Three graduate students have been honored with Peer Mentor Awards. The awards, sponsored by Graduate School Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Funding, recognize stellar mentorship qualities on- and off-campus.
The 2020 Peer Mentor Award recipients are:
- Beau Burdett
- Caleigh Guoynes
- Leah Steuer
Read a statement from each awardee, below.
Beau Burdett
Civil and Environmental Engineering
“Winning this award is a reminder to me of the importance of mentorship and education,” Beau says. “This award will not only renew in myself an interest in mentoring and educating others about my field, but also encourage me to continue investigating and learning, about both my field and education.”
Caleigh Guoynes
Psychology
“Mentoring undergraduate students is one of the most rewarding experiences of my graduate career,” Caleigh says. “Winning this award is a symbol of the dedication to hard work and teamwork that my undergraduate students and I have accomplished. Over the past five years, 28 different students have worked with me in the lab, and this has led to the successful completion of eight different research projects. Because of my team, I am able to do more experiments and answer more scientific questions. I am forever grateful for these students and for the recognition of my work as their team leader and mentor.”
Leah Steuer
Communication Arts
“It’s a privilege to work with and learn from my peers every day in Communication Arts, where I’m surrounded by so many curious, driven, and talented graduate students,” Leah says. “The process of building our media scholarship forum Playback has been especially rewarding. It’s become a space that keeps us inspired and committed to our research: the staff develops networks, uplifts one another’s projects, and experiments with new modes of scholarship like video and audio essays. There’s so much diverse work happening in my division (Media & Cultural Studies), and I’m honored to help build our strong system of friendly ties.”