The Department of Human Development & Family Science had their 2021 Virtual End of the Year Celebration on May 14th and was pleased to recognize the outstanding work of its undergraduate and graduate students for excellence. Watch a recording of the virtual ceremony below:
Undergraduate Student Awards
Anuoluwapo Mary Omole
Bernice M. Wright Memorial Award
This award is given to an outstanding undergraduate student in Human Development and Family Science given in memory of Bernice M. Wright, former Dean of the College for Human Development (1964-1973). The award criteria include GPA, co-curricular experiences related to the HDFS field, campus involvement, awards/recognitions received while at Syracuse University, research/scholarship activity, and leadership experience. Anuoluwapo is a McNair Scholar who focused on immigrants in the U.S. military as well as mindfulness-based interventions for adolescents. Anuoluwapo has engaged in many organizations serving others across the developmental continuum, and is committed to improving equity in healthcare across the globe
Ashley N. Homer
Elizabeth Manwell Memorial Award
This award is given to the outstanding senior student in Human Development
and Family Science with the highest academic average in the major. Ashley is a member of Kappa Omicron Nu National Honor Society and has been recognized as a Higher Education Opportunity Program Scholar. Ashley has made significant contributions focusing on inclusive and individualized approaches to education, and is committed to strength-based, family-centered care that supports the social, emotional, and academic development of children and youth in our community.
Madison M. Roberts
Florence B. Potter Memorial Award
This award was established by the New York State Federation of Home Bureaus and given to a student in Human Development and Family Science who resides in New York State within a county of Home Bureaus. The award criteria include GPA, leadership experience, co-curricular experiences related to the HDFS field, campus involvement, awards/recognitions received while at Syracuse University, and articulated potential in the field of HDFS. Madison is a member of the Renee’ Crown Honors program, Kappa Omicron Nu National Honor Society, and is also a Falk College Peer Leader. Madison has served as a Research Assistant, and utilizes quantitative and qualitative studies to deepen the understandings of human development and family science with a focus on best practices in service interventions.
Catalina Maria Mac Laughlin
Ruth Tolley Award
This award honors Ruth Tolley from the Women of the University Community and presented to a woman who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement. The award criteria include GPA, clearly stated career goals consistent with the HDFS field, and co-curricular experiences related to the HDFS field. Catalina is a member of the Kappa Omicron Nu National Honor Society and is also a Peer Health Educator at Syracuse University. Catalina has engaged in multiple leadership roles as an active participant in La LUCHA and OttoTHON, and aims to improve psychosocial care for culturally diverse populations in pediatric healthcare.
Claire Cooke
Selleck Award
This award is given to the senior student in Human Development and Family Science with the highest cumulative GPA. Claire is a member of Kappa Omicron Nu National Honor Society and a member of the field hockey team, and the recipient of Syracuse University Athletic’s ‘Cuse Cup Award, recognizing extraordinary service to the Syracuse Community. Claire has engaged in academic excellence that has prepared her for a career that examines the science of communication and best practices that support children with speech and/or language disorders.
Rachel T. Pourmoradi
Shannon Davis Memorial Award
This award is presented to an undergraduate senior student in Human Development and Family Science with a demonstrated interest in child development whose academic, aesthetic, and professional interests most closely embody that of Shannon Davis, a student who died in the crash of Flight 103 in Scotland. The award criteria include GPA, co-curricular experiences related to child and family development, articulated career goals in the field of early childhood education or related setting, and career interest in providing services for young children. Rachel is a Syracuse University Global Ambassador and a member of Kappa Omicron Nu National Honor Society and has committed to assisting children and youth facing adverse circumstances in multiple service settings, including education, healthcare, and therapeutic camps for children with disabilities. Rachel has made the social and emotional development of children a priority, seeking to improve services for children with an emphasis on cross-cultural perspectives within a risk and resiliency framework.
Claire Cooke
Student-Athlete Scholar Award
The Student-Athlete Scholar Award recognizes the student-athletes with the highest cumulative grade point averages. This year’s recipient is Claire Cooke, a senior human development and family science major and a member of the field hockey team. Claire Cook is honored for her 3.97 cumulative GPA.
Graduate Student Awards
Corinne Blake
Alice Sterling Honig Award
The Alice Sterling Honig Award is presented to a graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding scholarship in child development and family studies. The award recognizes’ the legacy of Alice Sterling Honig, Professor Emerita in HDFS. This year’s recipient is the founding and current president of the HDFS Graduate Student Group. Corinne’s leadership in this role, combined with her past stellar performance as a teaching assistant and editorial assistant for the Caribbean Journal of Psychology, are recognized by this award. Her research interests include cross-cultural study of early childhood, sibling relationships, parent-child relationships, and early childhood education.
Greg Kovacs and Xiaoyan Zhang
Dean Edith Smith Endowed Dissertation Grant
The Dean Edith Smith Endowed Dissertation Grant was established to provide financial support to facilitate the scholarship of doctoral students in the Department of Human Development and Family Science. The grant is designed to increase the flow of talented graduate students into academic careers and support Human Development and Family Science students who show potential for excellence. Greg’s dissertation examines multiple processes associated with coparenting in separated American parents of children birth to five and their implications for child outcomes. Xiaoyan’s dissertation examines patterns, life-course effects, and intergenerational pathways between childhood experiences and mental health
Odetta Addo Odartey
HDFS Outstanding Dissertation Award
The Outstanding Dissertation Award was established by the Department of Human Development and Family Science to recognize the excellent work by a doctoral student and whose dissertation reflects high levels of inquiry and scholarship. This year’s recipient, Dr. Odetta Addo Odartey, successfully defended her thesis in December 2020. Her dissertation study addressed the nature and characteristics of Ghanaian parenting typologies using person-centered latent class analysis techniques and is one of the first conducted in Ghana.
Ying Zhang
HDFS Doctorate Award for Research Excellence
The Doctorate Award for Research Excellence is presented to a doctoral student who has excelled in academic achievement, research practice, and leadership activities. This student has also shown great potential for continued growth and contribution in the area of human development and family studies to the department, college and university. Ying was honored with this award based on her impressive scholarship record that includes multiple publications, research conference presentations, and grant activities. Ying will join the Psychology Department at Clarkson University as an Assistant Professor this fall.
Sara Alansaari
HDFS Master Award for Research Excellence
This award is presented to a Master student who has excelled in academic achievement, research practice and leadership qualities. This student has also shown great potential for continued growth and contribution in the area of human and family studies to the department, college and university. This year’s recipient, Sara Alansaari, is a Fulbright scholar from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who has demonstrated exceptional insight in her courses and her master thesis. Sara’s research interests include addressing adverse environmental effects on children with developmental disabilities wellbeing and risk indicators of developing comorbid disorders by the time they reach adulthood.
Caitlin Sarah Smith
HDFS Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award
This department award is presented to a graduate demonstrating a strong commitment to teaching and learning. This student will have demonstrated exceptional skills and competence in assisting the Human Development and Family Science faculty with undergraduate education. This year’s recipient, Caitlin Smith, has demonstrated excellence in teaching as both a teaching assistant and as an independent instructor in the department. Faculty and students have recognized Caitlin’s commitment to students and her leadership in the classroom.
Staceyann Reid
Graduate School Outstanding TA Award
Graduate School Outstanding TA Award
This award recognizes Teaching Assistants who have made distinguished contributions to Syracuse University by demonstrating excellence in significant instructional capacities, such as classroom teaching, laboratory or studio instruction, leading recitation or discussion sections, or assisting senior faculty members with high-enrollment courses. TAs are nominated by their departments and must present a teaching portfolio for review by a university-wide faculty selection committee. Staceyann has excelled as both a teaching assistant and an independent instructor in our department.
Ying Zhang
Graduate Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Work
This award recognizes students across the university who have made outstanding accomplishments in research and creative work, as well as the quality and impact of their work. Ying Zhang (Ph.D., Human Development and Family Science) was selected as one of eight students who will present their research. Ying’s work is titled Can We Know a Relationship Is Abusive Before It’s Too Late?
For More News on Graduate Dean’s Award Recipients
Staceyann Reid
SUNY PRODiG Fellow in the Psychology Department at SUNY Oswego
SUNY PRODiG Fellow in the Psychology Department at SUNY Oswego
The SUNY PRODiG (Promoting Recruitment, Opportunity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Growth) fellowship recognizes talented under-represented minority faculty and women in STEM fields and provides mentorship and research support in preparation for the professoriate. Stacey will join the Psychology Department at SUNY Oswego as a PRODiG Fellow this fall.
(Ph.D., Human Development and Family Science)
For More Information on SUNY PRODiG Fellowship