Hosted by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Graduate Student Senate
April 1, 2024, 11 am – 1 pm; Student Union Pilot Company Ballroom A/B
Check out our recap video!
Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week (GPSAW)
Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week is a national celebration week of students pursuing post-graduate education. Hundreds of universities across the country host thousands of events that provide these students with extra opportunities for professional development and social connections including episodes of both growth and respite. The University of Tennessee’s GPSAW events are hosted by various offices across campus and a comprehensive list prepared by the Graduate School can be found here: tiny.utk.edu/gpsaw. There are many events with different benefits and purposes, including those that incorporate distance education students, so be sure to stay engaged this week!
Award Categories and Awardees
Click on an award below to learn more and see who won!
The Excellence in Graduate Research Award is presented to graduate and professional students who have received recognition in their field and show promise in their area of research and/or creative achievement.
Awardees
Xan Carlson
Anirban Roy
Ark Ifeanyi
Bethany Parker
Cailyn Ratliff
Changwha Oh
Charles Flowers
Cole Green
Dana Abu Haltam
Denise Morawek
Erin Van Berkel
Gretchen Cook
Hannah Thompson
Heng Li
Jen Shaneberger
Jennifer Tipton
Jeronimo Gomes Da Silva Neto
Jessica Garcia
Jordan Cannon
Julia Goncalves
Katie James
Katrina Stack
Kayleigh Hart
Kim Pestovich
Kinsley Frady
Madeline Crozier
Madison Henniger
Manu Rathore
Marcia Chavez
Mary Terry
Meagan Stewart
Megan Wolfkill
Nishita Gogia
Piper Gauthier
Rachel McGovern
Rachel Vincent
Rachel Williams
Reshma Nair Mini Ravi
Richard Dickson Amoako
Samantha Kuschke
Samuel Adotey
Sanjita Wasti
Sargun Singh Rohewal
Senjuti Dutta
Shailey Curtis
Shamiul Alam
Shokoufeh Soleimani
Sompa Reza
Swati Mishra
Temvelo Matsebula
Yanhai Wang
Zhenghao Zhu
The Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching Award is presented to graduate teaching assistants and associates for extraordinary performance in teaching.
Awardees
Akash Phadatare
Anika T. Sarkar
Brian Boyce
Chase Blackwell
Chris Playter
Destiny White
Haiqiao Wang
Haley Dylewski
Hayden McKee-Zech
Hunter Porter
Jaachinma Okafor
Jake Buller-Young
Jalen Blue
Jamie Alumbaugh
Jessie Richards
Katherine D. Cook
Katherine Trubee
Katie Peterson
Kinsley Frady
Magnolia Alarcon
Mahnaz Sarker Meem
Margaret Knight
Matthew Cooper
Melissa Pulley
Michael Ebling
Minjeong Kim
Neil Truslow
Nicole Szafranski
Rachel Williams
Taliah Carlson
Yanhai Wang
The Excellence in Service Award is presented to graduate and professional students who exemplify extraordinary leadership, participates in service learning or other community initiatives, and/or provides service leadership to their academic discipline through service in professional organizations.
Awardees
Aimee Pehrson
Ark Ifeanyi
Dana Abu Haltam
Dahkota Debold
Eliza Baker
Jessica Barfield
James D. Goates
Jill Walton
Kaitlyn Alford
Kayleigh Hart
Katherine Trubee
LaKesha Lee
Morgan Adkins
Mohammad Rahanur Alam
Paul Keener
Rebecca Lalk
Samuel Affar
Tania Dawant
Victoria Runion
Piper Gauthier
Allison Jones
The Excellence in Community Engagement Award is presented to graduate and professional students for their accomplishments in community-engaged (CE) research, learning, and scholarship.
Awardees
Caroline Griffin
Katherine D. Cook
Kelly Sauskojus
LaKesha Lee
McKenzie Martin
Piper Gauthier
Sara Allaman
Stephanie Insalaco
Tanner Thornton
The Outstanding Graduate Student Organization Award recognizes graduate and professional student organizations/councils for their extraordinary contributions to graduate student life and/or to their respective academic department.
Awardees
UTCVM VOICE
Sociology Graduate Student Organization
Multicultural Graduate Student Organization
UTK GradSWE, Society of Women Engineers
The Outstanding Graduate Student Support Award recognizes Directors of Graduate Studies and Student Graduate Coordinators who have shown outstanding commitment to mentoring and leading graduate students in their department.
Awardees
Agricola Odoi
Alicia Reed
Amber Roessner
Ben Lee
Brad Ward
Catherine Cox
Derek Alderman
Dianna Beeler
Elizabeth Schussler
Ernest Brothers
Ian Down
Jonathan Garthoff
Leslie Tolman
Maggie Atchley
Millie Cheatham
Nick Jakel
Nneka Walson
Savannah Stewart
Sean Q. Hendricks
Toni Wang
The Outstanding Graduate Professor Award recognizes faculty members who have shown outstanding commitment to teaching graduate and professional students.
Awardees
Francheska Starks
Jennifer Ann Morrow
Jennifer Richards
Jeremy Kanter
Kelsey Ellis
Mark Wilber
Shih-Lung Shaw
The Outstanding Graduate Research Mentor Award recognizes faculty members who have shown outstanding commitment to mentoring graduate and professional students in their research endeavors.
Awardees
Abner Salgado
Amy Mundorff
Cathy Grist
Dawn M. Szymanski
Derek Alderman
Belinda Akpa
Brendon McNicholas
Brian Whitlock
Elizabeth Collar
Erin Hardin
Frances Harper
Gilvan Souza
Jamie Coble
Jana Morgan
Jennifer Morrow
Jonathan Garthoff
Kyung-Joon Han
Kai Zhuang Shum
Kelsey Ellis
Laurie Meschke
Leia Cain
Lori Caudle
Madhu Dhar
Margaret Quinn
Minjeong Kim
Nicholas Nagle
Phillip Meyer
Sreekumari Rajeev
Tanita Saenkhum
The Outstanding Graduate Student Senator Award recognizes Graduate Student Senate Senators who have shown outstanding commitment to the organization, its vision, and the graduate and professional student experience.
Awardees
Adaora Ede
Anika Sarkar
Anirban Roy
Aritra Moulick
Dale TeGantvoort
Iyanouluwa Oyetunji
Jeronimo Gomes Da Silva Neto
Jessica Barfield
Kelsey O’Neill
Lygia Karagiozis
Maddie Ross
Mary Mahne
Max Neveau
Samuel Affar
Taylor Baird
Valentina Gomez
Note from GSS President Katherine Trubee
This past year has shown me both first and secondhand just how enthusiastic and resilient our graduate and professional students are. It has been a true pleasure working with each and every student, senator, faculty member, and campus partner to continue the mission of building a graduate and professional student community at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Going beyond the official boundaries of UT’s campus, our graduate and professional students have engaged in countless ways by organizing community programs and events including shows and performances, K-12 clubs, volunteer services, community engaged research, and more.
Our students have reached new heights in the realms of research with thousands of publications and conference presentations as well as teaching with thousands of students enriched. None of this work would have been possible without our devoted faculty and staff who support and mentor our graduate and professional students dutifully. It is an honor to recognize the efforts of our campus support system and we encourage everyone to recognize and appreciate their supportive friends and family during this Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation week as well.
The Graduate Student Senate Executive Committee, Hannah, Nick, and I are ecstatic at the opportunity to celebrate all of the hard work of graduate and professional students and our community this year along with each of you! Special thanks to our Graduate String Quartet for the lovely musical stylings (Mike Perroud and Euclides Andrade-Silva on violin, Jackson Alderman on viola, and Dylan Jowell on cello).
2023-2024 Graduate Student Senate
GSS has achieved a lot this year, as evidenced by the extensive awards presented to our students and community. None of it would have been possible without the dedication of both our departmental senators and the executive committee.
Special Thanks to our Campus Partners
- The Graduate School
- Chancellor’s Office
- Division of Access and Engagement
- Division of Student Life
- Center for Global Engagement
- Office of Alumni Relations
- Faculty Senate
- Student Government Association
- Teaching and Learning Innovation
- Office of Sustainability
- Parking and Transit
- Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration