Launched in 2022, The UC Berkeley Leadership in Graduate Diversity Awards aims to shed light on and award graduate students who have demonstrated stellar contributions to advancing the graduate and professional under represented minority (URM) student community. The Cynthia Ladd-Viti and Carla Trujillo Leadership in Graduate Diversity Awards are awarded to two graduating doctoral or professional school students whose work and accomplishments have advanced diversity during their time here at Berkeley. With countless remarkable applicants, it’s a difficult feat for the committee to only select two winners, which is why two Honorable Mentions are recognized alongside the award recipients. Carla Trujillo Leadership in Graduate Diversity AwardCaleb Dawson (PhD, School of Education)Excerpt from nominations: “Caleb commands a remarkable skillset for managing large-scale projects, navigating institutional processes, unifying stakeholders around shared goals, and distributing resources to those in need. As a result, his record of support and advocacy spans more communities than we have room to name. Given the magnitude of his service, this [nomination] pragmatically emphasizes but a few components of Caleb’s superior dedication to anti-racism and diversity at Berkeley: (1) his immense devotion to Black graduate student thriving; (2) his community-building efforts within the Berkeley School of Education; and (3) his commitment to health equity for graduate student parents and their families” Cynthia Ladd-Viti Leadership in Graduate Diversity AwardTyra Parrish (MPH, School of Public Health)Excerpt from nominations: “When we are in meetings discussing the state of the program, the views of the student body, the fight for racial and cultural justice – we know that [Tyra] is the one we can call on for bold and effervescent support. Beyond agreeing and uplifting, she challenges us to always put our best foot forward and reminds faculty and staff to view students and community members as the “experts of their own experiences.” Tyra not only brings these outcomes to our program, department, and university, but also has the potential to expand and implement her efforts in a way that impacts each and every person her affiliated projects can reach. With full confidence, I believe that Tyra will continue making strides in uplifting the community and surpassing expectations with any project or cause she takes on” Honorable MentionHannah Weaver (PhD, Physics):Excerpt from nominations: “Hannah has a substantial record of working toward DEI and anti-racism in the Physics Department. She also has shown genuine determination and willingness to roll up her sleeves and work toward change in the broader Physics community. I have every confidence in her to make the difference she intends to in the scientific world beyond Berkeley after she graduates.” Honorable MentionKay Xia (PhD, Chemistry)Excerpt from nominations: “[Kay] is extremely intelligent and one of the most creative coworkers I have had the pleasure of working with in my group for the past 20+ years at Berkeley. It seems she can accomplish anything she puts her mind to. She has shown this in her independent idea generation, mechanistic studies, and practical synthetic contributions. Beyond the practical, Kay has been an asset to the group and the broader community at Berkeley.”
Launched in 2022, The UC Berkeley Leadership in Graduate Diversity Awards aims to shed light on and award graduate students who have demonstrated stellar contributions to advancing the graduate and professional under represented minority (URM) student community. The Cynthia Ladd-Viti and Carla Trujillo Leadership in Graduate Diversity Awards are awarded to two graduating doctoral or professional school students whose work and accomplishments have advanced diversity during their time here at Berkeley. With countless remarkable applicants, it’s a difficult feat for the committee to only select two winners, which is why two Honorable Mentions are recognized alongside the award recipients. Carla Trujillo Leadership in Graduate Diversity AwardCaleb Dawson (PhD, School of Education)Excerpt from nominations: “Caleb commands a remarkable skillset for managing large-scale projects, navigating institutional processes, unifying stakeholders around shared goals, and distributing resources to those in need. As a result, his record of support and advocacy spans more communities than we have room to name. Given the magnitude of his service, this [nomination] pragmatically emphasizes but a few components of Caleb’s superior dedication to anti-racism and diversity at Berkeley: (1) his immense devotion to Black graduate student thriving; (2) his community-building efforts within the Berkeley School of Education; and (3) his commitment to health equity for graduate student parents and their families” Cynthia Ladd-Viti Leadership in Graduate Diversity AwardTyra Parrish (MPH, School of Public Health)Excerpt from nominations: “When we are in meetings discussing the state of the program, the views of the student body, the fight for racial and cultural justice – we know that [Tyra] is the one we can call on for bold and effervescent support. Beyond agreeing and uplifting, she challenges us to always put our best foot forward and reminds faculty and staff to view students and community members as the “experts of their own experiences.” Tyra not only brings these outcomes to our program, department, and university, but also has the potential to expand and implement her efforts in a way that impacts each and every person her affiliated projects can reach. With full confidence, I believe that Tyra will continue making strides in uplifting the community and surpassing expectations with any project or cause she takes on” Honorable MentionHannah Weaver (PhD, Physics):Excerpt from nominations: “Hannah has a substantial record of working toward DEI and anti-racism in the Physics Department. She also has shown genuine determination and willingness to roll up her sleeves and work toward change in the broader Physics community. I have every confidence in her to make the difference she intends to in the scientific world beyond Berkeley after she graduates.” Honorable MentionKay Xia (PhD, Chemistry)Excerpt from nominations: “[Kay] is extremely intelligent and one of the most creative coworkers I have had the pleasure of working with in my group for the past 20+ years at Berkeley. It seems she can accomplish anything she puts her mind to. She has shown this in her independent idea generation, mechanistic studies, and practical synthetic contributions. Beyond the practical, Kay has been an asset to the group and the broader community at Berkeley.”