Noel Pingatore, Public Health
As Director of the Department of Health Education and Chronic Disease at the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Noel is committed to advancing the health of local American Indian (AI) communities. I had the great pleasure of first working with her when she was a student in HM 805 (Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health) and HM 853 (Public Health Program and Intervention Evaluation). In both courses, Noel displayed focus and diligence that are remarkable to find in a graduate student. In particular, I was struck by her dedication to reducing health disparities and promoting thriving in underserved communities. This passion formed the basis of her independent study project that I mentored. She drew on her 20+ years of work experience with tribal communities to analyze data from a local initiative that she helps to lead focused on reducing colon cancer disparities among Michigan AI communities. She summarized key findings and considerations for future research and practice in a first-authored manuscript that will be published in the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship. Noel recognizes that, in public health, culture matters. She displays an unwavering commitment to protecting the health of marginalized individuals and communities, a commitment that is needed now more than ever in our fight against COVID-19.
Submitted by: Robey C.
Francesca Pratt, School of Social Work
Caring, committed, and curious are three words I would use to describe Francesca. She has been committed to her work for the last year and a half in her graduate degree. She took on leadership roles with the School of Social Work and in the larger university. She has been involved with racial and social justice work, passionately working with students and faculty to improve awareness around access to equitable services for all students. She maintains high academic standards while completing her internship and trying to coordinate support for her peers in the social work program.
Submitted by: Paul D.
Katherine Jones, School of Social Work
Katherine Jones is an incredible student who has been engaged in the School and community, all while supporting her family through extreme struggles this year. Her husband’s appendix ruptured and he was diagnosed with COVID-19, resulting in a 30-day hospitalization, 18 on a ventilator. Katherine reported “Doctors call him a miracle”. Additionally, her dad survived a tornado dropping a house onto him and losing everything. Her son had a mental health hospitalization for 30 days. Throughout this time, she continued to excel in her courses while also being the rock for her family.
Despite the struggles she was undergoing in her personal life, she responded to the fight for Black Lives Matter--getting involved in BLM protests and advocacy. She joined the BLM Advisory Board for Flint, participated in Flint Get Out and Vote, and was invited to the Faith subcommittee of the COVID-19 taskforce.
Katherine has not only shown her ability to be successful in the face of much adversity, she has shown her willingness and ability to speak truth to power. She maintained her commitments to family, school, community, and social justice. She advocated for herself and fellow students when policy change was needed. She took on additional roles in the School including the Social Work Action Collective, the Graduate Student Advisory Committee, and Phi Alpha Honor Society. Both the school and community are thankful for Katherine’s work and persistence in making the world a better place.
Submitted by: Erin C.
Adam Pfau, Second Language Studies
Adam Pfau is my and the program's GA this semester. He deals with the MA TESOL, SLS Ph.D., and Second Language Studies Corpus Lab web sites. His work on these sites, including creating the lab site from scratch, has freed up a lot of the faculty's time. Adam responds to every request quickly and cheerfully. In the midst of a challenging semester, Adam is the rock that we can all depend on. I have literally never seen him upset or unhappy. Above and beyond his duties as a GA, he has taken it upon himself to assist our international graduates and friends of friends whom he hardly knows. Being a new graduate student this semester is no doubt a challenge, but I believe that Adam is helping to ease the transition for several students.
Submitted by: Charlene P.
Titi Kou, Linguistics and Languages
Since starting her doctoral program 3 years ago, Titi Kou transformed from a learner to a confident professional, a Digital Humanities soccer scholar. Curiosity defines Titi: She will ask the questions others are afraid to ask; she reflects on her actions and continuously seek to grow. In my seminar, we read articles about gender bias. In an activity, the students described a male and a female professor they knew. When Titi reviewed her responses, she exclaimed: “OMG, I just did that thing we read about.” She was the only one recognizing the biased language. As a teacher, Titi goes above and beyond for her students. “Titi does an amazing job making the class fun and trying to get to know all of her students. It is nice how she remembers our hobbies and uses them in German examples with our names. It helps keep people engaged. Titi always sends helpful emails and responds quickly. I would recommend her to anyone looking to take German!” Each time I, as her supervisor, made recommendations, Titi implemented them immediately. Her classes are highly effective communicative class. When I asked Titi, if she wanted to take on more responsibility and design the unit plans, she readily accepted the challenge. Through her curiosity, her positive attitude, her willingness to accept feedback, she has become an excellent independent language teacher. In addition, she has been instrumental in supporting the growth of other TAs. We are fortunate to have Titi on our team.
Submitted by: Senta G.
