Three Recent Graduates Receive University Recognition for Service and Leadership

Jennifer Brown ‘23, Madelyn Cox-Guerra ‘23, and Mica Standing Soldier ‘23 received the President’s Student Leadership & Service Award (PSLSA) for their leadership and service during their time as students. The PSLSA  recognizes the accomplishments and contributions of outstanding student leaders at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. It is presented to students for their exceptional leadership and service to the University of Minnesota and the surrounding community. 

Brown is a dual degree graduate with a JD and a PhD in neuroscience. She received the President’s Student Leadership & Service Award in 2022 for outreach, research, and community engagement. Throughout her student career, Brown served on several committees, including the Council of Graduate Students, the Career Facilitation Committee and the Law Council Interdisciplinary Committee. As the president of the Graduate Program in Neuroscience Career Facilitation Committee, she successfully implemented a policy proposal that was approved by the program steering committee, to create protected time each month for trainee career development. This initiative was called “Career Facilitation Fridays,” which provided protected time that allowed students to focus on long-term career goals by attending webinars, conducting informational interviews or working on application materials. She was also selected as a Society for Neuroscience Early Career Policy Ambassador (ECPA), allowing her to to blend her interest in law and science and bring science advocacy and policy events to the University of Minnesota. Through the ECPA program, she learned skills for communicating science to public audiences and policymakers, and tried to share that knowledge at my home institution. She paired an educational webinar on the importance of scientist engagement and communication strategies with a Hill Day event, where I was able to recruit University of Minnesota students to meet with elected officials.

Brown was also awarded the Mary A. McEvoy Award for Public Engagement and Leadership in 2022. This award  is presented to students who display leadership and public engagement above and beyond their normal duties and responsibilities. Candidates must demonstrate dedication and assistance that benefit an individual, group or community, or strengthen a democratic way of life. Like many others, Brown was profoundly impacted by the murder of George Floyd and the unrest that swept the nation during the Black Lives Matter protests. She began investigating the science and policy behind tear gas use on civilians. She recruited other students to work on this project at the intersection of science, policy and social justice. Their original research was published in two peer-reviewed papers, and they translated our findings for our community audience by writing Op-Eds and being interviewed for both print media and TV broadcasts. 

Cox-Guerra received the President's Student Leadership and Service Award for prioritizing service to both her community and her fellow students and Minnesota Law. She served as a board member for the Minnesota Justice Foundation - Student Chapter throughout her three years in law school, where she raised money to fund student summer grants for public service. She was a student attorney in  the Detainee Rights Clinic, served in the Latinx Law Students Association, and for the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association. She was published in the Women Lawyers Journal, and was the Lead Online Editor for the Journal of Law & Inequality. Cox-Guerra has worked in legal aid positions throughout law school. She said she is excited to begin a career in public interest law and is thankful to the University of Minnesota for providing opportunities to grow academically and volunteer with those in need. 

Standing Soldier received the President’s Student Leadership & Service Award for her advocacy at Minnesota Law, which focused on capacity building for the Native American Law Student Association (NALSA). In her community and work spaces, Standing Soldier led a youth fellowship for young leaders to grow their organizing and activism skills, and advocated for policies prioritizing harm reduction and system transformation in the juvenile justice system. 

Congratulations and thank you to all three graduates for their service and leadership.