Ten Johns Hopkins University PhD students and postdoctoral researchers were inducted into the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society during a ceremony on May 6.
The Bouchet Society is a network of higher education scholars who exemplify academic and personal excellence, foster environments of support, and serve as examples of scholarship, leadership, character, service, and advocacy for students and trainees in the academy. It is named after Edward Alexander Bouchet, the first African American doctoral recipient in the United States.
"You all have been fully anchored in excellence: excellence of scholarship, excellence of leadership, excellence of service, and excellence of commitment to elevating all others," said Damani Piggott, associate vice provost for graduate diversity and partnerships, who delivered remarks at the national induction ceremony at Yale. "I ask that you continue to let your brilliant light and unwavering commitment to excellence across all facets of life continue to shine bright."
The society was originally co-founded by Yale University and Howard University in 2005. This year marks the society's 20th anniversary. It currently has chapters at 19 American universities.
This year's honorees from Johns Hopkins are:
Joyline Chepkorir
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Nursing
Chepkorir is a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Nursing. Her research centers on leveraging digital health tools to improve care access and chronic disease management among medically underserved populations in Sub-Saharan Africa and the United States. She is the founder and executive director of the Mwangaza Cancer Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to breast and cervical cancer prevention among rural, low-income women in Kenya. Chepkorir has also served as a board member for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and co-founded the JHU School of Nursing International Students Organization. She has been the recipient of the Reverend Melvin B. Tuggle East Baltimore Community Excellence Award, the 2025 JHU Doctoral Life Design Career Impact Award, the Oncology Nursing Foundation Doctoral Education Scholarship, and the Mastercard Foundation Visionary Leader Award.
Bailey Holmes Spencer
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Holmes Spencer is a PhD candidate in social and behavioral sciences at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research focuses on the relationship between social media and help-seeking behaviors for mental health among Black youth. An emerging health equity fellow for the American Diabetes Association and a member of its Type 1 diabetes committee, Holmes Spencer has also served as program coordinator for the Black Health Explained Foundation and president of the Bloomberg School's Black Graduate Student Association. She has mentored youth in pathways to higher education through the Whiting Internships in Science and Engineering Program, the JHU Diversity Summer Internship Program, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Holmes Spencer has been the recipient of the National Institute of Mental Health Data Integration for Causal Inference in Behavioral Health Training Award, the American Public Health Association Award for Outstanding Work in Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs, and the Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholar Award.
Angelica Lopez
Biomedical Engineering
Lopez is a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering at the School of Medicine. Her research focuses on neuromodulation technologies and ultrasound-based medical devices for cardiovascular and neurological applications. She has served as treasurer and grant writer for the Johns Hopkins Translational Neuroengineering Technologies Network, promoted science education in Baltimore City public schools through Science in Action, and advanced pathways to higher education for youth through the WISCIENCE and JHU Basic Science Institute summer internship programs. Lopez has been the recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the Mercile J. Lee Chancellor's Scholarship, and the Hilldale Research Fellowship.
Augustina Mensa-Kwao
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Mental Health
Mensa-Kwao is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Mental Health at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research integrates youth engagement, mixed methods, and implementation of science to examine how urban environments shape youth mental health globally and in Baltimore. She has worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization and served as a youth commissioner for the Second Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Well-being. Mensa-Kwao has mentored K-12 youth through the Hopkins HEAT Corps and the Boys and Girls Club, and expanded access to affordable health insurance for over 20,000 residents through the nonprofit Be Jersey Strong. A Gates Millennium Scholar and Rhodes Scholarship Finalist, she has been the recipient of the Paul V. Lemkau Scholarship, the University of Virginia Echols Scholar Award, the Dr. Alma Adams Scholar Award, and the Women's Initiative Challenge into Change Award.
Alejandra Montano Romero
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Montano Romero is a postdoctoral fellow in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the Whiting School of Engineering. Her research focuses on developing artificial intelligence-driven antibody design methods targeting G-protein coupled receptors, as well as designing therapeutic antibodies for cancer treatments. She has served as vice president of general affairs for the School of Medicine Graduate Student Association and as a mentor with Science in Action, bringing STEM education to Baltimore City youth. Montano Romero has been recognized as a St. Mary's Presidential Scholar and Biaggini Research Scholar, and as the recipient of the Alicia Showalter Reynolds Research Award for her PhD thesis work.
Zariah Nicole
Education
Nicole is a PhD candidate in education at the School of Education. Her research expands critical phenomenology with a bell hooksian approach to explore how fictive kinship supports Black teachers' wellbeing, pedagogical practice, and persistence in the face of systemic challenges. She has advanced literacy for Baltimore City youth through the Baltimore City Public Schools Reading Partners Program, provided peer support through the QuestBridge Companion program, and mentored youth through the St. Francis Neighborhood Center Power Project After School Program. A Gates Millennium Scholar, Nicole has been the recipient of the Russel G. Hamilton Scholarship, the 100 Senior Honorary Award, and the Robert Lee Award for Mentoring and Teaching.
Junellie Perez
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Perez is a PhD candidate in earth and planetary sciences at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on bridging the gap between geologists, planetary scientists, and astronomers through the study of rocky exoplanets. She has served as coordinator for the League of Underrepresented Minoritized Astronomers, president of the JHU Earth & Planetary Sciences Department Graduate Student Association, and was selected as a NASA Habitable Worlds Observatory Emerging Leader. Perez has been the recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Award, the Maryland Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship, the Kelly Miller Fellowship, the Banneker Key Scholarship, and the JHU Career Impact Award. She was also the 2023 winner of the JHU Empower Your Pitch competition.
Naomi Rankin
Civil and Systems Engineering
Rankin is a PhD candidate in civil and systems engineering at the Whiting School of Engineering. Her research focuses on data-driven infectious disease modeling utilizing non-traditional datasets to address health disparities within disease dynamics, including COVID-19 forecasting using wastewater-based epidemiology. She has served as president of the JHU Black Graduate Student Association and mentored youth in pathways to STEM and higher education through THRIVE, Thread, and NSBE. Rankin has been recognized as a Vivien Thomas Scholar, a Karsh STEM Scholar, and a James A. Ferguson Emerging Infectious Diseases Fellow, and has been the recipient of the James A. Donaldson Prize for Excellence in Research, the National Academies of Medicine DC Public Health Case Challenge Wildcard Award, the Alaine Locke Scholar Award, and the Whiting School's Doctoral Student Excellence in Leadership Award.
A. Michael West Jr.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Mechanical Engineering
West is a postdoctoral fellow in mechanical engineering at the Whiting School of Engineering. His research, rooted in control theory, advances robotic technologies—including rehabilitation robotics, collaborative robots, prosthetics, and dexterous robots—through the investigation of human motor control, learning, and perception. He has served as postdoctoral chair for the Mechanical Engineering Department Belonging Committee and co-founded Math Up, a tutoring initiative designed to strengthen early STEM preparation for students. West has been the recipient of the JHU Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Shirley Anne Jackson Award, the Accenture Fellowship, the GEM Fellowship, and the Takeda Fellowship. He has been hired to join the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech as an assistant professor starting in August 2027.
Rodney Williams
Neuroscience
Williams is a PhD candidate in neuroscience at the School of Medicine. His research sits at the intersection of neuroscience and virology, centering on how mosquito-borne viral infections disrupt neural function and cause long-term impacts on global health. He has served as president of the Graduate Student Association and, as a Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative Graduate Fellow, has provided peer mentorship to numerous doctoral scholars. In the policy sphere, Williams has served as a Howard Garrison Advocacy Fellow at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, advocating for federal investments in biological research. He has been the recipient of the JHU Neuroscience Annual Student Recognition Award, the Solomon H. Snyder Fellowship, and the Society for Neuroscience Trainee Professional Development Award.
