2022 Award Winners

Daphne Nakawesi (SPH)

Honour Adewumi (ENG)

“I am immensely grateful to the Boston University Women’s Guild for awarding me this scholarship. This scholarship will help me to advance my graduate studies by giving me the opportunity to share my research at conferences. Because of my status as an international student, I am limited in the kinds and number of fellowships and travel grants that I can apply to. Hence, this Award will allow me to have similar opportunities as other scientists such as presenting my research at scientific meetings.”

I am a Ph.D. student in Biomedical Engineering and my research is focused on glial cell transplantation for central nervous system injuries. A few years ago I found my passion in biomedical research during internships and I decided to spend most of my life contributing to the advancement of science through research. I grew up with two siblings who are my best friends and also scientists. When I am not in the lab, I am trying something new, writing songs, or working out. I am excited and grateful to have been chosen for the BUWG WOCC Award.

Minna Natsuko Ito (SAR)

Ndidiamaka Obi (GRS)

Carolynn Mireault (GRS)

“I am honored to receive this award, which will allow me to continue contributing to the world the only way I know how. I have the deepest appreciation for BUWG and the BU Creative Writing faculty for demonstrating confidence in my work among such talented artists and thinkers.”

Carolynn Mireault is a Leslie Epstein Fellow and the Senior Teaching Fellow in the MFA program at Boston University. She is the winner of the 2022 St. Botolph Club Foundation Emerging Artist Award. Her work has recently appeared or is forthcoming in Cutleaf, Louisiana Literature, BULL, Glassworks Magazine, the Westchester Review, Abandon Journal, and FEED among others. Find her most recent publications at carolynnmireault.com.

Samantha Vatalaro (COM)

“Words have always been my oldest and dearest friends- no matter where I go or what I do, there they are, waiting to welcome me home. I’m so thankful to the BU Women’s Guild for their selection of my work, which has encouraged me to continue my lifelong love affair with writing.”

Samantha Vatalaro (COM) is a COM May 2022 graduate with a major in film and television and a minor in the CAS Core Curriculum. She is originally from Saratoga Springs, New York. She would like to thank her parents and friends for their ceaseless patience, love, and enthusiasm for her creative pursuits. She would also like to thank the BU Women’s Guild for their selection of her piece, and the late Ruth Levine and Ms. Florence Engel Randall’s son, Stewart, for the endowment which made this and other scholarships possible.

Ayesha Akter (ENG)

“I am honored to have been selected for the Boston University Women’s Council scholarship. Being a 1st generation college student, I always had to work harder compared to a privileged human being. I hope that my journey will inspire other girls to fight for their rights and reach for stars.”

Ayesha Akter (ENG) is a fourth-year MSE PhD candidate at Boston University. She has obtained her bachelor’s degree from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh. Her dissertation research focuses on the development of a robust oxygen electrode material for the reversible solid oxide cell (RSOC). RSOC is a device that can work reversibly to generate electricity using hydrogen as fuel and generate hydrogen by water splitting. Along with working as a researcher, she wants to work for the betterment of underprivileged people and make the world a better place.

Ana Barun (GRS)

Esther Benjamin (CFA)

Roselyn Cantu (LAW)

“I am incredibly grateful for the Boston University Women’s Council Scholarship. Your generous support will help further my legal education in immigration law, especially in pursuing invaluable experiential learning and legal research experiences through unpaid government and nonprofit work. “

Roselyn Cantu (LAW): I am a rising second-year law student at Boston University School of Law. I was born and raised in Escondido, CA. As an Asian-Latina and daughter of immigrants, I am the first in my family to graduate from college and attend law school. In 2014, I earned a B.A. in International Relations from Claremont McKenna College. Coming from a first-generation, low-income background, I am committed to becoming an immigration lawyer to advocate for immigrants’ and workers’ rights.

Raina Cordell (MET)

“I am so honored to receive the Boston University’s Women’s Council Scholarship. This award will help me to complete my graduate studies in health communication and use that knowledge to continue to inspire positive behavior change, improve health literacy, and change lives.”

Raina Cordell (MET) is a graduate student at BU’s Health Communications program where she is concentrating in Visual & Digital Communication. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and worked as an RN in pediatrics for many years. She currently works as a Clinical Content Writer and Curator for digital health coaching products. She is passionate about health literacy, social determinants of health, behavior change, and writing. When she isn’t working or in school, Raina spends time with her family, including her husband, three young children and two doodles.

Gabriela Doria-Segura (SDM)

Marisol Garcia (SSW)

Shanice Hamilton (SAR)

Leyla Jafarova (GRS)

Madelaine Kobe (CFA)

“I am deeply honored to be selected for this award and so grateful for your support. I appreciate this contribution as a member of our visual arts community and recognize the impact it can have on the greater community here at Boston University and in the Boston area.”

Madelaine Kobe (CFA) is an MFA Painting candidate in Boston University’s College of Fine Arts. She holds a BFA in Painting and a BA in Art History from Louisiana State University. As a painter from southeastern Louisiana, Madelaine’s work is steeped in her experience of her environment. In her current graduate studies, she is working on a group of large, abstract paintings, and exploring naturally occurring materials and pigments that have autobiographical significance.

Marie Le Blevennec (GRS)

“I am grateful and honored to have been selected for the Boston University Women’s Council Scholarship. I am so thankful to the Boston University Women’s Guild, and I appreciate their mission of supporting female scholars at Boston University. Finally, my congratulations to the other awardees!”

Marie Kerguelen Feldblyum Le Blevennec (CAS) is a PhD student in Philosophy. She is a first-generation college graduate and a recent immigrant to the United States from France. Before coming to Boston, she received MAs in philosophy from Georgia State University and the Sorbonne. Her research focuses on bioethics and political philosophy. Her dissertation discusses the ethics of parenthood and procreation, and related issues in philosophy of disability.

Moreen McGrath (Wheelock)

Christine McKee (ENG)

Margaret Minnig (MED/GRS)

“I am honored to be among the talented women selected to receive these awards! The BUWC Scholarship will allow me to present my dissertation research at a conference during my medical school training, and keep me connected to the broader research community. Thank you for this opportunity!”

Margaret Minnig (MED/GRS) received her B.S. in Biology, with a minor in Psychology, from Northeastern University in 2015. She is currently on her way to receiving an MD/PhD dual-degree from Boston University School of Medicine, and recently defended her thesis in the Graduate Program for Neuroscience as a part of the Laboratory of Addictive Disorders. Her research seeks to investigate the neurobiology underlying alcohol use disorder and other psychiatric diseases, with the goal of discovering novel therapeutic targets.

Elizabeth Neill (GRS)

“The Women’s Guild’s support enabled me to rejoin our last excavation season at the Palace of Nestor. I am grateful to once again center the joy and knowledge from working with objects of the ancient past and to belong to such an uplifting community at BU.”

Liz Neill is a PhD Candidate in History of Art & Architecture. A museum professional and archaeologist, Liz holds an MA in Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture and worked in museum interactive design. She excavates in Pylos (Greece), volunteers for food security in Brookline, convenes the Antiracism and Museums Working Group, and enjoys throwing pottery on the wheel. Her dissertation, “Ancient Geographies, Modern Travels: Provenance(s) of Imagined Creatures on Archaic Painted Pottery,” aims to bring together the many “wheres” of these creatures and pots over time.

J.C. Pankratz (GRS)

“I’m incredibly grateful to receive this scholarship from the BU Women’s Council. It’s an honor. This funding will support me during the new play development process of my thesis this fall at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. Congratulations to all the other recipients!”

J.C. Pankratz (they/them)(GRS) is a proud queer, non-binary, transgender playwright and educator writing genre-defying work about gender, class, trauma, and magic. They are the recipient of the 2021 FMM Fellowship for Works in Heightened Language from Synecdoche Works for their play Seahorse. They are a current MFA candidate in Playwriting at Boston University and their thesis play, Eat Your Young, or Lepidoptera, can be seen at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre this fall.

Phillippa Pitts (GRS)

“Inclusion requires more than ramps and braille. It entails shifting our cultural narratives to combat perceptions of disability as inability, and of such topics as marginal or other. I am deeply grateful to the BU Women’s Guild for supporting my work and my development as a scholar in this field.”

Phillippa Pitts (GRS) is a Ph.D. candidate in the History of Art & Architecture. Her dissertation leverages disability theory to locate health and illness as dominant threads in the intellectual, cultural, and artistic life of the antebellum United States. This project draws upon her decade of museum experience, working to diversify not only which visitors are welcomed, but whose stories we tell. At BU, Phillippa continues to advocate for equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the arts, working with the Center for Teaching & Learning to develop and share more inclusive approaches to pedagogy.

Judith Rajotte (SSW)

“I am honored and grateful to have been chosen for this Scholarship, which allows me to complete my education here at BU! I will have the finances to continue my internship while completing the remaining courses to graduate. I would like to thank the women’s guild for making this possible!”

Judith Rajotte (SSW) is a graduate student at the Boston University School of Social Work. Judy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Anna Maria College in 1999. She worked in child protective services, focusing on adoption through foster care, for twenty years before returning school to obtain her MSW. Judy is an adoptive mother herself! She found her passion in adoption and hopes to continue working with children and families in the future. Judy is a proud single mom of two amazing teenagers who have inspired her to continue her education and advance in her career.

Emily Scannell (SAR)

“Incredible! Thank you Boston University Women’s Council for the scholarship! I am honored to be a recipient. The funding will help me promote the notion that each human is “Wonderfully Wired,” and will support the other incredible recipients and their work. Thank you!”

Emily Scannell (SAR) is an occupational therapist (OT) completing Boston University’s post-professional doctor of occupational therapy program. She works as an OT in school, hospital, and summer camp settings, and is passionate about helping people participate in meaningful activities. Her doctoral project is focused on improving the social and academic success of elementary school students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder through a children’s book “Wonderfully Wired” and a school staff guide, both of which are currently being developed.

Etty Singer (LAW)

“I am grateful and honored to receive the BU Women’s Council Scholarship. This scholarship will allow me to focus on pursuing my top choice of internship this summer without financial worries. I hope to inspire other women from my community of origin to achieve professional careers.”

Etty Singer (LAW) is a first-generation student pursuing a JD degree, class of 2024. She comes from an insular, religious community where women don’t have the opportunity to attend college. Before attending law school, Etty graduated cum laude from Smith College. This summer, Etty will be interning at the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts with the Honorable Judge Denise Casper. As a 2L, she will join the Criminal Law Clinic and serve as V.P. for the Criminal Law Society and Disability Law Advocates and Allies. She is passionate about creating a more just society through her legal career.

Daniella Spencer-Laitt (GRS)

“I am grateful and honored to receive a BU Women’s Council Scholarship! The award will enable me to attend a statistical methods intensive course specifically for researchers in the social sciences. This will facilitate data analysis for my research projects on Prolonged Grief Disorder. Thank you!”

Daniella Spencer-Laitt (GRS) is a doctoral student in clinical psychology originally from Perth, Australia. Her recent work has focused on the etiology and treatment of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD). Previously, she worked as a research assistant at the Center for Prolonged Grief at Columbia University, a psychiatric social worker, and co-founder and executive director of an organization supporting socially isolated older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Daniella aims to improve dissemination of and access to effective treatments for PGD through academic psychology and clinical practice.

Jaye Ward (SSW)

I am so honored, joyous, and grateful to receive this scholarship! It is my commitment to pay it forward in service. Mandatory unpaid internships as degree requirements should not exist, but they do, and now I will be able to better support myself while working towards my academic goals.

Jaye Ward (SSW) is an MSW ’23 candidate with a focus in clinical practice. Her areas of interest include ecotherapeutic techniques and applying an environmental justice-informed lens to urban mental healthcare services for disadvantaged populations. Work with her most recent non-profit internship has helped to deepen and expand the body of knowledge related to these specialized fields. Jaye is a passionate activist and researcher and looks forward to continuing her work both in academia and the field.

Carolina Zuliani (SSW)