Several Counseling Center staff and graduate assistants have recently received recognition for the work they are doing on campus and for academic excellence.
Clinical counselor Dr. Jodi Thomas was recognized by the Women’s Resources Center with the 2016 Outstanding Staff Award. This award recognizes staff members whose service and engagement improves the lives of women and empowers people of all genders. Jodi has been instrumental in LGBTQ student outreach through the Counseling Center’s Queers and Allies Committees. Additionally, she has worked to make the campus a more welcoming place for those who identify as LGBTQ by facilitating ally trainings. She has also frequently collaborated with Disability Resources & Educational Services (DRES) to provide programming that assists students with all types of disabilities as they navigate the academic and social challenges that college presents. Jodi has worked for closely with the Women’s Resources Center for more than six years doing sexuality, relationship, and women’s-focused programming and consultation.
Clinical counselor Dr. Sean Cheng was named as one of the recipients of the 2016 Outstanding Asian American Faculty/Staff Award from the Asian American Cultural Center (AACC). This award recognizes faculty, academic professionals, and civil service staff who have shown years of commitment to the campus community in providing mentoring, advising, programming, counseling, teaching, and research opportunities that develop students’ self-awareness and that promote understanding of Asian American and Asian international issues. The award consideration favors those nominees who have exemplified at least five years of service to our campus and have collaborated with AACC programs. For the past several years, Sean has chaired the Counseling Center’s Asian and Asian American Student Outreach team and has been instrumental in creating programming for these populations.
Additionally, three students affiliated with the Counseling Center have recently been honored. Practicum student and integrative health and wellness graduate assistant Matt King was recently awarded a Champaign Area Psychological Society scholarship. Matt is a doctoral student in counseling psychology. Therapeutic services graduate assistant Chris Lofton received an award for academic excellence and good citizenship from the Graduate College. Chris is a student in the Master of Social Work (MSW) program and will join the Counseling Center as an MSW intern next fall. Asian and Asian American Student Outreach graduate assistant Zhenni Wang was recognized with the Outstanding Asian & Asian American clinical/community psychology and will complete her pre-doctoral internship at Ball State University beginning this fall.
Congratulations to all, and thanks for all of the good work you do for our Center and University!