NASPA NOW Professionals 2018 Cohort
January 29, 2018
When our committee began gathering ideas and drafting proposal documents two years ago, this day was nothing short of a dream. When I attended the NASPA Annual Conference in Indianapolis in 2016, I was a new KC leader and approached by Nathan Victoria from the NASPA office and my KC Chairs to begin the process of developing a recognition platform for the rising stars within NASPA.
After many conference calls, meetings, and late hours in the office, we finally settled on our idea for the NASPA NOW Professionals recognition. Similar to a “30 under 30”-type recognition, NASPA NOW recognizes the incredible work of our New Professionals and Graduate students (Masters and Doctoral) within our profession. Many thanks have to be given to Nathan Victoria from NASPA, Dustin Grabsch and Sharee Myricks (NPGS KC Chairs), as well as my committee of dedicated professionals: Berengere Phillips (VCU), Laura Gentner (University of Dayton), Noelle Pease (Texas A&M), and Jessica Shapiro (Ithaca College).
With a lot of guidance from the NASPA office and the leadership of the New Professionals and Graduate Students KC Awards Committee, I am pleased and honored to present our FIRST group of NASPA NOW Professionals. In our first year, we received a large number of competitive applications and selected a group of 25 highly qualified New Professionals and Graduate Students with a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences, and expertise.
Additionally, this recognition program could not be possible without the help of the financial sponsors of NASPA NOW Professionals: Spelman Jonson and Treanor HL. With their support, we were able to provide scholarships to the NASPA Annual Conference to all NOW recipients as well as pins and certificates to recognize their achievements.
For more information about the NASPA NOW Professionals recognition and for the biographies of each recipient, please visit the NASPA NOW website. All NASPA NOW recipients will be honored at the NPGS KC Coffee Social at the NASPA Annual Conference on March 7th!
Please join me in congratulating the NASPA NOW Professionals for 2018:
-
Impact
Janna Bernstein
Assistant Director of Leadership and Scholar Development
University of Nevada - Las Vegas
Abigail Brumfield
Coordinator, Office of the Dean of Students
University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Queena Hoang
Assistant Center Director of Asian Pacific American Student Services
University of Southern California
Michael Lemus
First Year Academic Counselor
University of California – Davis
Isabella Villacampa
Assistant Director for International Student Engagement
New York University
Inclusion
Dr. Ufuoma C. Abiola
Associate Director, Academic Affairs and Advising
University of Pennsylvania
Laura Bohórquez
Undocumented Student Program Coordinator
University of Maryland
Jaelyn Coates
Graduate Assistant, Parent and Family Programs
Colorado State University
Brian Richardson, Jr.
Assistant Director for Diversity and Inclusion
Indiana University
Diana Valdivia
Undocumented Student Services Coordinator
University of California – Santa Barbara
Innovation
Michael Drucker
House Advisor and Assistant Director for Residential Life
Vassar College
Lauren Oliver
Assistant Director, Residential Education
Dartmouth College
Lucia Pfizenmaier
Student Success Coordinator
Binghamton University
Amy Schlichting
Health Educator
Doane University
Lea Staedtler
Senior Career Coach for Humanities
Earlham College
-
Inquiry
Brenda Anderson Wadley
Coordinator, Student Assistance
University of Arizona
Missy Dominguez
Program Manager for Student Engagement and Activities
University of Washington – Bothell
Chris Hoppe
Associate Director of Campus Recreation and Outdoor Programs
Eastern Washington University
Norma López
Doctoral Student and Research Assistant
Loyola University Chicago
Ricky Urgo
Graduate Student
Mississippi State University
Integrity
Brandon Brideau
Graduate Assistant
Fitchburg State University
Samantha España
Academic Advisor
University of Nevada – Reno
Ashley Pryor
Director, Social Change
The Ohio State University
Michelle Scali
Assistant Director of Student Involvement
Southern New Hampshire University
Heather Stevens
Student Advocacy Coordinator
University of Miami
We look forward to continuing this recognition program and continuing to recognize the amazing work being done by New Professionals and Graduate students within NASPA. If you have any questions or are interested in assisting with the coordination of this recognition, please email me at [email protected].
Best,
Russell C Aivazian, M.Ed. (He, Him, His)
Nominations and Awards Coordinator | NPGS KC
Resident Director | University of Kentucky