Congratulations to the Spring 2021 Undergraduate Award Recipients!
Awardees names are as follows; awardee photos and bios are below.
Awardees of the Scholarship in LGBTQ+ Studies:
- Anthony Cattani
- Alanna Goldstein
- Adrian Lampron
- Justin Myrah
- M.Rose Sweetnam
Awardees of the Ruth Bleier Scholarship in Social Sciences:
- Rachel Sina
- Amy Yadev
- Allison Schopf – Honorable Mention
Alanna Goldstein
Alanna is part of the first cohort of students who received the Scholarship in LGBTQ+ Studies.
Alanna is an undergraduate student pursuing a B.A. with a double major in Political Science and Gender and Women’s Studies, a certificate in LGBTQ+ Studies, and Honors in the Liberal Arts. Focusing her research on policymaking, Alanna has published policy memos on the “gay panic defense” and “trans panic defense” used in the Wisconsin court system and the disparities disabled students of color disproportionately face in Chicago Public Schools. Alanna works in the Wisconsin State Government in the Governor’s Office and has previous experience working on political campaigns. She is involved in student activism at UW-Madison and is appointed to the University’s LGBTQ+ Committee.
Adrian Lampron
Adrian is part of the first cohort of students who received the Scholarship in LGBTQ+ Studies.
Adrian is an organizer and advocate from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who uses they/them pronouns. Lampron is a third year undergraduate studying History, Political Science, LGBTQ+ Studies, and a bit of Spanish at UW Madison. They are currently serving as the Chair of the Associated Students of Madison (ASM). They are privileged to have a community that supports them in being their true self and they feel driven to fight for the many trans people who do not. Lampron has served as a student council representative, congressional office intern, graphic designer, and field organizer in Minnesota during the 2020 election. For fun, they host a podcast about local government called MuniciPality, play guitar, and bike.
Justin Myrah
Justin is part of the first cohort of students who received the Scholarship in LGBTQ+ Studies.
Justin is a rising senior majoring in Biochemistry and Neurobiology and completing certificates in Global Health and LGBTQ+ Studies. Outside of his coursework, he works in the McDowell Research Lab where he is completing his undergraduate honors thesis on glaucoma pathogenesis. Specifically, he is researching how TLR4 signaling pathways upregulate fibrillogenesis and fibrogenesis in different eye tissues. He also works with United Cerebral Palsy to provide respite care for people with disabilities.
Justin has cerebral palsy and has been surrounded by the medical industry since birth. Many healthcare practitioners were involved in his care, all of whom he is grateful for. However, he often felt understood from a clinical standpoint but not a personal one. He has chosen to pursue a career in medicine to close the distance between practitioner and patient that demographics underrepresented in medicine face. He is passionate about healthcare justice and envisions himself practicing medicine on populations disproportionately affected by disease.