The recipients of the 2024-25 Chancellor’s Achievement Awards for Diversity and Community were honored last week for “helping us to deepen our connections with each other and supporting our increasingly diverse communities,” as Chancellor Gary S. May said.

He and others thanked the recipients for their work to uphold the Principles of Community, the document currently celebrating 35 years of affirming the dignity in all members of the UC Davis community.

“Our Principles of Community remind us that diversity is not just about our multiple and intersecting identities,” May said. “Diversity includes a range of experiences, ideas, opinions and values, all of which contribute to the vibrancy of our intellectually engaging campus community. It also demands creating environments so that each of us has an opportunity to thrive and make meaningful contributions.”

Mikael Villalobos, associate vice chancellor for Campus and Community Relations, called the awardees “the leaders and change-agents making a real difference in moving UC Davis toward a more diverse and inclusive campus community.”

The 2024-25 awards were presented by Renetta Garrison Tull, vice chancellor of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, whose introductions are summarized below.

Undergraduate: Eliana Avalos, an international relations major who works with the Student Recruitment and Retention Center to advocate for the acknowledgment of Indigenous heritage and sovereignty in all community spaces, as well as the impact of patriarchy within minority groups. She has worked to help host an empowerment conference for Latine, Chicanx, and Caribbean youth, and currently serves as the retention coordinator for Sol y Luna, the Latinx initiative at the SRRC

Graduate Student: Maribel Anguiano, a Ph.D. candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Group who studies how a specific circuit regulates appetitive reward seeking in diverse socially ranked mice. She works with the UC Davis chapter of the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science, or SACNAS, to connect graduate students with local community college students, and has served as a mentor to first-year students.

Post Doctorate: Felix Ogunmokun, in the Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, who studies the effects of agricultural irrigation on groundwater sustainability. He has worked to increase career development offerings — such as monthly writing retreats and networking events — through the Postdoctoral Scholars Association, and promotes diversity, equity and inclusion through his management of undergraduate students, part of his role as a postdoctoral scholar. He recognizes when discrepancies arise in task assignments, and ensures the work is both safe and enjoyable for all team members. He also demonstrates the importance of equity and inclusion by leading by example, creating an environment where diverse perspectives can thrive.

Staff: Erica Ávila, a business systems analyst in Information and Educational Technology who helped establish the UC Davis Womxn In Technology Employee Resource Group and led a Crowdfund UC Davis effort that netted $5,000 for the organization. She previously served as treasurer for the Latinx Staff and Faculty Association, and led a session at the UC Tech Annual Conference titled “Womxn Building Bridges: Collaborative Strategies for Navigating UC Career Tracks.”

Academic Senate: Jessica Draughon Moret, an associate clinical professor at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing who focuses on structural and independent factors contributing to women’s health disparities, especially the intersection of gender-based violence and HIV risk. She co-developed a mobile app that helps individuals access resources after abuse or assault, and was named a Betty Irene Moore Fellow for her work to improve access to HIV post-exposure prophylaxis through telehealth consultations following sexual assault. She also works to increase diversity among students, faculty, and staff, has developed and piloted curriculum assessments and initiatives, served as a mentor for students researching socially marginalized communities and more.

Academic Federation: Alex Zhornitskiy, an assistant clinical professor in the Division of Gastroenterology at UC Davis Medical Center who studies health disparities within gastroenterology, most notably inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer. He also serves on the medical school admissions committee, where he helps identify applicants with a lens on promoting diversity in medical education, mentoring students and advocating for diverse trainees in the gastroenterology field. He has also worked to increase colorectal cancer screening rates for the underserved through the use of infographics in multiple languages.