The Spark Awards Honor Students, Alumni, Faculty and Staff Who Are Creating Positive Change on Campus and Beyond
Recently, The New School celebrated eight honorees with the Spark Award, a university-wide recognition that celebrates the students, alumni, faculty, and staff who are using their groundbreaking research, work, and innovative creative practice to make an impact on campus and beyond. The 2025 honorees are: the All for NarWELL team, Donna Weng Friedman, the Food Pantry team, Grace Kelly, MA Political Science ’25, Molly Davy and Shannon Finnell, MFA Photography ’18, (Pepi) Yi Qing Ng, Design & Technology BFA ’25, Spitting Image Art Book Fair, and the team at UnderstandingFAFSA.org.
The eight honorees were selected from more than 180 nominations, which were evaluated on the impact their work has on campus, in New York City, and beyond; their ability to inspire and nurture others through their vision and leadership; their capacity foster community on campus; and how well they are able to implement an inclusive approach that encourage collaboration and builds connections. The awards were created as a complement to the university’s annual Spark celebration, which continues throughout May with performances, exhibits, readings, and more.
In a message to the campus community about the honorees, Dr. Renée T. White, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, said “Our 2025 Award recipients exemplify what it means to spark change, inspire others, and embody the progressive values at the heart of The New School.”
About the 2025 Spark Award Winners
The All for NarWELL Team
Since its inception, the All for NarWELL initiative—led by the Center for Global Mental Health and funded by a GLS SAMHSA Grant—has been dedicated to enhancing campus-wide suicide intervention efforts and mental health awareness programs. Working in collaboration with key partners, the initiative has trained over 500 individuals in suicide prevention strategies as well as over 200 in Psychological First Aid. To further support student well-being, platforms such as Togetherall and MindWise Innovation Screening & Training have been integrated into campus resources. Preliminary data indicates that these tools are effectively reaching vulnerable populations who might otherwise hesitate to seek help.
Key Contributors for the initiative include: Adam Brown, Director of the Center for Global Mental Health and Professor of Psychology; Linda Han, Research Coordinator at the Center for Global Mental Health and Professor of Psychology; Tamara Oyola-Santiago, Director of Wellness and Health Promotion at Student Health Services; Sam Winer, Associate Professor of Psychology; Cheryl Greene, Associate Provost for Research; and Tracy Robin, Associate Provost for Student Health Services.
Donna Weng Friedman
Donna Weng Friedman has devoted her career to education and to championing diversity and inclusivity in classical music. She joined the piano faculty of Mannes Prep in 1989 and was named one of Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals of 2024. Her virtual education program, “Heritage and Harmony: Her Art, Her Voice,” created for the National Women’s History Museum, features leading women in the arts from diverse backgrounds who share their stories to inspire and empower school-age girls of color. Her latest initiative, “BRAVA Maestra,” launching in 2025/2026 with the International Alliance for Women in Music, spotlights AAPI and BIPOC women conductors. Her award-winning documentary “Never Fade Away,” which celebrates cultural heritage and resilience, is archived at the Statue of Liberty. Through her work, she aims to foster cross-cultural dialogue and help pave the way for a more inclusive and diverse artistic landscape.
The Food Pantry Team
An essential resource for The New School community, the Food Pantry allows many students to continue their studies and university involvement by reducing food insecurity. Managed largely by students for students, it has become a well-known resource and space for students to access not only for their food needs but to connect socially. The support of foundational needs like The Pantry are critical to successful efforts in every other dimension of The New School community.
The Food Pantry Team includes: Ivy Wang, Assistant Director of Student Support and Advocacy; Ada Shookenhuff, Food Pantry Student Manager; and Food Pantry Student Assistants: Amanda Acevedo, Marcella Carter, Carolina Cortes, Nyliram Garcia, Jayla Glover, Daisy Green, Maneli Hosseinpour, Pamela McKeown, Sonya Perez, Vie Tolbert, and Joseph Velasquez.
Grace Kelly, MA Political Science ’25
Grace Kelly is a creative and transdisciplinary scholar whose work bridges the arts, education, and social justice. Deeply committed to uplifting marginalized communities across New York City, she has led and contributed to initiatives ranging from teaching English through social-emotional learning to refugee children, to delivering reproductive health education and career readiness programs for Latina girls in multiple boroughs. Grace brings a unique blend of poetic insight, artistic expression, and academic rigor to every space she enters. Widely recognized as a collaborative peer and visionary educator, she continuously extends the impact of her university work into community-centered, interdisciplinary learning environments.
Molly Davy and Shannon Finnell, MFA Photography ’18
Staff & Part-Time Parsons faculty members Molly Davy and Shannon Finnell are spearheading Parsons Staff Art Show, to be on view in Fall ’25 at the Aronson and Kellen galleries. The work of staff can often feel more hidden than that of faculty, students, and even alumni, and can at times get overlooked within the context of our campus community’s year-to-year activities and focus. Their efforts to lift up and showcase administrative staff as whole individuals, beyond their jobs, is the biggest and most far-reaching effort of its kind to take place at Parsons in recent memory. Taking on this initiative outside the purview of their administrative roles, while tapping into their expertise as curators themselves, sets a new precedent for staff recognition across the university.
(Pepi) Yi Qing Ng, Design & Technology BFA ’25
(Pepi) Yi Qing Ng has done incredible work on campus, leading the work of Frugalicious Mamas, working with the Food Pantry and other spaces to share resources and materials that students need, and creating a culture of mutual aid in the university. She has many creative projects focusing on supporting communities and is an outstanding student, always finding ways to support and collaborate with her peers and faculty.
Spitting Image Art Book Fair
Spitting Image Art Book Fair is The New School’s first community exhibition and tabling event for print media. Launched in Fall ‘23 and student-run, it has borne a beautiful community of book artists, chapbook makers, and print aficionados across campus, gifting many with their first opportunity to exhibit their work in a public setting. The team’s passion for the project is palpable. In its exhibition efforts, Spitting Image has facilitated and presented the contemporary presence of the book arts amongst our student body, which connects outwardly to NYC’s generation’s-old print and DIY scene. Spitting Image continues to connect its students to other opportunities in the arts by programming its exhibition with guest speakers that are truly engaged professionals in arts publishing and community organizing. It is funded by university opportunities like the Provost’s Investment Fund and Lang College’s Community Events grant. Its organizers have also allocated funds to make this event accessible for students to participate in and free of charge for external visitors. It creates a platform for art exhibitions, cultural engagement, and community building.
The Team includes: Gabriella Acquafredda, BA Literary Studies and BFA Communication Design ’26; Manuela V. do Amaral, Research Assistant and BA Literary Studies ’25; Camila Pernisco, Research Assistant and BA Literary Studies ’25; and Polina Sotnik-Platt, BA Anthropology and BFA Illustration ’26.
The Team at UnderstandingFAFSA.org
The Team at UnderstandingFAFSA.org is proud to offer how-to instruction, service, and breaking news for families and counselors who need help with an often byzantine financial aid process. The website is best known for its popular book, Understanding FAFSA and Financial Aid: Your Guide to Paying for College. The NYC DOE has been a longtime partner, translating the guide into ten languages, printing it, and distributing it to all high school seniors and their families in their home language. This project has always been run on passion and a shoestring budget, which is why The New School’s name and its ability to inspire a cadre of committed creatives has been so important. UnderstandingFAFSA.org benefits from the pure passion of artistic souls who care about college. But it is the student’s work that has powered this project and made it truly special.
The Center for New York City Affairs UnderstandingFAFSA.org Team includes: Kim Nauer, UnderstandingFAFSA.org Founder; Laura Zingmond, Editor; RJ Matson, Illustrator; Patrick Moroney, Publication Design; and Geoff Decker, Curriculum Development. The Team also includes numerous student and alumni contributors, including but not limited to: Shristi Singh, Design and Technology Alum, and Frida Moreno, Transdisciplinary Design and Civic Service Design Alum, and the 2025-26 New School Student Team (Federal Work Study): Myles Ashitey, Gil Hatcher, Hannah Lee, Joshua Renner, Johnny Rieg, and Lu Williams.