Graduate School’s Ponzi Wins Advisor Award

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Sondra Ponzi, a senior program coordinator in The Graduate School’s Office of Graduate Student Affairs, has won the Star Graduate Advisor Award from the UCAE Center for Leadership Development and Social Action.

The award recognizes a university administrator or faculty member who has aided the development of students outside the classroom. The winners were recognized at the In the Spotlight celebration on April 21.

Ponzi manages and implements student programs, provides counseling and advising for students, and acts as the disability services liaison and the harassment prevention adviser. She also advises GradParents, the school’s support group for graduate students who have children. GradParents nominated her for the award.

“Since her arrival in 2013, Sondra has worked meticulously to ensure that students get the support available to them through GradParents and individually at Graduate Student Affairs,” GradParents president Chris Paul wrote in his nomination letter. “Sondra is a key advisor in helping us, the leaders of GradParents, develop programming and executing the details to make our programs succeed.”

Alan Kendrick, assistant dean for graduate student development, was also nominated for the award.