2019 BUWG Award Winners

ANDRESSA MOTA is a Ph.D. candidate in the Biology Department of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She is a first generation college graduate and received a BS in Biology and a minor in Chemistry from Bridgewater State University. Her dissertation research at BU focuses on the role of a transcription factor, FOXR1, as a potential stress sensor, and how a mutation in FOXR1 leads to microcephaly and neurodegeneration. She is the proud mom of a two-year-old daughter and hopes to continue a path in academia and mentor students without a supportive academic culture.

In honor of Vita Paladino
ALICIA BRITTON navigated her way to the East coast from Minneapolis, MN, spending her undergraduate years at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ for a BA in music for voice. After eight years of freelance work as a professional actor, singer, and composer, she is currently enrolled in CFA for an MA in ethnomusicology. While developing her concentration on music and neuroscience, she remains active in her personal artistic endeavors.

JORDAN KARNEY CHAIM is a doctoral candidate and Raymond and Margaret Horowitz Foundation Fellow in American Art whose research focuses on the changing institutional landscape of contemporary art in Los Angeles since the 1970s. She recently curated the exhibition “Martine Gutierrez: True Story” at Boston University’s Stone Gallery. Before beginning graduate school, she was the Assistant Director at Mary Ryan Gallery in New York. She lives in San Diego, California with her husband and daughter.

NARINÉ (NARI) MALKHASYAN, originally from Yerevan, Armenia, is a rising 2nd year MBA student at Questrom School of Business. She came to Questrom after years in the Sportswear Industry. As a Chemical Engineer, she hoped to make a difference by working on sustainable materials, but recognized that materials were a small part in a much greater issue. Nari was inspired to create systemic change in sourcing and supply chains in order to make a positive impact on communities where garments are manufactured. At Questrom, Nari has been involved in the community by mentoring undergraduate students, helping organize the 2019 Boston Net Impact Conference, serving as Fundraising Chair on the MBA Internship Fund for Social Impact, and recently was elected as the Questrom Graduate Council President. Nari will be leading her 7th Habitat for Humanity build to Nepal in May, and will be joining Amazon in Seattle as a Retail Leadership Development Intern in the summer.

NOHA ROUSHDY is a cultural anthropologist interested in cultural politics and identity formation in the Middle East. Her dissertation research looks at the production of national and classed identities in and around private and international schools in Egypt. She has a BA in Middle East Studies and an MA in Anthropology from the American University in Cairo. Before starting the PhD program at BU, Noha worked as researcher on sexual and reproductive health and rights for various NGOs in Egypt.

In memory of Natalie McCracken
MARÍA SÁNCHEZ is a graduate student at BU working on an MS in Journalism. After graduating with an Art degree from UMass Boston and spending six years working at the public defender’s office in Boston, she decided to take the plunge and fully commit to a deferred dream of becoming a visual journalist.

DR. LINDSAY ARNOLD completed her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Northeastern University, followed by two years of post-graduate training. During training she developed a passion to work with underserved populations, focusing on how patient & family education during hospitalization can improve health outcomes. She currently works at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center as the Clinical Manager for Pharmacy Services.

GIULIA CIAGHI is an international graduate student from Italy who is interested in humanitarian work and currently volunteers with the UNICEF. The Master Degree in Health Information Systems will allow her to translate data into meaningful information, for a powerful response to potential epidemics of every kind. Ultimately, she wants to be able to make the world a better place by being useful to others and give everyone a chance for a better future.

LILIANE SCARPARI is a 41-year-old woman, mother of two, and a graduate student of MET – Information Systems with concentration in Security. She works as an IT Auditor for an oil & gas company. With over 20 years of experience in IT, she is very passionate about security. She also likes to extend her knowledge by offering young girls lectures on how to avoid cyber abuse and other threat scenarios girls may be be exposed to on the Internet.

VIVIEN SOLOMON is an MPH candidate in the BU SPH and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Calabar, Nigeria. She worked with anticancer organizations like Project PinkBlue and Susan G. Komen to manage evidence-based and culturally sensitive breast cancer interventions. Vivien is passionate about addressing public health disparities in marginalized populations. She works with a team supported by BUSPH Activist Lab that started a reading program for the homeless at the Engagement Center run by the Boston Public Health Commission.

NATALIE VAISMAN is a Brazilian-Israeli microbiologist doing her PhD in Cell and Molecular biology at BU. She holds a bachelor degree in Microbiology and Immunology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and a Masters in Biotechnology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Natalie is also a social chair of the Graduate Women in Science and Engineering at BU, a volunteer at the Massachusetts Association of Women in Science, and an associate board member of the Anti-Defamation League.

Graduate Fiction Prize

ANITHA AHMED is an MFA candidate in the Fiction Program at BU. She’s also a fourth-year medical student at Thomas Jefferson University. Her fiction is forthcoming in Calyx Journal and her poetry is forthcoming in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Undergraduate Fiction Prize

TIFFANY XUE is a graduating senior in ENG BME. She registered for a writing course in her last semester to rekindle her passion for creative writing and appreciates help received from professors and peers along the way. She writes poetry and short stories when not coding/modelling for fun.