The James L. Doti Outstanding Graduate Student Award is conferred annually to the outstanding graduating master’s and doctoral students with distinguished records of academic accomplishment, scholarship, and/or service. The names of the award recipients are permanently inscribed on the campus Doti Award trophy, which incorporates artist Nick Hernandez’s sculpture Emergence, and is on display outside Argyros Forum (pictured above). Each recipient receives a desk-size copy of the trophy, an award of $1,000, and is recognized at their school’s commencement ceremony.

Nominated Wilkinson College students join the ranks of the exemplary graduate students that have been nominated across Chapman University’s graduate programs at the Master’s level for the 2025 year, proudly continuing a tradition of excellence that includes Wilkinson College’s most recent Doti Award winners, including Thomas Cottam in 2014, Julia Walton in 2016, Liz Harmer in 2019, Tryphena Yeboah in 2021, Makena Metz in 2023, and Audrey Fong in 2024.

Wilkinson College extends its congratulations to our 2025 nominees:

Iara Gonzalez Ascencio, MA International Studies

“Iara’s MA thesis, “Mobilizing Online, Marching Offline,” expands the literature on digital feminism from the case study of the Mexican women’s social movement to find missing persons. This research brings attention to women’s agency and actions under criminal governance. Dr. Angela Lederach from Iara’s thesis committee mentioned, “Iara’s research is not only methodologically rigorous but also demonstrates a deep ethical commitment to uphold the dignity of the people she has worked with, bringing depth to her findings which have both theoretical and practical implications,” writes Dr. Minju Kwon, and Gonzalez Ascencio’s thesis director, “Her resilience and commitment have inspired me and other Chapman community members.”

Kelly Taylor, MA War, Diplomacy, and Society

“Kelly’s research far surpasses what is typically expected at the master’s level, even at top universities. Her thesis, In Memoir and Memory: U.S. Servicewomen in Twenty-First-Century Combat, makes a significant contribution by examining the intersection of gender and race in U.S. military history,” writes Program Director Dr. Mateo Jarquin, “Kelly Taylor is a kind and thoughtful person, well-liked by her peers and program faculty, who has reached the highest standards of scholarship, leadership, and service at Chapman.”

Congratulations again to these outstanding graduate students. We know they will continue to do remarkable things.