Below are awards and honors University of Maryland College of Education faculty, staff and students have earned between mid-April and mid-September 2026:
Department Abbreviations
CHSE | Counseling, Higher Education and Special Education
HDQM | Human Development and Quantitative Methodology
TLPL | Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership
The UMD Graduate School presented awards to nine College of Education students. Gavkhar Abdurokhmonova, a Ph.D. student in human development (HDQM), was honored with the Dr. Mabel S. Spencer Award for Excellence in Graduate Achievement. Ditra Backup, a Ph.D. student in education policy and leadership (TLPL); Xianglin Zhang, a Ph.D. student in human development (HDQM); and Sarah Zimmerman, a Ph.D. student in school psychology (CHSE), received Summer Research Fellowships. Marley Forbes, a Ph.D. student in human development (HDQM); Manuel Teran Hernandez, a Ph.D. candidate in counseling psychology (CHSE); and Monica Obiri-Yeboah, a Ph.D student in applied linguistics and language education (TLPL) were recipients of Outstanding Graduate Assistant Awards. Manuel Teran Hernandez and M Pease ’22, M.S. ’24, Ph.D. candidates in counseling psychology (CHSE), were honored with the Michael J. Pelczar Award for Excellence in Graduate Study. Hyerin Ryu, a Ph.D. student (TLPL), was awarded a Flagship Fellowship.
The College of Education presented 2025-26 Support Program for Advancing Research and Collaboration (SPARC) Awards to the following 10 doctoral candidates to support their dissertation research: Monerah Al-Dubayan, special education (CHSE), for “Perspectives and Experiences of Arab Caregivers of Nonvocal Children with ASD and IDD who Engage in Challenging Behavior”; Jung-Hau Chen, international education policy (CHSE), for “Reimagining Nationhood Through Language Policy and Schooling in Contemporary Taiwan”; Ting-Yu Chung, education policy and leadership (TLPL), for “The Mediating Effects of Parental Engagement on the Effect of Student-Teacher Racial Match on Student Absenteeism”; Nicole Halat, international education policy (CHSE), for “Whose ‘America?’: Identity Negotiation Among Racially and Ethnically Minoritized Fulbright English Teaching Assistants”; Xinhang Hu, applied linguistics and language education (TLPL), for “Transnational Multilingual Language Teachers in English-Dominant Higher Education: Plurilingual Pedagogy, Intersectional Identity, and Positioning”; Anne Karabell, special education (CHSE), for “Implementation of an Aligned Instructional Model for Second Grade Reading”; Gabriel Opare, language, literacy and social inquiry (TLPL), for “Black Ontologies at Work: Ethnoraciolinguistic Justice and Xeno-Corporeality in Postcolonial Ghana”; Tvisha Vyas, special education (CHSE), for “Cultural Perspectives: Indian Parents’ Experiences of Parent-Implemented Interventions for Children with Autism”; Carlos Williams, education policy and leadership (TLPL), for “Conceptualizing Black Restorative Practices; Through the Practices of Black Teachers who Teach Black Youth in High School”; and Saleena WIlson, school psychology (CHSE), for “A Qualitative Approach to Understanding Parent-Child Interpersonal Emotion Regulation.”
Anna Attal M.Ed. ’26, a master’s student in world languages education, Spanish (TLPL), was named the Maryland Association of Teacher Educators (MATE) Distinguished Teacher Candidate from UMD for 2026. Each year, MATE honors one distinguished teacher candidate from each four-year college/university and each community college in Maryland and the District of Columbia that prepares teachers in the fields of early childhood, elementary, secondary and special education.
Jordan Bell, assistant professor of urban education (TLPL), was chosen as one of eight members of the 2026-28 cohort of the Literacy Research Association’s STAR (Scholars of color Transitioning into Academic Research institutions) Mentoring Program. The STAR program is a two-year cohort model for scholars of color in the first two years of a tenure-track literacy appointment, who are matched with senior scholars of color in the field.
The College of Education recently appointed two faculty members to named professorships. David Blazar, associate professor of education policy and economics (TLPL), has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Malen Endowed Professorship for Urban Education Policy. Zeena Zakharia, associate professor of international education policy (CHSE), has been named the Harold R.W. Benjamin Professor of International and Comparative Education.
In May, the College of Education Senate awarded 2026 COE Awards to the following 16 faculty, staff, students and community members, in recognition of their work to make the college a place of excellence, inclusion and impact: Zoe Chabria ’26, a mathematics and secondary education double major (TLPL) — Outstanding Undergraduate Student; Chris Cooks, assistant director of assessment (Office of the Dean) — Outstanding Staff; Enoch Caswell Eshun M.A. ’26, formerly a master’s student and currently a Ph.D. student in international education policy (CHSE) — Outstanding Master’s Student; Manuel Teran Hernandez, a Ph.D. candidate in counseling psychology (CHSE) — Outstanding Doctoral Student; Alison Jovanovic, principal faculty specialist (TLPL) — Excellence in Faculty Mentoring; Shannon Kane, assistant clinical professor of literacy (TLPL) — Excellence in Teaching; Veronica Kang, assistant professor of special education (CHSE) — Excellence in Scholarship, Pre-Tenure Faculty; Yewon Lee, associate clinical professor of special education (CHSE) — Excellence in Scholarship, Professional-Track Faculty; Yecenia Morales-Bell, world languages teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools — Excellence in School-Based Mentoring; Maria Sian Izursa, program management specialist (Office of the Dean) — Outstanding Staff; Tracy Sweet, associate professor (HDQM) — Excellence in Graduate Mentoring; Ana Taboada Barber, professor (CHSE) — Excellence in Service; Jennifer D. Turner, professor of literacy education (TLPL) — Excellence in Scholarship, Tenured Faculty; Stephanie Varner, lecturer and early childhood/early childhood special education professional development coordinator (HDQM/CHSE) — Excellence in Field-Based Supervision; Olga Walker, lecturer and human development internship coordinator (HDQM) — Excellence in Teaching; and Chunyan Yang, associate professor of school psychology (CHSE) — Excellence in Outreach.
Jimena Cosso, assistant professor (HDQM), was named a National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow for the 2026 academic year. The highly competitive fellowship recognizes 25 of the nation’s most exceptional early-career scholars, who are making significant scholarly contributions to education research.
Michelle M. Espino, associate professor of student affairs (CHSE), received a Pillar of the Profession Award from the NASPA Foundation. The award honors professionals who have provided significant service to Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) through regional and/or national leadership roles; created a lasting impact on the institutions or organizations at which they have worked, leaving a legacy of extraordinary service recognized by a cross-section of institutional/organizational stakeholders; and/or have demonstrated sustained, lifetime professional distinction in the field of student affairs and/or higher education.
Four faculty and staff members from the College of Education were recognized at Faculty and Staff Convocation. Gregory R. Hancock, professor (HDQM), received the designation of Distinguished University Professor, UMD’s highest faculty honor; Jing Lin, professor of international education policy (CHSE), was recognized as a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher for outstanding accomplishments in scholarship and teaching; and Anisha M. Campbell, associate director of Terrapin Teachers (TLPL), and Blesilda Ladines-Lim, director of finance and administration (CHSE), were honored with President’s Distinguished Service Awards for exceptional performance, leadership and service.
Manuel Teran Hernandez, a Ph.D. candidate in counseling psychology (CHSE), was honored with the 2026 Distinguished Student Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 44, Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Hernandez also received the Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race (Division 45) 2026 Barbara Smith & Jewell E. Horvat Graduate Student Award for Research with LGBTQ Individuals of Color.
Youngsun Lee, a Ph.D. candidate in education policy (TLPL), was awarded the American Educational Research Association-National Science Foundation Dissertation Grant for her work on school discipline.
Jioni A. Lewis, associate professor of counseling psychology (CHSE), was honored with the Foremothers Mentorship Career Excellence Award from the Society for the Psychology of Women (APA Division 35), Section 1 (The Psychology of Black Women). This award recognizes professionals who demonstrate significant contributions to the area of mentorship, particularly as it relates to supporting and encouraging the professional development of Black women in psychology.
Laura Mahalingappa, associate professor of linguistics and language education program (TLPL), has been appointed the College of Education’s new ADVANCE Professor. In this role, she will support faculty professional growth and success by working with the ADVANCE Program and college leadership to identify opportunities to strengthen the academic environment, expand access to mentoring and professional development and foster a culture where all faculty can thrive.
Candace M. Moore, clinical professor (CHSE), was honored with the 2026 Outstanding Global Classrooms Faculty Award from Maryland Global. Moore’s partnership with Maryland Global spans nearly a decade, through her Global Classroom developed in collaboration with the University of Cape Coast in Ghana.
M Pease ’22, M.S. ’24, a Ph.D. candidate in counseling psychology (CHSE), is the 2026 recipient of the Distinguished Contribution to Public Policy Award from APA Division 44.
Rachel Romeo, assistant professor of human development (HDQM), is one of two recipients of the 2026 International Mind, Brain, and Education Society Early Career Award, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of mind, brain and education.
Ayanna Samuels-Francis, a Ph.D. student in student affairs (CHSE), was elected to the Association for the Study of Higher Education Board of Directors as a graduate student representative.
Delida Sanchez, associate professor of counseling psychology (CHSE), was awarded the National Latinx Psychological Association Presidential Citation.
Sehrish Shikarpurya, assistant professor of special education (CHSE), received a Sesqui Award for Policy from the American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD). She was also elected a member and co-chair of the Student and Early Career Network of AAIDD.
Abigail Smith, a Ph.D. student in international education policy and a Holmes Scholar (CHSE), was selected to be one of two co-guest editors for a special issue of Journal for Teacher Education focused on international teacher education.
Chunyan Yang, associate professor of school psychology (CHSE), was recently elected a member of the Society for the Study of School Psychology.
