The Graduate Student Commitment to Engagement and Activism Awards recognize graduate students who work on promoting social justice in their graduate degree department and/or on campus. They strive to educate, inspire, and drive change, creating welcoming and inclusive spaces that foster a sense of community and belonging for students from various backgrounds, including students overcoming hardship and challenges in their educational opportunities. They demonstrate strong leadership skills through meaningful engagement for influential change.
Qualities of a social justice advocate:
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Promote values of social justice
A social justice advocate learns, teaches, empowers, and seeks social justice for the communities they serve as well as those that might affect these communities. Someone who can speak out on issues relating to the communities they work with and dedicate time to learning about them.
Create opportunities to educate
Social justice advocates provide opportunities for empowerment through education of issues communities face and how others can work toward creating a more equitable world. This also includes the ability to teach and lead workshops for groups and identifying current student struggles.
Uphold inclusive spaces
A dedicated social justice advocate intentionally creates and maintains inclusive spaces, fostering a sense of community and belonging for students at an institutional level. They build a welcoming environment where students can connect with others and thrive. Communities are at the center of their work and it begins with building those relationships with others.
Actively seek to make necessary change
An advocate listens to the needs of communities and works through issues with them to find possible solutions. If there needs to be change, a good social justice advocate can identify this and seek out the proper resources to make it happen.
Demonstrate leadership skills and knowledge
A social justice advocate is someone who has taken the initiative to educate themselves and develop skills to be a leader in promoting values, educating, creating community, and making change.
Remains open to continue to educate themselves
A social justice advocate strives to continue to educate others by educating themselves and always looking for new ways to help the communities they serve.
Award Winners
Uma R. Chatterjee
Uma R. Chatterjee, MS, MHPS is an award-winning neuroscientist, science communicator, and mental health and disability justice advocate. After earning her undergraduate degree as a non-traditional student, she earned her MS in Neuroscience from the University of Texas-Dallas. She is currently earning her PhD in Neuroscience as an ICTR/NIH TL1 Predoctoral Fellow at the UW–Madison, studying the neurobiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and novel therapeutics in Dr. Michael Cahill’s lab. Uma’s neuroscience research and advocacy are all informed by her lived experience with severe mental illnesses (including OCD, PTSD, depression, and anxiety), young-adult cancer, chronic illnesses, multiple disabilities, and her identities as a non-traditional student and second generation South Asian immigrant. Her work as a scientist stands for the active inclusion and representation of fellow scientists with lived experiences of illnesses and disabilities in research. Through continued advocacy, allyship, and mentorship, she is committed to further destigmatizing and normalizing the experiences and disclosure of mental illness & disability survivorship within researchers at large. She serves as the President of OCD Wisconsin, Lived Experience Council member for One Mind, board member for the Society for Neuroscience’s Upper Midwest Chapter, and an advocate for the International OCD Foundation, leading outreach initiatives through science communication projects and advocating for mental health awareness and disability justice in historically excluded populations. She bridges the gap between mental health research and lived experience as a globally invited public speaker, media contributor, science communicator, and host of the podcast ‘A Chat with Uma’ with thousands of listeners in 45+ countries worldwide.
Natalie Jones
Natalie Jones (she/her/hers) is a citizen of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and a proud daughter of Anishinaabe homelands. She is a political science researcher, educator, and advocate for Indigenous data sovereignty and representation in the social sciences. Natalie holds a bachelor of the arts degree in Political Science from Iowa State University and an master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she is currently pursuing her PhD as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. Her research focuses on Native American political behavior, identity, and tribal sovereignty, grounded in Indigenous research methods, political psychology, and Tribal Critical Race Theory. Natalie’s work has been published in Political Behavior and featured at leading academic conferences and workshops. Her research challenges dominant narratives in political science by amplifying Native voices and centering tribal citizenship, governance, and public opinion. At UW–Madison, she serves as a Teaching Assistant and Graduate Assistant for the Network for the Development of Indigenous Scholars. She also helped co-found the Indigenous Graduate Student Organization, which supports community, advocacy, and leadership development for Indigenous students across disciplines at UW–Madison. Her contributions have earned her fellowships, grants, and national recognition—including the Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment and the APSA Advancing Research Fellowship. When she’s not immersed in research, supporting her Tribal Nation on initiatives like developing a Tribal IRB or mentoring students, Natalie enjoys spending time outdoors, cooking, and getting lost in a good book.
Shreya Singh
Shreya Singh is an international doctoral student from India, currently in her third year of pursuing a PhD in Counseling Psychology. With undergraduate and graduate training in Physical Therapy (PT), she has worked as a PT in both India and the United States. As an ethnic minority and international student at a predominantly white institution, her experiences have profoundly influenced her research interests, focusing on advancing the well-being of South Asian students in predominantly white spaces. Her rich cultural background and trilingual abilities contribute to her unique perspective as a psychologist-in-training. Despite the challenges of social isolation and cultural disconnection as an international student, Shreya’s diverse experiences and clinical training have shaped her commitment to enhancing the campus experiences of South Asian and international students. Shreya is currently pursuing two research projects that aim to understand the wellness experiences of South Asian women in higher education. One of her research projects explores wellness through a cultural framework and explores the role of mind-body wellness in addressing wellness while exploring higher education. Her second academic project explores the conversations South Asian students have regarding mental health with their community, including family, friends, and peers. Shreya’s dissertation continues to build on these projects as she aims to explore the conceptualization of wellness among Indian women residing in India.
Tony DelaRosa
Tony DelaRosa (he/siya) is a son of Pampangan and Caviteño immigrants. He is an award-winning Filipino American racial justice educator, spoken word poet, and researcher. He holds a bachelor of arts in Asian Studies at the University of Cincinnati, a master of education with a focus on Arts Education and Non-Profit Management from Harvard University, and is currently pursuing his PhD in Education Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as an Education Graduate Research Scholar. He researches and writes about Ethnic Studies theory and policy and how this translates into practice. His writing is grounded in Asian Crit, Filipino anti-colonial thought, and cross-ethnoracial solidarity. Tony has been featured in Hulu, NBC, CNN, Harvard Education Magazine, and elsewhere. He was nominated as one of Wisconsin’s 40 Asian American leaders to follow in 2023 by Madison 365. Tony is the author of “Teaching the Invisible Race” which helps educators and leaders strengthen their own racial literacy pertaining to Asian Americans. On his free time, he plays Elden Ring, has sword fights with his toddler, watches Love is Blind with his wife, and watches anime. Learn more about him at @TonyRosaSpeaks on social media or by visiting TonyRosaSpeaks.com.
Michelle Marji
Michelle Marji is a PhD student in the Department of Psychology in the Niedenthal Emotions lab. Her research involves modeling human movement through space, analyzing the effects of synchronous movement, examining issues of equity and social justice, and conducting naturalistic studies. Michelle’s research is grounded in collaboration with social scientists, computer scientists, entrepreneurs, engineers, geographers, artists, and community members. Michelle is a facilitator of the Antiracism Learning and Action in Neuroscience (ALAN) graduate student organization. As a member, she organized a 3-hour workshop on antiracist learning and action in academia and presented it at an international conference, she helped design a graduate student guidebook, and has been awarded funding for the organization. Outside of the lab, Michelle is a dance artist and rock climber.
Qiang Xie
Qiang Xie (he/him/his) is a PhD student in the Department of Counseling Psychology and a graduate research assistant in the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In his research endeavors, Qiang is passionate about studying the development, improvement, and implementation of technology-delivered interventions. He aims to bridge the accessibility gap in mental health services, particularly for marginalized communities, ensuring that technological advancements actively contribute to inclusive and equitable mental health solutions. As an international student and a member of the Asian community, he leverages a blend of professional expertise to cultivate meaningful connections within his community. During his time at the University Health Services as a practicum clinician, Qiang is deeply committed to advocating for and delivering culturally sensitive individual and group therapy, including therapy conducted in Mandarin, to support international students. Initiating outreach activities, such as co-facilitating a mindfulness workshop and providing psychoeducation on psychotherapy for international students, allows him to address broader mental health concerns in his community. As a co-lead of the Counseling Psychology Student Association International Student Committee, Qiang is dedicated to advocating for crucial initiatives such as securing departmental funding to address the unique challenges and needs of international psychologists in training in the United States.
Brianna Buhr
Brianna Buhr (Bri) is a Counseling Psychology master’s student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Bri is a teaching assistant in the Counseling Psychology Department and enjoys lecturing and facilitating discussion sections with undergraduate students. As the Youth Advocacy and Support Specialist at the Bayview Community Center, Bri follows the lead of youth and families while collaborating with staff to support youth mental health in the community. Outside of school and work, Bri enjoys writing poetry, dancing and singing with loved ones, and being in nature.
Hannah Glenn
Hannah Glenn (she/her/hers) is a PhD candidate in the Department of Counseling Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. During her time at UW–Madison, Hannah has served in multiple roles to create and uphold culturally affirming spaces for underrepresented students on campus including, but not limited to, being a mentor for the Posse Program from 2018 to 2020 and a Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement (DDEEA) Community Support Specialist at the Counseling Psychology Training Clinic during the 2020-21 and 2022-23 academic years. In addition to her UW roles, Hannah launched @BIPOC_MentalHealth on Instagram in 2021 to share evidence-based information about psychology and mental health for BIPOC communities and has grown a following of more than 3,500. In these roles, Hannah has provided welcoming spaces, in-person and digitally, for people to truly feel seen and learn about what makes them who they are. She approaches forming relationships and strengthening communities with her values of cultural humility, curiosity, openness, authenticity, and respecting the infinite worth of every individual. Hannah is motivated to use her positionality as a psychologist-in-training to support others’ mental health and help them bloom where they have been planted—or even grow to the point that it is time to be transplanted in a new environment to flourish in ways they hadn’t ever imagined for themselves.
Patrick Monari
Patrick Monari is a PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They study the endocrinology and functional neuroplasticity that impacts social behavior, specifically communication and coordination. During their time at UW–Madison, Patrick founded the Antiracism Learning and Action in Neuroscience group (ALAN), a community of students, professors, and staff who explore how the institutions within academia oppress people of color, in particular Black and Indigenous folks. ALAN focuses on unpacking the active and tacit participation of individual academics in these racist systems, and what those academics can do to address this participation. With the other members of ALAN, Patrick implemented a number of initiatives including a university-wide catalog of life science labs that prioritize hiring undergraduate researchers of color, a yearly Science Expo at a local high school that brings over 70 university scientists to speak with students to foster science identities, DEI panels at a science society conference, and a published commentary on leveraging privilege to improve racial equity in academia.
Zubin DeVitre
Zubin DeVitre is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Counseling Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. During his time at UW–Madison, Zubin has filled various roles including, but not limited to, lead instructor for UW’s Academic Enhancement Seminar, a mentor for the Posse Foundation, and a community support specialist at the Counseling Psychology Training Clinic. In these roles, Zubin has done his best to ensure that he is finding system-level interventions that he can put into place to help instill lasting change while also attending to his required responsibilities. Examples include creating a partnership with Clif Bar to help scholars with food insecurity and crafting system processes to provide more equitable access for student resources. As a second-generation South Asian American, his professional interests focus (broadly) on Pan- and South Asian American mental-health/well-being. Specifically, recognizing that South Asian Americans are often forgotten within the higher education and mental-health narratives, Zubin works to provide representation to South Asian American students within the university setting. It is for these reasons that Zubin’s research publications and presentations have a specified focus on ways to reconstruct the narrative surrounding Pan- and South Asian American students’ well-being and why he worked to develop UW–Madison’s first ever Asian American Psychology course.
Ashley Scott
Ashley Scott is a MD-PhD student in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In her thesis work she utilizes biomaterials to design scaffolds that closely mimic diseased aortic valve architecture. She utilizes these systems to explore the biological underpinnings that contribute to the sex differences of aortic valve disease. In addition to her biomedical research, Ashley is passionate about improving the lives of marginalized groups through medicine and biomedical research. To accomplish this goal, she invests her time mentoring underrepresented students, developing novel curricula on implicit bias, organizing summits and rallies, and leading diversity and equity focused organizations. Ashley’s multitude of endeavors help create a more just system from which everyone can benefit.
Morgan L. Henson
Morgan Henson is a PhD student in the Sociology Department at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He researches social hierarchies such as whiteness and patriarchy around the world, specifically in Central and Eastern Europe. Morgan is a public sociologist with a growing social media presence and enjoys teaching the public about the social hierarchies he researches in plain, graspable language. He believes that most hierarchies are perpetuated, both consciously and unconsciously, by those who most benefit from their structures. So, the foundation of his community engagement is rooted in removing the guilt and accusation commonly associated with these difficult topics and, instead, engaging with white people, cis men, etc. critically and collaboratively on how these hierarchies implicitly structure our lives. In addition to his academic role here at UW, Morgan tutors high school students and loves to travel and understand social hierarchies outside of the U.S. context. Prior to his doctoral studies, Morgan lived in Russia and Ukraine, and he currently speaks English, Russian, Ukrainian, French, and German.