Alexandra Vazquez

Alexandra Vazquez is currently a sixth-year graduate student in the clinical psychology doctoral program. Alexandra is very passionate about engaging in work that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Through her role as a co-chair of the clinical science area’s diversity committee, she has collaborated with a local shelter for unhoused families (facilitating staff training on mental health and running an annual holiday drive) and spearheaded several initiatives within her program to promote DEI. For instance, this semester, they successfully proposed the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Excellence Recognition Award for clinical students at the master's and doctoral levels and are currently planning a DEI-focused brown bag series for the fall. In addition, she has been involved in the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate and have made efforts to actively mentor undergraduate and graduate students in statistics, clinical work, and research. Moreover, her research focused on youth resilience to adversity also emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusion. she is hopeful that this line of research will ultimately inform policy reform and interventions that promotes resilience to adversity. Finally, as a clinician in the MSU psychological clinic, she has been able to provide interventions to diverse and under-resourced members of our community. Alexandra is committed to continuing to promote DEI throughout my academic pursuits.

Shashank Neralla

School of Packaging

Corinne (Zimmerman) Hobbs

Corinne (Zimmerman) Hobbs is a second year doctoral student in the Department of Kinesiology, studying the psychosocial aspects of sport and physical activity. Corinne is currently serving as the chairperson for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee for the Kinesiology Graduate Student Organization (KGSO). During this time, she and her peers have been able to host podcast club a few times a semester, creating space fellow graduate students to engage with topics of DEI within the context of American higher education. Additionally, KGSO students were able to view the an art exhibition at the Broad Art Museum centered on civil rights and gender equality in the context of sport. Corinne is incredibly proud of how her peers in the department have embraced these opportunities thoughtfully with the intent to connect these spaces to their own experiences as graduate students, classroom instructors, researchers, and practitioners.

Rachel Roca

Rachel Roca (she/they) is a third year PhD student in the department of Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering (CMSE), where she researches topological data analysis, computing education, and quantitative justice while serving as the Co-Chair of the graduate student CMSE DEI Committee. Through their role as Co-Chair, Rachel facilitates the Peer Mentorship Program, founded a Computing x DEI seminar series, and more. Rachel's teaching emphasizes DEI issues, and she has contributed to curriculum development leading to explicit content of ethics, justice, and data feminism into computing courses. Along with a wonderful group of collaborators, they also produce scholarship on social justice and inequities in the mathematics community. Rachel is honored to receive this award, and would like to especially thank Dr. Elizabeth Munch, Dr. Danny Caballero, Dr. Rachel Frisbie, and Emily Bolger for their steadfast support; she would not be here without them.