Presidential
Awards (5 at $1,000 each)
Belle Gironda
Assistant Director of Instructional Development in the University's
Center for Excellence and Teaching and a published multimedia poet,
Dr. Gironda is also a single mother of two children who recently
completed her Ph.D. in English at the University. The award will
cover airfare to England to present a paper at Incubation: The TrAce
International Conference on Writing and the Internet, at Trent -Nottingham
University. She will also give a poetry reading in London, right
before the conference, on July 4, as part of the Subvoicive reading
series in London.
Grace Mose
A Kenyan student in the D.A. program in Humanistic Studies program.
Her primary field of study is women's studies; her secondary field
is anthropology. Her dissertation research is on Female Genital
Mutilation practices of the Kisii community of Kenya. This award
will cover travel expenses and research materials for this project.
Not only is this Ms. Mose's dissertation research, she will use
this research to develop an eradication and intervention strategy
to present to the Kenyan government.
Librada Pimentel-Brown
Office Administrator for the Department of Latin American and Caribbean
Studies since 1984, Ms Pimentel-Brown has a strong record of professional
success and university service. Now that her daughter has completed
her undergraduate degree, Ms Pimentel-Brown has returned to school
at Empire State College with plans to change careers in higher education.
Her degree will be in Educational Studies. The award will help cover
tuition and related expenses.
Judy Postmus
A Ph.D. student in Social Welfare, Ms Postmus' dissertation research
focuses on the effects of welfare reform on victims of domestic
violence. She is examining why domestic violence victims on welfare
choose not to identify themselves as such and not to seek additional
assistance that is available to them. This award will support her
dissertation research.
Sarah Sobieraj
A former Vista volunteer and a current Ph.D. Student in Sociology,
Ms Sobieraj has an excellent academic record. Her research focuses
on how voluntary associations and their volunteers utilize national
campaigns to maximize their effectiveness and create lasting social
change. Ms. Sobieraj will use this award for travel related expenses
of her dissertation research.
Endowed Gifts
The Lillian Barlow Initiatives For Women Award ($500)
Jenny Wistedt
MFA student studying painting. Her paintings address the female
body and how it is perceived - not only by others, but also by women
themselves. This award will cover the cost of materials for her
MFA thesis project.
The Christine E. Bose and Edna Acosta-Belen IFW Feminist
Research Award ($500)
Harry Ann Pearce
A Ph.D. student in Sociology who is also a single mother and a returning
student. Her dissertation research studies the relationship between
mainstream American corporations and the gay and lesbian community,
made visible in the form of a gay consumer marketplace. This award
supports the costs of her research.
The Gloria R. DeSole Fund for IFW ($500)
Stephanie Madnick
A staff member of the Department of Residential Life and a Ph.D.
student in History. Ms Madnick is doing research is on the local
history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community
in Albany, focussing on politics and the shaping of public policy
as it related to this community. This award will help to fund the
cost of oral history narratives on community leaders.
The Judy L. Genshaft IFW Award ($500 + $500 from
the General Fund)
Maritza Martinez
Assistant Dean of the Office of Academic Support Services/Educational
Opportunities Program. Ms. Martinez is a Latina and the head of
household with three children. She has a stellar professional reputation
on campus and a strong record of university service. Ms. Martinez
will use her award toward the costs of a two-week managerial training
course at Harvard in June 2001.
The Bernice Mosbey Peebles '39 Scholarship Award
($500)
Tamara Stovall
An African-American undergraduate junior majoring in history. Ms
Stovall was recently admitted into the highly competitive undergraduate
Teacher Education program. She will use this award for tuition and
related expenses.
The Susan VanHorn-Shipherd '64 Women in Science Scholarship
($500)
Karin Ford
A single mother of four children, Ms Ford returned to school and
is majoring in Biology. She is planning on a career as a science
teacher. Ms Ford will use her award for summer school tuition and
childcare.
Named Awards
The IFW Fine Art Scholarship Award ($500)
Jessica Morrison
An undergraduate art student studying printmaking. She is planning
to be an art teacher. She will use this award for materials for
her summer and fall art classes.
Patrick A. Foti Award in Memory of R. Thomas Flemming
($500)
Sarah McClean
A Ph.D. student in Criminal Justice. Ms McClean's dissertation research
studies the judicial decisions in the processing or adjudication
of misdemeanor domestic violence cases, mainly how the judge's personal
opinions, prejudices and orientation affect the decisions made on
the bench. This award supports costs related to this research.
The Gladys and David Groudine IFW Award ($500)
Constance Spohn
Director of the University's Two-Year College Development Center
and Ed.D. student in Educational Administration. She is a non-traditionally
aged graduate student who has worked at the University since 1992.
This award will help to defray research-related expenses of her
dissertation.
Anne Gustin Scholarship for Women in Law and Government
($250 + $250 from the General Fund)
Rochelle Haynes
African-American undergraduate, majoring in political science, and
minoring in English and history. She plans to go to law school and
then on to a career in public service and political office. Her
campus service record includes Director of Women Empowerment for
Excellence and mentor in the Leadership Development Institute. Ms.
Haynes will use this award to for a LSAT prep course.
John S. Levato Award in Memory of Jennine O'Reilly-Conway
'88 ($500)
Kimberly McClive
Ph.D. student in Social/Personality Psychology program, studying
how emotional vulnerability impacts people's intentions to reduce
their exposure to health risks like sexually transmitted diseases.
Ms. McClive is an older graduate student who was able to realize
her long-term dream of doctoral study after separating from her
former husband. She has developed a repetitive strain injury in
her hands, an injury that is impeding her progress in her Ph.D.
program. This award will help her purchase voice recognition software
and a laptop computer.
John S. Levato Award in Memory of Lai Wah Kui '97
($500)
Wendy Gobeil-St. Pierre
A Ph.D. student in Social Welfare who is completing her dissertation
from a distance; she had to return home to Maine for family responsibilities.
Her dissertation research studies the verbal and nonverbal interactions
between people with Alzheimer's disease and their family and friends.
She hopes to correct misconceptions about the cognitive awareness
of those with the disease and to provide better communication methods
for their caregivers. This award will support the costs of this
research.
The Secretarial-Clerical Council IFW Award ($250
+ $250 from the General Fund)
Marina Taylor
Senior Administrative Assistant in the Professional Development
Program and a undergraduate majoring in Sociology. A woman of color,
Ms. Taylor has returned to school at a non-traditional age to complete
her bachelor's degree. She has worked at the University since 1985,
when she started as a keyboard specialist. This award will help
Ms. Taylor purchase a personal computer for her class assignments.
The Lena Tucker IFW Memorial Award ($500)
Ozioma Egwuonwu
Undergraduate woman of color born in Nigeria. She is pursuing double
majors in English and Communication. Ultimately she is planning
to pursue a career in a law-related field. This award will help
cover the cost of an LSAT preparation course.
General Awards
Nancy Belowich-Negron ($500)
Director of Disabled Students Services and Chair of the Campus Affiliate
of National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI).. This award will
help send two women from this campus to the next NCBI Empowerment
Retreat for Women.
Judeen Byrne ($500)
A graduate student in the Master of Public Administration program.
She is returning to school after raising three daughters and moving
her family according to the structure of her former husband's military
career. She finished her bachelor's degree in 1999 and began the
M.P.A. program at a nontraditional age. Ms. Byrne will use this
award towards tuition for a summer class.
Elizabeth Campisi ($500)
A Ph.D. student in Anthropology. Her dissertation research is an
extension of the experience she had working for the Justice Department's
Community Relations Service at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba. She will study the Cuban rafters, the balseros, their
experiences in the camps and their adjustment to the U.S. culture.
Center for Excellence in Teaching
and Learning ($900)
This award supports the initial development of the Ariadne Project,
an initiative designed to enhance and strengthen the community of
University women interested in and involved with information technologies.
Tracy Chance ($500)
An African-American undergraduate student who is in the combined
"3+3" program with Albany Law School. She was also in
the first class of students to participate in Project Renaissance.
She will use this award for tuition and related expenses.
Michele Guzman ($500)
A Ph.D. student in Counseling. A Latina with an excellent academic
record, she is studying how ethnic identity and cultural scripts
may play a role in the attitude Mexican-Americans have toward education.
She will use this award toward the costs involved with dissertation
research.
Jennifer Hays ($500)
A Ph.D. student in Anthropology who is studying the indigenous people
of Southern Africa, the San, in the education systems of that region.
She will apply this award toward airfare to Namibia.
Danielle Kassow ($200)
A Ph.D. student in the Division of Educational Psychology and Methodology.
Her dissertation research, The Development Patterns of Young Girls'
Body Image and Its Relationship to the Media, explores societal
standards for female "thinness" and "beauty."
She will use this award for research-related materials.
Jennifer Keys ($500)
A Ph.D. student in Sociology. Her dissertation research is on the
"feeling rules" which govern the abortion process for
women who choose to terminate a pregnancy. She will use this award
to defray summer living expenses normally covered by a summer job
while she completes research on a full time basis.
Kristen Knutson ($500)
A Ph.D. student in Anthropology. An excellent student who, before
beginning her graduate work at Albany, worked as a secretary to
the Chair of a Neurobiology and Physiology Department. She will
use this award for tuition and books.
Julia Monokova ($500)
An international Ph.D. student in Public Administration from Ukraine.
Her dissertation research examines the intersection of public policy
and organizational theory. She will use this award toward the cost
of her data sets.
Julie Osland ($355)
A fourth year Ph.D. student in Social Psychology, she will be presenting
a poster presentation of her research, "Anger, Hostility, and
Gender Roles: Exploring Links to Attachment and Sexual Coercion,"
at the American Psychological Society Conference in June. This award
will pay for her airfare to the conference.
Josephine Ravida ($500)
On the support staff as a Secretary I in Human Resources Management
for 9 years, Ms. Ravida is pursuing a B.S. degree in Psychology,
after 33 years of government service. Funding will help her purchase
a personal computer to complete her class assignments.
Rosann Santos ($500)
A Ph.D. student in History and a Latina. Her dissertation research
studies gender and education, and imperialism in Cuba during the
first U.S. occupation (1898-1902). She will use this award towards
housing expenses during her research trip to Cuba.
Edie Watson ($500)
A graduate student working on the M.S. program in Special Education
and the M.S. program in Reading. An excellent student with 4.0 GPA,
she will use this award for tuition and related expenses.
Support Her Dreams Award
Katea Dale
A 25-year-old graduate student working on two master's programs
in Special Education and Reading, Ms Dale is also the legal guardian
of her five youngest siblings and head of a household of seven.
In appreciation of Ms Dale's determination and sacrifice, and in
celebration of Ms Dale's success in keeping her family together,
this special IFW Support Her Dreams Award supports Katea's dreams
of finishing her studies and becoming a teacher.
Top of the Awards
Visit our archive of past Initiatives For Women Award recipients.
