The Graduate Student Leadership Award celebrates graduate students who have engaged in outstanding service that has positively impacted the UIUC campus or wider communities. How that leadership has been demonstrated can vary widely.
Congratulations to two of this year's winners, who are part of the College of Education community:
- Markera Jones, Ph.D. student in Psychology, is the winner of the 2022 Doctoral-level Student Leadership Award, and is the coordinator for the Education Justice Project’s (EJP) Mindfulness Discussion Group. As part of this service, Jones has demonstrated “expert communication, organizational skills, creativity, and a clear vision” while logging over 90 contact hours with incarcerated students. Additionally, Jones sought out opportunities to support her peers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including collaborating to develop a “Radical Self-Care Toolkit” for graduate students. The Graduate Student Leadership Award selection committee lauded Jones’ leadership within the EJP among other initiatives that demonstrated her unique ability to use her disciplinary expertise for community outreach that provided a “clear and quantifiable” impact.
- Ricky Price, doctoral student in Special Education, received Special Recognition for having advocated for disability, inclusion, and accessibility including an innovative and creative approach to secure grant funding and by organizing a film festival centered on disability and inclusion.
The Graduate Student Leadership Award is sponsored by The Graduate College and its student advisory group, SAGE (Students Advising on Graduate Education). Begun in 2015, the award is announced during Grad Student Appreciation Week.
