Diversity & Social Justice Education

Keynote Speaker: Kamau Grantham, PhD

Dr. Kamau Grantham is a licensed clinical psychologist and clinical counselor at the Counseling Center here at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He earned both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from St. John’s University, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the State University of New York at Albany, and a B.A. in Psychology from the State University of New York, at Fredonia. Dr. Grantham has been working in the field of mental health for over 30 years, and has been on staff at the Counseling Center since 2014. Several highlights of Dr. Grantham’s work with U of I students over the years at the Counseling Center include: co-founding the Black men’s therapy group; longstanding member, and past co-chair, of Sankofa (the Black student outreach team); former Assistant Director of Clinical Services; and current liaison to the Graduate College.
 
In his free time, Dr. Grantham finds solace through music and art. Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, & spending most of his adult life in New York City, he grew-up watching his mother draw with colored chalk, and play the piano, as well as listening to his father play soul and jazz records. In 1988, during his freshman year of college, Dr. Grantham began DJing when his friend gave him a spare DJ mixer. In 1995, he moved to New York City for graduate school, where he submerged himself in the burgeoning Black creative movement to manage the stress of his graduate studies. While in New York, Dr. Grantham had the opportunity to DJ in various spaces including: the Brooklyn Tea Party; Ray Hand’s Loft; Frank’s Place, and Baby Jupiter to name a few, and was also the resident DJ for the Brooklyn artist collective, the Crash House.   
 
After arriving in Champaign-Urbana with his family in 2014, Dr. Grantham continued his passion for creating art and music. In 2016 he co-founded Dance Music Therapy with Terrance Stevenson and Dr. Mikki Johnson, as a safe space for folks to dance and express themselves. In 2019 Dr. Grantham partnered with University of Illinois Professor, Stacey Robinson, to form BLACKMAU, whose art seeks to imagine Black life in the future as a means of posing visions of liberation and shedding light on the present. BLACKMAU’s art is currently on display in Urbana on both an electrical box on Main Street and in a mural at the Cunningham Township Supervisor’s Office. Their art has also been featured in a number of galleries across Illinois and New York State. In 2024 BLACKMAU collaborated with the Mass Transit District (MTD), and the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail, to design a bus for the year’s Juneteenth celebration.  Currently Dr. Grantham can be found DJing with the Darker Than Blue DJ collective at the Gallery Art Bar, in Urbana, where they host monthly parties merging art and music to create safe spaces for community expression.

Nawal Assougdam
Senior, Dance & Kinesiology

Nawal Assougdam is a dancer, performer, choreographer and student. Originally from Aurora, Colorado, Nawal is a current senior pursuing a dual degree in Dance and Kinesiology. In her time at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, she has performed in main stage productions by Dance at Illinois (DAI) in works by Roxane D’Orleans Juste, Laura Chiaramonte, Gabriel Eng Gonzalez, Tessa Olson, Adanya Gilmore, John Toenjes, and Jakki Kalogridis as well as a number of student works. Nawal is a member of DAI’s student board and an undergraduate student representative in the Bachelor of Arts planning committee. In addition, she is one of the founding members of the makesmewanna art collective and currently serves as the treasurer. In the fall of 2023, Nawal Assougdam made her mainstage choreography debut when she premiered her work titled “Atay?” in October Dance.

Bridge Builder Award - Undergraduate
Lily Rybka, Junior in Information + Data Science

Lily Rybka (she/her) is a junior studying Information Science+ Data Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign iSchool with a minor in Global Studies. She is the current President of the student organizations Interfaith in Action and the Student Board of the University YMCA. In her free time, Lily enjoys traveling to cultural or natural landmarks and playing tennis and badminton.

Collaboration Award
Gabriela Ramos-Avila, Senior in Architectural Studies, Minor in Latina/Latino Studies

Gabriela Ramos-Avila is a Senior in Architectural Studies with a minor in Latina/Latino Studies. She is a first-generation Mexican-American student who is passionate about learning and helping others succeed. She works as a Student Program Coordinator and Lead Ambassador for La Casa Cultural Latina and is the current president of the Hispanic Organization of Urban Studies and the Environment (HOUSE).  In the future, she hopes to become a licensed architect and design community, civic, or educational buildings for communities of low income. In her free time, she enjoys model making, reading, and embroidery.

Research & Advocacy Award
Gladys Kemboi, Ph.D. Candidate in Information Science

Gladys Kemboi is a Knowledge Management Strategist and PhD candidate in Information Science at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Kemboi focuses on the decolonization of knowledge, epistemic justice, advancing local and Indigenous knowledge in development, and collaborating with leaders and partners across sectors and around the globe to build dynamic and equitable knowledge ecosystems.

Community Impact Award
Gregory Ridgel, Third-Year Student at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine 

Gregory Ridgel is a third-year medical student at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CIMED) from Birmingham, AL. He has a Bachelor of Engineering in biomedical engineering and Spanish from Vanderbilt University. In his future medical career, he aspires to synthesize skills learned from his clinical, pharmaceutical, and engineering backgrounds in order to translate research into health equity to be a changemaker within marginalized communities. 

Outstanding Program Award
Native American House Ambassador Program

Created in the Fall of 2022, the Native American House (NAH) Ambassador Program is pivotal in supporting Native student life at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Under the administration and mentorship of the NAH director, Dr. Charlotte Davidson, Ambassadors aid in the cultural center's daily operations and work in cooperation and consultation with student affairs staff to design, implement, and assess programming that promotes student success, inclusion, and belonging.

Program led by Charlotte Davidson (Director of the Native American House, Diné and citizen of the Three Affiliated Tribes)
Current Student Ambassadors include Will Bartee (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), Justin Bean (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), David Eby (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and Muscogee Creek), and Yanaba Schroeder (Navajo Nation)

Dr. Pankaj Desai, Senior Assistant Director for Inclusion Initiatives at The Career Center (Outstanding Staff Award) 

Dr. Pankaj Desai is a passionate advocate for career development with a strong commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Belonging (DEIAB) with over 12 years of experience in higher education. Dr. Pankaj Desai currently serves The Career Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as the Senior Assistant Director for Inclusion Initiatives. In this role, he leads departmental efforts to empower career choice and action for students from diverse backgrounds including international students, first-generation students, and those from historically underrepresented groups. Dr. Desai is an experienced higher education leader with a proven track record in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion through strategic program development and institutional partnerships. He currently serves as the Chair of the Advisory Council of the Asian American Cultural Center and is an invited member of the Advisory Circle of the Native American House here at Illinois.