Dr. Richard A. Rodriguez Division 44 Student Travel Award

Richard A. Rodriguez

The Dr. Richard A. Rodriguez Division 44 Student Travel Award is sponsored by the Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity (CoRED) of the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues (Division 44). The purpose of the Dr. Richard A. Rodriguez Division 44 Student Travel Award is to encourage greater participation in Division 44 annual convention activities by LGBT students of color. CoRED acknowledges that LGBT students of color frequently experience increased demands on time and resources as a result of managing multiple identities within professional organizations. The Dr. Richard A. Rodriguez Division 44 Student Travel Award therefore seeks to support engagement with LGBT people of color issues in psychology by defraying travel costs to the American Psychological Association Annual Convention.

Graduate students who (a) self-identify as LGBT persons of color, (b) demonstrate a strong commitment to LGBT and ethnic minority issues; (c) plan to attend this year's American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Convention, and (d) will still be enrolled as graduate students at the time of this year's APA Annual Convention are eligible to apply for the Dr. Richard A. Rodriguez Division 44 Student Travel Award. LGBT students of color who are presenting research at the convention are especially encouraged to apply, though all applications will be considered. Two student travel awards in the amount of $500 each will be awarded.

2009 winners

Angela Marie Enno - Utah State University
Angela Enno recently completed her first year of graduate school in the Combined Clinical/Counseling/School Psychology Doctoral Program at Utah State University, with a multicultural and rural emphasis. At the 2009 APA Annual Convention in Toronto, Canada, Angela delivered a presentation titled "The multiple dimensions of diversity: An ethnic minority trainee’s perspective" in a symposium titled, "Am I competent enough? Latina/o voices and diversity."

Angela was selected as a recipient of the Dr. Richard A. Rodriguez Division 44 Student Travel Award on the basis of her application; personal essay; curriculum vitae; letter of recommendation from Melanie M. Domenech Rodríguez, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Utah State University; and personal commitment to "community-based culturally responsive research" with clients of diverse backgrounds. In her essay, she added, "I can bring a level of complexity and nuanced understanding of diversity, power, and multiculturalism into many discussions."

Bryce Way McDavitt - Pacifica Graduate Institute
Bryce McDavitt recently finished his first year of graduate school in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Bryce presented a paper titled "Ethnic differences in stigma among HIV-positive gay and bisexual men" at the 2009 APA Annual Convention.

Bryce was selected as a recipient for this award on the basis of his application; personal essay; curriculum vitae; letter of recommendation from Matt G. Mutchler, Ph.D., community-based researcher at AIDS Project Los Angeles; and personal commitment to "contributing to the development of LGBT-affirmative psychotherapy and refining it for ethnic minority individuals." In his essay, he elaborated, "I hope that my work will aid clinicians in empowering clients to actively cope with stigmatization and heal the wounds it can create."

2008 winner

Ja'Nina Walker - City University of New York
Ja’Nina Walker is a doctoral student in Developmental Psychology at the Graduate School and University Center at the City University of New York. The 2008 APA Convention was Jaye’s first opportunity to become more involved with LGBT and ethnic minority psychology at a national level.

Ja’Nina Walker was selected for the Dr. Richard A. Rodriguez Division 44 Student Travel Award on the basis of the strength of her application, strong recommendation from her professor, Dr. Anna Stetsenko, and her commitment to expanding dialogue about intersections among LGBT, Black, and gender non-conforming identities. The Division wishes Ja’Nina Walker continued success in scholarly and other professional endeavors.

2007 winner

Yung Chi Chen, M.A. is a doctoral student in School Psychology at the APA-accredited Educational Psychology Program in the Graduate School and University Center at City University of New York. At the APA Convention 2007 in San Francisco, California, he presented a research poster titled “Dual-Minority Status and Gay Asian Americans’ Psychological Stress and Adaptation” at the Division 44 poster presentation session.

Mr. Chen was selected for the Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity Student Travel Award on the basis of the strength of his application, favorable recommendation from advisor Dr. Georgiana Tryon, and his contribution to the body of literature regarding LGBT individuals of color. His quantitative study challenged conventional discourse about singular identity models, insisting instead upon an exploration of “dual-minority status” and examining how aspects of race and sexual orientation interact to contribute to psychological stress. The Division wishes Mr. Chen well in future scholarly and other professional endeavors.

Past winners

  • 2006 Damaliah Gibson, Thang Luu and Juan Contreras
  • 2005 Alison Cerezo and Erlanger Turner
  • 2004 Konjit V. Page - Boston College
  • 2003 Annaliese Singh
  • 2002 Marie Darcy
  • 2001 Ming-Hui Daniel Hsu
  • 2000 Debbiesiu Lee

Application Procedures

Application Forms

Personal Statement

Please submit a personal statement (500-800 words) that addresses each of the following questions: (a) In what ways does your graduate program benefit from your self-identification and involvement as an LGBT person of color? How does APA benefit from your participation in professional activities as an LGBT person of color? (b) What unique challenges might LGBT graduate students of color face that may hinder participation in APA? (c) How would attending the 2011 APA Annual Convention further your career goals? (d) Are you presenting research at the 2011 APA Annual Convention? If so, will it contribute to the body of knowledge regarding LGBT people of color issues? If so, how?

Curriculum Vitae

Please submit a curriculum vitae electronically.

Letter of Recommendation

Please have a faculty member electronically submit a letter in support of you receiving the Dr. Richard A. Rodriguez Division 44 Student Travel Award. Faculty members are asked to address the applicant’s commitment to LGBT people of color issues in academic and other domains.

Submission of Application Materials

The following application materials must be received by May 20, 2011. Electronic submission of application materials to Dr. Karla Anhalt (kanhalt@kent.edu) is preferred.

As an alternative, materials may be mailed to: Dr. Karla Anhalt, School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences, Kent State University, 405 White Hall, Kent, Ohio, 44242

Questions?

Please contact CoRED co-chairs Karla Anhalt (e-mail: kanhalt@kent.edu; phone: 330-672-0582) Or Nadine Nakamura (e-mail: nnakamur@sfu.ca)

See also