Honoring the 2020 & 2021 Excellence in Advising Award Recipients in Arts & Humanities

December 8, 2021

Congratulations to the three 2020 & 2021 Excellence in Advising & Student Services award recipients from the Division of Arts & Humanities! Berkeley's Council of Advising and Student Services uses these awards to "recognize the positive and innovative impact our recipients have on student learning, engagement, and belonging on the Berkeley campus." Our division's students report being the happiest on campus, and that is in large part due to the fantastic work of our advisors. Please RSVP here to join the formal reception honoring the award recipients on Wednesday, December 15 at 1:30-3:00 p.m. PST via Zoom. You may also share your congratulations on this Kudoboard.

Success with Less

Amanda Minafo, Departments of Italian Studies, Scandinavian, and Slavic; Celtic Studies Program, College of Letters and Science

"Despite a shrinking staff and incredibly complex advising position, Amanda is innovative and welcoming in her advising of the students in our four departments, covering nine major and eight minor tracks. She recently streamlined a number of forms of advising information online, and she voluntarily participated in L&S Advising events for which she was praised. Her dedication to excellence is reflected in her caring, professional, and inclusive interactions with students and others. The core competencies, goals and principles of Berkeley Advising have been clearly demonstrated in the direct experiences of both Amanda’s students and her fellow campus colleagues who have collaborated with her."

Outstanding New Advisor or Student Services Staff

Grayson Johnston, Department of Rhetoric and Film & New Media, College of Letters and Science

"Under these extraordinary circumstances, Grayson served our students with unwavering academic and basic needs support, sustaining our diverse student body with compassion and steadiness. The extraordinary care that Grayson demonstrated throughout the pandemic has made him our frontline staff member to coordinate the drastically changing needs of students and instructors. As a direct result of Grayson's extraordinary work, all our 2020 Rhetoric seniors graduated on time. All our Honors Program students completed their Honor's Theses on time. The Rhetoric undergraduate student community exudes with positive energy and collegiality, in no small part due to Grayson's unrivaled dedication to them."

Outstanding Peer Advisor, Mentor, Counselor, or Ambassador

Daniel Legrand, Department of Music, College of Letters and Science

"Daniel Legrand is an award-winning advocate and peer mentor in the Music Department. Drawing on his training as a certified Intercultural Development Advisor, Daniel provides exceptional support and guidance to his fellow students. Since 2014, he has consistently worked to build community and solidarity among graduate students in the Music Department, and has been a leading voice for graduate student professionalization. He is a thoughtful intellectual interlocutor, forthright advocate, and loyal friend. As one peer wrote: 'I am lucky to have Daniel as a colleague and friend, and the Music Department is better as a result of his presence and labor.'"