Pari Prerana Award
General Information
The Indiana University Graduate and Professional Student Organization and the University Graduate School are proud to announce the Indiana University Bloomington Pari Prerana Award.
The Pari Prerana (Essence of Inspiration) Award at Indiana University was established through the support of sponsors from the Indian subcontinent. The award strives to recognize and honor students who have overcome a severe physical, cognitive or other health related challenge/s and have demonstrated academic excellence.
The objective of this award is to provide university and community wide recognition to such students and their narratives (life stories and experiences) through various local media outlets. The award's goal is to contribute to building the self esteem, courage and competitive spirit among graduate students with challenges and to further Indiana University’s mission.
All advisors, graduate students, faculty and professors at Indiana University, Bloomington, are invited to nominate those students that they feel deserve special recognition for exemplary courage and determination under adverse and challenging conditions.
In addition to recognition, the award winner will receive a $250 cash award
The deadline for application is March 11th, 2012 at midnight.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for this award the candidate:
- Must be a graduate or professional student and must be currently enrolled full time in the current academic year at Indiana University Bloomington Campus.
- Has overcome or is coping with a severe physical challenge that affects the student’s mobility, hearing, vision, or is a systemic conditions that substantially limits at least one major life activity, (systemic disabilities are defined as conditions affecting one or more systems of the body, including respiratory, immunological, neurological, and circulatory systems) OR the student has overcome or is coping with a severe cognitive or other health related challenge.
Guidelines for Nominations
- Students may be nominated by a graduate advisor, fellow graduate student, or a faculty member.
- A student can self-nominate him or herself.
- Advisors, students, faculty members, professors or supervisors may nominate as many students as they would like as far as all nominees meet the eligibility criterion. The quantity of letters received for a particular student does not increase or decrease their chances of being selected.
Selection Procedure
The GPSO Awards Committee will review the nominees and a final decision will be approved by the GPSO Executive Committee.
Documents to be Submitted
- A completed Nomination form. Once you begin the actual application you may not be able to save and come back later. We recommend that you have your materials ready when you begin the application. In addition, we have provided a preview application if you would like to see the questions before beginning.
- Two letters of recommendation/nomination from an advisor, faculty member, professor, supervisor or university staff. Letters should highlight how the student has succeeded in spite of having a disability and should focus on the student's academic and personal achievements. Note: recommendation letters may be directly submitted by email to gpsofnds@indiana.edu with the subject line “Pari Prerana Award LOR's” and the name of the nominee.
Note: All documentation and letters will be read only for the purpose of selecting the recipient of the Indiana University Pari Prerana Award and will not be disseminated for general access.
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding this award or the nomination process, please e-mail gpsofnds@indiana.edu with the Subject line "Pari Prerana Award."
Jaclyn Tabor
2011 recipient of the Pari Prerana ("Essence of Inspiration") Award
Jaclyn Tabor was recognized by Indiana University Graduate School leadership and GPSO members at the University Graduate School Awards Ceremony on April 29th, 2011.
The award strives to recognize and honor students who have overcome a severe physical, cognitive, or other health-related challenges and have demonstrated academic excellence. The objective of Pari Prerana is to provide university and community-wide recognition to such students and their narratives (life stories and experiences) through various local media outlets. The award's goal is to contribute to building the self esteem, courage and competitive spirit among graduate students with challenges and to further Indiana University's mission.
Jaclyn, a PhD student in the Department of Sociology, was diagnosed with breast cancer in October of 2010 at the young age of 23. Despite her many health challenges, including chemotherapy, nausea, fatigue, and a bilateral mastectomy, she continued to fulfill her responsibilities as a student and graduate assistant, all while making a daily commute from Indianapolis to Bloomington.
One of her recommenders writes:
I have never seen anyone so young handle such a serious health challenge with as much dignity, optimism, and, yes, tenaciousness. She is an inspiration and genuine role model not only for others with similar health challenges but for all students who seek excellence, regardless of the challenges ahead of them.
Another recommender wrote about Jaclyn's continued excellence:
Jackie has been slowed, but she refuses to stop. She will have a busy schedule this summer. In addition to completing any remaining coursework, she recently learned that her submission to the annual conference of the Society for the Study of Social Problems was accepted, and she will be presenting the paper in Las Vegas this August. Her story is an inspiration to students and faculty alike.
