NAU Graduate Student Government
Advocating for all graduate students at NAU 2023-2024
The NAU Graduate Student Government (GSG) represents and advocates for the graduate student body within the university administration and local, state, and national governing bodies. If you are interested in one of the vacant positions, please email GSG@nau.edu.
Graduate Student Government Officers
Diamond Bracey, MA, LGPC (MD), NCC is a fourth-year PhD student in the Combined Counseling and School Psychology program. Her research interests include the intersection between artificial intelligence and psychology, depression and anxiety symptom presentation in diverse cultures, culturally responsive, evidence-based treatment for underserved populations, mental health disparities, and mental health public policies. Diamond has served in the GSG for two years first as the Director of Special Events, then as one of the College of Education Representatives, and then as the Interim Vice President of External Affairs. Born in Washington, DC, and raised in Maryland, Diamond came to NAU by way of Bowie State University, where she earned a Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. At this previous university, she served as the Executive Vice President and then as the President of their Graduate Student Association. Diamond is excited to serve the graduate students, act as an advocate, and lead the Graduate Student Government for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Email Diamond at: seb496@nau.edu
Chelsea Hutton, a second-year Counseling-Student Affairs M.Ed. student with dual degrees in Psychology and Political Science from NAU, advocates for student well-being. As a Graduate Assistant for LGBTQIA+ Student Services in the Office of Inclusion, she plans events fostering belonging among students and boosts awareness of support services. With research and interests centered on pre-college experiences’ impact on student well-being, Chelsea hopes to contribute to inclusive and supportive higher education environments. With aspirations for a Ph.D. in Higher Education or Student Development, Chelsea’s ultimate goal is to illuminate the effects of diverse identities on student success in higher education. Her multifaceted background, research pursuits, and commitment to inclusivity position Chelsea as a future leader in student affairs, ready to enhance the college experience for all. Chelsea is excited to serve as Vice President of the Graduate Student Government; thrilled to support fellow graduate students, championing their needs and aspirations.
Email Chelsea at: cmh834@nau.edu
Jennifer Lee is a third-year Clinical Psychology doctoral student at the NAU North Valley campus. She participates in research and advocates for autism awareness. At NAU, she is a Culturally Centered Addictions Research Training (C-CART) scholar and is working towards outreach for substance use/addiction in underserved communities. Her study interests also include cultural influences on mental health stigma, childhood development, and health psychology. Born and raised in AZ, Jennifer tries to avoid the heat by building Legos, volunteering, or watching Grey’s Anatomy. As a first-generation Asian-American graduate student in her family, she hopes to build personal connections in her role as a GSG Chief of Staff while supporting other graduate students to thrive at NAU.
Email Jennifer at: jl3836@nau.edu
Graduate Student Government Directors
Phoenix Eskridge-Aldama – Director of Climate Action
Phoenix Eskridge-Aldama is a second-year PhD student in the Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability program at Northern Arizona University. Her main research interest is environmental political science, particularly climate change and political mechanisms of obstruction to climate action. She attended the University of Arizona for her B.A. in Environmental Studies, with minors in Spanish, Government and Public Policy, and Geoscience. As Director of Climate Action here at NAU, she has created the Climate Action Committee student club (open to all but geared toward graduate students- join now on TrueBlue Connects!) in order to get students involved in campus sustainability projects. Currently the committee is working on an energy efficiency project in the Physical Sciences building, and they plan to initiate more emission-reduction projects in the upcoming school year. Phoenix is also passionate about social justice and is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Group for the School of Earth and Sustainability (DIGS), where she developed a project which helps undergraduate students access resources and mentoring for the graduate school application process. Phoenix plans to continue using her passion for helping people and the environment to serve NAU graduate students and help implement the green changes they want to see as Director of Climate Action!
Taylor Lyster – Director of Travel
Taylor Lyster is a fourth-year School Psychology educational specialist student at NAU’s North Valley Campus. Previously, Taylor received an Associate’s degree at Imperial Valley College and then a Bachelor’s at San Diego State University – Imperial Valley. She started her journey in leadership in 6th grade where she found her passion in advocating for others’ visions for their school site and its environment. Most recently, she served as Community Campus Representative in NAU’s Graduate Student Government for the academic year 2020-2021 and as Chief of Staff for the academic year 2021-2022. She is eager to jump into the Director of Travel role advocating for the best interests of all graduate students. She hopes to continue pushing for positive change at the university, local, state, and national levels. Her prior experiences, coupled with her leadership skills and eagerness to learn, make her more determined to step into the Graduate Student Government team. Her goal is to address the questions and concerns of graduate students in all programs and accommodate their needs to ensure the best experiences at Northern Arizona University.
Jessica Alcala – Director of Diversity
Jessica Alcala, GSG 23- ’24 Diversity Director, is a Latina first-gen college graduate with degrees in Music and Psychology from the Dominican University of California. As an undergraduate student, she served as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Associated Students of Dominican University. Jessica is currently a Graduate Assistant for the Office of Inclusion for Hispanic/Latine Student Services where she continues her commitment to creating inclusive college campuses. Currently pursuing a Master’s in Counseling-Student Affairs, Jessica serves as president of the Student Affairs and Higher Education Association, Secretary and Social Chair in Kappa Delta Chi, and advises the Queer and Melanated Collective. Her aspirations involve pursuing a PhD in Education Policy or Higher Education, envisioning it as a means to advocate for students of historically marginalized backgrounds and create lasting change in the American education landscape.
DeVante Parker – Director of Special Events and Student Involvement
Graduate Student Government Representatives
Katie Scholler – College of Arts and Letters Representative
Katie Scholler is a second-year MA student in the History program, following a ten-year career in public education. She graduated from the University of North Texas in 2012 with a BA in History. She began her teaching career in Texas before moving to Flagstaff in 2016. She has lived and taught in Flagstaff for six years, teaching U.S. History, U.S. Government & Politics, and Microeconomics at Coconino High School. She also founded the CHS Mock Trial Team and has served as coach since 2017. Katie is passionate about utilizing the study of history to advance equity and inclusion. Her program focus includes the impact of race, class, and gender on the legal and political history in the United States. She is proud to be involved in local programs such as the Martin-Springer Institute at NAU, where she has participated in the In the Footsteps of Survivors program. Katie is excited to be an advocate for graduate students, and her goals as the College of Arts and Letters Representative are to foster communication between NAU faculty, staff, and students, work to address student wishes and concerns and provide access to information and resources to graduate students.
August Gerlach and Mallory Schwark – College of Education Representatives
Ryan Soffer – College of Business Representative
Anna Blocher-Rubin – College of Education Representative
Anna Blocher-Rubin, MA Ed. is a third-year student at NAU, North Valley Campus in Phoenix. She is pursuing her second master’s in education, in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. Anna has been a lifelong learner, beginning her career as a special education teacher, and yoga instructor and dipping her toe in curriculum development. She has her storytelling certification, which goes hand in hand with teaching, parenting her 3 kids, and connecting with her community.
Upon completing her master’s program at NAU, Anna plans on working in the Phoenix area as a counselor that focuses on young adults dealing with anxiety and depression. She looks forward to implementing yoga and storytelling in her counseling style. She is also big on giving back to the community, so she volunteers at an animal shelter with her daughter and helps with community events around Phoenix. Besides being a lifelong learner, Anna loves to hang out with her husband, kids, and dog, travel, garden, exercise, visit museums, and read books about different interests.
As a representative for the College of Education Representative of GSG, Anna would like to share the voices of the students at the North Valley Campus to address concerns and ideas to help the community of learning is a better experience for all.
Mehwish Maria Hameed – Social & Behavioral Sciences Representative
Mehwish Maria Hameed is a third-year Ph.D. student in Political Science. She holds master’s degrees in Education, International Relations, and English Literature and boasts over a decade of university-level teaching experience in Pakistan. Her research centers on conflict resolution through international organizations, particularly those addressing climate change-induced conflicts. Mehwish’s academic prowess is matched only by her adventurous spirit. She finds joy in skydiving, hiking, and expressing her creativity through cooking. Her academic journey underscores her dedication to education, while her research reflects her commitment to addressing pressing global challenges.
Stanley Njikho – Health & Human Services Representative
Stanley Njikho is a fourth-year Interdisciplinary Health Ph.D. student with extensive work experience in community development research. Stanley comes from Malawi in Africa. His research interest is in the spatial epidemiology of infectious diseases. Among other things, Stanley is interested in studying how geographic locations affect adolescents’ health and access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services within the context of infectious diseases. He is also interested in studying health equity, maternal and child health, and gender inequities. His ongoing predoctoral research is focused on spatial analyses of how location affects adolescents’ utilization of sexual and reproductive health services.
In his master’s program, Stanley received an award from the Center for International Education, Women, and Gender Studies and the Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Northern Arizona University to study the interconnections of climate change-related events and gender-based violence in Malawi – topics that have not been much addressed in the public health, climate, or sociological literature. In this research, Stanley was looking at the impact of environmental changes on family structures and gender relations to identify any possible correlations with the rise in gendered violence in Malawi. He contended that climatic shifts are impacting not just distant patterns of human interaction but are working to reshape intimate domestic spaces and relationships, with negative impacts on women and girls.
Apart from holding a bachelor’s degree, Stanley holds a master’s degree in sustainable communities from NAU. He also has three graduate certificates in Geographic Information Systems, Women and Gender Studies, and Public Health. Stanley has held different leadership positions in different organizations and he is pleased to join the GSG to serve the graduate students body.
Italo Santos – College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences Representative
Italo Santos is a second-year PhD Student in Informatics and Computing program at Northern Arizona University, working under Dr. Marco Gerosa’s supervision. Italo holds a master’s degree in Computer Science and Computational Mathematics, in the research line of Software Engineering and Information Systems, from the Institute of Mathematical and Computer Sciences (ICMC) of the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil and has graduated with honors as a bachelor’s degree in Digital Systems and Media from the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Brazil. Italo Currently research is driven for the purpose of increasing diversity and inclusion for all users that wish to engage in open-source communities and improve the software engineering field. Italo’s primary purpose in life is to study and use technology to improve people’s quality of life. Italo’s goal is to contribute to NAU, helping the university to thrive and performing a good job in all the NAU community.
Philip Asare – College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences Representative
Philip Asare has a master’s in Materials Science and Engineering from Arizona State University (ASU). He is a doctoral student in Applied Physics and Materials Science at NAU. He has served as the membership chair for the National Society of Black Engineers at ASU. He enjoys reading and hanging out with friends. Philip can be reached at Philip.Asare@nau.edu. Looking forward to all the great things we will achieve together as graduate students at NAU!
Cosmos Ansah – International Student Representative
Cosmos Ansah is a second-year PhD student in Political Science at NAU. He completed both his bachelor’s and master’s in Ghana, where he hails from. Cosmos is driven by a strong curiosity about environmental institutions and how they are designed to tackle cooperation problems. His passion for environmental politics stems from his desire to contribute to sustainable environmental governance. When he’s not immersed in learning and research, you can find him on the soccer field, exploring hiking trails, or enjoying a refreshing swim.