The history department is thrilled to recognize Brianna Matson for her outstanding achievement in winning the CU Denver Graduate Student Leadership and Service Award. This award is bestowed upon students who demonstrate exceptional leadership and service, both within and beyond the university. Brianna's nomination by the director of graduate students, Peter Kopp, was a natural choice, given her remarkable contributions to the community, both on and off campus.
Brianna has been the vice president and president of Phi Alpha Theta Alpha Gamma honor society, hosted movie nights to help students delve into niche areas of history, and planned museum field trips to allow students to see what they can do with their degree and encourage networking. Outside of CU Denver's walls, she is the treasurer of a voter advocacy club that helps our students register to vote, and she works with the Denver East High School Museum club, working as a mentor assisting students to create exhibits and connect to public history.
When asked about her best accomplishment, Brianna reflected on her work creating a thesis support group for MA students. When starting her thesis, she realized she felt overwhelmed and alone in her struggles. After discovering her peers were facing similar frustrations, she created the support group so people would have a safe space to complain and help each other through any tough spots in their writing. The support group has been able to offer students resources such as grammar and editing, the counseling center - for mental health resources - and the library to provide students with better access to our research databases. She also made sure that the group did not charge a fee so every student could have access to the support they needed.
Congratulations to Brianna, and thank you for all you do for our department, college, and community!
-- Jade Leveille