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Twenty-two Receive Diversifying Faculty in Illinois Fellowships

Posted: July 29, 2020

Statue with hand on hip.

Twenty-two University of Illinois graduate students have been named Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois (DFI) Fellows by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. 

DFI Fellowships are dedicated to diversifying the faculty and administration at colleges and universities in Illinois. To that end, fellowships support underrepresented graduate students who intend to teach or become administrators in higher education in the state following graduation. Fellowships provide up to four years of support, and they include annual stipends from $11,000 to $15,000 along with full tuition coverage.

Congratulations to our 2020 DFI Fellows:

  • Alishia Alexander, Sociology
  • Chequita Brown, Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership
  • Nancy Cardenas Gonzalez, Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership
  • Jacqueline Guzman, Kinesiology
  • Tiffany Harris, Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership
  • Marisol Jimenez, Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership
  • Miche'le Johnson, Curriculum & Instruction
  • Bianca Lopez, Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership
  • Melanie Marshall, Curriculum & Instruction
  • Juan Mora, History
  • Zam (Kendra) Nalubega, Curriculum & Instruction
  • Susan Ogwal, Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership
  • Marielisbet Perez, Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership
  • Jessica Robinson, Institute for Communications Research
  • Amari Simpson, Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership
  • Brandi Smith, Informatics
  • Nathaniel Stewart, Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership
  • Anthony B. Sullers, Jr., Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership
  • Ronald Threadgill, Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership
  • Angel Velez, Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership
  • Larry Washington, Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership
  • Autumn West, Curriculum & Instruction

“The DFI Fellowship program is one of the prime mechanisms by which the State of Illinois aims to increase underrepresented representation at public and private colleges and universities in the state," said Ken Vickery, director of fellowships in the Graduate College, "It does this by offering financial support to students based on both academic merit and financial need, and it has been successful here on campus in attracting talented students and bolstering their ability to establish educational careers here in Illinois.”           

Learn more about the Graduate College's Office of External Fellowships and our Fellowship Finder database.