Graduate student Julia Spielmann has received this year’s Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching for Graduate Teaching Assistant from the University of Illinois, the College of LAS, and the Department of Psychology. This triple honor highlights Julia’s continued commitment to creating supportive classroom environments and fostering success in students. Julia has served as an instructional teaching assistant for Introduction to Social Psychology and Psychology and Law in the Department of Psychology and as a Mindfulness Discussion Group coordinator with the Education Justice Project, a model college-in-prison program. 

According to her award description, Julia’s “pedagogical approach is grounded in using innovation to make knowledge accessible.” Her colleagues have described her as “a critical contributor to undergraduate education” in many settings. She creates engaging classroom exercises that “promote a more just and equitable world” by helping students to envision alternatives to current law enforcement practices and to imagine what an equitable world could look like. Congratulations to Julia Spielmann for her work in helping to create opportunities for education and growth.

You can read more about Julia’s award HERE