Congratulations are in store for graduate student, Laura Puentes, who was awarded the "Ralph Cooley Top Paper Award" at the 2023 National Communication Association conference. Laura earned this prestigious award from the International & Intercultural Studies Division for her paper, "Colombia is Women That Resist: Collaging the Colombian Map Through Black Feminist Cartography." Laura began this unique project in Dr. Sasha Sanders' "Black Matters and the Body" graduate seminar in Fall 2022, weaving together theoretical insights, embodied knowledge, and creative expression to imagine how spaces marred by violence against women can be re-made into networks of powerful resilience.

When asked what prompted her to conduct this project, Laura said, "My research speaks directly from my heart because it is related to who I am and where I come from. Researching the struggles of women in Colombia gave me a chance to self-reflect on my privilege and it was also an opportunity to use research as a tool to better understand societal dynamics and construct different possible worlds."

Congratulations, Laura - We are incredibly proud of your work and your commitment to using your research and knowledge to improve the world!