PennGALA Student Leadership Award

The PennGALA Student Award will recognize a student who meets the following criteria:

1. Demonstration of strong, positive leadership qualities;

2. Outstanding service and demonstration of leadership on behalf of the LGBTQA community of the University of Pennsylvania;

3. Exemplification of the commitment to achieving excellence at Penn; and

4. 3.0 grade point average or higher is strongly preferred.

Though any full-time student (undergraduate or graduate) may be considered for the award, students within one academic year of graduation will receive preferential consideration. You may submit nominations for as many deserving students as you like, yourself included. If you are nominating someone else, please alert your intended nominee and encourage him/her A) to send you a resume for inclusion in your nomination submission, or B) to submit a self-nomination to ensure that no information is missing for final review. A Penn faculty or staff supplemental recommendation must eventually accompany each nomination submitted by a student.

SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION TODAY

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The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Alumni Association (PennGALA) is pleased to present the recipients of the PennGALA Student Leadership Award. This award recognizes a student who has demonstrated a commitment to serving and advancing LGBTQA diversity at the University of Pennsylvania.

The 2011 PennGALA Student Leadership Award was presented to Jason Landau Goodman, C'11 on April 8. Since his arrival on campus, he has had a significant impact and was recently rewarded by his peers through election to the positions of Political Vice Chair of the Lambda Alliance (coalition of nine undergraduate LGBT/ally organizations) and Chair of J-BaGeL the Jewish Bisexual Gay Lesbian student organization which is affiliated with both the LGBT Center and Hillel. In the fall, Jason was instrumental in memorializing the many LGBT youth who had recently fallen to suicide. He was the lead organizer of a candlelight vigil on the Penn campus which was connected to similar events across the state. He also helped implement the “You Are Loved” anti-suicide chalking and speak-out. Jason also organized an LGBT youth “Get Out the Vote” rally on campus, the first such event ever held in the Philadelphia area. Jason completed an internship with Equality Pennsylvania and was hired to be its youth organizer, regularly traveling across the state. He also mounted a successful campaign to get anti-LGBT harassment legislation passed in Lower Merion, his suburban Philadelphia home town. Jason is not afraid to take on what may seem to many to be monumental tasks and to work diligently at achieving them. He values bringing people together and building community.
Jason Landau Goodman, C'11 (center) with PennGALA
Co-Chair Lex Ruby Howe, C’07, and PennGALA Steering Committee member Dennie Zastrow, C’10.

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The 2010 PennGALA Student Leadership Award was presented to Anna L. Aagenes, C'10 on April 9, 2010. Anna has been an amazing leader in the LGBTQA community at Penn.  She has served as Co-Chair, Executive Board Member and Outreach Director of the Queer Student Alliance. As an athlete on the Women’s Varsity Track and Field and Cross Country teams, Anna has been bringing the athletic community and LGBTQA community together through PATH (Penn Athletes and Allies Tackling Homophobia). As a Chair of PATH from 2008-2009, Anna sought to expand the group’s visibility with big awareness-building events such as Pride Games, a Homophobia and Athletics panel, the screening of Training Rules, and other events. PATH is one of only a few organizations of its kind it is beginning to become more visible on campus and by other institutions across the country.  Through Anna’s integration of athletics and queer identity, she’s developed a true appreciation for what it means to serve in multiple communities at Penn.

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The 2009 PennGALA Student Leadership Award was presented to Yana Sigal NU'09 GNU'12 on May 1, 2009. Yana is the epitome of a Penn student-leader. Yana has achieved the heights of academic success as a published student-scholar and a student recognized by faculty for her excellent academics. Additionally, Yana’s work outside the classroom has significantly impacted the Penn community, and energized the LGBT community. Yana has served as co-chair for JBaGeL (Jewish Bisexual Gay and Lesbian student group), dramatically increasing the number and religious diversity of attendees at Friday night Shabbat dinners. This year, not shying away from extra commitments, Yana co-founded NursesPUSH (Nurses at Penn Understanding Sexuality in Healthcare) to help raise awareness about sexuality issues in the healthcare profession; the group has already made significant strides in curriculum changes, faculty support, and high profile speaker events. Yana has been an outstanding citizen of the Penn community, and will no doubt take leadership roles as an alumna.

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The 2008 PennGALA Student Leadership Award was presented to KeAndra Dodds C'08 on May 2, 2008. KeAndra majored in Urban Studies with a Minor in American Public Policy. KeAndra worked to bridge the gaps between the LGBT community and both the Athletic Community and Penn's communities of color as Chair of Penn Athletes and Allies Tackling Homophobia (PATH) and as Co-Chair of Queer People of Color (QPOC). Under her leadership, QPOC transitioned from being a taskforce to a SAC funded student group, a constituent group of the Lambda Alliance, Penn's queer student coalition, and a member organization of Penn's United Minorities Council.

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The 2007 PennGALA Student Leadership Award was presented to Alexis Ruby Howe C'07 on April 27, 2007. Alexis Ruby Howe majored in Political Science and Women's Studies. Alexis' helped to establish the questioning student initiative. As co-chair of the Queer Student Alliance, she pushed for increased membership and LGBT presence on campus. Alexis also helped found the Lambda Alliance, a coalition of LGBTQA organizations, and encouraged the discussion of gender identity issues and sexuality studies.