In the News
CGU STUDENT HONORS AND AWARD HIGHLIGHTS Annually a large
number of CGU students are the recipients of prestigious and financially significant scholarships and related awards. Here’s a brief selection of students singled out in noteworthy ways. THE FORCE IS WITH HIM Doctoral student Hunter Johnson is the recipient of a social policy research fellowship from The Horowitz Foundation, established in 1998 to provide support to scholars in completing their dissertations. The program is highly competitive, with fewer than 3% of applicants receiving awards each year. A PhD candidate in economics with an interest in law and economics, Johnson was selected for his proposal, “Does the Presence of Female and Minority Police Reduce the Use of Force?” His recent research examines how differences in law enforcement composition affect outcomes related to crime rates, arrests, and the use of force. As public debate this year has focused on law enforcement reform, the foundation found Johnson’s research to be more than timely.
A FIRST FOR MATH
Raven Johnson is the recipient of this year’s CGU Black Scholars Award. This is the first time the award, which recognizes a black graduate student’s scholarly achievements, has been given to a math student. This news thrills Institute of Mathematical Sciences Director Allon Percus. “Raven is one of our top master’s students,” Percus told The Flame. “Needless to say, we are very proud of her for receiving this eminently well-deserved award!” Johnson is working on a master’s degree in computational and applied mathematics (with plans to continue with a doctorate.) She hopes to focus on fluid dynamics and numerical/applied methods for linear algebra. The award, Johnson explained, is an encouraging sign that she’s headed in the right direction. “It was really validating to be recognized for my passions in math and bettering the Black community.”
ONE STEP CLOSER
Religion doctoral student Brishette Mendoza is the recipient of the Margo L. Goldsmith Fellowship. The award honors Goldsmith’s trail-blazing support in founding a Women’s Studies in Religion program at CGU. The fellowship provides significant financial support and recognizes School of Arts & Humanities students for academic 6 | Claremont Graduate University
achievement and the promise of excellence at CGU and beyond. “Thanks to this school and the original catalyzing research generosity of Goldsmith,” Mendoza wrote in her acceptance letter, “I am one step closer to reaching my academic, professional, and service goals.”
STUDENT-CUMSUPERINTENDENT Urban Leadership doctoral student Frances Baez was recently named interim superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Local District Central. The district is the second-largest in the United States, with more than 600,000 students. Baez is a proud product of the LAUSD system and has served as a local administrator in the district for many years. As president of the Association of California School Administrators Region 16, she has promoted women in leadership roles and has mentored many principals. Baez also serves as a fellow in the National Institute for Latino School Leaders (NILSL) of UnidosUS. For Urban Leadership Director Frances Gipson, who once held that role in the LAUSD, she applauds Baez’s selection. “LAUSD is a diverse, extensive community, and this is an important changemaker role,” Gipson said. “Frances’ preparation and knowledge of the district is on a level of detail that every superintendent aspires to. Developing as a scholar-leader in the UL program ensures she will amplify the success of the educators, families, and communities she serves.”
EDUCATION AND DEMOCRACY Doctoral student Ani Apyan has been awarded scholarships from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Armenian Studies Scholarship Program and the Armenian General Benevolent Union’s U.S. Graduate Scholarship Program. Totaling about $33,000, the awards will support her research, which takes place at the intersection of public policy analysis and higher education access and equity issues. An inter-field doctoral student with the Schools of Educational Studies and Social Science, Policy, & Evaluation, Apyan said she is especially eager to continue research that looks at higher education in Armenia and observes it “in the framework of achieving and sustaining democracy in the country.” l