2013 GWST Student Awards

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:10:49 -0400

The Gender and Women's Studies Coordinating Committee chose seven outstanding graduating seniors to receive annual awards from the program. The awards were presented by Dr. Carole McCann, Program Director, at the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Award Ceremony on April 30th.

The GWST program offers two award opportunities. The first is the Jo Ann E. Argersinger Award for Academic Achievement. Named for a former provost and Gender and Women’s Studies faculty member, this award recognizes exemplary academic achievement in gender and women’s studies. The second is the Joan S. Korenman Outstanding Service Award, named for the founding director of the Program. This award recognizes outstanding service to the Gender and Women’s Studies Program.

Kevin Triplett carries a 4.0 GPA while completing a triple major in Sociology, Psychology, and Gender + Women's Studies, as well as a minor in Critical Sexuality Studies. His article "The Gendered Asylum: Nineteenth Century Asylums Used as Tools of Female Socialization" was published in the 2011 UMBC Review. He is also published in the 2010 and 2012 Bartleby Creative Journal. Kevin works as the student assistant in Gender + Women's Studies while being a resident assistant in Harbor Hall. He will present his research "Overcoming Reproductive Barriers: Memoirs of Gay Fatherhood" at URCAD in April. Kevin received both the Jo Ann E. Argersinger Academic Achievement Award in GWST and Joan S. Korenman Award for Service in GWST.

Alexandra Mills is a Gender and Women’s Studies major, Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar, and member of the Honors College. She is also a Public Policy and International Affairs program fellow. During her semester abroad, she studied gender, health, and community empowerment in Mali. For the past academic year, she has served as a grant writing, fundraising, and sponsorship intern at the UMBC Women’s Center. She is currently a Fulbright finalist for the English Teaching Assistantship program in Malaysia. After graduation, she will begin her employment with Morgan Stanley as an Operations Analyst. In the future, Alexandra hopes to obtain a Master of Public Policy in International Affairs. Lexx received the Jo Ann E. Argersinger Award for Academic Achievement in GWST.

Summer Rai Torres will be graduating with a BA in Gender + Women’s Studies and English as well as a minor in creative writing. Much of her academic work has been focused on exploring LGBTQ representations in the media. After graduating with honors in May, she is planning on starting her career in publishing and freelance creative writing. Her goal is to start her own publishing company which caters to queer and feminist voices in sunny California. Summer received the 2013 Jo Ann E. Argersinger Academic Achievement Award for GWST.

Lindsay Raspi chose UMBC as it offered Arabic, and she has a strong interest in human rights issues in the Arabic-speaking part of the world. After a few major switches, she found a good fit in the Gender and Women’s Studies Major. Lindsay is grateful for the exposure to real-life issues she gained through coursework in this major, especially those concerning globalization’s effects on women throughout the world, as she has long held an interest in indigenous women’s struggles. Her independent research focused on coercive sterilizations of U.S. American Indian women in the 1970s. Lindsay has been self-employed through most of her college career as the owner of an online vintage clothing boutique. She is currently looking at graduate programs in the realm of Women’s Studies or International Studies. Lindsay received the Jo Ann E. Argersinger Award for Academic Achievement in GWST.

Janelle Roylo is graduating with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Gender and Women's Studies.She is a member of Alpha Kappa Delta, the International Honor Society for Sociology. In addition, she received an Associate's degree in Liberal Arts and a membership to the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society from Howard Community College. She plans on attending graduate school with a concentration in Health and Public Policy. Janelle received the Jo Ann E. Argersinger Award for Academic Achievement in GWST.

Lauren Linn is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and a minor in Gender and Women’s Studies. She plans to further her education in Social Work in the Fall by earning her Master’s degree at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Her future goals include advocating for policies that support the civil rights of all people through grassroots activism and policy. Lauren is grateful to have received this award and truly values the education she received in Gender and Women’s Studies. Lauren received the Jo Ann E. Argersinger Award for Academic Achievement in GWST.

Maureen Evans Arthurs is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Gender and Women's Studies and a minor in Political Science. She serves as a Project Manager for Women Involved in Learning and Leadership (WILL) and was appointed a member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Student Advisory Council. Previously earning the Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, Maureen is also a Dean’s List and President’s List honoree. As a McNair scholar, Maureen will participate in the Summer Research Institute to study the educational attainment and political efficacy of adolescent, minority girls in Baltimore City with her faculty mentor, Dr. Kimberley Moffitt. With the support of her husband and son, she plans to pursue a PhD and incorporate her passion for social justice and gender equity in her graduate studies and subsequent research. Maureen received the Joan S. Korenman Award for Service in GWST.