GEPA Awards

The GEPA Awards celebrate individuals who are making waves in equity and diversity for graduate education and postdoctoral training at UC San Diego. Led by the Office of Outreach, Access, Recruitment, and Retention (OAR²) and the Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Affairs (OPSA) in the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA), these awards recognize individuals that champion equitable access to graduate education and postdoctoral training, create initiatives that support graduate student and postdoctoral success, advance diversity and inclusion through research, and/or actively work to dismantle systemic inequities in graduate education and postdoctoral training through advocacy and inclusive practices.

This year, an awards luncheon was held on Tuesday, January 14, 2025 to celebrate the inaugural recipients of the GEPA Awards:

Awardees for Advancing Equity in Graduate Education

Graduate/Professional Student: Shai Lynne Nielson - Ph.D. Candidate in Linguistics and Cognitive Science
Faculty: Christina Schneider - Professor of Political Science and Jean Monnet Chair at UC San Diego
Staff: Sarah Ceja - Graduate Tutor Coordinator at the Writing Hub in The Teaching and Learning Commons

Awardees for Advancing Equity in Postdoctoral Training

Postdoctoral Scholar: Silvia Vicenzi - Postdoctoral Scholar in the School of Medicine and Chair of the Postdoctoral Association
Faculty: Mirle Rabinowitz-Bussell - Associate Teaching Professor, Urban Studies and Planning and Faculty Director, Homelessness Hub and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Urban Studies and Planning
Staff: Nallely Garcia - Senior Scholar Advisor, International Services and Engagement Office (ISEO)

The GEPA Awards are open to all graduate and professional students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty, and staff. The GEPA Awards does not consider race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and/or other protected categories as part of the application and selection process of awardees.

To learn more about the amazing awardees, check out this UC San Diego Today article.

QUESTIONS

Feel free to reach out to Dr. Angeline Yang at avyang(at)ucsd.edu with any questions about the GEPA Awards.

Advancing Equity in Postdoctoral Training and Graduate Education Certificates of Appreciation Recipients

Adam Burgasser
Alyssa Simons
Andrea Celada
Andrea Chiba
Andrew Estrada Phuong
Anne Beatty-Martinez
Brian Leigh
Christian Cazares
Claire Adida
Consuelo Sauceda
Cynthia Grande
Desiree Shapiro
Devon Tolliver
Eduardo Caldera
Eileen Mehrabian
Eric Courchesne

Erin Espaldon
Gabi Hoffmann
Hiutung Chu
Hussain Ashour
Ilyse Clark
Irene Hom
Josh Newton
Kevin Doyle
Lara Rangel
Laura Whitmee
Leanne Nordeman
Leigh-Ana Rossitto
Lisa Swid
Mady Paley
Mahmoud Malas
Michael Hollander

Morgan Mouchka
Natasha Anita
Prakamya Agrawal
Rachael Wellisch
Rosemarie Subala
Shana Cohen
Sonlong Nguyen
Stacy Khaing
Steven Barrera
Steven Swanson
Sumeyye Sekker
Veridiana Chavarin
William Eger
Yasemin Taskin-Alp
Yiyan Yu

Proposition 209 Compliance

In accordance with applicable Federal and State law and University policy, the University of California does not discriminate, or grant preferences, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and/or other protected categories. All programs and initiatives coordinated by the University of California Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs are designed and implemented in full compliance with Proposition 209 and the University of California Anti-Discrimination Policy.

More information about Proposition 209 can be found here.

More information about the University of California Anti-Discrimination Policy can be found here.