Student Awards
The Nellie Thompson Rudd Award
Endowed by University of Delaware’s past president E. Arthur Trabant in honor of his mother, the annual Nellie Thompson Rudd Award acknowledges a graduating senior with a major or minor in Women & Gender Studies, who has demonstrated excellence in scholarship, leadership and service to the Department of Women & Gender Studies and to the University of Delaware.
The 2021 Nellie Thompson Rudd Award was presented to Sophia Kekai Smith, graduating with majors in Women & Gender Studies and Biological Sciences. After graduation, Sophia plans to attend medical school and pursue a career as a physician, while incorporating social justice advocacy into her work.
The Kathleen Doherty Turkel Award for Social Justice Activism
The Kathleen Doherty Turkel Award for Social Justice Activism was established to honor the work of Dr. Turkel, who retired from the Department of Women & Gender Studies after 35 years of teaching at the University of Delaware, where she has been an inspirational teacher and mentor to thousands of students. The Award is presented to a student majoring in Women & Gender Studies in recognition of their social justice activism on campus or in the larger community.
The 2021 The Kathleen Doherty Turkel Award for Social Justice Activism was presented to Laurel Della Valle, graduating with Bachelor’s degrees in Women & Gender Studies and Sociology, with a Concentration in Domestic Violence Prevention and Services. After graduation, Laurel plans to take time to work and gain experience before attending graduate school to earn a Master's degree in social work.
The Kathleen Doherty Turkel Award for Social Justice Activism has been established to honor the work of Dr. Turkel, who is retiring from the Department of Women & Gender Studies after 35 years of teaching at the University of Delaware, where she has been an inspirational teacher and mentor to thousands of students.
Kathleen Doherty Turkel received all of her degrees at the University of Delaware: a Bachelor of Arts with majors in Political Science and Art History, a Master of Arts in Political Science, and a Ph.D. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy. When the Women's Studies Program was established at UD in the 1980s, she was one of its first faculty members and its program coordinator. Along with several others, Kathleen organized the Women's History Month Film Series. She was instrumental in starting a series of Women's Studies Dinner Seminars featuring faculty scholars and national leaders in the field, both on and off campus.
The Program in Women's Studies became the full-fledged Department of Women & Gender Studies in 2011, and Dr.Turkel was—and remains—one of its most beloved and influential teachers. With teaching as her greatest passion, she has taught thousands of students. Focusing her life's work to understand how social inequalities are reproduced and maintained and equally committed to seeking strategies for building social justice, Dr. Turkel has influenced thousands of UD students and developed close and lasting relationships with many of the students with whom she worked.
The Kathleen Doherty Turkel Award for Social Justice Activism will provide an award to a student majoring in Women & Gender Studies in recognition of social justice activism on campus or in the larger community.
If you would like to recognize Dr. Turkel's teaching, scholarship, and lifelong engagement with social justice and activism, please consider making a contribution in support of the Kathleen Doherty Turkel Award for Social Justice Activism.
