CAAAS Grad Student Award Winners

2025 - 2026 CAAAS Grad Student Award Winners

Nicholas Felder

DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts), Music Composition, College of Music

Nicholas Felder (he/him) is a Black queer artist, composer-vocalist, activist, and educator who creates art around identity, communal joy and healing, and youth empowerment. He builds community in artmaking, unlocking truths around self-identity, and creates a space for embodied expression. Nicholas has led educational programs and workshopswith numerous arts organizations, such asthe Detroit Symphony Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, the Denver Young Artists Orchestra, and Sphinx Organization. He lo...

Kathryn Sullivan

PhD Student, Department of Environmental Studies, College of Arts & Sciences
CAAAS Graduate Fellows

Kathryn is an environmental justice researcher and PhD Candidate focused on the intersections of climate change, mental health and well-being, and community resilience. Current research interests include the mental health impacts of environmental stressors, equitable climate adaptation, coproduction in environmental decision making, and health disparities in vulnerable communities.Currently pursuing a PhD in Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, Kathryn's research spans local and inte...

Nandi Pointer

PhD Student, Department of Media Studies, College of Communication, Media, Design and Information (CMDI)2024-2025 CAAAS Alice Cleora Reeves Endowed Dissertation Awardee
CAAAS Graduate FellowsCAAAS Doctoral Fellows

Nandi Pointer is a PhD Candidate in Media Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. A former journalist and TV producer, Pointer studies questions about media, race, and identity. Incorporating writing and documentary filmmaking, her dissertation examines how and why Black men leave the U.S. to teach English in Southeast Asia and the Middle East and what their experiences illuminate about the global dynamics of race and racism. A recipient of the 2025 IAMCR Stuart Hall Award and the 2025 Dissertation C...