15 Early-Career Fellows Recognized For Their Leadership by CDLS

On November 20, 2019, the Center for Diverse Leadership in Science held a Fall Luncheon for recipients of Leadership Awards for the 2018 – 2019 year. At this celebration, the Center recognized a total of 15 early-career fellows.

Early-career fellows received leadership awards for contributions to one or more categories: Community Engagement Programs, Dedication to Mission, Research, Mentorship, and Trailblazer. 

Undergraduate fellows who were honored included Venezia Ramirez for her contributions to Community Engagement Programs and as a Trailblazer, including through K-12 outreach to youth from underserved communities. Leonard Washington was recognized for his contributions to Community Engagement Programs through K-12 outreach. Ronald Thompson III was honored for his contributions to Diversi-Tea and Courageous Coffee, a discussion series on diversity issues in STEM.  

Post-baccalaureate fellows who were honored included Mellisha Stokes, for her work in Community Engagement Programs and Dedication to Mission, through her involvement in the planning and execution of many outreach program events, including for K-12 Outreach, and Diversi-Tea and Courageous Coffee. Hayley Bricker was recognized for her contributions to Community Engagement Programs and Dedication to Mission through editing Climate Currents, a fellow-led publication featuring diverse perspectives of environmental science. Randon Flores was honored for his contributions to Research Mentorship. Anne Kelley-Cosio was recognized for her work in Community Engagement Programs through Diversi-Tea and Courageous Coffee. Ingrid Maradiaga was honored for her work in Community Engagement Programs through the Laboratory Tours program at the Center, and Research Mentoring. 

Graduate fellows recognized include Alexandrea Arnold who received the Community Engagement Programs and Dedication to Mission awards, for her leadership in the Environmental Justice & First Nations Program and founding of the Society for Womxn Geoscientists. Jessica Heckman was recognized for her Research on coastal resilience planning with an environmental justice lens. Robert Ulrich was honored for his Dedication to Mission, Mentorship, and Trailblazing, having founded Queers in Stem, organizing the first Center Research and Outreach Symposium, and Reclaiming STEM, a conference on diversity in the sciences. Deepshikha Upadhyay was recognized for her Dedication to Mission and her Research Mentoring. She has been active in the conception and organization of Environmental Science Without Borders (ESWB), an international peer-mentorship program connecting students and scientists from different countries. Tanner Waters was honored for being a Trailblazer, for his efforts to create an Inclusive Sustainability Group at UCLA, and to grow the mentorship program within the Center.  

Postdoctoral fellows who received the award include Adeyemi Adebiyi, for his work in community engagement programs and mentorship. Yemi founded Environmental Science Without Borders (ESWB) and is responsible for growing the community’s  mentorship network to more than 80 people. Jesse Bateman was recognized for his contributions to Mentorship. 

These early-career fellows are being acknowledged for their initiative and leadership over the past year.