Brown School Recognition Ceremony
MAY 13, 2023
Field House, Athletic Complex
Washington University Danforth Campus
Events
Brown School Recognition Ceremony
Field House, Athletic Complex
Saturday, May 13 | 5:00 p.m.
Washington University Commencement
Francis Olympic Field
Monday, May 15 | 9:00 a.m.
All-School Commencement Festival
Mudd Field, Tisch Field
Monday, May 15
Immediately following the university Commencement
After you grab food, drinks, and snacks from the All-School Commencement Festival, please join faculty, staff, and students in the Clark-Fox Forum to mingle and cool off from the heat.
Order of Procession
Processional
Faculty Marshal
Melissa Jonson-Reid
Professor
Interim Co-Deans, Brown School
Tonya Edmond | Rodrigo S. Reis
Recognition Ceremony Speaker
Jia Lian Yang
Director of Storytelling & Communications, Forward Through Ferguson
Student Speaker
Kasey Springsteen, MSW ’23
Members of Faculty
PhD Candidates
MSW Marshal
Connie Flachs
MSW Candidates
MPH Marshal
Tremayne Watterson
MPH Candidates
Dual-Degree Marshal
Mara McKown
Dual-Degree Candidates
MSP Marshal
Jin Lyu
MSP Candidates
Joint Degrees Candidates
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Order of Ceremony
Academic Procession
Announcements
Cynthia Williams
Welcome and Message to Students
Rodrigo S. Reis
Student Speaker Address
Kasey Springsteen
Recognition Ceremony Address
Jia Lian Yang
Announcement and Recognition of PhD Candidates
Leopoldo J. Cabassa | Patrick J. Fowler
Announcement of Masters Candidates
Tammy Orahood
Recognition of MSW Candidates
Jennifer Harpring | Ragini Maddipati
Recognition of MPH Candidates
Angela Hobson | Ragini Maddipati
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Recognition of MSW/MPH Dual Candidates
Jennifer Harpring | Angela Hobson
Recognition of MSW/MSP Dual Candidates
Jennifer Harpring | Anna Shabsin
Recognition of MPH/MSP Dual Candidates
Angela Hobson | Anna Shabsin
Recognition of MSP Candidates
Anna Shabsin | Jennifer Harpring
Recognition of Joint Degrees Candidates
Jennifer Harpring | Angela Hobson
Recognition of Student Marshals & Student Speaker
Anna Shabsin | Jennifer Harpring | Angela Hobson
Deans' Remarks
Tonya Edmond
Recession
Cynthia Williams
Recessional
Pomp & Circumstance
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PhD Graduates
Enoch Azasu
DISSERTATION TITLE
“Prevalence, Sociocultural Risks and Protective Factors of Suicidal Behaviors: A Cross Sectional Study of Middle School Students in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.”
Recognized by Dissertation Chair Sean Joe
Flora Cohen
DISSERTATION TITLE
"Parent and Child Wellbeing in a Humanitarian Context"
Recognized by Dissertation Chair Trish Kohl
Joonmo Kang
DISSERTATION TITLE
"The Vulnerability of a Poor Urban Neighborhood to Extreme Weather Disasters and the Role of Ecosocial Work: The Case of Tongja-dong Jjokbang-chon in Seoul, South Korea"
Recognized by Dissertation Chair Carolyn Lesorogol
Yuekang Li
DISSERTATION TITLE
"Social Capital and Mental Health among Chinese Older Adults"
Recognized by Chair Nancy Morrow-Howell
Aytakin Huseynli
DISSERTATION TITLE
"Effect of Resource Curse on Child Well-being in Resource-rich Countries, Specifically in Post-Soviet States"
Recognized by Dissertation Chair Michael Sherraden
Kyle Pitzer
DISSERTATION TITLE
"Effectiveness of Community Development Organizations in the St. Louis, Metropolitan Area"
Recognized by Dissertation Chair Michael Sherraden
Yingying Zeng
DISSERTATION TITLE
"Examining Immigrant Experiences in Asset Building: Implications for AssetBased Policies"
Recognized by Dissertation Chair Michael Sherraden
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MSW Candidates
December 2022
Alyssa Knight
Bixuan Hu
Elecia Worley
May 2023
Sarah Aguilar
Blakelee Alford
Abdul Almutairi
Lauren Atherton
Kaileigh Backes
Eugenie Bang
Fares Bashool
Hannah Batista
Anna Bay
Russell Beckham
Carsen Beckwith
Braylan Benoist
Franca Bibow
Jasmine Brooks
Risa Brown
Alexandra Bryan
Alyssa Burris
Lenna Catrett
Lauren Chacon
Diana Chahrour
Hannah Chudy
Maria Cognata
Bethany Copeland
Jennifer Adams
Jessica Frazier
Katrina Hungary
Sage Coram
Connor Crawford
Margaret Crocker
Ellen Currin
Molly Currington
Claire Dempsey
Rachel Devine
Claire Difani
Grace Doherty
Rita Donohoe
Jillian dos Santos
Gabriele Eissner
Connie Flachs
Mira Fradkin
Josh Goff
Mohammed Gorgoush
Angeline Grable
Janeka Haden
Regina Han
Grace Harris
Alistair Heitmann
Sofia Herrera
Taylor Hurst
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Lauren Jeevanjee
Indigo Johnson
Brittany Kiefer
Shir Klainman
Casey Kohlstruk
Melody Konadu Frempong
Vibol Kong
Hillary Kovacs
Emma Lavetter-Keidan
Ashley Yuan Liu
Livi Logan-Wood
Ally Longaker
Alex Lubbe
Phil Lyall
Ali Margherio
L Mattson
Sophie Mauk
Alicen Meysing
Josh Miller
Sarah Minkoff
Areli Munoz-Reyes
Caroline Murphy
Lillian Murphy
Alyssa Nelson
Hope Raternik
Jessica Rodriguez
Eliza Rosenbloom
Delaney Rybarczyk
Niki Samtani
Jorge Sanchez
Abby Schilly
Grace Schmidt
Marissa Scofield
Abigail Serafin
Tessa Sottile
Oviya Sougoumarane
Kasey Springsteen
Laura Stephens
Jennifer Stephenson
Katelyn Swichtenberg
Lew Tait Jr
Melanie Theriault
Marisha Thomas
Em Thorp
Iulia Tothezan
Morgan Van Nest
Kristina Wasserman
Maya Wasserstrom
Molly Webster
Paige Wegener
Katie Wiedeman
Felicity Zhang
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Anticipated MSW Candidates
August 2023
Solomon Achulo
Mehriban Ahmadova
Fadya Al Hammam
Amal Alzhrani
Caroling Ball
Elianna Bernstein
Georgia (Kennidee) Boyer
Natalie Burford
Amira Chambers Ottley
Stanford Cooper
Jiteng Dai
Yizhou Fang
Alexandria Fenton
Ziya Gao
Michelle Giannoulakis
Zoe Goff
Kristi Hagen
Da-yup Kim
Emery Lambert
Haleigh Left Hand
Kit Lentini
Qiuye Lu
Lillian Maina
Ako Matsumura
Gabrielle Napoli
Courtney Poulos
Goldie Raznick
Rachel Simons
Mary Stenger
El Suleymanov
Quentin Thomas
Jared Varley
Laura Vasquez
Madison Williamson
Kat Seal
J Peter Siriprakornr
MSW/JD Candidates
May 2023
Mackenna Bowles
Claire Comey
MSW/MSP Candidates
May 2023
Anni Dineen
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Anticipated MSW/MSP Candidates
August 2023
Kathryn Allen
Anni Dineen
MSW/MPH Candidates
May 2023
Daiszha Cooley
Kaleigh Edwards
Beth Gentsch
Mara McKown
Sam McNelly
Zoe Miller
Leah Nason
Julia Parnes
Jacob Pearson
Madeline Powers
Katie Ragsdale
Naomi Raznick
Ashley Redd
Anticipated MSW/MPH Candidates
August 2023
Daleesa Alfred-Wade
Ellie Borgstrom
Becca Nolder
Michael Paster
December 2023
Duo Ren
Ray Phillips
Courtney Poulos
Karter Ransire
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MPH Candidates
May 2023
Ola Adebayo
Grace Anderson
Carolina Andrade
Clifford Atuiri
Michelle Bagwell
Desirae Bartos
Quinlan Batcheller
Pamela Chan
Grace Cobble
Grace Cross
Ibura DeHaan
Maddison Geller
Maya Godambe
Karin Han
Ria Hegde
Andrea Heredia
Angie Hoffman
Aung Myo Htut
Yuying Hu
Tasneem Issa
Luna Johnstone
Taylor Kaser
Gauri Ketkar
Eliza Kleban
Alexandra Knitter
Camille Kroll
Mia LaBrier
Meiqi Liu
Bethany Lumsdaine
Megan Manhart
Josh McCullough
Maysara Mitchell
David Mok
Cecilia Nartey
Kimberly Neal
Caitlin O'Connell
Stephanie Munachiso Ohagi
Sydney Otis
Nway Nway Paing
Sourav Pal
Thomas Penney
Taylor Powell
Zhiqing Pu
David Rosene
Rashmi Sahasrabudhe
Chandler Scott-Smith
Courtney Shaw
Nidhi Shinde
Rachel Skaldman
Vicent Ssentumbwe
Yuan Sui
Isabel Temosihue
Nissi Undurthi
Sydney Vie
Nayana Vuppala
Jingjian Wang
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May 2023 MPH Candidates (continued)
Tremayne Watterson
Katie Wojcik
Yoseph Worku
Yuyi Yang
Milkise Yassin
Amen Bekele Zelleke
Wenqing Zha
Tianyi Zhang
Qianzi Zhou
Anticipated MPH Candidates
August 2023
Manyi Ayuk
Baffour Boaten
Krutika Chauhan
Lara Counts
Beesan Daoud
Ali Lateef
Amy Lin
Chenyan Shi
Annalee Wilson
Lillian Tsai
Jawaun Valentine
MPH/MBA Candidates
May 2023
William Heimberger
Karen Trautman
MPH/MD Candidates
May 2023
Sarah Cohen
Hannah Lucas
Victoria Offei-Dua
Alex Shimony
Amal Taylor
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MPH/MSP Candidate
May 2023
Cecilia Munoz-Rivera
MSP Candidate
May 2023
Jennifer Adams Anticipated MSP Candidates
August 2023
Li Lumeng
Yue Fang
Yuyao Qi
Yisu Wang
Jin Lyu
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Featured Speakers
Kasey Springsteen, MSW ’23, Student Speaker
For Kasey Springsteen (she/they), growing up in Iowa – the first state to caucus every four years – made for a unique upbringing. Springsteen grew up talking politics and running into presidential hopefuls at the local coffee shop. Naturally, this experience led Springsteen to be interested in how people are affected by the systems they inhabit and empowering people to change them.
While earning a bachelor’s degree in Strategic Political Communication and English from Drake University in Des Moines, Springsteen worked for The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement. Springsteen volunteered on political campaigns, and was a sexual assault and domestic violence peer advocate for Drake University through Polk County.
Since arriving at the Brown School, Springsteen has worked with undergraduate students as a graduate fellow in the Annika Rodriguez Scholars Program. In that role, Springsteen has found a love for working with young people – empowering them to succeed in their academic and professional careers and challenging them to be well, kind, and compassionate people.
Springsteen completed three practicums – one with the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, one with the Office of Scholar Programs at WashU, and the other with A Red Circle , a Black-owned nonprofit urban farming organization. Outside of their academic pursuits, Springsteen is in leadership at Trader Joe’s and has enjoyed learning more about St. Louis outside of the context of her education. Springsteen appreciates leading people from all backgrounds and learning new things about food and community every day.
Springsteen is an avid music, book, and food lover. Their personal mission centers on empowering people to reflect and share their own stories to build a community that celebrates individuality. They are committed to joy as a practice and rebuilding our capacity to play.
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Jia Lian Yang
Director of Storytelling & Communications, Forward Through Ferguson
In a world where stories are essential to shaping our perspectives, Jia Lian Yang (she/they) is amplifying voices working towards Racial Equity and the stories of people most impacted by racism. Yang currently serves as the Director of Storytelling & Communications at Forward Through Ferguson , an anti-racist systems change organization that is charting a path toward racial equity across the St. Louis region.
At Forward Through Ferguson, Yang’s work includes managing data storytelling initiatives such as #Transforming911, which aims to reimagine public safety services, and crafting narratives around grassroots efforts to advance Justice For All.
Born and raised in San Jose, California, Yang received a Master of Social Work from the Brown School in 2016. Additionally, they hold a Master of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary.
Before joining Forward Through Ferguson, Yang served as co-host and lead producer of St. Louis Public Radio’s We Live Here podcast, which explores issues of race and class in the St. Louis region. She also cofounded and co-hosted Who Raised You? Podcast, a show that focused on issues of culture, family, and intersecting identities.
Yang is committed to building real and trusting relationships, which they believe are the first step toward building power for systemic change.
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Photos
Proofs may be viewed and purchased online within 72 hours of the ceremony from: www.kabancephoto.com
Click on “View Proofs” and follow the directions.
For more information, please contact: Kabance Photo, 314.721.7733 or email@kabancephoto.com
Commitment to Open & Respectful Events
Washington University fully embraces a commitment to presenting a wide diversity of ideas and opinions, as well as encouraging free discussion of those ideas and opinions.
With this commitment in mind, the university agrees that event proceedings and guest speakers should expect to be heard without interference from or harassment by those who oppose their views or positions, and that posters, banners, noisemakers and other distractions should not be brought into the presentation area during a program or talk, so that an environment free of interference, distraction and intimidation shall be maintained.
The Washington University policy is: No placards, banners, noisemakers and other distractions are permitted in outdoor or indoor presentation areas on campus – either in support of or in opposition to speakers or event proceedings. Groups and individuals are free to gather outside of these venues and presentation areas to leaflet, to display posters and banners, to distribute literature and to express their concerns – as long as they do not obstruct entry, disrupt event proceedings, interfere with speakers’ ability to be heard, or otherwise deny the audience an interruption-free event.
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Congratulations to the Brown School’s 2023 degree candidates. Your experiences empower you to effect positive change in our region and around the globe. #BrownGrad23 #WashU23 CONNECT WITH US @BrownSchool #BrownSchool brownschool.wustl.edu
