Three Graduate Students Win Awards From P.E.O. Sisterhood

Jun. 03, 2024

Three U of A graduate students — Lexi Applequist, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering; Kayla Ford, a doctoral student in clinical psychology; and Eva Stephani Caroline, a doctoral student in public policy — recently won prestigious awards from the P.E.O. Sisterhood. Applequist and Ford won the $25,000 Scholar Award from the organization, while Caroline won the $5,000 International Peace Scholarship.

The P.E.O. Sisterhood, founded Jan. 21, 1869, at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, is a philanthropic educational organization dedicated to supporting higher education for women. There are approximately 6,000 local chapters in the U.S. and Canada with nearly a quarter of a million active members.

The Scholar Awards were established in 1991 to provide substantial merit-based awards for women of the U.S. and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral-level degree at an accredited college or university. Scholar Awards recipients are a select group of women chosen for their high level of academic achievement and their potential for having a positive impact on society.

The P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship provides funding to international women pursuing graduate degrees in the U.S. and Canada to foster global peace through education. IPS recipients carry the spirit of P.E.O. back to their home countries, where the degrees they have earned positively impact people's lives around the globe.

Lexi Applequist

Applequist was sponsored by Chapter DX of Fayetteville. She holds a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from the U of A and expects to earn her master's degree in biomedical engineering from the university in the spring. She currently serves as a graduate student researcher in the Mechanobiology and Soft Materials Laboratory in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the university. Among other projects, she is working to develop and commercialize a lab-grown heart model to serve as a screening tool for new pharmaceutical drugs and treatments.

"I am honored to accept this prestigious PEO Scholar Award," Applequist said. "Under the traditional financial constraints of graduate school, it can be difficult to dedicate adequate attention to classes and research; this award allows just that. I am excited to further my research, share my experiences and, most importantly, work towards more equitable and accessible healthcare for all. This award supports some of the nation's top doctoral women; I'm truly honored to be a part of this impressive group of world-changers."

"I would like to thank the Fayetteville PEO Chapter DX for their support and nomination," she continued. "I would also like to say a special thank you to my Ph.D. adviser Dr. Kartik Balachandran, Dr. Raj Rao, Dr. Mostafa Elsaadany, my many supportive lab mates, my colleagues with Global Reach Bionics and my friends who helped review my application."

Contacts

John Post, director of communications

Graduate School and International Education

479-575-4853, johnpost@uark.edu

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