College of Arts and Science graduate students receive teaching awards
The College of Arts and Science recently recognized four graduate students for exceptional teaching in the 2024-2025 academic year: Savannah Bastian and Lucia Edafioka received the Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Assistant award, Pragun Tuladhar received the Outstanding Graduate Student Laboratory Instructor award, and Sarah Hagaman received the Outstanding Graduate Student Teacher award.
“Of the nearly 600 graduate students in the College of Arts and Science, these four students stood out for their distinguished contributions in the classroom,” said John McLean, Senior Associate Dean of Graduate Education and Research. “They provided excellent mentorship and guidance, exemplifying both leadership and a devotion to teaching.”
The Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Assistant award recognizes a student who shares instruction within a class or leads a discussion section with distinction. The award comes with a plaque and a monetary recognition of $1,500. This year, two students received the award.
Sociology Ph.D. student Savannah Bastian won for her commitment to ensuring that every student was supported and encouraged, regardless of prior experience and comfort with class material. One of her students said, “Savannah was caring, attentive, and listened to us. The environment that was created was amazing, and she was always willing to have a chat when we had questions and other issues.”
History Ph.D. student Lucia Edafioka won for her ability to bring the most significant and relevant portions of assigned readings to life in ways her students found engaging and understandable. One of her students said, “She did a great job of leading discussions, offered good insights and a unique perspective, was funny and thoughtful, and made sure we were doing everything to flourish in the course.”
The Outstanding Graduate Student Laboratory Instructor award recognizes a student who serves as a laboratory instructor with distinction. The award comes with a plaque and a monetary recognition of $1,500.
Chemistry Ph.D. student Pragun Tuladhar won for his excellent technical, leadership, and managerial skills, as well as being a model for outstanding research. One of his students said, “Every question I had, he made sure I understood and did not simply show me how to do it. He did a really great job in this role, probably one of the best I’ve ever had.”
The Outstanding Graduate Student Teacher award recognizes a student with full responsibility for teaching a course, and did so with distinction. The award comes with a plaque and a monetary recognition of $2,000.
English Ph.D. student Sarah Hagaman won for the interdisciplinary nature of her work, having designed and taught five courses across various departments (English; medicine, health, and society; and gender and sexuality studies), as well as her ability to make complex theoretical texts engaging. One of her students said, “We had an in–class debate, as well as classroom Jeopardy, both of which stimulated our interest in the subject matter to the point where the entire class loitered outside the room for an extra 5–10 minutes just to talk through the concepts we had learned about.”
Congratulations to each of the award winners!