The Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies Program (GSWS) and the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) sponsor each year the Iris Marion Young Awards for Political Engagement to honor those who work to promote justice in the University, at the local or national level, or across the globe.
Courtney Colligan was the recipient of this year's graduate student award. Courtney is a recent PhD graduate from the University of Pittsburgh’s Theatre and Performance Studies department and recipient of a Doctoral Certificate in Gender Studies and Women’s Studies.
Courtney Colligan is a recent PhD graduate from the University of Pittsburgh’s Theatre and Performance Studies department and recipient of a Doctoral Certificate in Gender Studies and Women’s Studies. She serves as the executive director of the Unit Literacy Group, an education based recovery program that seeks to create a safe space for participants to use reading and writing to achieve academic and recovery goals. In addition to this, she volunteers with the CourtWatch program, attending hearings and tracking outcomes in order to make visible what is happening in our court systems. Here at Pitt, Courtney has worked with Archives and Special Collections to co-found the Archive Theatre Project and helped to produce a digital archive of the Kuntu Repertory Theatre. In all of her work, Courtney seeks to raise up the voices of those who are overlooked and marginalized within society.
This year's awards ceremony will be held Thursday, Nov. 17, at 5:30 pm in Alumni Hall 121, to be followed by a reception in the 7th floor Cathedral Gallery of Views. The community is welcome to attend. The honorees will speak individually, and Dr. Melinda Ciccocioppo will facilitate a roundtable discussion with all the winners about activism in general and in this moment. The event will also be live-streamed here.
Please visit the website for more information about The Iris Marion Young Awards for Political Engagement.
Congratulations Courtney!