The Graduate School celebrated the outstanding accomplishments of NIU’s graduate students on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. These students were nominated for recognition by their academic departments, are fellowship recipients, or are dissertation and thesis prize winners. Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants will be recognized by the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning.
The following are recipients of the 2024-2025 awards.
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award​
Melina Baer – English
Fernando Marroquin Mendoza – Music
Kathryn Sowinski – Art and Design
Peter Tappenden – Psychology
Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois Fellowship ​
Selina Cervantes – Electrical Engineering
Haseen Jefferson – Philosophy
Loryn Kimbrough – Counseling and Higher Education
Deidra Milan – Counseling and Higher Education
Yoonsun Pyun – Psychology
Reginald J. Rice – History
Angela Thomas – Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations
Tiarra Wright – History
Carter G. Woodson Fellowship​
Karina Diaz – English
Dissertation Completion Fellowship​
Panchalie Bhagya Gunathunga – Biological Sciences
L. Raymond Guo – Health and Human Sciences
Lindsey Kojich – Health and Human Sciences
Brendan Leung – Physics
Alexander Lundberg – History
Xingyi Lyu – Chemistry and Biochemistry
Faye Scott – English
Rithiya Serey – Political Science
Outstanding Thesis Award​
Casey Farmer – Anthropology (Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education)
Vianca Ocampo – Allied Health and Communicative Disorders (Health Sciences and STEM)
Outstanding Dissertation Award​
Oliver Camacho – Counseling and Higher Education (Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education)
Timothy Draher – Physics (Health Sciences and STEM)
Outstanding Graduate Student Award​
Nick Andersen – Music
Babatola Arogundade – Counseling and Higher Education
Keith Barnes – Counseling and Higher Education
Joshua Bedeau – Music
Samantha Berk – Biological Sciences
Kasaundra Beverly-Marshall – Nursing
Brenna Bretzinger – Communication
Derrick Clanton – Interdisciplinary Health Professions
Ethan Cowburn – Music
Henry Benjamin Dawson-Amoah – Counseling and Higher Education
Taylor Dunaway – Kinesiology and Physical Education
Elinor Gerbracht – Philosophy
Kennedi Glover – Allied Health and Communicative Disorders
Caio Gomes – Educational Technology, Research and Assessment
Kaelin Hansen – Allied Health and Communicative Disorders
Meghan Hanson – Anthropology
Anna Henderson – History
Christopher Herbig – Mathematical Sciences
Matthew Herring – Kinesiology and Physical Education
Hanna Jetel – Health Studies
Youjung Stella Jung – Educational Technology, Research and Assessment
Marina Klauke – World Languages and Cultures
Kimberly Krueger – History
Kassie Long – Accountancy
Feng Luan – Statistics and Actuarial Science
Xingyi Lyu – Chemistry and Biochemistry
Alyssa McHugh – Accountancy
Sauvik Mondal – Mathematical Sciences
Shahrzad Motallebi – Art and Design
Salieg Munestri – Political Science
Ibtida Nishat – Sociology
Gerald O’Malley – English
Alex Owens – English
Darshaben Patel – Marketing
Haley Petragallo – Public Administration
Kyle Pittman – Earth, Atmosphere and Environment
Yoonsun Pyun – Psychology
Bethany Rohl – Kinesiology and Physical Education
Alexandra Sandager – Kinesiology and Physical Education
Megan Schaefer – Political Science
Hannah Schaumberg – Art and Design
Jocelyn Schueler – Educational Technology, Research and Assessment
Teddy Schupack – Psychology
Hemin Shah – Biological Sciences
Gretchen Sprinkle – Special and Early Education
Erinn Alexis Stuart – Art and Design
Soka Suliman – Mechanical Engineering
Sirvan Tayyebi – Economics
Hoa Vo – Family and Consumer Sciences
Lee Williams – Allied Health and Communicative Disorders
Duangkamon Winitkun – Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations
Johnson Kwame Wor – Art and Design
Omobolanle Gloria Wunuken – Interdisciplinary Health Professions
Yixin Xu – Counseling and Higher Education
