Top row (l-r): Olivia Asher, Stella Babatope, Ethan Christmas, Samuel Ewusi Dadzie, Bijaya Ghimire, Tanner Hamerling, Jonah Hammett
Middle row (l-r): Brandon Hathaway, Madeline Heaton, Dallas Kreisa, Muneeb Elahi Malik, Anne Manning, Allison Michael
Bottom row (l-r): Md Shakir Moazzem, Deborah Moyaki, Haven Newbold, Yasmin Paiva de Siqueira, Md Hafizur Rahman, Meg Rooney, Ashley Sorrow
The University of Georgia Graduate School and the Office of Engagement, Leadership and Service congratulate the Spring 2026 cohort of students who completed GradLEAD.
“GradLEAD reflects the Graduate School’s continued commitment to preparing graduate students with transferable skills that support success across a broad range of career pathways while strengthening connections across the university,” said Ron Walcott, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School. Developed to meet the evolving professional needs of today’s graduate students, GradLEAD equips participants with the skills, experiences, and insights needed to translate their advanced training into meaningful contributions within and beyond academia.
“The University has invested significantly in the development of graduate and professional students on campus,” said Steven Brown, Assistant Director for Leadership in the Office of Engagement, Leadership and Service. “Through GradLEAD, we’ve focused primarily on students’ leadership development. Students have grown in their leadership capacity and their capabilities, increased their knowledge and understanding, and how they can best partner and lead together. I’m confident that GradLEAD ‘graduates’ will continue to do great things and utilize what they’ve learned in the future. Thank you to all our campus partners, deans and faculty, and friends for the role they’ve played in making this program a success.”
Through GradLEAD cohort meetings and peer group engagement, these graduate students had the opportunity to deepen their understanding of leadership, strengthen their self-awareness, and develop the skills to collaborate and lead effectively across diverse contexts.
“Participating in GradLEAD has been pivotal to my final year of graduate school. The program helped me frame my leadership identity beyond just a ‘title,’ which allowed me to create a much more compelling video cover letter. That video, combined with other materials, successfully landed me an interview! Furthermore, I now have a much better understanding of team dynamics; I no longer make assumptions about how others think. These insights even translated to my personal life, helping me understand a close friend’s perspective better and significantly reducing conflict in our relationship.” — GradLEAD participant
“Facilitating the GradLEAD program this semester has been a powerful reminder of what happens when intentional space, reflection, and community come together—students didn’t just build skills, they grew in confidence, clarified their leadership identity, and used their assessment results to gain self-awareness, better understand their strengths, and navigate challenges more strategically,” said Karen Fambrough, Director of Professional Development in the Graduate School. “This cohort experience has provided a strong foundation for their continued journey as impactful leaders both within and beyond UGA. We’re grateful to have the support to offer this transformative opportunity to our graduate students.”
Students interested in learning more about GradLEAD can visit the link below. Applications will open Fall 2026 for the next Spring 2027 cohort. Stay tuned to the Grad Digest and the Graduate School social media platforms for the announcement when the application portal is open. In the meantime, check out #GradLEAD on LinkedIn to read some student experiences from Spring 2026.
Learn more about GradLEAD!
“The variety of backgrounds was a strength; it is rare to spend this much time with people outside of your major, let alone college.” — GradLEAD participant
Spring 2026 Cohort
Olivia Asher — Ph.D. student in Bioinformatics
Stella Babatope — Ph.D. student in Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences
Ethan Christmas — M.S. student in Applied Data Science
Samuel Ewusi Dadzie — Ph.D. student in Statistics
Bijaya Ghimire — Ph.D. student in Horticulture
Tanner Hamerling — M.S. student in Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics
Jonah Hammett — M.S. student in Music; Performance & Literature (Horn)
Brandon Hathaway — Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering
Madeline Heaton — M.S. student in Musicology/Ethnomusicology
Dallas Kreisa — Ph.D. student in Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics
Muneeb Elahi Malik — Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Anne Manning — Ph.D. student in Religion
Allison Michael — Ph.D. student in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Md Shakir Moazzem — Ph.D. student in Food Science
Deborah Moyaki — Ph.D. student in Engineering Education
Haven Newbold — M.S. student in Integrated Advertising and Public Relations
Yasmin Paiva de Siqueira — MA student in Romance Languages (Portuguese)
Md Hafizur Rahman — Ph.D. student in Health Services Research and Policy
Meg Rooney — Ph.D. student in Religion
Ashley Sorrow — M.S. student in Horticulture
