Syracuse University School of Education faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates have won a spectrum of accolades in spring 2026, including awards for a New York City music education immersion course, for research projects on the use of AI in schools and counseling, and for teachers-in-training honing their craft abroad.
Faculty Awards
Music Education Professor David DeAngelis received an inaugural Syracuse University Study Away Faculty Award, which provides full-time faculty members with $10,000 for high-impact summer projects based in Los Angeles, New York City, or Washington, DC.
The $10,000 award allows DeAngelis to explore New York City as an immersive hub for contemporary music education practices and to deepen partnerships with K-12 schools that are leading the way in modern band and popular music pedagogy.
DeAngelis will meet with music educators and administrators at current and prospective partner schools, with a particular focus on programs that blend modern band and contemporary music approaches with traditional models. These efforts will broaden field placement opportunities for University music education students pursuing New York State K-12 certification.
Two high-visibility events will result from the project: 1) a Fall 2026 professional development day at the Fisher Center featuring workshops and a panel discussion on contemporary music pedagogy with New York City-based educators and leaders in this field; and 2) a Spring 2027 NYC music workshop that will bring partner school students to the Fisher Center for collaborative jam sessions, ensemble coaching and songwriting.
These initiatives aim to create a sustained “feedback loop” between the University’s music education program and New York City schools and students, strengthening and expanding New York-based field placements, elevating Syracuse’s profile as a leader in contemporary music education, attracting prospective students and ultimately extending the School of Education’s Bridge to the City student teaching program to include music education.
Graduate Students Awards
Layla Dehaiman G’18 (Disability Studies), a doctoral candidate in Special Education and a lecturer in the University of New Mexico’s (UNM) College of Education and Human Sciences, has received the 2026 Career Achievement award, part of the Paul Bartlett Ré Peace Prize administered through the UNM Foundation.
This prize honors individuals whose work “advances harmony, healing and nonviolent approaches within their communities.” Dehaiman’s dissertation is focused on the school-to-prison-pipeline and the use of restorative practices.
Yanbei Chen, a Ph.D. candidate in Instructional Design, Development, and Evaluation, won a Syracuse University Graduate Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Work for her paper “Preparing Future Teachers for Responsible AI Use: AI-Related Teaching Anxiety, Protective Resources, and Implications for Teacher Education.”
This year’s Graduate School competition winners were chosen by a panel of faculty members who serve on the Graduate Faculty Council. Chen receives a certificate of recognition and a $500 award.
Recent doctoral graduate Fasika Melese G’26 was among 36 teaching assistants and four graduate faculty named an Outstanding Teaching Assistant in the 2026 Graduate Education Award Ceremony.
Receiving 2026 Graduate School Summer Dissertation Fellowships from a pool of 70 applications are:
- Julie Harnett ’18, G’19, Doctoral Candidate, Teaching and Curriculum
Research Focus: How preservice teachers navigate experiential pedagogies
- Sarah Litt, Doctoral Candidate, Counseling and Counselor Education
Research Focus: Mental health equity
- Ashley Robles, Doctoral Candidate, Science Education
Research Focus: Research-focused opportunity program leaders serving student populations
- Kahyen Shin, Doctoral Candidate, Counseling and Counselor Education
Research Focus: Career development of multicultural individuals
- Xihe Tian, Doctoral Candidate, Counseling and Counselor Education
Research Focus: AI for counselor education
Winners of 2026 All-University Doctoral Prizes from the Graduate School are Jessica Fundalinski G’26 (Teaching and Curriculum), Yang Liu G’26 (Instructional Design, Development, and Evaluation), and Professor Meredith Si Snieckus G’25 (Counseling and Counselor Education).
Undergraduate Student Awards
Receiving the highest undergraduate honor bestowed by the School of Education, 2026 SOE Scholars are Bobby Marie Battle ’26, Belinda Mei Chan ’26, Ashley Marie Cambareri ’26, and Kate Mary O’Leary ’26.
At Syracuse University 2026 Greek Awards, held in April, SOE’s chapter of Kappa Delta Pi won for Philanthropy/Community Service of the Year and Abby Buffinger ’27 was named Professional Fraternity Council Member of the Year.
Education majors Bobby Battle ’26 and Molly Regan Grow ’26 were selected to serve as Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETA) for the 2026-2027 academic year. Grow will serve as an ETA in South Korea, while Battle will serve in Spain. Battle, along with Zachary Setzkorn ’25, also is a 2026 School of Education Class Marshal, among those profiled by Syracuse Stories.
Bobby Battle ’26 also received the 2026 David Orlin Prize, awarded by Syracuse University’s Renée Crown University Honors Program to recognize the most outstanding honors theses. This is the third year in a row that an SOE student has received the Orlin Prize.
Elyas Layachi ’27 (Inclusive Adolescent Education/Mathematics) received the Our Time Has Come (OTHC) Academic Achievement Award, given to students and OTHC leaders with a cumulative GPA of a 3.9 or higher. The OTHC Program at Syracuse University offers an enriching experience for undergraduates centered on leadership development, cohort engagement, and personal growth.
Inclusive Adolescent Education and History double major and Disability Studies minor Mason Burley ’27, a preservation assistant at Syracuse University Libraries, was recognized with a Patricia Kutner Strait Student Scholarship Award. Library supervisors nominate student employees who have demonstrated dedicated service over time and significant contributions that have made a lasting impact on the Libraries.