The Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice is thrilled to announce that Ph.D. doctoral student Erika Feeney has been awarded the Graduate School’s Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award for 2025-26. This prestigious honor is given to the top 2% of graduate assistants across the university, recognizing their outstanding contributions to research, teaching, and service.

With more than 4,000 graduate students serving as research, teaching, or administrative assistants at the University of Maryland, this award highlights the valuable role graduate assistants play in supporting students, faculty, and the university. As part of this recognition, Erika will receive a credit for mandatory fees for the Spring 2026 semester.

Reflecting on her award, Erika shared, "This award represents an acknowledgment of the hard work I have put into being a balanced academic, including growing as a teacher, a researcher, and honestly, as a person, over the past two and a half years.”

Erika expressed, "My experiences as a graduate assistant have augmented my studies by allowing me to better understand the impacts of the policy and practices, we study through interactions with criminal legal system actors and those impacted by the system. I believe this understanding has truly informed my perspective on research and the researcher I hope to be throughout my career. While I did choose to seek out these projects, I do attribute the opportunity for these experiences to MCRIC and its presence in the local community.” 

In reflecting on the impact of mentorship, she also expressed deep appreciation for the guidance provided by faculty at every stage of the research process. As she notes, “Throughout my teaching and research experiences, my mentors, especially Dr. Bersani and Dr. Madoo, have simultaneously encouraged me while pushing me to be the best version of myself. Dr. Bersani especially gave me autonomy to push myself, allowing me to grow as a researcher.”

Her dedication to research and appreciation for mentorship reflect the core values of the Graduate School and the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Her recognition as an Outstanding Graduate Assistant is a testament to her hard work, passion, and the support she has received along the way.