Recent achievements for the campus community were earned by Samuel Aguilera-Robledo, Violetta Bakunina, Quin Barton, Danie Brandle, Isis Burks, Betty Dessie, Peg Filliez, Micaylon Moore, Lauren Olsen, Falah Rashoka, Anna Williams Shavers and Chanasei Ziemann.
Honors
Danie Brandl from Humphrey, Nebraska, was named the inaugural recipient of the Lloyd Bell Scholarship for Teaching Excellence in Nebraska Agricultural Education. Brandl is a senior in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication and will graduate in 2023. Following graduation, she will begin teaching at Elm Creek Public Schools as an agricultural educator and FFA supervisor.
Peg Filliez, a volunteer at the University of Nebraska State Museum, earned a Roy L. Schafer Leading Edge Award for Individual Leadership from the Association of Science and Technology Centers. The award recognizes her servant leadership at the museum, in the anthropology, education and membership divisions.
Falah Rashoka, a doctoral student in human sciences, earned the Excellent Research in Public Education and Health Promotion student award at the American Public Health Association’s annual conference, which was Nov. 6-9 in Boston. Rashoka presented a poster on his research, “A Multilingual Community Health Intervention to Improve Healthcare Access among Yazidi Refugee Community: Pilot Test Results.”
Anna Williams Shavers, former dean for diversity and inclusion in the Nebraska College of Law, posthumously received the Outstanding Contributor to Women in the Law Award at the 2022 Nebraska State Bar Association Public Service Awards. This award is presented to a member of the NSBA Women and the Law Section to recognize the lifetime accomplishments of an individual who directly contributed to the active integration and participation of women in the Nebraska system of justice. Shavers was tireless in her mentorship and advocacy for students — especially students of color and young women individually — and as faculty adviser to the Multi-Cultural Legal Society, Black Law Student Association and Muslim Law Student Association.
- Undergraduate students recently presented research at the national Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists. The group included Samuel Aguilera-Robledo, biochemistry; Violetta Bakunina, microbiology and psychology; Quin Barton, biological sciences; Isis Burks, psychology; Betty Dessie, microbiology; Micaylon Moore, biological sciences; Chanasei Ziemann, biological sciences and biochemistry. Marianna Burks and Michael Herman, instructor and director, respectively, in the School of Biological Sciences, led the group to the California conference. Isis Burks received an award for her presentation.
Appointments
- Lauren Olsen, third-year student, has been selected to serve as this year’s Legal Education Police Practices Consortium Fellow for Nebraska Law. Organized and housed within the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section, the consortium contributes to the national effort to examine and address legal issues in policing and public safety, including conduct, oversight and the evolving nature of police work. This is accomplished through leveraging the association’s expertise and that of participating ABA-accredited law schools to collaborate on projects to develop and implement more effective, human rights-compliant police practices throughout the United States.
