UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Paige Castellanos, a doctoral candidate in rural sociology and international agriculture and development in the College of Agricultural Sciences, has been honored as the recipient of the 2014 W. LaMarr Kopp International Achievement Award for graduate students.
The award recognizes graduate students who have contributed significantly to the advancement of the international mission of the University. It is named in honor of the late deputy vice president for international programs.
Castellanos was one of the first students to join the University’s new dual-degree program in international agriculture and development. “Page has helped to grow the program by helping with our recruitment efforts, as well as to shape the program by serving as a mentor and role model for new students,” one nominator said. Castellanos also organized a graduate student organization dedicated to the program, allowing students from participating disciplines to submit grant proposals and participate in academic competitions. Her own research focuses on conditional cash transfers in Latin America, such as providing financial stipends to low-income families in exchange for sending their children to high school.
As an intern in the college’s Office of International Programs, she helped host delegations from around the world. “She did an amazing job providing a welcoming environment, sharing information about University life and the community, as well as engaging visitors in dialogue about agricultural issues in their home countries,” a nominator said.
In spring 2013, Castellanos was a teaching assistant during a month-long Spanish for Agriculture course in Costa Rica. This spring, she is serving as a teaching assistant in a Community, Environment and Development course in Honduras.