Chioma Okoroafor is passionate about making a difference in this world through her work with veterans, victims of abuse, advocacy for healthcare in underserved communities and climate justice. Her steadfast dedication to pursuing her purpose is among the reasons why she is the recipient of Penn State’s 2021 Outstanding Adult Student Award.
Okoroafor is a United States Marine Corps veteran, student worker in the Office of Veterans Programs at Penn State, a volunteer at Centre Safe and the Arboretum at Penn State. She is a junior pursuing a dual major in psychology in the College of the Liberal Arts and Biology in the Eberly College of Science at Penn State. Her concern about access to healthcare for underserved communities is setting her on a path with an ultimate goal of becoming a physician.
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The Restorative Justice Initiative (RJI) is a group of Penn State students, faculty, staff and community stakeholders committed to empowering and supporting system-impacted, currently and formerly incarcerated individuals through education and meaningful engagement in civic life, according to Efraín Marimon, assistant professor of education and director of the Restorative Justice Initiative as well as the Social Justice Fellowship.
“We believe in the power of trauma-informed practice, liberatory pedagogy and transformative education, and are dedicated to leveraging Penn State’s size, scope, reach and resources to help make education accessible to all sectors of society,” Marimon said.
“Much of our emphasis for this week will be on the need to remove structural barriers to education while preserving the human dignity of those impacted by the carceral state, added Marimon. We hope that Justice Education Week will create awareness in our commun
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“I kept putting it off until finally my husband Daniel and I were in a financial situation where we knew we couldn’t make the money we needed to provide for our family,” said Laughner, a student in the School of Labor and Employment Relations in the College of the Liberal Arts. “I was nervous about how I would do in school, but this was the time to start.”
Laughner, of North East, Pennsylvania, needn’t have worried she has been named the 2021 Outstanding Senior Award recipient from the School of LER. This award is given annually to a senior who has compiled an outstanding record in both academics and engagement in student activities.
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Though Black faculty members have been part of the Penn State community for over 60 years, âthe challenges facing Black faculty are no less formidableâ in 2021, according to the second âMore Rivers To Crossâ report.
As a follow-up to the first report published in January 2020, biobehavioral health professor Gary King and an independent group of Black faculty members published part two of âMore Rivers To Crossâ on March 25.
The 2020 report, which was 93 pages long, examined issues of representation at Penn State and the âracially biasedâ responses from students on Student Rating of Teacher Effectiveness surveys.
Part two of âMore Rivers To Crossâ is a 108-page report that outlines survey results of Black faculty membersâ experiences with racism from students, administrators and colleagues at University Park and commonwealth campuses.