Outstanding Graduate Assistant Awards
Approximately 4,000 UMD graduate students also serve as teaching, research, or administrative assistants. The Graduate School recognizes the outstanding contributions that these GAs provide to students, faculty, departments, administrative units, and the University as a whole. This award honors students ranked among the top 1.5% of campus GAs in a given year.
The Graduate School invites colleges and schools to choose graduate students for Outstanding Graduate Assistant Awards in recognition of exemplary performance as a GA. The OGA Awards will be made in three categories: Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant, Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant, and Outstanding Graduate Administrative Assistant.
Each college and school conducts its own selection process during the Spring 2027 semester. Award winners receive a credit for mandatory fees for the Spring 2027 semester. The nomination and selection process for the AY 26-27 OGA awards occurs during Winter 2027.
NOMINATION DEADLINE: Friday, January 29, 2027
CMNS: 19 GAs SPHL: 3 GAs
ENGR: 11 GAs BMGT: 2 GAs
ARHU: 7 GAs INFO: 2 GAs
BSOS: 6 GAs ARCH: 1 GA
AGNR: 3 GAs PLCY: 1 GA
EDUC: 3 GAs JOUR: 1 GA
Eligible graduate students must be currently enrolled master’s or doctoral students and must hold at least a halftime graduate assistantship (TA, RA, or AA) for the full 2026-27 academic year. Students must be nominated by their advisor or supervisor.
Fellowship holders who do not also hold a UMD graduate assistantship position are not eligible for the OGA Award.
Qualities of an Outstanding Teaching Assistant:
- Knows the subject matter being taught very well
- Teaching style engages students; students feel they are part of the learning process
- Coordinates closely with the professor in planning their instructional activities
- Available to the students with flexible office hours and other means of communication
- When grading assignments, provides clear and helpful feedback to students
- Treats students fairly and equitably
Qualities of an Outstanding Research Assistant:
- Has made important contributions to the faculty member’s research
- Has mentored other graduate assistants and students
- Evidence of future promise as a researcher
- Evidence of scholarly achievements (e.g., publications, conference presentations)
Qualities of an Outstanding Administrative Assistant:
- Takes on responsibilities beyond the job requirements
- Supervises and mentors other assistants or students, formally or informally
The Graduate School will award approximately 60 Outstanding Graduate Assistant Awards for AY 26-27.
To nominate a student for the award, nominators must complete the attached Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award Nomination Cover Sheet and submit it to the college/school in which the student is enrolled. Please contact the college/school to learn more about their internal eligibility requirements and deadlines.
A college or school will choose its Outstanding Graduate Assistant awardees from eligible students enrolled in that college or school, whether the student holds an assistantship in that college or school or elsewhere on campus. In the latter case, a unit in which a student holds his/her assistantship may nominate the student to the college or school in which the student is enrolled.
Nominators, complete the cover sheet and submit to the student’s college or school. Please contact the college/school to learn about their internal eligibility requirements and internal deadlines.
Colleges and schools, review the pool of nominees and select the AY26-27 Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award winners and submit your selections to the Graduate School before the deadline.
Notifying the Graduate School
Once the college/school makes the award selections, the college/school will submit nomination cover sheets to the GS Awards Portal at terpengage.umd.edu/gsawards/s/.
Please direct questions to Robyn Kotzker, Program Director for the Office of Funding Opportunities (rkotzker@umd.edu, 301.405.0281)
Award Recipients
College of Arts and Humanities
Danielle Bing, History
Aidyn Cooper, Philosophy
Felicity Dogbatse, Communication
Filippo Grassi, Art History
Tatenda Mashanda, Communication
Doni Rotunno, Theatre Design
Julia Sodre, Art History
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Bibek Bhattachan, Veterinary Medicine
Parama Bhattacharjee, Animal Sciences
Anmol Kajla, Plant Science
Jason Manzon, Environmental Science and Technology
Colleen O'Donnell, Environmental Science and Technology
School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
Natalia Chakma, Urban and Regional Planning and Design
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Erika Feeney, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Fernanda Breckenfeld Ferrarini, Anthropology
Hyunjeong Kwak, Sociology
Daniel Tuke, Government and Politics
Zizhong Xiao, Psychology
Zhihao Wang, Geographical Sciences
College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
Aisha Abdulkarimu, Biological Sciences
Vera Andersson, Mathematical Statistics
Amanda Brocki, Chemistry
Joseph Carolan, Computer Science
Helen Craig, Entomology
Pierce Darragh, Computer Science
Sumedha Desikamani, Geology
Eadom Dessalene, Computer Science
Guanchao Ding, Biological Sciences
Hiba El Oirghi, Computer Science
Nathaniel Fried, Chemical Physics
Laila Howar, Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
Da Yeon Ki, Computer Science
Sonal Kumar, Computer Science
Meenakshi Krishnan, Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation
Yonghan Lee, Computer Science
Theresa Menna, Biological Sciences
Kinjal Mondal, Biophysics
Angela Saenz, Entomology
Renata Valieva, Mathematics
College of Education
Marley Forbes, Human Development
Manuel Teran Hernandez, Counseling Psychology
Monica Obiri-Yeboah, Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership
A. James Clark School of Engineering
Diako Abbasi, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Allison Boboltz, Bioengineering
Alex Hall, Materials Science and Engineering
Sahan Liyanaarachchi, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Amirreza Mohammadi, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Joseph O'Leary, Reliability Engineering
Supratik Sarkar, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Linda Tian, Mechanical Engineering
Chidiebere Udenze, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Nan Zhang, Chemical Engineering
Yufeng Zheng, Fire Protection Engineering
College of Information Studies
Lovely-Frances Domingo, Information Studies
Shom Tiwari, Library and Information Science (Online)
Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Yara Mabrouk, Journalism Studies
School of Public Health
Claire Barlow, Environmental Health Sciences
Lauren Nowosatka, Kinesiology
Olivia Prince, Epidemiology
School of Public Policy
Breana Stevens, Public Policy
Robert H. Smith School of Business
Yunfei Wang, Business and Management
Jiannan Xu, Business and Management
College of Arts and Humanities
Christina Bishop, History
Jin Choi, Communication
Ashley Cope, Art History and Archaeology
Karina de Sande, Spanish and Portuguese
Anh Duong, American Studies
Dominique Garcia, History
Umisha Kc, Communications
JooHee Kim, Art History and Archaeology
Varvara Tokareva, Art
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Darshika Amarakoon, Nutrition and Food Science
Stephanie Cavanaugh, Plant Science
Bhavit Chhabra, Plant Science
Cassandra Gabalis, Environmental Science and Technology
Pratibha Poudel, Animal and Avian Sciences
Qingyue Zeng, Nutrition and Food Science
School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
Abigail Chi, Architecture
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Codey Carr, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Harriet Goers, Government and Politics
Shuyu Jin, Geographical Sciences
Woohyeon Kim, Government and Politics
Dalton Lackey, Sociology
Sarah Silberman, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Alexis Stefanic, Hearing and Speech Sciences
Nikita Viswasam, Sociology
Emma Weikert, Anthropology
College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
Amandeep Chanda, Statistics
Mengting Chao, Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation Program
Ethan Dudley, Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation
Kathleen Evans, Entomology
Reint Fischer, Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
Katharina Gallmeier, Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
Sahana Kumar, Biological Sciences
Nathan McLane, Chemical Physics
Karla Nunez, Geology
Spandan Pathak, Biophysics
Anna Phan, Biological Sciences
Vasanth Pidaparthy, Mathematics
Arjun Savel, Astronomy
Zezheng Song, Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation
Max Springer, Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation
Luis Suarez, Mathematics
Asan Turdiev, Biological Sciences
College of Education
Muwon Kwon, Quantitative Methodology: Measurement and Statistics
Astrid Sierra Mejia, Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership
Daija Waugh, Special Education
A. James Clark School of Engineering
Khashayar Aghilinasrollahabadi, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Sachindra Dissanayake, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Grant Duemmel, Aerospace Engineering
Kaveh Faraji Najarkolaie, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Nahin Ferdousi-Rokib, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Raashiq Ishraaq, Mechanical Engineering
Chuanyu Lian, Materials Science and Engineering
Haotong Liang, Materials Science and Engineering
Mingju Liu, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Sahithi Maddipatla, Mechanical Engineering
Sydney Overton, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Suraj Raval, Mechanical Engineering
Thomas Roche, Mechanical Engineering
Ian Smith, Bioengineering
Yuanyuan Zhou, Mechanical Engineering
College of Information Studies
Shreya Deep, Human-Computer Interaction
Ming Rui Lee, Information Studies
Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Gea Ujčić, Journalism Studies
School of Public Health
Chia-Shuan Chang, Behavioral and Community Health
Nealofar Madani, Behavioral and Community Health
Katharine Roberts, Health Services Research
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Yanli Chen, Veterinary Medicine
Si Fan, Nutrition and Food Science
Joseph Ryan Lagner, Plant Science and Landscape Architecture
Grace Markley, Animal Sciences
School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
Bi’Anncha Andrews, Urban and Regional Planning and Design
Jesse Michael Bardsley, Community Planning
College of Arts and Humanities
Theavy Marie Din, Modern French Studies
Annemarie Mott Ewing, English Language and Literature
Alisa Denise Hardy, Communications
Christian Douglas Henrriquez, Theatre and Performance Studies
Daniela Paz Hernandez, Spanish and Portuguese
Megu Itoh, Communications
Molly Elizabeth Leach, Musicology and Music Theory
Kristen Li Puma, American Studies
Diana Cristina Proenza, English Language and Literature
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Allison Bredder, Geographical Sciences
Emiliano A Campos, Anthropology
Jade Dunstan, Psychology
Tristan Matthew Hightower, Government and Politics
Michael Jacob Lebron, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Sara Ellen King, Economics
Silvana Maria Montanola, Anthropology
Sean Richard Maulhardt, Psychology
Leonid Shumilo, Geographical Sciences
College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
Christian Akakpo, Chemistry
Bang An, Computer Science
Akashnathan Aranganathan, Biophysics
James Alexander Bader, Geology
Yang Bai, Computer Science
Stephanie Yuan Chia, Biological Sciences
Foivos Chnaras, Mathematics
Nolan J Coble, Computer Science
Gillian Star Felton, Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
Anna Clare Fitzmaurice, Physics
Armin Gerami, Computer Science
Sreyan Ghosh, Computer Science
Sharath Girish, Computer Science
Osma Josefina Gomez, Chemistry
Kevin Alexander Hackbarth, Biological Sciences
Emily Kaiyin Jiang, Physics
Priyatham Kattakinda, Computer Science
NaKyung Lee, Computer Science
Geng Liu, Computer Science
Jeffrey Martin Loube, Biological Sciences
Alan Fei Luo, Computer Science
Gautam Nambiar, Physics
Daniel Lee Nichols, Computer Science
Aashli Pathni, Biological Sciences
Garrett Drake Peters, Mathematics
Mohammed Rahman, Statistics
Nitya Raju, Computer Science
Smrithan Ravichandran, Chemical Physics
Katie Kolb Reding, Entomology
Martin Alexander Ritter, Physics
Suho Shin, Computer Science
Nicholas Robert Simms, Chemistry
Siddharth Singh, Computer Science
Bryan Gregory Wentz, Biochemistry
Laura Yu Zheng, Computer Science
College of Education
Youngjin Han, Quantitative Methodology
Ashley Ogwo, Higher Education
Rolonda Latreecee Payne, Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership
A. James Clark School of Engineering
Ayooluwa Adeolu Ajiboye, Electrical Engineering
Subhankar Banerjee, Electrical Engineering
Sangeeth Balakrishnan, Mechanical Engineering
Lavan Teja Burra, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Yekanth Ram Chalumuri, Mechanical Engineering
Shih-Huai Cheng, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Purbesh Mitra, Electrical Engineering
Michael Timor Nassief Morcos, Aerospace Engineering
Yiren Qin, Mechanical Engineering
Ann Therese Dela Cruz Ramirez, Bioengineering
Animesh Kumar Shastry, Aerospace Engineering
Sashank Kaushik Sridhar, Mechanical Engineering
Joohyung Song, Electrical Engineering
Callie Margaret Weber, Bioengineering
Yi Zhang, Civil and Environmental Engineering
College of Information Studies
Elissa Carpio, Human-Computer Interaction
Vivian Samuels, Human-Computer Interaction
Robert H. Smith School of Business
Mingwei Sun, Business and Management
Shotaro Yamaguchi, Business and Management
School of Public Health
Maria Clara Canellas Da Silva, Kinesiology
Coda Nicole Gerber, Family Science
Margaret Ann Smith, Behavioral and Community Health
Note: This page lists award recipients from 2023–2026. For information on recipients from earlier years, please contact Program Director Robyn Kotzker (rkotzker@umd.edu / 5-0281).