Launched in 2022, the UC Berkeley Leadership in Graduate Diversity Awards recognize outstanding graduate students who have made significant contributions to advancing diversity and inclusion among underrepresented minority (URM) graduate and professional students. Each year, the Cynthia Ladd-Viti and Carla Trujillo Leadership in Graduate Diversity Awards are presented to two graduating doctoral or professional students whose work has meaningfully fostered equity and community at Berkeley. With a competitive pool of exceptional applicants, the selection process is never easy. To honor the breadth of impact, two Honorable Mentions are also recognized alongside the award recipients. Carla Trujillo Leadership in Graduate Diversity AwardLiam Gunn (JD, Law):Excerpt from nominations: “Liam is a true advocate. His commitment to advancing equity at Berkeley Law will continue to inspire environmental students, leading to greater outcomes both personally and professionally for students to come. I am incredibly proud of Liam and thankful for the work he has continuously done for our community throughout his time at Berkeley Law. Achieving justice through the legal system hinges on our faith in it, and that in turn hinges on how we know and understand its practitioners. There is no doubt in my mind that Liam will be a key figure who inspires trust, rather than skepticism, in the actual justice of the “justice system.“ Cynthia Ladd-Viti Leadership in Graduate Diversity AwardRosalie Z. Fanshel (PhD, Environmental Science, Policy and Management):Excerpt from nominations: “Rosalie has very consistently supported JEDI in a phenomenal integration of their teaching, mentoring, advising, and research. Literally everything they have done as a graduate student has centered around pursuing JEDI in the university landscape. Rosalie has also affected the lives and growth of numerous URM undergraduate students during their time as a graduate student, atop their time as a staff member at the Berkeley Food Institute. They have had a great influence on us as faculty members too in ways that will persist long after they finish their PhD in ESPM.” Honorable MentionKanani D'Angelo (Master's, Landscape Architecture and City Planning):Excerpt from nominations: “What sets Kanani apart is not only her dedication to diversity, but her ability to inspire and lead others by example. In her graduate studies in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design, Kanani is working to restore her family’s ancestral foodways in the face of extreme urbanization and development in her homelands of ʻAiea, Oʻahu. Her work creates pathways for other underrepresented students to see how their cultural knowledge can transform academic disciplines.” Read more about Kanani’s work through the College of Environmental Design with her home community in ‘Aiea, Hawai’i to identify strategies for incorporating traditional practices into urban environments. Honorable MentionAbigail Hinijosa (PhD, Chemistry):Excerpt from nominations: “Abby has been my single greatest asset in terms of leading efforts for graduate students. Her dedication to collecting and analyzing data in real time, and conducting interviews to get to know our students from underprepared backgrounds has given us tremendous insight in how we can best improve outcomes for our undergraduate student population.”
Launched in 2022, the UC Berkeley Leadership in Graduate Diversity Awards recognize outstanding graduate students who have made significant contributions to advancing diversity and inclusion among underrepresented minority (URM) graduate and professional students. Each year, the Cynthia Ladd-Viti and Carla Trujillo Leadership in Graduate Diversity Awards are presented to two graduating doctoral or professional students whose work has meaningfully fostered equity and community at Berkeley. With a competitive pool of exceptional applicants, the selection process is never easy. To honor the breadth of impact, two Honorable Mentions are also recognized alongside the award recipients. Carla Trujillo Leadership in Graduate Diversity AwardLiam Gunn (JD, Law):Excerpt from nominations: “Liam is a true advocate. His commitment to advancing equity at Berkeley Law will continue to inspire environmental students, leading to greater outcomes both personally and professionally for students to come. I am incredibly proud of Liam and thankful for the work he has continuously done for our community throughout his time at Berkeley Law. Achieving justice through the legal system hinges on our faith in it, and that in turn hinges on how we know and understand its practitioners. There is no doubt in my mind that Liam will be a key figure who inspires trust, rather than skepticism, in the actual justice of the “justice system.“ Cynthia Ladd-Viti Leadership in Graduate Diversity AwardRosalie Z. Fanshel (PhD, Environmental Science, Policy and Management):Excerpt from nominations: “Rosalie has very consistently supported JEDI in a phenomenal integration of their teaching, mentoring, advising, and research. Literally everything they have done as a graduate student has centered around pursuing JEDI in the university landscape. Rosalie has also affected the lives and growth of numerous URM undergraduate students during their time as a graduate student, atop their time as a staff member at the Berkeley Food Institute. They have had a great influence on us as faculty members too in ways that will persist long after they finish their PhD in ESPM.” Honorable MentionKanani D'Angelo (Master's, Landscape Architecture and City Planning):Excerpt from nominations: “What sets Kanani apart is not only her dedication to diversity, but her ability to inspire and lead others by example. In her graduate studies in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design, Kanani is working to restore her family’s ancestral foodways in the face of extreme urbanization and development in her homelands of ʻAiea, Oʻahu. Her work creates pathways for other underrepresented students to see how their cultural knowledge can transform academic disciplines.” Read more about Kanani’s work through the College of Environmental Design with her home community in ‘Aiea, Hawai’i to identify strategies for incorporating traditional practices into urban environments. Honorable MentionAbigail Hinijosa (PhD, Chemistry):Excerpt from nominations: “Abby has been my single greatest asset in terms of leading efforts for graduate students. Her dedication to collecting and analyzing data in real time, and conducting interviews to get to know our students from underprepared backgrounds has given us tremendous insight in how we can best improve outcomes for our undergraduate student population.”