Below are awards and honors College of Education faculty, staff and students have earned between September and mid-November 2024:
Department Abbreviations
CHSE | Counseling, Higher Education and Special Education
HDQM | Human Development and Qualitative Methodology
TLPL | Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership
Katie Altieri ’25, a human development major and track and field student-athlete, was named a Dr. Pepper Go Teach Tuition Giveaway winner. The College Football Playoff Foundation and Dr. Pepper collaborate on an annual award to provide tuition assistance to deserving education majors across National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) conference partners.
Pamela Callahan Ph.D. ’24, postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement (Office of the Dean), received an Early Career Fellowship from the Education Law Association in recognition of her work regarding the intersection of K-12 education and First Amendment rights.
Amanuel (Manny) Fitsum and Jordan Wagner, both students in the physical education master's certification program (PE-MCERT, TLPL), received Outstanding Future Professional awards from Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) Maryland.
Dana Grosser-Clarkson Ph.D. ’16, associate clinical professor (TLPL), was honored with the Outstanding College Educator Award by the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Drew Fagan, clinical professor (TLPL), was elected to the TESOL International Association Board of Directors for 2025-28.
Melody Mann, Ph.D. student in special education (CHSE), was named a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar. This four-year national leadership development program is designed for full-time doctoral students “who are committed to ensuring their research is aligned with the health needs of communities.” Mann’s research focuses on sustaining diversity, equity, inclusion and justice for immigrant families in the U.S., particularly Punjabi families, navigating early intervention and related services in special education.
Melinda Martin-Beltrán, associate professor (TLPL), received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Maryland TESOL Association. This award honors the accomplishments of professionals in the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) field who throughout their years of service have exemplified dedication to ESOL students at any educational level and/or in ESOL teacher training.
OiYan A. Poon, faculty specialist (CHSE), won an Outstanding Book Award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education for her recent book, “Asian American is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family.”
Ellen Roche ’05 (HDQM), a doctoral student in the Language, Experience and Development (LEAD) Lab, was awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F31) through the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. During her fellowship, she will work on her dissertation project, “Development in the Moment: Does Caregiver Sensitivity Drive Prefrontal Cortex Synchrony?”, with support from her mentor, Assistant Professor Rachel Romeo (HDQM).
