2023 Peer Mentor Award winners announced

The Graduate Student Peer Mentor Awards recognize graduate students who exhibit stellar mentorship qualities.

The 2022 Peer Mentor Award winners are:

• Naomi Isenberg
• Paul Kelly
• Kiley McLean

Naomi Isenberg

Naomi Isenberg is a social psychology PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology. Her research focuses broadly on examining different mechanisms of promoting inclusion. Her dissertation specifically aims to understand the misperceptions individuals have about their peers’ support for diversity, equity, and inclusion and using social norms messaging to correct these misperceptions and improve intergroup attitudes and behaviors. Throughout graduate school, Naomi has served in her department’s Climate and Diversity Committee and Graduate Student Social Events Committee. She also designs and facilitates diversity training workshops for groups in and outside UW–Madison. Naomi has a keen interest in mentoring students who are first-generation college students and students from historically marginalized groups. Her mentorship style is to be a source of support for whatever academic and career goals her mentees have, and to help them identify and pursue opportunities available to them.

Paul J. Kelly

Paul Kelly is a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy. Paul holds an MA in History & Philosophy of Science from Indiana University Bloomington and an MA in Philosophy from Tufts University. His research concerns how models in cognitive science represent and explain. He has over 10 years of teaching experience at a variety of different educational institutions. Paul also works as a mentor through the Undergraduate Research Scholars (URS) program, helping undergraduate students develop the skills necessary to conduct research, compose scholarly articles, and present at academic conferences. Additionally, Paul is Secretary of the Graduate Student Council (GSC) of the American Philosophical Association (APA), a position that enables him to advocate for policies and practices that advance the interests of all students of philosophy, graduate and undergraduate alike.

Kiley McLean

Kiley McLean will be graduating this May with her PhD in Social Welfare from the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She currently works in the Aging and Health Equity in Autism and Developmental Disabilities (AHEADD) lab. Her research focuses broadly on improving the health, social, and economic well-being of adults with developmental disabilities as they transition into adulthood and age, through inclusive and comprehensive policies. Kiley is also currently teaching her fifth course as an independent instructor. Over the past semesters, she has taught courses in Macro Social Work, Social Policy, and Issues in Developmental Disabilities to social work master’s students. Kiley has served in numerous informal and formal mentorship roles to other graduate students and TA’s throughout her five years in the doctoral program. She is incredibly passionate about Universal Design and maximizing access to higher education for every type of learner.