The Walter Center for Career Achievement is excited to announce the 2026 recipients of the Career Advocate and Career Impact Awards. Career preparation and readiness are central to the College of Arts and Sciences’ Pillars Undergraduate Experience, and we are honored to recognize faculty members who exemplify these values and make a lasting difference in students’ lives.

This year, more than 200 student nominations were submitted, with award recipients selected by the College’s Academic Engagement and Student Experience (AESE) Faculty Advisory Committee. These awards celebrate College of Arts and Sciences faculty at Indiana University Bloomington for their outstanding commitment to advancing students’ career readiness through advising, teaching, research, resource development, engagement in career-focused programming, and collaboration with the Walter Center for Career Achievement.

Career Advocate Award Recipients:

The Career Advocate Award is a student-nominated honor that recognizes faculty who have demonstrated exemplary dedication to their students' career readiness and professional development. This year's award winners are:

Mansi Srivastava, Department of Biology, Biotechnology Program
Nominated by Sam Ruffer, B.S./M.S. ‘27, Biotechnology

“Dr. Srivastava consistently emphasized the importance of both the technical and transferrable skills we were developing in class by allowing us to explore careers in biotechnology alongside our course material. In both the BIOT-T 508 lecture and BIOT-T 415 lab, she assigned reflective writings where we identified skills we learned and described how they could be applied to different careers in biotechnology,” Sam said. “Additionally, she invited speakers from the Walter Center to discuss finding careers and networking using platforms like LinkedIn and the IU alumni network, which were helpful for building professional networks. She also encouraged us to visit the Walter Center outside of class if we had any career-related questions. Dr. Srivastava's courses were also structured to emphasize the career competencies of teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving, and communication. We often worked in small groups and were encouraged to discuss and solve problems together before communicating our results to the class.”

Jeffrey Holdeman, Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures
Nominated by Ashley Grindey, B.A. ‘29, Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures, Classical Studies

“When I had questions about internships and career opportunities within the realm of my majors, Prof. Holdeman personally took time out of his day to explain several options and even showed me some of the great resources we have for improving career readiness on campus,” Ashley said. “He has stayed in touch about my possible internship opportunities and has been overall extremely helpful and supportive. His insights were invaluable, and I could not recommend him enough.”

Meghan Porter, Department of Chemistry

“Professor Porter exemplifies the qualities of a true Career Advocate through her constant dedication to students’ professional growth and success beyond the classroom,” Meghan’s nominator wrote. “She not only teaches course content with enthusiasm, but also connects each topic to real-world career applications, ensuring that students understand how their skills translate into professional settings.”

Career Impact Award Recipients: 

The Career Advocate Award is an alumni-nominated honor that recognizes faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences whose influence on students’ career readiness and professional development extends well beyond graduation. This year's award winners are:

Olga Kalentzidou, Department of Geography
Nominated by Lydia Minton, M.A. ‘25 Environmental Health, B.S.P.H ‘25, Environmental Health

“Dr. Kalentzidou went above and beyond to support my professional development and career readiness by providing me with hands on activities. For example, in Greece, we went to a seed bank and learned about seed sovereignty and agroecology. We helped sort seeds and garden. This hands on worked equipped me with the knowledge and experience to begin my career development into the agroecological sector,” Lydia wrote. “She wants [her students] to achieve to the highest of their potential.... When it comes to her students, she advocates for them through making sure her classes have frequent opportunities to learn from experience or from actual people in these fields. Dr. Kalentzidou is the reason I found my passion and career path. Through her mentorship, I became passionate about food security, agroecology, and sustainability.”

Christine Barbour, Department of Political Science

“I wouldn't be a political science professor today if it were not for her mentorship and support. I'm not alone in my admiration for Professor Barbour and how she influenced my career decisions. I now have the opportunity to serve as the chair of the IU Political Science Advisory Council. In that role, I've had the chance to see up close Professor Barbour's passion for the D.C. internship program and talk with many current students and alumni of that program,” Christine’s nominator wrote. “Simply put, it is an incredible experience for students and a number of them told me that it has influenced their future career plans. Again, that is largely because of the time that Professor Barbour spends with each of them discussing their career paths. My life is better because of her. And IU is a better place because of her (and that is saying something because IU is a pretty special place!).”