Schedule of Events
Opening Remarks
by Aaron Korngiebel, Dean of BSS & Brian Evans, Economics faculty
BSS Excellence Awards
BSS Student Awards
BSS Faculty Recognition Awards
Stanford University Institute for Research in Social Sciences
Presented By: Dr. Eta Lin
Konnilyn Feig Memorial Scholarship
Presented By: Dolores Davidson
Closing Remarks
BSS Excellence Awards
Anthropology
Maddison Gubser
Presented by: Dr. Julie Jenkins
I am so pleased that Madi emailed me to join ANTH55 and became a member of the Applied Anthropology project, ‘I Can’t Learn this Way,’ that she and her co-researchers presented at the RLSL. Madi actually received 2 Viewer’s Choice Awards during the RLSL- for the Applied Anthro project and one for another presentation on Climate Justice. But while Madi has been involved in the Foothill campus community this year in Sociology, Anthropology, various clubs on campus, and given insightful contributions the Applied Anthropology research project, the primary reason that I am nominating Madi is because she excels in supporting and uplifting others around her in ways that show such maturity and compassion. Witnessing the type of care that Madi brings to her relationships has been incredibly humbling.
Elizabeth Nguyen
Presented by: Dr. Julie Jenkins
I had the pleasure of having Elizabeth in my Cultural Anthropology course and working with her on the Applied Anthropology project, ‘I Can’t Learn this Way,’ that she and her co-researchers presented at the RLSL. Like Madi, Elizabeth received 2 Viewer’s Choice Awards during the RLSL- for the Applied Anthro project and one for another presentation on Climate Justice (and she worked on yet another project about gendered racism & mental health in the Asian community). When I first met Elizabeth in person, I remember thinking that she would become a strong researcher in the social sciences because she was asking such interesting questions. Since then, Elizabeth has continuously impressed me with the kinds of questions she is asking, but also with the way she analyzes the material by also thinking through her own experiences. And, she’s definitely got a career in hosting the “BB Podcast” discussing the stuff of culture if she chooses to that route!
Saintra Thai
Presented by: Dr. Sam Connell
For the last few years Saintra has been the glue holding the Department of Anthropology together. She has created an incredibly active and warm student community in the Center for Applied Anthropology. Excellence is being the person half the campus turns to for advice. While there are many deserving potential awardees in Anthropology, it would do the award a disservice for Saintra to share it with anyone. Congratulations Saintra, you are amazing.
Economics
Ethan M. Caine & Adam Hashmi
Presented by: Brian Evans
Adam and Ethan were never in the same class together – but I am giving them this award for similar reasons. Adam earned an A in Political Economy in the Fall and is on track to repeat that in Global Economics this quarter. Ethan earned an A+ in Microeconomics and is on track to repeat that in Macroeconomics this quarter. The reason for this award, however, has as much to do with their personalities and integrity than their academic success. They worked tremendously well in groups, supporting, and helping their peers in multiple ways. They treat others with respect and acceptance. Their optimism and effort make those around them better. I feel lucky to have had them in class.
Geography
Jennifer Goodson
Presented by: K. Allison Meezan
Jennifer Goodson is a Geographer at heart (though with her diverse interests, her heart has space for a broad spectrum of interests!). Jennifer came to Foothill seeking to complete her degree online. She earned A+ grades in both Physical and Human Geography.
In Geography we talk about the central themes of ‘’pattern and process’’. Jennifer has mastered integrating both into the way that she observes the world. She brought to our classrooms her sharp observational skills informed by her life experiences. She embodies the growth mindset with her openness to new ideas. Jennifer’s ability to make connections between material in our classroom and the wider world enhances the learning experience for all of those around her.
GIST
Disha Shidham
Presented by: K. Allison Meezan
Disha is a remarkable person. She approaches life with a confidence and professionalism that empowers those around her to believe that they too can accomplish anything. Disha has taken a non-standard pathway in her life, choosing to start an internet company straight out of high school. She has brought the many lessons from this experience to her classes at Foothill. Disha has taken Intro to GIST, GIST seminar and Physical Geography this year, and she has excelled in all three.
Disha has been a driving force in the Geospatial Technology student club, collaborating with her fellow students (and past year’s Excellence awardees) to move the campus Wifi mapping project ahead and present about it at the RSL. Look for an updated, interactive campus map on the Foothill website soon, thanks to Disha and the student GIST club!
Philosophy
Tatiana Fakoukaki
Presented by: Dr. Mona Rawal
Tatiana has been a student in the Phil 7 course and the Hum 9 course. She shows excellence in critical thinking, originality of ideas and collegiality with the classroom. She also leads educational projects in Puerto Rico to help small communities build infrastructure for education. She is a community builder and a academic scholar.
Chaitra Raghupathi
Presented by: Dr. Mona Rawal
Chaitra has been a student in the Phil 7 course of spring 2021. She shows excellence in an online class for symbolic logic with great critical thinking skills and rational approaches to language. She is already a student with a vision for research and innovation. She also serves the community through her projects. She is a community builder and an academic scholar.
Psychology
Shilipi Banka
Presented by: Dr. Eta Lin
I am recognizing Shilpi Banka for her stellar academic performance, leadership & research skills, positive attitude and enthusiasm, and compassion for others. She took my Social Psychology and Research Methods classes. She demonstrated strong critical thinking skills, a high level of maturity, as well as interpersonal and communication skills, particularly when having to suddenly adapt to the challenges that her research group were facing throughout the quarter. In the spring, Shilpi presented her group's project titled "“Do masks hide our feelings? The effect of masks on emotion recognition and social interactions” at the Western Psychological Association Conference in Portland, Oregon. Their poster won the "Psi Beta Honor Society Best Poster" award! In addition to her research prowess, Shilpi has also served as a research assistant at Stanford University and she volunteers at the Suicide and Crisis Services in Santa Clara County. Most importantly, Shilpi is a mother to her 10-year old son and a talented artist! In the fall, Shilpi will be attending the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program at Santa Clara University and I know that she will be an incredible therapist!
James Meeker
Presented by: Dr. Eta Lin
I am recognizing James Meeker for his perseverance, resilience, and high motivation in his academic and career pursuits. James commuted two hours to come to his classes at Foothill College, and I later learned that he served four tours in Afghanistan and he was in the Navy for 20 years. It has been challenging in adapting back into civilian life with school and family responsibilities, and I commend James for his courage and ability to self-reflect as well as prioritizing his overall health. He pushes himself to grow on a daily basis and he is incredibly inspiring. James will be receiving his A.A. degree in Sociology in June and he plans on transferring to a four-year university in the fall quarter. His ultimate goal is to "give back" to his community by working in the Veterans Affairs Department and I have no doubt that he will achieve his goal!
Santiago Garcia-Mendez
Presented by: Dr. Tiffany Rideaux
It is a pleasure to nominate Santiago Garica-Mendez for his academic performance and commitment to social justice. Santiago has excelled academically in my statistics class. I have been deeply impressed by his level of race consciousness and passion for environmental justice. Santiago is invested in applying what he learns in the classroom to make a more just and equitable community. His is not afraid to ask the difficult questions and to hold leaders accountable. I have no doubt he will continue to advocate strongly for the planet and for those whose experiences are often unseen. I am grateful to have had his voice and experience in the classroom.
Serena Payne
Presented by: Dr. Tiffany Rideaux
I am excited to nominate Serena Payne for her excellent academic performance and leadership in the classroom. Serena is currently in my statistics course and over the quarter I have had the opportunity to watch her growth in academic confidence. Early in the quarter Serena experienced a challenge on an assignment and rather than give up was willing to receive assistance to complete the assignment. Recently, I watched Serena quickly assume leadership to assist others with a similar assignment. Serena has also demonstrated a high level of emotional intelligence and willingness to model empathy for self and others. I am confident Serena will continue to excel academically and to grow into a wise community member. We will benefit from her compassionate leadership.
Amanda Yun
Presented by: Dr. Florina Petcu
Amanda is the portrayal of excellence. She has shown to be an extraordinary student not only for her academic performance, her drive, her maturity, and her ability to work independently but for her progressive thinking and creativity. Since I met her during General Psychology course Amanda did not cease to amaze me. She demonstrated the ability to interpret complex information and problem solve. Her questions in class showed a high level of creativity and ability to propose and refine new ideas. She challenged theories and she responded to challenges with grace and insight. She is the only student that I agreed to mentor for RSLS and independent study as she brought up some stimulating ideas combining psychology and environmental studies. Her presentation at the symposium impressed students and faculty. Amanda is not only intelligent but modest and respectful, she is kind but funny. And she makes some very tasty cookies.
Sociology
Maddison Gubser
Presented by: Dr. John Fox
I am delighted to award Madi Gubser the excellence award. To qualify for this award a student must have done well in at least two of my classes, be a Sociology or Social Justice Major, and prove to me that they have a passion improving the world. Ms. Gusber fits it all. She fights passionately for the rights of women, gender minorities, animals, and the environment with an intersectional approach. Among her many accomplishments:
- With Keola Asing and Elizabeth Nguyen, she rocked the Research and Service Learning Symposium with her presentation, "Climate Justice and Racial Justice: The Implications of Race on Environmental Hazards."
- Wrote to our Board of Trustees in Support of our COLA.
- Protested the impending overturning of Roe vs. Wade in Mountain View.
She is also a valued member of the Social Justice Club and her passion for social justice is infectious. This makes her a highly respected leader of the club, both because of her passion and knowledge of the topics. For this and many other reasons I award her the excellence award. Thank you.
BSS Student Awards
BSS Faculty Recognition awards
Stanford University Institute for Research in Social Sciences
These students were chosen as the top research assistants from among more than 40 community college interns who volunteered at Stanford University this year. This Research Assistant Intern Program is a collaborative effort between the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRiSS) at Stanford University and the Research Experience Program (REP) at Foothill College. This program matches community college students with graduate and postdoctoral researchers in the social sciences fields.
This year, the committee chose two Foothill College students. The independent reviewers chose one "Intern of the Year" and one "Intern of the Year Finalist."
2022 Intern of the Year Award
Sarah de Vegvar
Supervisor Angela Yuson Lee, faculty Jeffrey Hancock, Department of Communication, Stanford University.
Sarah is an exemplary research assistant who has inspired me with her passion for research, her drive to learn more, and her commitment to quality work. In addition, she demonstrates a strong natural curiosity for research. I could always count her to take meticulous notes on the papers she read and to come prepared with many insightful questions about their methodological choices and potential extensions. Sarah is the definition of a self-starter. Over the last year, she went above and beyond to conceptualize and launch an independent research project that is at the cutting-edge of the intersection of information studies and media psychology. She conducted a systematic review on how health information and misinformation are disseminated on TikTok. In addition to finding high variability in estimates of misinformation among TikTok hashtags (e.g., #coronavirus), she also found that official sources of health information like the CDC often suffered from low engagement relative to humorous videos created by laypeople. Sarah was able to translate her findings into calls for methodological improvements for studying TikTok information dissemination and practical interventions to combat the spread of false information on the platform. Her hard work on this important topic has been recognized by poster acceptances at the 2022 Conference for the Society of Personality and Social Psychology and the 2021 Harvard University Women in Psychology Conference, an impressive feat for an undergraduate student.
Beyond her work on her independent project, Sarah is an excellent communicator who went above and beyond on her research tasks. As part of my research assistant group, I could always count on Sarah to not only solve the problems assigned to her, but to bring back something new she learned in the process. Whether this was a new paper for us to read, a new function to try out in R, or a series of questions about how to think about, she was an outstanding team player who has all the qualities to be a star researcher in the future.
Finalist
Paige Walker
Supervisor Monique Harrison, faculty Mitchell Stevens, Graduate School of Education, Stanford University.
Paige has been an amazing intern this year. She has consistently done the minimum things - be on time, do the work, etc. but she has gone so far above and beyond, which is why I am nominating her. When I went on maternity leave for a quarter she did her own independent coding project (that is now about to be turned into a paper!) It's on student reactions to pass/fail during spring 2020. She was able to do that with minimal supervision, and then just recently formally presented her methods and findings to our whole lab (with much acclaim). She's an amazing person to work with, self-motivated, always insightful, and a hard worker. She exemplifies what this program can be. She also has done so well with the virtual internship. She has just been accepted to NYU and UCLA and is making her final decision shortly. I'm so proud of her and her work!
Konnilyn Feig Memorial Scholarship
Dr. Konnilyn Feig was passionate about and active in human rights and social justice issues and projects all of her life, and encouraged her students to engage in their own passions for community service. Dr. Feig also strongly advocated, supported, and taught in the Honors Institute at Foothill College.
Will Makunga
In addition to their story, students are asked to write an essay on their contributions to social justice and or service on campus. Below is Will's answer. We felt that with Will's background in growing up between Angola and Namibia then seeking asylum showed great determination. Couple that with his contribution to ASFC along with his aspirations to fight climate change made him worthy of the award.
Many Thanks To
Our donors and fundraisers for all of their generosity and hard work:
- FHDA Foundation Staff
- Dr. Judy Miner
- Dr. Bruce Swenson
Our administrators President Bernadine Chuck Fong, Kurt Hueg Interim Vice President of Instruction and Institutional Research.
Our fabulous faculty who spend countless hours nuturing our students.
Families and friends for encouraging our students as they pursue their academic endeavors.
Special thank you to our student award committee members: Lisa Drake, Brian Evans, John Fox, Eta Lin, and Bill Ziegenhorn, our student faculty recognition award committee: Aaron Korngiebel, and our BSS Celebration of Excellence committee: Antoinette Chavez, Brian Evans, Eta Lin, Tiffany Rideaux, and Kerri Ryer.