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Announcing the winners of the 2024-25 Campus-Wide Teaching Assistant Awards

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Thirty-one exceptional graduate students have been selected as recipients of the 2024-25 Campus-Wide Teaching Assistant Awards, recognizing their strengths and commitment surrounding the craft of teaching.

UW–Madison employs over 2,300 teaching assistants (TAs) across a wide range of disciplines. Their contributions to the classroom, lab, and field are essential to the university’s educational mission. To recognize the excellence of TAs across campus, the Graduate School, the College of Letters & Science, and the Morgridge Center sponsor these annual awards.

Volunteer judges selected awardees for four categories: early excellence, advanced achievement, capstone teaching, and community-based learning.

The Early Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes TAs with fewer than four semesters of teaching experience at UW–Madison. Awardees:

Early Excellence in Teaching, Dorothy Powelson Award:

The Advanced Achievement in Teaching Award recognizes TAs with four or more semesters of teaching experience at UW–Madison who are not in the final year of a PhD. Awardees:

Advanced Achievement in Teaching, Dorothy Powelson Award:

The Capstone Teaching Award recognizes dissertators at the end of their graduate program with an outstanding teaching record over the course of their UW–Madison tenure. Awardees:

The Excellence in Community-Based Learning Teaching Award recognizes TAs at any stage of their graduate education who demonstrate outstanding instruction using a community-based learning approach. Awardee:

Learn more about each recipient of the 2024-25 TA Awards in the bios below.

Early Excellence in Teaching Award

Eric Boansi Agyekum

Eric is a graduate student in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication where he specializes in misinformation, fact-checking, and news consumption in Africa. He has taught J202: Mass Media Practices, J201: Introduction to Mass Communication, and J150: Introduction to Sports Communication.

Eric enjoys working with the faculty and staff in SJMC. “The professors I teach with have been good mentors,” he said. “They are supportive and provide the enabling environment for me to thrive as a teacher.”

He also noted the abundant teaching and learning resources, such as the International Teaching Assistant Training and the College of Letters & Science TA Training program.

“I always look forward to the warm, lively, and engaging discussion with my students,” Eric added.

Henry Curcio

Henry is a PhD student in the Department of Philosophy. He primarily works on ancient Greek philosophy. Recently, he’s been interested in Plato’s political thought and the role eros plays in the psychology of the philosopher king and tyrant. Along with that, he has been working on a project about the role of anthropocentrism (or lack thereof) in Aristotle’s account of teleology. While at UW–Madison, he has helped teach Intro to Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy, and Modern Philosophy. Prior to that, he was the instructor of record for Philosophy of Law at Western Michigan University.

He greatly enjoys teaching at UW–Madison and finds all his students remarkably curious and intellectually adventurous. He appreciates that his students are willing to take risks and consider the strengths and weaknesses of philosophical views that very well might be wrong. To the right, you will see an image of him next to a bust of Socrates.

Carla Z. Glave Barrantes

Carla is a PhD student in Educational Policy Studies and a master’s student in applied statistics. She specializes in comparative international education. Her research interests revolve around the use of technology in the classroom and its potential effects on existing gender, race, and class disparities, with a specific focus on mathematics learning and on gender disparities in STEM motivation and aspirations.

At UW–Madison, Carla has taught Ed Pol 209: Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Education Policy. She also taught economics classes at her undergraduate institution.

“I really enjoy seeing students lose their fear of statistics and numbers. We have many students come in and say they’ve always been ‘bad’ at math and that ‘stats is not my thing’,” Carla said. “What I enjoy the most is when I get to see them understand the content, be successful in the class, and tell me that maybe they are good at stats after all.”

She added that it’s rewarding to see the students’ “aha” moments after struggling with a concept or exercise. She also loves office hours.

“The time I spend with students either one-or-one or with a group of them is really fabulous,” she said. “Not many of them use this time, but I feel like I build a really special bond with the ones that regularly come – sometimes not even with a question but just to make sure they’re on the right track with their work. Getting to know how they are doing in other classes, the concerns they have and things that make them happy is great – and they also get to know me, asking me about my own coursework and how I’m doing.”

Rachel Hanger

Rachel is a graduate student in Mathematics, leaning toward a specialization in applied algebra such as algebraic statistics. She has taught Calculus Functions and Variables, Survey of Calculus, and Calculus and Analytic Geometry 1.

Rachel said she enjoys the wide variety of students that UW–Madison has to offer.

“Since most every student has to pass through the math department at least once, you get a wide range of majors, hometowns, and personalities in each class,” she said. “I also really love how the math department focuses on student-led teaching and asking the students questions that help them figure out the problem and build intuition instead of simply giving them the answer.”

Tabitha Martin

Tabitha is an Educational Specialist student in Educational Psychology focused on school psychology. She has been a TA for Ed Psych 740: Cognitive Assessment of Children in the Schools and Ed Psych 742: Assessment and Intervention for Academic Skill Problems.

“I truly enjoyed being a teaching assistant at UW–Madison because they allowed me to engage with both the theoretical and practical aspects of educational psychology,” Tabitha said. “The opportunity to support graduate students as they developed their skills in cognitive and academic assessment deepened my passion for helping others build the skills necessary to create lasting change in the field of school psychology.”

 

 

Keely Mruk

Keely is a graduate student in History of Science, Medicine, and Technology studying 19th and 20th century U.S. history with an emphasis on animals, labor, and infrastructure projects. She has been a teaching assistant for two very different courses: The Origins of Scientific Thought, and Biology and Society since World War II.

Keely said that she most enjoys the people she teaches with, including the students, the instructing professors, and fellow TAs.

“My graduate student colleagues in the history department are the biggest fount of pedagogic knowledge and support,” she said. “The best lesson plans I produce are produced through collaboration with them. My supervising professors are the exact type of scholars I aspire to be. They possess a deep sense of responsibility for offering students a challenging, rewarding, and inclusive education. Something like an ethos of stewardship. I am grateful for their model of what is possible in a classroom. And finally – of course – the students. I can never anticipate the wide and frankly bizarre range of questions they have. I love that I never will be able to anticipate it, and I love that they feel comfortable voicing them in the first place. Teaching can be quite draining; you’re trying to radiate all of this energy and enthusiasm out into the most miserable little icebox in the basement of Mosse. The only thing that makes that sustainable or possible as a learning experience is the energy and enthusiasm that students give back, to you and to each other. I am also very lucky that my students are often very funny (but not funnier than me!).”

Weijun Shen

Weijun is a PhD candidate in Industrial Engineering, specializing in design for additive manufacturing with a focus on design for functionalities. His research explores innovative approaches to optimizing the design and functionality of additive manufacturing processes, aiming to enhance product performance and efficiency.

At UW–Madison, Weijun has served as a teaching assistant for several key courses, including Inspection, Quality Control and Reliability; Introduction to Manufacturing Systems, Design and Analysis; and Computer Integrated Manufacturing. Through these roles, he has developed a passion for fostering student engagement and bridging theoretical concepts with practical applications in industrial engineering.

“What I enjoy most about teaching at UW–Madison is the opportunity to embody the Wisconsin Idea—the principle that education should extend beyond the classroom and positively impact people’s lives,” Weijun said. “This resonates deeply with me, especially in engineering, where knowledge must be rooted in real-world challenges and serve practical purposes. Engineering education cannot be confined to the ivory tower; it must be connected to the needs of society and industry. I strive to bring this philosophy into my teaching by integrating hands-on projects, real-world case studies, and collaborative problem-solving into the learning experience.”

He added, “Teaching and learning are mutually enriching processes. Every interaction with students challenges me to refine my understanding and approach, creating a dynamic and reciprocal learning environment. I aim to inspire students to see the tangible impact of their work and empower them to become innovative problem-solvers who can address the complex challenges of our world.”

Anya Williams

Anya (aka Anya Ekaterina) is a second-year PhD student in the film area of the Department of Communication Arts. Her research focuses on aesthetics, feminist historiography, essay films, and transnational child-centric cinema. With a doctoral minor in the history of childhood, she serves as a teaching assistant for Communication Arts, History, and Educational Policy Studies courses. Drawing on her background in filmmaking and photography, she supports students interested in communications, media, and the arts as a career advisor at SuccessWorks.

She aims to empower students to feel confident in their critical thinking by employing a pedagogy of kindness, using media and material culture to bring students’ identities and passions into the classroom. She has felt thrilled to see them taking ownership over their learning in creative ways, whether that involves making zoetropes out of cardboard or improvising a class diegesis to connect filmmaking exercises.

Yaqian Zhao

Yaqian is a PhD student in Asian Languages and Cultures specializing in Chinese and pursuing a PhD minor in English linguistics. She is particularly interested in the study of pragmatics and second language teaching and learning. At UW–Madison, Yaqian has taught fifth and sixth semester Chinese courses.

“As a Chinese language TA, I enjoy how teaching a language can be so interactive and connective here at UW–Madison,” Yaqian said. “Through classroom interactions, I get to know more about my students, who come from various backgrounds and are eager to contribute to the class. That knowledge further helps me in preparing lessons tailored to them. Also, it’s joyful to see students make progress in their communicative skills in Chinese and in their cultural understanding of the target language. More fascinating is seeing them apply those skills in real life, such as making Chinese friends, speaking Chinese more with their family, and using Chinese at their workplace after graduation. Besides these, it’s also my goal to help students make connections with one another, sharing their experience and perspectives while practicing Chinese, as language is about communication and connection with people. These experiences have made my TAship a pleasant and rewarding journey.”

Early Excellence in Teaching, Dorothy Powelson Award

Zoe Ryan

Zoe is a PhD student in Botany and an ecologist who works with bryophytes and with distribution modeling techniques. She has taught courses on General Botany, General Ecology, Vegetation of Wisconsin, and Introductory Biology.

“The students here are so motivated to learn and be successful in my courses, which particularly stands out when their major is something completely different than the course they are taking,” Zoe noted. “They have been very respectful and integral in helping me cultivate a comfortable and productive classroom environment. I have also enjoyed in courses where I am running a lab section, my coordinators have allowed me flexibility in my teaching methods; it has been exciting to integrate active learning techniques into my labs and see where they land with the students.”

Advanced Achievement in Teaching Award

Selenay Aydin

Selenay is a PhD candidate in the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her research explores the relations and identity formation among Venetians, Genoese, and Turks, focusing on how perceptions of the Turks evolved from the mid-13th to the late-15th century. By analyzing diplomatic exchanges, cross-cultural encounters, and historical narratives, she examines how these interactions shaped notions of the “other” in the late medieval Mediterranean.

As a dedicated educator, Selenay has served as a teaching assistant for several history courses at UW–Madison, including History 201: The Weimar Republic and the Rise of Nazism, History 130: An Introduction to World History, History 119: Europe and the World, and History 110: The Ancient Mediterranean. She enjoys teaching at UW–Madison because of the intellectually curious students and the dynamic classroom discussions that challenge perspectives and encourage critical thinking. She values the opportunity to help students develop their analytical skills, engage deeply with historical narratives, and connect past events to contemporary issues.

Lisa Maria de Sousa Dias

Lisa is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science, specializing in forced migration, human rights, and political violence in sub-Saharan Africa. Her dissertation critically examines the lived experiences of refugees and internally displaced people, with a focus on Mozambique, challenging common assumptions about the distinctions between these groups.

At UW–Madison, Lisa has designed and taught the course Refugees and Forced Migration in Africa and has served as a TA for Introduction to International Studies multiple times.

What Lisa enjoys most about teaching at UW–Madison is the opportunity to engage with curious, thoughtful, and open-minded students. Witnessing students develop the tools to grapple with complex social and political issues, including creatively envisioning solutions and alternative possibilities, has been a true highlight for her as an educator.

Lauren Gerlowski

Lauren is a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography. Her research interests include cultural industries, urban geography, and political economy. Her dissertation investigates how the urban political economy affects the geography of concert dance, and in what ways it is felt and resisted by dancers.

Lauren has been teaching at UW–Madison for 13 semesters and has taught over 600 students. Some courses that she has been a TA for include Introduction to Human Geography and The Global Game: Soccer, Politics, & Identity. She has also been instructor of record for some courses such as Introduction to the City and Political & Cultural Perspectives in Dance Studies. In Summer 2024, Lauren combined her research and teaching interests by designing and administering her own online course titled Geographies of Cultural Industries & Creative Cities.

“I really enjoy seeing students bring their personal and academic interests into the realms of our courses,” Lauren said. “The large size and wide range of majors at UW–Madison brings together students with diverse learning styles, unique interests, and distinct backgrounds. I find it highly rewarding to empower them to apply their individuality within classes and discover a love of learning through their own lens. I enjoy leading classes in this manner as it yields high levels of participation and creativity for students to meaningfully engage with one another and course content.”

Joseph Jean

Joseph Jean, MPH, is a PhD student in the School of Human Ecology specializing in culturally responsive program evaluation, Indigenous studies, and public health. He has taught Civil Society and Community Studies (CSCS) 375: Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, CSCS 400: Philanthropy and Civic Engagement, and CSCS 330: American Indian Communities: Sovereignty, Struggles, and Successes.

“I enjoy engaging with students in critical discussions that challenge dominant narratives and center Indigenous and culturally responsive perspectives,” Joseph said. “Teaching at UW–Madison allows me to foster an environment where students can reflect on their roles in multicultural societies, develop consciousness of self and others, and apply knowledge to real-world issues. I also value the opportunity to integrate community-based approaches and research into the classroom, making learning both meaningful and transformative.”

Hannah Kass

Hannah is a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies specializing in anarchist geographies of land, food, and agriculture. At UW–Madison, she has taught Environmental Studies 112: Social Science Perspectives; Geography 309: People, Land, and Food; History 465: Global Environmental History; and Environmental Studies 600: Community-Engaged Agroforestry.

“I love engaging students in becoming autonomous agents of their own learning, understanding the root causes of complicated world problems, and seeing their place in possible solutions,” she said.

 

Richard Nicolas

Richard is a U.S. Navy Veteran pursuing a doctoral degree in Anthropology with a major emphasis in archaeology. His primary research focuses on the study of power and symbolism found in architectural remains of early societies. His dissertation research investigates the development of power and social complexity in northern Vietnam at the end of the first millennium B.C.E. Richard had trained in both archaeological and anthropological field research conducted in Belize (Mesoamerica), the Mojave deserts and Channel Islands (California), Ifugao (Philippines), and finally Battambang, Cambodia.

He also has a doctoral minor from the Asian Languages and Cultures (ALC) department, in collaboration with the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at UW–Madison, where he currently teaches the Filipino language. He has language training in both Bahasa Indonesia and Vietnamese. Before teaching language, he worked for the Department of Anthropology as a teaching assistant for General Anthropology and Biological Anthropology. He enjoys teaching language and culture in general because it gives him the freedom to express his creativity to engage and connect with students in the classroom. His teaching style has been honed at the ALC department, teaching Filipino Language courses where he can employ not only his language training but also anthropological perspectives in the classroom.

His favorite part about teaching at UW is learning pedagogical methods using a proficiency-based approach and attending the workshops available for teachers.  This opportunity and exposure while finishing his doctorate at UW has been a great addition to his continued training as a researcher and educator. He deeply appreciates his mentors, advisers, supervisors and, most importantly and deeply, his students for helping him grow and keep serving the community in Madison.

Nicole Ramer

Nicole is a PhD candidate in the composition and rhetoric area of the English program where her research examines how Facebook cancer support groups function as communal literacy sites in which personal narratives and medical knowledge intersect and help patients navigate the complex medical and emotional landscape of their diagnosis. Her study investigates how these groups create equality, immanent value, and self-determination conditions, ultimately reshaping the way patients narrate their stories and leveraging writing as a tool for resistance and empowerment.

Before joining UW, Nicole spent nine years teaching a variety of writing courses, but she developed a particular affinity for first-year composition.

“Teaching English 100 at UW has been especially rewarding because it creates an intimate, supportive space where students can develop their identities as learners and learn to incorporate their voices and ideas into academic discourse,” Nicole said. “At UW, I have taught multiple sections of English 100 in both online and in-person formats, including a campus-themed writing curriculum that uses the Wisconsin Idea as a guiding lens to prompt students to consider how their projects and ideas connect to the broader community. My goal is to build a community that cultivates inquiry-based learning, encouraging students to ‘sift and winnow’ as they navigate the challenges and setbacks of the learning process.”

Yi Tong

Yi is a PhD candidate in the human development area of Educational Psychology, where she studies how children learn words and how word learning shapes their thinking and understanding of the world. She has served as the teaching assistant for Ed Psych 320: Human Development in Infancy and Childhood three times, teaching as the primary instructor since spring 2024.

“As a UW–Madison undergraduate alum, my experiences as both a student and an instructor allow me to consider course material from different perspectives,” Yi said. “I genuinely enjoy growing alongside my students and applying my expertise on how people learn to real-world classrooms. While implementing learning principles in practice presents challenges, I appreciate the flexibility of teaching at UW–Madison, which allows me to refine and personalize my course over time. At the heart of my teaching philosophy is the belief that learning how to learn is just as important as the knowledge itself. In many ways, I am also learning—continuously improving my teaching approach based on experience and student feedback. I love sharing my passion for child development with students and helping them see the relevance of these topics in their own lives.”

Advanced Achievement in Teaching, Dorothy Powelson Award

Lena Berry

Lena is a PhD candidate in the Department of Botany in Kate McCulloh’s Plant Ecophysiology Lab. The lab focuses on plants’ physiological responses to abiotic stress, in particular drought stress. Lena’s dissertation research focuses on how differences in leaf anatomy between species influences their physiological responses to the environment, and why certain species will have these cellular structures while others do not. She works with plants including cycads, one of the most globally endangered groups of plants, and various conifer species in the cypress family.

Lena has taught Conservation Biology for four semesters and previously taught two semesters of Introductory Biology. She has taught every semester she’s been a graduate student so far.

“When teaching, I value getting to help students better learn and understand a topic in small group settings with hands-on assignments,” Lena said. “Connecting with students in this way is very rewarding, and I’m glad these opportunities exist for students at such a large university. Having come to UW–Madison from a small liberal arts college, this style of learning allows me to bring my experiences I value from my own undergraduate education into the classroom here.”

Lena added that UW–Madison is also “rich with resources and connections that educators can uniquely utilize in the classroom to create meaningful learning experiences for undergraduate students.” Her Conservation Biology students have done community outreach projects with youth afterschool programs through the Morgridge Institute for Research to teach youth about conservation and ways to be environmentally friendly in their lives.

“I feel like my voice is heard in the courses I teach as far as getting to contribute to course content related decisions,” she added. “Both courses I’ve taught so far have really valued my input which makes me feel like a valued member of a teaching team.”

Yingshun Sun

Yingshun is a PhD student in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. He studies the Stratosphere-Troposphere Interaction and large-scale atmospheric dynamics.   He has taught Weather and Climate discussions for five semesters, and is currently a teaching assistant for Global Change: Atmospheric Issues and Problems.

When asked what he enjoys about teaching at UW–Madison, Yingshun said the students are incredible.

“Many of my students come from non-science backgrounds, making my role as an introductory-level science lab TA especially meaningful. My core mission is to demystify science—to transform it from an intimidating subject into a fascinating and accessible tool for understanding the world,” he said. “One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is witnessing the spark of curiosity ignite in my students. Sometimes, I can see that initial interest take root, and with the right guidance, it grows into genuine enthusiasm and confidence. Moments like these—when students begin to see science as an exciting avenue for exploration rather than a daunting challenge—are the most fulfilling experiences in my teaching journey.”

Capstone Teaching Award

Tracey Bullington

Tracey is a PhD candidate in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Her dissertation investigates how students and teachers employ the arts as a part of literacy learning and the roles of artmaking for students as they address real-world problems and advocate for social change through their compositions in the literacy classroom. Tracey is currently the instructor of record for Advanced Content Methods in English Education, a graduate course in the Secondary English Education program. She has also taught Cultural Foundations of Learning and Development in the undergraduate Elementary Education program and has taught for two years at the Writing Center.

Tracey’s teaching philosophy is rooted in a recognition of students’ and her own humanity. She supports students within and beyond the classroom, modeling how to move through crisis and responding with compassion and support when students share about personal struggles or arrive to class tense from news of tragedy.

As a former high school teacher herself, Tracey has particularly enjoyed teaching future teachers, engaging students in deep discussion around tensions within the field of education. “I support students in grappling with theories and concepts that will undergird their teaching practices for a lifetime. I strive to train future teachers who are critical, self-reflective, imaginative, and adaptable to the needs of all students,” Tracey said.

Tracy Carolan

Tracy is a graduate student in Curriculum and Instruction focused on math education. At UW–Madison, she has taught courses for Psychology including Intro to Statistics, Research Methods, and Intro to Psychology. She has also taught Curriculum and Instruction courses on Methods of Teaching Mathematics (I and II).

“What I enjoy most about teaching at UW–Madison is working with the students, of course!” Tracy said. “I have mainly taught classes that students view with trepidation (math/stats/teaching) and I love being able to help them become more confident in their own abilities. I’ve also gotten to know so many students who are passionate about their ‘thing’—whether that is political action, nursing, or even competitive Rubik’s cube—and it’s such a privilege to be able to learn from them.”

Danielle (Dani) Clevenger

Danielle is a graduate student in the Department of Philosophy. Her research spans several subdisciplines in philosophy including philosophy of the learning sciences, philosophy of cognitive science, philosophy of education, and applied ethics. Her work explores the intersections between embodied cognition, effective pedagogies, and justice and equity issues surrounding higher education. Her current work is centered around questions like: What is active about active learning? Can embodied cognition help explain why active learning seems to be such an effective educational strategy? What do instructors in higher education owe their students in regards to the way they teach?

Danielle has taught many courses at UW–Madison, with her favorites including Contemporary Moral Issues, the Pocahontas Learning Community, Introduction to Philosophy, and Topics in Education: Teaching and Learning Companions.

“My students have been the best part of teaching at UW–Madison,” Dani said. “They are curious, enthusiastic learners, and it has been a privilege to work alongside them in a number of ways. Watching them grow and stretch themselves is incredibly rewarding, and I am continually impressed by their dedication and achievements after leaving my class. Nothing is better than the emails and visits from former students sharing their successes. I also want to shout out my own incredible TAs, who have taught with me.  A lot of my growth has come from the conversations and teaching experiments I did with them.”
She noted that she has also worked with the College of Letters & Science Teaching and Learning Administration as part of the TA Training and Support Team. “Helping develop programming for my fellow teaching assistants has been a highlight of my time here,” she said. “I am very grateful for all the time I have gotten to spend with this team thinking about all things teaching and learning.”

Caroline Hensley

Caroline is a PhD candidate in the English department’s Literary Studies doctoral program. Her dissertation examines how transnational literatures of the 1990s through early 2000s reflect and resist dominant global health frameworks through anticolonial narratives of illness and disability.

In addition to serving as a composition instructor for English 100 and a TA for literature courses like English 140, Caroline sought out recurring opportunities to apply her research in the classroom through several lead teaching roles. As the course designer and lecturer for both English 525: Health and the Humanities and English 156: Literature and Medicine, she guides students primarily interested in medical careers toward healthcare approaches centering cultural, philosophical, historical, and artistic inquiry.

“With a pedagogical commitment to reciprocity and inclusion, I envision these classes as co-constructed spaces of experimentation. Together, the students and I are all discovering new, interdisciplinary inlets wherein notions of ‘health’ can be unpacked and taken up across mediums to alter how we interpret bodies and offer care,” she says. Her courses integrate stories and theories from within and outside of medicine into versatile course activities. “By cultivating curiosity and kindness in our classroom community first, I hope students come to value these same qualities as future providers and patients.”

Outside of her instructional positions, Caroline also serves as the Career Advisor for all of UW–Madison’s English majors. She views her advising and educational philosophies as united in an equity-oriented mission to bridge students to material resources and networks that will sustain them long-term. “I wear a lot of hats here at UW, but my goal across settings is to try to empower students to develop affinity for practices that suit and challenge them in ways that ultimately transcend their contact with me, with curricula, and with the university. If I can provide the tools, I hope they might head into the world feeling equipped and transformed.”

Jisoo Kim

Jisoo is a doctoral candidate in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Her research centers on how media environments influence social democracy, particularly concerning public perception and polarization. She has looked at various subjects in this regard, from what hampers a more engaging and inclusive society to how to enhance the civic culture in digital media platforms to break stereotypes and foster healthy ideas- and opinion-sharing. Her dissertation research is on Americans’ misperceptions of ideological and affective polarization in information ecology.

Jisoo has taught seven different courses as a TA at UW–Madison, from introductory courses like Introduction to Mass Communication and Mass Communication Practices to more advanced-level courses like Media and the Consumer. She was an instructor of record for Effects of Mass Communication in spring 2024.

“After multiple semesters of teaching different courses and connecting with diverse students, I stood at the lectern last spring as the instructor of record for an advanced-level undergraduate course,” Jisoo said. “Some students I had previously taught in other courses returned not only to explore the course topic but to embark on another intellectual journey together with me. Exceeding their expectations, as well as those of new students, presented a delightful challenge. It was immensely fulfilling to structure the course according to my vision, integrating meaningful themes and organizing each element to facilitate deep engagement. I encouraged students to extend their thinking beyond the classroom, grounding their learning in real-world experiences and producing tangible outcomes. In return, I learned from their questions, feedback, thoughtfulness, and kindness. I am grateful to every student who has joined me on this journey, bringing openness, passion, and a willingness to explore new ideas.”

Kate Melberg

Kate is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies (CANES), where she focuses on the relationship between author and audience in Seneca the Younger’s writing. She understands Seneca’s use of diverse genre as a method of appealing to audiences divided by class, education, and, most crucially, their capacity for critical evaluation.  Her secondary research focus addresses disability representation in ancient literature and its reception in modern scholarship.

Kate has taught Classical Mythology, Sex and Power in Greece and Rome, and her own course, Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, which examines the use of disabled figures in Greek and Roman literature. She’s also taught Latin and Ancient Greek as a TA.

“I love teaching at UW–Madison because I see teaching as an opportunity to help each student explore their own identity and relationship to learning,” she said. “If my courses can make every student feel welcomed and necessary to an academic space, I have done my job as an instructor. I am most proud of my continued efforts to design classes that foster community and encourage nuanced, compassionate discussion of complex topics like disability, gender, and agency. This kind of work would not be possible without support from the excellent faculty and graduate students in the CANES department.”

Madison (Madi) Renner

Madison is a PhD candidate in Kinesiology with an emphasis in biomechanics. She has served as the primary lecturer for Emergency Procedures for the Master’s in Athletic Training Program and Undergraduate Anatomy Lecture, a large, 400-student class. She was also a teaching assistant for 11 sections of Undergraduate Anatomy Laboratory across six semesters, serving as the lead TA in her final semester with the course. She is currently a TA for Research in Kinesiology during her final semester at UW.

Madi finds the most rewarding part of teaching at UW–Madison to be the students, who come to class eager to learn and work hard. She is especially passionate about helping future clinicians develop critical thinking and interpersonal skills that will serve them in graduate school and throughout their careers. She strives to foster an inclusive classroom environment where students learn to respect diverse perspectives, an essential skill for both collaborating with peers and providing passionate, patient-centered care.

Orion Risk

Orion Risk (they/them/he) is a PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies with a doctoral minor in Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They focus on performance studies and feminist care theory. At UW–Madison, Orion has taught Introduction to Theatre and Dramatic Literature as well as Women, Men, and Society in Global Perspective. Orion also manages professional development training for teaching assistants in the College of Letters and Science. Their work includes designing a peer observation program, publishing a newsletter for 1,600 recipients with teaching tips and resources, and supporting the annual L&S TA Training with 400 attendees.

“I deeply value the chance to invest in students and discover how they will surprise me,” Orion said. “Students I teach have taken concepts or principles or prompts in directions I didn’t predict and made a compelling new idea or important point or beautiful creative moment. Teaching at UW puts us at a creative confluence of driven people with a wide range of interests and experiences.”

Talha Sultan

Talha is a PhD student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, specializing in signal processing and machine learning. His research in computational imaging integrates emerging sensing technologies, optics, and inverse techniques to develop novel systems capable of “seeing around corners.” His work advances the imaging capabilities of these systems, which have applications in robotics, medical diagnostics, security, and autonomous navigation.

As a committed educator, Talha has taught ECE 203: Signals, Information, and Computation and ECE 330: Signals and Systems, where he strives to make complex mathematical and engineering concepts accessible. His teaching philosophy focuses on fostering independent, life-long learners by equipping students with effective learning strategies. “I use principles from the science of learning to guide my interactions with students, understanding where they are before leading them to their ‘aha’ moments,” he explains. He continuously refines his teaching through student feedback and evidence-based practices to improve learning outcomes.

Beyond the classroom, Talha is committed to fostering engineering education to be more accessible and equitable. He believes that empowering students with effective learning strategies ensures that success in engineering is driven by curiosity, effort, and structured guidance rather than prior experience or socioeconomic background. He creates an inclusive learning environment where students feel encouraged to ask questions, tackle difficult material, and build confidence as engineers.

Maria Tsoy

Maria is a graduate student in Asian Languages and Cultures (ALC) specializing in Japanese Literature. Her favorite course to teach at UW–Madison is the comm-b course on the supernatural in Asia called Asia Enchanted: Gods, Ghosts and Monsters, which she has taught five times and twice as principal instructor. She has also taught First Semester Japanese Language, Introduction into East Asian Civilizations, and Cultural Anthropology and Human Diversity, and has served as a writing TA in the Pushkin Summer Institute.

“What I love the most as a TA is, first, to connect with the students and these moments of improvised discussion that joins us in our curiosity and understanding, and second, that’s something I’ve learned from my ALC professors, to make room for creativity in classroom discussion and assignments,” Maria said.

“As for UW–Madison, I greatly appreciate the range and variety of courses I’ve had an opportunity to teach—small language classes, summer intensives, large general education courses,” she added. “I’ve worked with many students from various majors on different stages of their education, and it is challenging and inspiring to adapt to a new audience and a new group every time. Another fortunate advantage of a big institution is that I see other people teach – and it’s fascinating and very effective for getting new ideas and polishing my own teaching strategies.”

Excellence in Community Based Learning Teaching Award

Marshall Lyons

Marshall is a PhD student in Counseling Psychology whose research explores wellbeing and supports for neurodivergent (ADHD, ASD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, etc.) students in post-secondary education. His teaching is relationally focused and centering psycho-socio-culturally informed andragogy and communication skills. His clinical practice includes relationally-focused and systemically-aware processes and experiences for post-secondary students, gender-affirming care, and exploring impacts of familial culture on relationships.

At UW–Madison, Marshall has taught for a range of courses and project, including: the BASES (Building Academic, Social, and Emotional Supports) program supporting homeless and transitionally housed youth in the Madison Metropolitan School District through mentorship with UW–Madison students; Academic Enhancement Seminar (AES) courses with UW–Madison students on academic probation, centering institutional knowledge, study skills, and personal awareness practices; Academic Enhancement Seminar for Mansfield Hall summer courses in partnership with Mansfield Hall and a conceptual and practical alteration/application of AES core concepts to individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Learning Disabilities preparing to enter college/university; and, the Clinical Communication Skills course centered on teaching communication skills and techniques from counseling psychology to students pursuing helping/healthcare professions.

When asked what he enjoys about teaching at UW–Madison, Marshall mentioned the opportunity to meet and interact with so many individuals and support in the shaping of future helpers, students, and people.

“I enjoy being able to provide students with a more holistic way of engaging in the classroom, which honors and centers them as people with complex and winding lives that are filled with more roles and identities than just that of ‘student’,” he said.