Four Florida State University doctoral students are among five scholars across Florida honored with the Philanthropic Educational Organization’s (PEO) prestigious Scholar Award for the 2024-2025 academic year..

This year’s FSU honorees are Katie Brodhead and Danielle Morabito of the College of Arts and Sciences and Molly Reid and Abigail Rehard of the College of Music.

“The recognition of four FSU PEO Scholar Award recipients this year underscores the tireless commitment of PEO International and the women in our local and state PEO chapters in Tallahassee,” said Adrienne Stephenson, director of FSU’s Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards. “Their collective efforts and the support of the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards continue to empower women’s academic goals. The influential research these scholars are engaging in is leading to meaningful change both in their fields and in the world.”

The PEO Scholar Awards were created to honor and promote the academic achievements and accomplishments of women who are at the forefront of their fields and pursuing doctoral degrees. The awards are worth up to $25,000 and provide both financial support and a personal connection between the PEO and the scholarship recipients.

The PEO is a non-profit, volunteer-based women’s group dedicated to empowering women by providing opportunities for scientists to pursue their research and achieve their academic goals. The organizationwhich has supported 43 FSU scholarship recipients since 2009, is committed to helping women overcome financial barriers and reach their full potential.

“The impactful research these scientists are conducting is leading to meaningful change both in their fields and in the world.”

— Adrienne Stephenson, director of FSU’s Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards

BrodheadPhD student in Computer Science with a focus on Artificial Intelligence, strives to improve the safety and reliability of AI systems by focusing on self-calibration and the security of the mathematical structures behind the AI.

Unable to fully engage her Doctoral thesis RBrodhead expressed how this award helped her focus and refocus her academic goals as she neglected her research due to a rigorous work schedule.

“The PEO fellowship has given me the opportunity to work exclusively on my research and has definitely changed my direction,” she said. “Now I can achieve my goals and complete the Ph.D., the path that was unclear before.”

Brodhead discovered the 2021 PEO Scholar Awards through an FSU News article. She printed the article with the goal of applying in the future, even though she didn’t feel ready at the time.

“I left it on the shelf for a couple of years and then finally applied,” she said. “I just felt like it was a wonderful thing to be part of this community of women who recognize and support each other, and I really wanted to be a part of it. Since then, I’ve been able to develop my work and figure out where I want to go with what I want to achieve in computer science.”

Morabito is a first-generation college student pursuing a PhD in the Department of Psychologygy. She works in the Anxiety and Behavioral Health Clinic.

Her research examines risk factors that lead to trauma-related disorders and seeks to advance understanding of how trauma affects people’s lives and their risk of suicide. RHer recent work has focused on the effects of tonic immobility, or “freezing,” during trauma and intervening on the negative thoughts and symptoms associated with this response.

“The PEO Scholar Award is an incredible honor that has given me the opportunity to connect with an inspiring network of women who are helping women advance through education,” said Morabito.

Morabito is aware of the resources and support available to graduate students at FSU, including the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards, which has played a key role in finding funding opportunities such as the PEO Award.

“I am also very grateful for all the resources and guidance provided to me by the psychology department and my mentor, Dr. Brad Schmidt,” she said. “What I like most about FSU, however, is the collaborative nature of the university community. I have been fortunate to work with and learn from people with different specializations and perspectives within my department, across the university, and beyond.”

Morabito looks forward to connecting with a network of professional women with whom she can participate in learning and growth opportunities throughout her career.

Reid is pursuing two doctoral degrees, a Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance and a Doctorate in music theory.

She wrote this prizeShe thanked the guidance and support of professors, colleagues and students at FSU.

“The genius that lives throughout the College of Music is contagious and inspiring,” she said. “I could not have received this award without all of my professors, colleagues and fellow students.”

In her doctoral thesis, Reid analyses the piano music of the 19th-century German composer and pianist Luise Adolpha Le Beau from the perspective of pianistic gesture and embodiment, and examines how these musical features relate to Le Beau’s experiences as a composer in a strongly male-dominated music world, as documented in her 1910 autobiography, Memoirs of a Woman Composer.

“It is a great honour to receive this award,” she said. “Luise Adolpha Le Beau wrote her autobiography because she knew that her life and works would otherwise be forgotten after her death. I hope she is pleased that people receive grants like this to write about and play her music.”

Rehard is currently completing her PhD in musicology. She has enjoyed researching how accessible percussion instruments are to people and how music creates a sense of community for people around the world.

As Rehard reflected on her time at FSU, she particularly emphasized the supportive environment she found there.

“FSU provides its graduate students with a wealth of teaching experience,” she said. “When I came to Tallahassee, I immediately felt supported by the faculty and graduate students. It felt like a close-knit community based on encouragement, not competition.”

Rehard recently completed a year-long fieldwork project with Baque de Mina, an all-women maracatu group in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The project examined how their drumming relates to Brazil’s recent feminist movements. She credits the group with this award.

“I am extremely grateful for this award,” she said. “It reminds me that research in the humanities is valued and motivates me to share the importance of women-focused organizations such as Baque de Mina and P..EO, with a wider audience. Together we are stronger.”

For more information about the PEO Scholar Award, visit peointernational.org.

For more information about graduate fellowships and award opportunities, please contact the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards at ogfa.fsu.edu.