in Motion. He has also been a leader within his concentration, serving as a teaching assistant for Chem0100 and Chem0330 and a research assistant in the Cane Biochemistry Lab. Upon Graduation, William will be moving back to Los Angeles and applying for medical school.

Mashfiq Hasan grew up in New York City, New York, moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh, and now lives in Providence, RI, and will be receiving a Sc.B. in Neuroscience with Honors.  At Brown and in his communities, Mashfiq is best characterized by his traits of modesty, serenity, and moral soundness that are demonstrated through his deep and genuine care for the well-being of others and his willingness and capacity to lend a helping hand. One theme of his work and time at Brown is of peer leadership, teaching, and advising others. He has served as a teaching assistant, discussion leader and mentor with [email protected], a peer mentor with the Leadership Alliance, an Arabic, Quran, and Islamic Studies teacher with the Islamic Center of Rhode Island, and a Student Help Desk Consultant. He has been an active member of the Brown Muslim Students Association at a time of transition in the Associate Chaplain position. His engagement during that time was reflective of his style and way of having an impact, sharing in the work of sustaining community, and, in often small but very meaningful ways, being there on a personal level for his peers. Additional involvements include founding Free Health Screening and Education at the Islamic Center of Rhode Island, serving as Vice President of the Community Health Advocacy Program, delivering sermons and/or talking about Islam in various community and campus settings, and lending his graphic design expertise to various groups and initiatives. After graduation, Mashfiq plans to apply to medical school and to continue his volunteer and community engagement efforts.

Rachel Himes is from Washington, DC and will be completing the Brown|RISD Dual Degree Program with an A.B. in Religious Studies and B.F.A. in Illustration. She is a person of enormous integrity and generosity – compassionate and never judgmental. She is understated, quick to give credit, and continuously working to develop and advocate for the talents and opportunities of others. Her deep commitment to community is matched only by her capacities to be both lively and full of fun. While at Brown, Rachel directed the Religious Literacy Project. Now in its fourth year, the Project and its materials were transformed and reworked and a new corps of students at several stages of their Brown education have been recruited and trained under Rachel’s leadership, ensuring its sustainability. Her engagement with religious life at Brown also extended to serving on the Multi-Faith Council and the search committee for a new Associate Protestant Chaplain and to her role as student director of the Episcopal Ministry at Brown and RISD. Additional involvements include serving as the Education Outreach Assistant for the Haffenreffer Museum, Arts Editor of The Brown Jug, Freshman Resident Assistant at RISD, and a mentor both with Brown Arts Mentoring and the Brown|RISD Dual Degree program. One of multiple themes in her engagements has been the creation of significant and useful bridges between the two campuses from which she will earn her degrees. Upon graduation, Rachel will be working in museum education in New York.

Samuel Miller Kase is from New York, New York and will be receiving an A.B. in Medical Humanities, an Independent Concentration. Sam has made it his goal to provide his fellow students with memories that will last a lifetime, dedicating himself to helping his fellow students feel connected to Brown. Throughout his four years, Sam has been actively involved in the Class Boards, ultimately serving as Senior Class President, and played an instrumental role in many of the most memorable events from Senior Week, to Gala, to the Homecoming Formal. As part of Brown’s 250+ celebrations, he was a key force behind “A Night on College Hill” which drew more than 4,000 students and organized the Cupcakes 4 Cans event. He has also fostered connections to and memories of Brown through his work as a member of the Brown Alumni Association, as Photo Editor of the Brown Daily Herald, and as a campus tour guide. As Senior Class President, he has not only set a high bar for future boards, he has actively mentored younger boards and is frequently described by his peers as a role model. This mentorship is exhibited not only through his campus engagements but also academically, through serving as Meiklejohn Peer Advisor for three years and being a teaching assistant for high school students through [email protected], and personally to his friends and peers. Even with his commitments, he can always be seen attending a friend’s performance, show, game, or concert. Upon graduation, he is excited to return to New York to attend the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Abishek Kulshreshtha is from Grapevine, Texas and will be receiving an Sc.B. in Mathematical Physics. His ability to think globally and broadly is complemented by his equal strength in attention to detail. As a member of the leadership team of the Meiklejohn Peer Advising Program, his insight resulted in the implementation of a peer advising e-post and he led a pilot program for academic peer liaisons in the Department of Athletics. As a member of both the Student Conduct Board and the committee to review the Code of Student Conduct, Abishek never settled until he felt students’ best interests were taken into account. His abilities to be insightful, thoughtful, and to speak up, were critical in hearing some of the toughest conduct cases and, in the review of the code, created process changes and contributed to recommendations made to the Sexual Assault Task Force. Within the Physics Department, he led the Departmental Undergraduate Group, excelling at outreach to first-year students, grooming future leaders, and helping the department focus on increasing the diversity of its concentrators. Additional roles included serving as Secretary General of Model UN, Treasurer of the Brown Lecture Board, and volunteering with the Providence Public Schools. Upon graduation Abishek will be studying in Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. He hopes to then return to the United States to pursue a Ph.D. in Physics and a career combining his passions for physics, education, and policy.

Ariel Sydney Peak is from Santa Ana, Costa Rica and Providence, RI and will be receiving a B.A. in Africana Studies and Gender & Sexuality Studies. She is an agent of change and also has an unwavering commitment to cultivating the agency of others to make change. While at Brown, Sydney has supported and advocated for communities at the margins, especially those affected by violence and living with trauma. As an artist mentor at New Urban Arts, a free after-school studio for youth in Providence, and the co-founder of the Gravediggers Poetry Collective at Brown, she has used spoken word poetry and visual art as tools to push forward critical dialogue and give voice to her communities' often-erased narratives. As a member of the Women’s Rugby Team, her strong play and advocacy helped the team secure not only championship wins but also elevation to varsity status. Additional involvements include serving as Head Coach of the Brown/RISD Poetry Slam Team and ProvSlam Youth Poetry Team, Minority Peer Counselor, TWTP Workshop Facilitator, Legal Intern for Sanctuary for Families, and Community Organizer for La Asociación Lésbica, Bisexual, y Trans Mujer & Mujer in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Upon graduation Ariel plans to move to Seattle, Washington with her partner, Thuy-Mai, and intends to continue with feminist anti-violence and racial justice work through legal advocacy, case management, and community organizing. Above all, Sydney hopes to continue making art, building queer family, and demanding social change in radical, loving ways.

Maahika Kodangudi Srinivasan is from New Delhi, India, and will be receiving an A.B. in Science and Society. While at Brown, Maahika was deeply involved in the Undergraduate Council of Students, serving as Academic and Administrative Affairs Chair and then as President. At a time of change and controversy at Brown, Maahika managed to forge meaningful relationships with the administration and earn the respect and trust of students, through being passionate and respectful, forceful and reasonable, and creating conduits for student voice, including WTFBrown. As just one example, as the campus struggled with the issue of sexual assault, she played varied and important roles from helping protests to be organized and impactful, to ensuring careful and thoughtful committee appointments, to mobilizing UCS as a critical conduit and intermediary between students and the administration. Additional involvements include Ivy Film Festival, UCAAP Residential Council, serving as coordinator of Health Leads, interning with the Brown Alumni Magazine, and being a Meiklejohn Peer Advisor for three years and an iProv Fellow. While managing to be engaged across campus, she practices, each day, her understanding that making Brown better starts with how we treat each other, and she never fails to be there for a friend. In blogdailyherald’s senior superlatives survey, Maahika came in first for “most likely to President of the United States” and for “best mom.” Upon graduation Maahika will be in New York City working at DoSomething, a global organization that creates and runs campaigns for college-aged students to enact social change.

William Watterson is from Pound Ridge, New York and will be receiving an A.B. in History. During his time at Brown, Billy has shown tremendous involvement, dedication, and accomplishment as an athlete, a student, a member of the Brown community, and a resident of Providence. A four year member of Wrestling Team, including a year as captain, he never missed a practice and brought the highest work ethic to every one. His hard work produced results, including being an NCAA Division I national qualifier, three-time All-Ivy honoree, and two-time NWCA Academic All-American. Volunteering in Providence schools since his first-year, he observed the absence of after-school sports. This eventually led him to take a year leave from Brown to found Beat the Streets Providence, a non-profit dedicated to starting scholastic wrestling teams in public schools. His innovative model quickly gained support from the schools — with programs now at five Providence schools —  improving attendance, health, and academic outcomes for more than 250 students and creating mentoring, internship, and volunteer opportunities for Brown students. Billy is also a passionate writer, serving as a contributing writer with Post Magazine, Brown Daily Herald, Brown Culinary Palette, and Brown Bears Magazine. He also received a Social Innovation Initiative Fellowship and served as Community Service Chair of the Student Athletic Advisory Council, forming a new partnership with Books Are Wings. William has accepted Brown’s Embark Fellowship to continue his work with Beat the Streets full-time after graduation.

Erin Malaika Kelley and Taylor Ashley Lanzet (Team Award) will both be receiving an A.B. in Environmental Studies and have served as teaching and research assistants for the past three years for Professor Dawn King, including serving as co-teaching assistants. They both joined the Brown Market Shares Program in 2012 and have been instrumental in its growth and development. After the initial request was rejected, Taylor single-handedly convinced the USDA to list Brown Market Shares as the first university-based “food hub” in the country. As Purchasing Coordinator, Erin was able to create strong friendships built on honesty and respect with farmers and producers in Rhode Island that, in some cases, helped them save their businesses. As CV Starr fellows, they co-authored the Brown Market Shares Book, a resource for potential partners as well as other colleges and universities interested in replicating the program. Additionally, they completed enough marketing and outreach to subsidize all low-income share-holders – a feat most national food hubs have yet to accomplish.

Erin Malaika Kelley is from San Antonio, Texas. At Brown, she immersed herself in environmental justice and law through her coursework, internships, and campus and community engagements. Her campus involvements have included serving as a leader with the Brown Outdoor Leadership Training (BOLT) Program, a Meiklejohn Peer Advisor, Presidential Host, and a member of the Brown Outing Club. In the community, she worked extensively with the Rhode Island Center for Justice on housing issues in Providence and in the state, including her senior capstone on utility termination in partnership with the George Wiley Center. She also led collaborative projects with the African Alliance of Rhode Island and also with New Urban Farmers. Upon graduation Erin will be living in Providence for the summer, while working in Cambridge, MA. Eventually she hopes to work in the field of social justice-oriented legal advocacy.

Taylor Ashley Lanzet is from West Orange, New Jersey. Her campus involvements include significant University service as a Meiklejohn Peer Advisor and as an undergraduate appointed to two terms on the College Curriculum Council, including being placed on its Executive Committee. She has also written for Bluestockings Magazine and been involved in the Sustainable Food Initiative and EmPOWER. As a TA for engaged scholar courses, she helped coordinate numerous community projects from community garden work days with refugee organizations to building composting systems. Through Brown’s TRI-Lab and the RI Food Policy Council, she worked to develop a briefing document for the Rhode Island food system for then Governor-elect Raimondo. Through a practicum with the RI Department of Environmental Management, she helped re-write the Local Agricultural and Seafood Act. After graduation, she will be moving to New York to work for a food-related start-up, the next step in her life-long commitment to disrupting the bind between economic status and the ability to eat good food.




2014 Joslin Award Recipients

You may also download a copy of the 2014 program for the Jin-Joslin-Joukowsky Awards Ceremony.

Amelia Carmen Friedman is from Arlington, Virginia and will be receiving an A.B. in Portuguese and Brazilian Studies. While at Brown, Amelia has volunteered as an English teacher with Olneyville ESOL, as an advocate helping families at the Hasbro Children’s Hospital, and coordinated Winter Breaks Projects. She received a C.V. Starr Fellowship, mentored for the Social Innovation Fellowship, was a Teaching Assistant for Leading Social Ventures, and a member of $ocial Classmates. As a three year member of the Peer Community Standards Board, Amelia advanced the ideals of community even when they were being challenged. Her most lasting impact on Brown is the creation of the Brown Student Learning Exchange (BSLE), bringing instruction in 16 new languages and introducing more than 200 of her peers to cultures outside their own. Amelia has presented on BSLE at the Consortium for Language Teaching and Learning national conference. Throughout she has maintained high academic standards, being named to Phi Beta Kappa in her junior year. Amelia will be working full-time for the Student Language Exchange upon graduation.

Saudi Garcia is from Moca, Dominican Republic and Flushing, New York and will be receiving an A.B. in Anthropology. Saudi immigrated to the United States in 2003, attending public schools in New York City. At Brown, Saudi has volunteered with the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless and collaborated on legislative and advocacy projects to safeguard affordable housing funding. She has been a Minority Peer Counselor, a Residential Counselor and a Community Counselor. Saudi helped found Dominican Students at Brown and helped plan the 6th National Dominican Student Conference. She has worked collaboratively with peers and the administration on issues of domestic violence and sexual assault and participated in advocacy efforts leading to the Brown's decision to elevate the Women's Rugby Football Club to full varsity status. Saudi was a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellow and a fellow at the Cogut Center for the Humanities. Upon graduation, Saudi will continue her commitment to service through City Year in the South Bronx. In the future, she hopes to attend graduate school and to dedicate her energies to helping students from nontraditional backgrounds succeed in college.

Rafael Harpo Marchand Jaeger is from Northampton, Massachusetts and will graduate in December with an A.B in Education Studies. In his time at Brown, Harpo co-founded J Street U Brown, part of a national student movement for a two-state solution to the conflict in Israel-Palestine. He co-founded the Sexual Assault Policy Task Force, is engaged in various initiatives through Brown RISD Hillel, and works to expand cooperative environmental living through the Environmental Program House. Harpo can also be found about campus performing with Shakespeare on the Green, leading a hearty round of sea shanties as Musical Director for ARRR!!!, or signing medieval liturgical chants or with Sacred Harp. He worked as a Field Manager for Elizabeth Warren for Senate and restarted a years-dormant East Coast Jewish student retreat, which continues today and has spread to Canada. He spent last summer interning in Washington, DC with Jews United for Justice on a successful campaign to provide paid sick days for all District workers and raise the local minimum wage. Upon graduation he plans to work full-time as a progressive organizer.

Jesse McGleughlin is from Cambridge, Massachusetts and will be receiving an A.B. with honors in Africana Studies. Jesse has a keen ability to intuit deeper issues and to work for system change to address these. As a tutor, Head Coordinator, and Summer Camp Director for the Brown Refugee Tutoring and Enrichment Program, she came to see the impact of mental health issues on refugee families and convened community leaders to work to mobilize resources. On campus, she was the Student Director of the Rose Writing Fellows Program and a Pembroke Scholar. She also directed the Cambridge Youth Enrichment Camp through Harvard, was an Arthur Liman Public Service Fellow working on the Safety Net Project in New York City, and received the Steinhaus-Zisson Research Grant for her thesis titled "Performing Citizenship: Fannie Lou Hamer and the 1964 Freedom Vote." After graduation, Jesse will participate in the Humanity in Action Fellowship in Berlin, Germany to study human rights and discrimination. In January, she will begin nine months in South Africa as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. 

Christine C. Moon is from Toronto, Canada and received her A.B with honors in Anthropology this past December. At Brown, peer leadership and advising are critical to student success, and Christine sought opportunities to support the success of her fellow students, serving as a Residential Peer Leader, Health Careers Peer Advisor, Meiklejohn, and Women in Science and Engineering mentor. She was a Leader Fellow and Residential Advisor for the Brown Leadership Institute for high school students, through which her co-workers voted her “Best Community Builder.” She was a tutor and co-Community Fellow with the Partnership for Adult Learning and Coordinator for the University Community Academic Advising Program. Her leadership was also visible through the Asian Arts Fest, Model UN, Premedical Students’ Association, and VISIONS. Christine received a Royce Fellowship to conduct research for her thesis on end-of-life-care for South Korean elders.  When asked for a statement about her future plans, Christine offered this quote from author Neil Gaiman: “You're alive. That means you have infinite potential. You can do anything, make anything. If you change the world, the world will change." 

Oyeleye Odewunmi is from Queens, New York and will be receiving an A.B. in Economics in December after completing his final semester with study at the Queen Mary University of London. While at Brown, Oyeleye has been actively involved in mentoring both fellow Brown students as well as local Providence high school students, including serving as a Residential Peer Leader, Coordinator for the Making Moves Mentoring Program, and volunteering with the youth development program at the John Hope Settlement House and with the Kappa League. He has also provided critical leadership to sustain Brown’s long history of Black Greek Letter Organizations as President of Brown’s chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council and as President and Treasurer of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He was also elected by his peers to serve on the Undergraduate Finance Board and has worked as a student caller for the Brown Annual Fund. This summer, Oyeleye will be in the Business Advisory Program at Ernst & Young where he will be working full-time upon graduation.

Sarah R. Presant is from Poway, California and will be receiving an A.B. in Environmental Studies. Sarah was instrumental in rejuvenating the Foxpoint-Brown Chapter of Project Eye to Eye. Initially founded at Brown, Sarah’s efforts resulted in the return of the organization’s national gathering to Brown. Through Eye to Eye, Sarah also created a space for students with learning disabilities to build a sense of community with one another. Sarah also played a critical role in being a visible student face for the Student and Employee Accessibility Services office. She was also a four year member of the Women’s Polo Team, serving as its academic liaison and volunteer coordinator. She served as Co-President of the Brown Jewish Athletes Group, Class of 2012 Lime Connect Fellow, participated in the Women’s Launch Pad mentoring program, and worked as a member of the Brown Alumni Relations Reunion staff. After graduation, Sarah will travel to Europe (with Andrew Silverman) to work towards her goal of visiting every continent before she is 30. She will then return to California to work for Google.

Andrew E. Silverman is from New York City, New York and will be receiving a Sc.B. in Neuroscience. Within a month of arriving at Brown, Andrew was elected the President of his class, a position he continued to be elected to for his Brown career. He has also represented Brown through his work as a Tour Guide for the Bruin Club. He was also actively engaged in building community and enhancing the experience of his fellow students in his academic endeavors, serving as leader of the Neuroscience Departmental Undergraduate Group, as Head Tutor for the Office of the Dean of the College, and as a Teaching Assistant for Organic Chemistry I & II and Introduction to Neuroscience. He was awarded the Outstanding Teacher’s Assistant Award by his peers in 2012. On top of it, he has a sense of humor that he shares through his participation in Brown/RISD Standup Comics. Upon graduation, he will be joining Sarah Presant as she travels to Europe. He will then return home to work as a medical assistant in an interventional pain management clinic before attending medical school.

Kimberly Takahata is from Franklin, Massachusetts and will be receiving an A.B. in English. While at Brown, her engagements reflected the Brown curriculum’s ethos of breadth and depth and her style of leadership reflected the grace she studied in her thesis on New England Puritan poetry. She was involved in Brown’s Catholic community throughout her Brown career, serving as Co-Coordinator of its Pastoral Council in her senior year. She served as both Vice President and Campus Tour Guide Coordinator for the Bruin Club. Kimberly was a Writing Fellow for three years, member of the Undergraduate Library Advisory Board, Senior Prose Editor of Clerestory Journal of the Arts, a Community Assistant for two years, and a member of the Community Health Advocacy Program. She helped coordinate the Dash for Diabetes for three years. She received two UTRA grants, including one to organize TEDxBrownUniversity: Life, Learning, and Liberal Education. After graduation, she will continue her studies at Columbia University in the Ph.D. program in English and Comparative Literature.

Yen Jay Tran is from Montclair, California and will be receiving an A.B. in Ethnic Studies. Yen has been a leader within the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center, contributing to preparation for the Center’s 40th Anniversary and the organization of Women’s History Month. This year, he organized the first-ever Masculinity Series. Yen was also active in the Third World Center and LGBTQ Center, serving as a member of the TWC Student Advisory Board, a facilitator for the Third World Transition Program, Co-Leader of the Queer Community Committee, and Open House Coordinator for the IvyQ2012 Conference Planning Committee. He was Film Archivist for Modern Culture and Media, Co-Leader of the Ethnic Studies Departmental Undergraduate Group, and a mentor with the Matched Advising Program for sophomores. Yen also helped with the planning of A Day on College Hill and was Finance Director for the Machado Hispanic Program House. His many and diverse engagements on campus also led to his nomination and selection as a Presidential Host. After graduation, Yen plans to find work that would allow him to stay in Providence or New England, with the intention to then attend graduate school.

Hanna M. McPhee and Michelle T. Site received a team award for Brown STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). STEAM is a national movement to incorporate humanistic, artistic, and creative elements into STEM education and practice. Through their founding and leading Brown STEAM and their collaboration with the STEAM initiative at RISD, Michelle and Hanna have not only ensured a staggering program of creative events, they have placed the STEAM efforts on College Hill in the vanguard of efforts nationally. Their success was made possible in no small part due to their complementary leadership capacities and campus connections and networks. With their significant focus on emerging new leadership, they have also ensured the effort’s sustainability. What is even more remarkable is that beyond their leadership in Brown STEAM, they each have other notable contributions to student life at Brown.

Hanna is from Wellesley, Massachusetts and will be receiving an A.B in an Independent Concentration in Biologically Inspired Design. Hanna is a varsity athlete on Brown’s Track and Field Team and competes in pole vault. She served as Contest Captain for the Solar Decathlon and was both a Women Peer Counselor Representative and a Community Assistant. After graduation, she will be working in tech strategy and advertising with Digitas in San Francisco.

Michelle is from Tampa, Florida will be receiving an A.B. in Biology. She served as a Science Center Fellow, Women Peer Counselor, and Brown International Scholars Program Fellow. Michelle was also active in the arts beyond Brown STEAM through her work in the Orwig Music Library and as a RISD Museum Gallery Lecturer. Additionally, she was a Research Intern at Rhode Island Hospital. Michelle will be staying in Providence to work as an Associate Design Researcher at Ximedica, a medical device design and product development firm.




Joslin Award Recipients 2013

You may also download a copy of the 2013 Program for the  Jin-Joslin-Joukowsky Awards Ceremony.

Rahel Katharina Dette is from Berlin, Germany and will be receiving an A.B in Political Science and Middle East Studies. Throughout her time at Brown, Rahel has been involved in the International Mentoring Program, first as a mentor and then as a coordinator; President of Common Ground: Justice and Equality in Palestine/Israel; and a volunteer with the Brown Refugee Youth Tutoring and Enrichment program and the Brown University Mediation Project. She also worked with the Middle East Studies department to organize the “Undergraduate Paper Series” and served as a teaching assistant in German and Political Science and a research assistant in Political Science and History. Rahel also played a central role in organizing last year’s Avi Schaefer Conference, a colloquium that brought together students from multiple universities to engage in meaningful dialogue on the prospect of peace in the Middle East. After seven years abroad Rahel will be returning to Germany to work in think tanks or NGO’s focusing on the “triangle” of the U.S., Europe and the Middle East before continuing her education either in Human Rights Law or Political Science.

Sarah L. Forman is from Wellesley, Massachusetts and will be receiving an A.B. in Chemistry and Middle East Studies. At Brown Sarah has served in a couple different official capacities at Hillel, including Vice President for Campus Relations, serving on the student executive board, and supporting multiple, diverse student organizations. She also served as a Woman Peer Counselor; Residential Peer Leader; and Copy Editor, Staff Writer, and Senior Staff Writer for the Brown Daily Herald. During her senior year, Sarah put together a new program called 6,000 Voices that aims to create opportunities for students to get together in diverse groups of peers to talk about some of the core issues embedded in the Brown experience. After Brown Sarah will continue her studies at Cambridge University as the Craig-Cambridge Scholar and will be reading for a M.Phil. in Nuclear Energy.

Emily Josmil Gonzalez is from Bronx, New York and will be receiving an A.B. in Education with a focus on Human Development. At Brown, Emily has served as a Minority Peer Counselor (MPC); MPC Coordinator; MPC Friend; Latino Student Initiative worker; editor for SOMOS Latino Literacy Magazine; First Generation Student Initiative Mentor; and on the Brown-Tougaloo Student Advisory Committee. She was also actively involved in El Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Atzlan de Brown; La Federacion de Estudiantes Puertorriquenos; Brown Arts Mentoring; and the Brown-RISD Catholic Community. After graduation, Emily is open to future possibilities and pathways. As an Education concentrator, she hopes to serve within different educational settings in and out of the classroom and continue to deepen her understanding of social change and community organizing. This summer, she will be part of the advising team for [email protected] in Spain before hopefully working within college advising and mentoring in New York or Providence. After gaining these experiences, she hopes to pursue graduate studies that combine her interest in education, public policy, and social work.

Andrew Ikhyun Kim is from Seoul, South Korea and will be receiving an A.B. in Human Biology with a focus in International Health. While at Brown, Andrew has served as President and Co-founder of Students for Students: South Sudan (SFS), a student-led nonprofit supporting medical education for South Sudan’s first aspiring physicians; Coordinator for the Interfaith Exchange Fellowship, which brings together high school students of various faith backgrounds every week to implement a yearlong service project and engage in interfaith dialogue together; and President and Co-founder of Cornerstone Magazine, Brown/RISD’s Christian literary and arts magazine. He also served as Men’s Core Group leader for the Branch Christian Fellowship; Teaching Assistant for Investing in Social Change and for  Organic Chemistry; Meiklejohn Peer Advisor; Research Assistant in the Neuroscience Department; and a volunteer at the RI Free Clinic and at RI Hospital. He was also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Brown Scholar conducting research on malignant brain tumors. After Brown Andrew will pursue the Fulbright Scholarship in the UK to pursue a Masters in Spirituality, Theology, and Health. Subsequently, he plans to return to the US to pursue an MD/MBA, focusing on surgery and social entrepreneurship. In the long term, he will devote his life to improving access to quality healthcare around the world.

Gopika R. Krishna is from Scarsdale, New York and will be receiving a Sc.B. in Human Biology with a focus on Race & Gender. Throughout her time at Brown, Gopika has been actively involved at the Third World Center beginning with the Third World Transition Program (TWTP). Her early interest and passion for issues of social justice defined her work with the Minority Peer Counselor (MPC) and MPC Friends programs. She facilitated the Female Sexuality Workshop; was a Sexual Health Awareness Group Peer Educator; Secretary of the Queer Alliance; a DJ for WBRU; and a researcher at the Fausto-Sterling Laboratory. Gopika will continue her education at Brown at the Warren Alpert Medical School.

Alexandra Linn is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and will be receiving an A.B. in History of Science and Medicine. During her time at Brown, Alexandra was the Lead Coordinator for Women in Science and Engineering; Leader and Mentor with the Brown Outdoor Leadership Training program; Meiklejohn Peer Advisor; Teaching Assistant in the Biology Department; dancer with MEZCLA; POST Layout Co-editor; and a tutor with the Brown Refugee Youth Tutoring and Enrichment program. She also received a Royce Fellowship. After Brown, Alexandra will be teaching middle school science with Teach for America in Chicago and then hopes to attend medical school.

Benjamin Pietro Marcus is from Prospect Heights, Illinois and will be receiving an A.B. in Religious Studies. Throughout his time at Brown, Benjamin has worked to improve religious literacy at Brown and beyond. He founded and facilitated the Brown Religious Literacy Project; co-led the Multi-Faith Council and the Religious Studies Departmental Undergraduate Group; was an intern with the Interfaith Youth Core in Chicago; Faith in Dialogue founder and coordinator while studying at the University of Cambridge; served as the Cambridge Inter-Faith Programme Summer School trips and activities coordinator; and was a student worker in the Office of Chaplains and Religious Life. Ben also served on the Campus Accessibility Advisory Committee; as a Meiklejohn Peer Advisor; and as a member of the Student Advisory Board for the TWC Director Search Committee. He was a member of the Brown Wind Symphony and the University of Cambridge Trinity Hall Jazz Band. He received an International UTRA Award for an archaeological dig at Marj Rabba (Israel) and a Team UTRA for an archaeological dig at l’Abbaye Notre Dame d’Ourscamp (France). After Brown Ben will be attending Harvard Divinity School as a Presidential Scholar. He hopes to one day earn a Ph.D., but before then, he plans to gain experience about the intersection of religion and politics through work as a civil servant.

Ryan Pollock McDuff is from Plano, Texas and will be receiving an A.B. in Business, Entrepreneurship and Organizations (BEO) with a focus on Organizational Studies. At Brown Ryan was Captain of the Brown Men’s Soccer team for two years; Co-President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee; Head Teaching Assistant for Barrett Hazeltine’s ENGN9 and ENGN90 classes; a Meiklejohn Peer Advisor; a Student-Athlete Tutor;  Director of Business Operations for Brown Sports Business, a volunteer at the Vartan Gregorian Elementary School and Project GOAL; Committee Member of the Campus Life Advisory Board’s Subcommittees on Athletics and on Alcohol and Other Drugs; and an intern for the Brown University Sports Foundation. After graduating Ryan is starting as a strategy and mergers & acquisitions consultant for Ernst & Young’s Commercial Advisory Services group in Chicago. This summer he will be a youth camp counselor back home in Texas.

Gladys A. Ndagire is from Kampala, Uganda and will be receiving an A.B. in Engineering and Anthropology. Throughout her time at Brown, Gladys has devoted herself to community building and academic enrichment. She has been very active in the residential peer leader community, African Students Association, and the National Society of Black Engineers. She served as a member of the Campus Life Advisory Board’s Subcommittee on Alcohol and Other Drugs and worked with Alumni Relations in the planning and organization of student involvement in Reunion Weekend and 120 Years of Women at Brown. After interning at J.P. Morgan, Gladys leveraged her  network there to start a group independent study project (GISP) on impact investing that resulted in the launch of a $50M impact fund at the SEEED 2013 Summit. As part of her involvement in Brown’s entrepreneurship community, Gladys was also a 2013 finalist for the Clinton Global Initiative’s Hult Prize to mitigate hunger in urban slums. After graduation, Gladys will work at J.P. Morgan’s Advice Lab, eventually returning to school to pursue an MBA or Masters in Strategic Design and Management.

Lindsay Nickel is from Los Altos, California and will be receiving an A.B in Community Health with honors. During her time at Brown, Lindsay has been
a member of the Brown Women’s Basketball team, serving as Team Captain for the 2012–2013 season; Co-President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee; a member of the Campus Life Advisory Board’s Subcommittees on Athletics and on Alcohol and Other Drugs; a member of the Brown Sports Business Club and Senior Class Gift Committee. She received a Royce Fellowship for Sport and Society to investigate basketball as a means for delivering HIV prevention and health education to local youth in the township community of Gugulethu, South Africa and an UTRA to investigate the drinking behaviors of varsity collegiate student athletes. She was Co-Organizer of the Brown University Grassroots Soccer Tournament to help fight the AIDS epidemic through sports; wrote an honors thesis entitled “Student-Athlete Alcohol Use: What role does leadership play?”; and was the keynote speaker at a Brown University conference on Title IX. After Brown Lindsay will head back home to California for the summer but hopes to be in D.C. or Boston working in healthcare in the fall.

Rebecca Kilbourn Rast is from Lancaster, Pennsylvania and will be receiving an A.B. in Environmental Studies. At Brown Rebecca has been actively engaged in issues related to economic justice, workers’ rights, and the environment through the Student Labor Alliance, RI Student Climate Coalition, Brown for Providence, emPOWER, Direct Action for Rights and Equality, and English for Action. She has been a driving force behind the Brown Divest Coal Campaign, an intern and board member at Rhode Island Jobs with Justice, and a summer instructor with the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island. She was also actively involved in organizing the Brown Folk Festival. After graduation Rebecca will be moving to Berkeley, California to continue doing political organizing around climate and economic justice issues.

Evan Mark Schwartz is from New York, New York and will be receiving an A.B. in an independent concentration in Political Economy and Education. While at Brown, Evan founded the Brown Conversation, a group committed to inspiring dialogue at Brown about Brown. Through the Brown Conversation, Evan was instrumental in creating a “re-orientation” weekend for first-year and sophomore students before the start of the spring semester. He also served as an undergraduate representative on the University Resources Committee and Brown’s Strategic Planning Committee on Reimagining the Brown Campus and Community. He served as the coordinator for Independent Concentrations and Independent Studies Programs at the Curricular Resource Center. After Brown Evan will be moving to San Francisco to try his hand in the tech startup world.

Jessica Biesel '12 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 '12 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 '12 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 '12 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 '12 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 '12 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 '12 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 '12.5 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 '12.5  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 '12 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.

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 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) 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 (Los Gatos, California) 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

 

2006

Sarah E. Bowman

Chloe D. Dugger

Maria-Pamela Janairo

Jason V. Lambrese

Juhyung Harold Lee

Gregory Mazurek

Myra Pong

Fatima Quaraishi

Noel A. Reyes

Anthony R. Sheets

Special Category for Support of Student Leadership: Kate Wolford

 

2005

Joshua D. Champagne

Keally L. DeWitt

Thilakshani Dias

Diana M. Frey

Eldridge H. Gilbert

Rahim N. Kurji

Erika Martinez

Sage Morgan-Hubbard

Quyen T. Truong

Dwight G. Vidale

Juliette A. Wallack

 

2004

Luis Campillo

Miranda A. Craigwell

Langston R. Dugger

Ariana C. Green

Arjuna Kuperan

Dan M. Le

McKenna Morrigan

Kaitlyn Murphy

Catherine Oswald

Anna Stern

Christopher Yee

 

2003

Brianna E. Brown

Amy S. Chang

Shannon Connolly

Jessica M. Cooper

Mumal Hemrajani

Kimberly M. Hendler

Kohei D. Ishihara

Deepa Kumaraiah

Philip A. Leder

Izetta A. Mobley

 

2002

Anniedi B. Essien

Omar S. Haque

Khambay Khamsyvoravong

Polina Malikin

Heather J. McCrea

Evan S. Michelson

Darren J. Modzelewski

Gregory J. Moffitt

Maithili A. Parekh

Justin C. Smith

 

2001

Michael W. Atkins

Ama Codjoe

Alyssa Danielle Garcia

Lam Ho

Anders Kelto

Jennie K. Leszkiewicz

Ross Lipsky

Daniel A. McKinley

Carolyn Shin

Irene Tung

 

2000

Mushtaq Gunja

Liliana Polo

Lisa A. Powell

Ateptaya Tanya Rakpraja

Elise Roy

Robert Scholl

Hannah Tamar Solomon

Nakia Paula Thomas

Kumi Walker

Alicia Bianca Woodley

 

1999

Rohini Bali

Denise Bilbao

Rex Huang

Fiona Kouyoumdjian

Dara Lithwick

Sandhya Rao

Andrew Shin

Adam Skolnick

Douglas Ulman

Jasmine Waddell

 

1998

Hui Soo-Chae

Geoffrey Gottlieb

Thomas Hayes

Salia Kurra

Kirstin Lindgren

Mary Nguyen

Sonia (Gigi) Otalvaro-Hormillosa

Aviva Shore

Davinder Singh

Elizabeth E. Turner

 

1997

Kavita Bali

Elizabeth A. Dever

Justin A. Driver

Jed E. Herman

Megan Kawatachi

Kathryn (Katie) King

Ajay Maker

Jesse Marmon

Marshall Miller

Jade Newburn

 

1996

Caesar A. (Sultan) Anderson

Hollis B. Arnold

Coleen Chin

Michelle M. Ferdinand

Alison (Poppy) Gilliam

Julian W. Ho

Ravi Kalhan

Elaine H. Kim

Adam M. Smith

Nana E. Tchabo

 

1995

Allegra Alisa Algava

Tilly Ann Gurman

Jamlik Omari Johnson

R. Rhett Landrum

Uyen Khy Le

Jeffrey P. Metzler

Joelle A. Murchinson

Sharmila S. Rao

Julie L. Rogh

Gregory A. Rozycki

 

1994

Eileen P. Anderson

Jennifer Corn

Robin DeRosa

Heather M. Grady

Kathleen Hill

Piper Hoffman

Thabo Khojane

Lydia Maier

Damali Ayo Patterson

Monica R. Quezada

Walton Smith

Siok Tan

 

1993

Eleanor Marie Brown

Warren Brown

Suzan G. Davidson

Meredith Davies

Meredith Honig

Oliver Marti

Stacey Mudd

Joseph Lewis Perez

Paul Quick

 

1992

Julie Amberg

Rebecca Bliss

Lee Busabos

Joo-Hyun Kang

Kenneth Padilla

Charles Plant

Barak Richman

Fernando Rojas

Lara Tannenbaum

 

1991

Philip Bolduc

Russell Carey

Prudence Carter

James Dodd

N'Tanya Lee

Christine O'Neil

Joshus Rotenberg

Heidi Stultz

Norman Timmins

 

1990

Michael Dearing

Randy Faigin

Sarah Glass

Esmond Harmsworth

Bryan Leibman

Mary Susan Powell

Lynnea Stephen

Jilda Vargus

 

1989

James M. Andrews

Courtney L. Bohen

Andrea M. Horvath

Autumn M. Latimore

Robin A. Lenhardt

Charles R. McCracken

Lesley T. Pan

Jennifer L. Pauk

Jeffrey D. Schulte

 

1987

Jennifer Adelson

Judith Altenberg

Trinita Brown

Marci Feinstein

Jennifer Mack

Deborah Meyer

Mark Peebles

Diana Reeves

Kenneth Rivlin

Harry L. Smith, Jr.

Eric Spooner

Erica Tachera

Reuben Varghese

Mindy Wiser

Jill Zuckman

 

1986

Elizabeth D. (Betsy) Blume

Matthew P.Carroll

Elizabeth Huntsinger

Kerry Magasanik

Trent Norris

Sheri Pattillo

 

1985

Susan Schwartz

Nancy Zimmerman