Celebrating Excellence: ASU honors graduate scholars at annual awards event

March 27, 2025

Arizona State University’s Graduate College hosted its annual "Celebrating Excellence" event on March 25 to recognize the outstanding graduate students who received fellowships and funding this year. During the 2024–25 academic year, over 900 graduate students were awarded financial aid through the Graduate College.

Hosted at ASU’s Memorial Union on the Tempe campus, the reception gathered students, faculty mentors, administrators and university partners to acknowledge a wide range of fellowships and awards.

Executive Director of Business Services and Administration for the Graduate College, Katrina Roalson, acknowledged student success and the essential support of families, mentors and university partners. She emphasized the community’s collective role in supporting graduate achievement.

Vice Provost and Graduate College Dean Elizabeth Wentz underscored ASU’s focus on expanding access to graduate degrees with help through new financial support. She noted the launch of the Accelerated Master’s Award, which supported approximately 400 Arizona residents in its inaugural year. "By supporting high-achieving graduate students, ASU continues its mission to produce public value locally and globally," Wentz said.

Many awardees described these opportunities as "life-changing," "transformative" and "empowering" — words that underscored the profound effect of this support on their academic journeys.

As part of the event, students submitted words summarizing what their awards meant to them. Their submissions formed a word cloud featuring terms like “grateful,” “motivated” and “validated,” reflecting the depth of their experiences.

Student voices:

I defended my thesis yesterday, and I’m proud to now be an ASU alum. Without the Focus on Finishing Your Degree Fellowship, I might have delayed graduation by months.
Shenbagaraj Kannapiran (Raj), Mechanical Engineering PhD Program, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Focus on Finishing Your Degree Award

As an Iranian-American woman, this support allowed me to engage with the global academic community and strengthened my belief in mentorship and giving back.
Yasmin Afshar, Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology PhD Program, College of Global Futures, Graduate College University Grant

This award gave me peace. I was able to pause teaching responsibilities and focus on archival research in my field.
Francisco Carrillo, Spanish Literature and Culture PhD Program, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Tuition Support of Crossing Latinidades Fellowship from the Mellon Foundation

The Graduate College Completion Fellowship made it possible for me to focus entirely on my dissertation. I just signed a tenure-track offer—I couldn’t have done it without this support.
Kristina (Kris) Vera-Phillips, Journalism and Mass Communication PhD Program, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Graduate College Completion Fellowship

My funding allowed me to study abroad in Ghana, connecting with child trafficking survivors—something I’ve wanted to do since I started my program.
Alexis Reed, Social Justice and Human Rights Master’s Program, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, Graduate College University Grant

Awards and fellowships recognized:

The "Celebrating Excellence" event reaffirms ASU’s dedication to fostering a vibrant and supportive graduate community. Through continued investment in graduate education, the university empowers scholars to drive innovation and contribute meaningfully at local, national and global levels.