Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon Women's Association  ›  Awards  ›  2023 Awardees

Prashanti Anderson

Meet Prashanti Anderson

School of Computer Science
She/Her

Being a Teaching Assistant (TA) has been the highlight of my CMU experience. It has been great introducing theoretical computer science to so many students and hopefully inspiring them as I was by the TAs who came before me. I also am very thankful for the professors, PhD students, and undergrads involved in theoretical computer science (both through teaching and research) at CMU. It is an amazing and supportive community, and I am so lucky to have been a part of it for these last four years.

View Prashanti's Nomination Letter

TA for 15-122 and 15-251
I'll miss the School of Computer Science TA community: everyone is so passionate about teaching and thoughtful about how they can structure courses to set students up for success. So many of my fellow TAs consistently go above and beyond both in their own student-facing efforts but also in improving courses behind the scenes and supporting their fellow TAs.
I plan to pursue an EECS Ph.D. at MIT studying theoretical computer science.

Maegan Bogetti

Meet Maegan Bogetti

Dietrich College
She/Her

During my time at CMU, I was elected President of CMU's intersectional feminist student organization, CMU FEMME. In this role, I was able to support and organize 25+ educational and social events on issues of intersectional inequities for the student body, co-found the CMU Gender Equity Coalition of student organizations, encourage student civic engagement, and work with the Title IX Office and Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to advocate for greater student involvement in social equity work and on-campus advocacy. CMU FEMME helped fill a gap of student access to spaces to learn about and discuss gender-based inequities and the ways in which they overlap with other systems of oppression. I also was the first student to declare the new additional major in Environmental and Sustainability Studies and helped solidify a path for future students to enroll in a program centered on environmental justice and interdisciplinary environmental education.

Through these significant experiences, I hope that I've inspired students to consider the ways many huge challenges of our generation (gender, racial, and other inequities; a global climate crisis; rampant economic inequality, etc.) have overlapping causes and consequences. While this can be overwhelming, it also means that we have the opportunity to find overlapping solutions that allow us to create a vibrant future that is environmentally and socially sustainable for all.

View Maegan's Nomination Letter

  • President of CMU FEMME
  • Founder of CMU Gender Equity Coalition
  • Member of CMU Mortar Board ETA Chapter
  • Member of Andrew Carnegie Scholars
  • Presenter at MOSAIC Conference on Intersectionality
  • Outreach Coordinator for Green Village Initiative, Digital Media and Communications with Breathe Project

I'll most miss being surrounded by a community of students who are so passionate, talented, and immersed in their disciplines. What is so unique about CMU is that this student community also holds immense focus on the importance of interdisciplinary education and exploration of different fields, hobbies, and talents alongside their deep engagement in their primary field of focus. Yet I can't wait to see where all of these amazing peers go next.

I will be completing a nine-month Fulbright open research grant in Italy from October 2023-June 2024. My research project uses an environmental justice lens to analyze an illegal waste dumping and burning crisis in Naples, Italy. Following my Fulbright grant, I will be attending the Yale School of the Environment to get my Masters in Environmental Management with a concentration in People, Equity, and the Environment, and work in the Justice, Equity, Diversity, Sustainability, and Inclusion (JEDSI) lab of the esteemed Dr. Dorceta Taylor.

Remember that CMU's boundary doesn't end at the edge of campus: there is a HUGE network of amazing organizations, community groups, and nonprofits in Pittsburgh who always need support and who want you to get involved.

Don't be afraid to explore courses and opportunities that are totally beyond your background of knowledge and experience - professors and other students will just grant you more respect for being exploratory and taking risks and this is a place ripe with chances to explore other fields in a way you may never have access to again. Sign up for the course that sounds interesting, exciting, and totally unlike anything you've ever done before!

Maegan, 2023

Nicole Guccione 

Meet Nicole Guccione

College of Fine Arts
She/Her

Some of my most significant experiences at CMU are related to discovering my passion in the intersection of music/the arts and social justice, which has been supported through my studies as a music major (euphonium performance) with a double minor in gender studies and ethics. I’ve been involved in various activism efforts on this front including advocating for curriculum reform and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives within the School of Music and working with the College of Fine Arts DEI office. The projects in this area that I’m proudest of and were the most formative have been my two euphonium recitals, called "Demarginalize" in the Spring of 2022 and "Mosaic" in the Spring of 2023. They were both multimedia performances and social advocacy events that highlighted the value of intersectional and inclusive art.

  • School of Music Student Advisory Board
  • FEMME (Feminists Engaged in Multicultural Matters and Education)
  • Humanist League
  • School of Music DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Committee
  • Mosaic Conference for Intersectionality Planning Committee
I will miss having ready access to all the community and resources here at CMU. I have appreciated the opportunity to build friendships and be surrounded by an inspiring community, all while being immersed in a city full of vibrant cultural experiences and at a university with a locus of resources. I will miss this sense of centralized creativity.
As a musician, I am passionate about the intersections of music, equity, and social justice. I plan to build a career in this niche involving activism, nonprofit work, musicological research, and freelance performance.
Your work has more ripples than you realize, and just because they aren’t always visible to you doesn't mean they aren’t there. You are doing enough.

My advice to future leaders at CMU is not to feel like you have to do everything yourself. Especially if you’re a leader in social justice advocacy, the work can feel really tiring and endless. Remember that it’s not all on you and that you have a strong community to fall back on. Keep in mind that even if you can’t see the direct effects of your advocacy efforts — and it doesn't seem like it’s paying off — your work has more ripples than you realize.

Nicole, 2023

Nikki Hasson

Nikki Hasson

College of Engineering

She/Her

My time at Carnegie Mellon has highlighted that there is more to an individual than simply the GPA or academic achievements. Through involvement on campus in various organizations, I have begun to expand my passions which have become an integral part of my identity. Surrounding myself with challenging, incredible peers and faculty that bring out the best in me both personally and professionally has been instrumental to my undergraduate career.

  • Women in Mechanical Engineering Executive Board Member
  • Mechanical Engineering Student Advisory Council (SAC) Member
  • Tartan Ambassadors Tour Guide
  • Varsity Women’s Soccer
  • Delta Gamma Member and Booth Build Chair
Carnegie Mellon provides the opportunity to be surrounded by individuals with unique backgrounds, varying skillets and interests. The diverse student body enabled me to step out of my comfort zone and take risks, and to approach problem solving in a new light. I will miss being constantly challenged to think differently and to explore new avenues by my encouraging faculty, dedicated advisors, and  passionate peers.
I plan to work as an associate scientist on companywide upstream prototype development for Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The diverse student body enabled me to step out of my comfort zone and take risks, and to approach problem solving in a new light.

Be confident and embrace your individuality, appreciate your accomplishments, boldly take risks, and be social beyond the confines of your majors to maximize your learning and expand your horizons.

Nikki, 2023

Sophia Philip

Meet Sophia Philip

Heinz College

She/Her

My first significant experience with CMU occurred before I even applied. I met with professor Kristen Kurland in August 2020 via Zoom as I was very intimidated by graduate school and was not sure I wanted to attend graduate school at all. She took the time to talk through my concerns and said, “Even if you don’t end up applying to Carnegie Mellon, you can always reach out to me if you have questions." It was this kindness, without any agenda that convinced me to apply to Carnegie Mellon, and I have continued to be met with more kindness throughout my time here that has led to immense growth and opportunities for me.

My second experience speaks to the incredible program director I have, who also nominated me for this scholarship, Alex Lutz. Alex has modeled the type of leadership that can be the most difficult. At times, I struggled immensely with the culture of Carnegie Mellon, I did not want to stay or challenged the status quo — which was not always welcomed. She always heard me out and validated my feelings. On top of that, she set expectations and was transparent of what could be done or what could not, connecting me with key people to find resolution to the problem or help me understand how I might approach obstacles differently. Being a leader does mean you cannot always get the outcome everyone wants, but the transparency and integrity of her process has instilled my faith in her leadership that I hope to reflect in my own as I move forward to life post CMU.

View Sophia's Nomination Letter

Corporate Startup Lab Fellowship
What I will miss most about CMU is being able to prioritize my learning. I am excited to return to the working world but I am also a lifelong learner. Being able to put learning first is such a gift and privilege. I am sure I will find ways but it’s been a fantastic two years that has truly transformed how I think and how I connect to my work and community.
I am in the midst of finding that out! My previous work has been in health and education, but I hope to explore other areas to figure out how to make service systems not only do good but do better for the public. I look forward to using my skills in quantitative and qualitative analysis from Heinz, as well as my exploration of service design at the School of Human Computer Interaction, in the public sector. I am also a Presidential Management Fellowship Finalist and may explore placements in government or opportunities with other institutions.
It’s because of questioning and aiming for solutions that we discover what lies beyond the unknown and then real change can happen.

You can’t cry until you’ve whined. This was advice a friend shared with me that takes a bit of dissecting. If you do not agree with how something is being done or you are challenged or upset by something in a way that seems unnecessarily difficult for you and your community, you must do something. Not all of us have the capacity to act all the time, but if you have the bandwidth and you take the time to express concern, understand how the problem manifests, and strive for openness to understand and collaborate, some amazing change can happen. But until you do this do not accept it just because it is or has been. It’s because of questioning and aiming for solutions that we discover what lies beyond the unknown and real change can happen.

A more technical piece of advice, take classes outside of your college! This campus is rich with information and we only get so much time to take it in. See what is happening in other schools within CMU as interdisciplinary learning yields the most dynamic minds.

Sophia, 2023

Ayushi Ray

Meet Ayushi Ray

Tepper School of Business

She/Her

I came to CMU as a first-year knowing that I wanted to major in Economics, and I immediately fell in love with the interdisciplinary coursework offered through the Dietrich College and the Tepper School of Business. My courses have ranged from topics like climate change to digital marketing to public policy, and yet have still seamlessly connected with one another in riveting ways. I am also very grateful to have had the opportunities to apply the knowledge gained from my curriculum to real-world problems — from conducting research as a first-year to being able to participate in programs such as the Google Ads Grant Nonprofit Marketing Immersion program. These academic experiences were supplemented by the student organizations I was a part of, which gave me a strong network of close friends and peers who have all shaped me to be the individual I am today.

  • CMU Jiya, Manager
  • Equilibrium: Society for Women in Economics, President
  • Dietrich College Communications, Social Media Student Assistant
  • Department of Undergraduate Economics, Teacher's Assistant and Research Assistant
  • Department of Social and Decision Sciences, Teacher's Assistant
  • Omicron Delta Epsilon
I will definitely miss the community I gained through my undergraduate experience, made up of friends, classmates, professors, advisors, and other mentors who have supported me at every single step of my academic and professional career. The valuable friendships and connections I made while exploring the city of Pittsburgh, collaborating on projects, and performing on stage will definitely stay with me forever.
I'll be returning to the San Francisco Bay Area to continue a career in Marketing with a long-term goal of pursuing an MBA.
I can't imagine how different my time at CMU would have been if I hadn't taken the opportunity to try new things.

I highly recommend future students to try everything! Join clubs, attend events, take a class that piques your interest, or travel to new place in the city. These experiences will open so many doors and offer a variety of paths to during your undergraduate career. The majority of my most valuable experiences at CMU have come from me exploring new activities and classes, and I can't imagine how different my time at CMU would have been if I hadn't taken the opportunity to try new things.

Ayushi, 2023

Mona Yuan

Meet Mona Yuan

Mellon College of Science

She/Her

Being a student-athlete and TA for the Biology department have been some of my most memorable experiences at CMU. I am also grateful to have had the opportunity to foster a sense of mentorship and community among pre-health students through Alpha Epsilon Delta and research. I'm thankful for the relationships I have built through these activities and the continuous support from my professors, coaches, and peers as they have contributed to my growth in more ways than one.

  • CMU Women’s Varsity Cross Country and Track & Field
  • Alpha Epsilon Delta (pre-health fraternity)
  • Kappa Alpha Theta
  • Teacher’s Assistant
  • NeuroSAC
I will miss the incredible people I've met from all walks of life at CMU. The community here is so special and has always inspired me to step outside of my comfort zone.
I'm taking a gap year before attending medical school, working as a research assistant in a cancer research lab, and traveling with my family.
The community here is so special and has always inspired me to step outside of my comfort zone. 

Also, always give yourself time to do the things you need to do for you first!

Mona, 2023