Thrilled to Celebrate @ginaludlow with the @fairfieldu Graduate Community, Her Family, & Her Excellence

Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Gina Drayton Ludlow receive a Graduate Student Service Award at Fairfield University as she represented the best of our graduate students and introduced us all to her children, her husband, her sister, her brother-in-law and her husband. They have a tremendous family and the love and energy was easily felt at our table.

Dr, Paula Gill Lopez and I had the honor or introducing her to the crowd.

These are the words we shared:

Bryan:Good Evening, and thank you Walter. My name is Bryan and I’m the Director of the Connecticut Writing Project and an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions.

Paula:And I’m Paula, who has been assigned to Bryan the last 8 years as his psychologist, therapist and friend who keeps him in check. Actually, I’m Chair of Psychological and Educational Consultation and an Associate Professor of Psychology and Special Education in the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions.

Bryan:The two of us are delighted to present on behalf of our colleagues in GSEAP to name our 2019 Graduate Student Service award recipient, Gina Ludlow, a student from our Masters in School Psychology program. I met Gina earlier this year, and knew right away that she was extraordinary. The two of us, I quickly learned, need to be kept far, far apart. otherwise our creativity, energy and passions get us in a lot of trouble.

Paula:And I’ve seen this first hand as my colleague, Bryan, has stood outside my door while I teach, summoning Gina to the hallway for one of his crazy ideas! Yes, Gina has proved herself in many ways at Fairfield University. She’s not only a capable student, but also an actively involved good citizen of our campus community. Gina has taken the campus “by storm” and I often hear from colleagues outside of the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions about the good work she is doing across campus. She was hired as a graduate student for the Black Studies Program, Peace and Justice Studies Program and Women Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, where she has successfully coordinated several events, including more recent work with the Connecticut Writing Project. 

Bryan: Gina is truly committed to social justice, equity and diversity. This spring, she volunteered as a liaison between Fairfield-Warde High School, Fairfield University, and the Connecticut Writing Project to help host the 3^rdAnnual Identity and Education Conference: Empowering Our Communities and Beyond – a Writing Our Lives Event. Through her parental involvement with Fairfield Warde Voices for Equity and an assistantship with Women’s Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, Gina approached CWP to be this year’s co-sponsor. The conference, in its 3^rdyear, empowers young break down barriers in their schools and throughout their communities. Gina worked tirelessly to secure room arrangements, design flyers, review conference proposals and invite keynote speakers. Under her leadership, the committee received a record number of applications. We aimed for involvement of 80 middle and high school students, but when the day arrived, we had over 200 in attendance. These were young people who presented to young people on actions they’ve taken at their school to make it a better world.

Paula:Our colleague and Associate Dean, Dr. Stephanie Storms wanted us to share that “Gina has a tremendous commitment to the University’s mission. She has raised equity, diversity, and inclusivity concerns within all her coursework, and most recently served on a panel for the Diversity Lecture Series with scholar Dr. Antonia Darder. In addition to leading the identity conference for local schools, Gina Drayton Ludlow also works tirelessly to be a voice for graduate students at Fairfield University with her role on the Graduate Student Senate. She’s been a strong advocate for their voices within the Provost’s Office, as well as with Dean’s across campus.”

Bryan:For these reasons, it was an obvious choice to put Gina Ludlow’s name forward to receive the Graduate Student Service Award. She brings forth light, happiness, integrity and a critical perspective of who we are as a campus and what our mission should and could be if we put our actions where our words are. Whether she’s organizing 1,200 poetic entries for the English Department’s Poetry For Peace contest, running to BJs to assure that young people have an early morning snack before the start of an academic day, or opening her office for a bagel with Dr. Emily Orlando’s Beagle, Gina is 100% committed to serving others on our campus

Paula:And this is why we hope you’ll share our appreciation for the wonderful graduate student that Gina Ludlow is to the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions. We invite our powerhouse to the stage. Please join us with a round of applause for our student, Gina Ludlow!

The crowd, of course, was equally as enthusiastic. It was a Saturday evening well spent.