Four Florida State University graduate students are among five scholars across Florida who have been honored with prestigious Scholar Awards from the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) for the 2024-2025 academic year.
This year’s recipients from FSU are Katie Brodhead and Danielle Morabito from the College of Arts and Sciences and Molly Reid and Abigail Rehard from the College of Music.
“The recognition of four FSU P.E.O Scholar Award recipients this year underscores the unwavering dedication of P.E.O. International and the women in our local Tallahassee and state P.E.O. chapters,” said Adrienne Stephenson, director of FSU’s Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards. “Their collective efforts, along with the support from the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards, continue to empower women in their academic pursuits. The impactful research these scholars are engaged in drives meaningful change both in their fields and in the world.”
The P.E.O. Scholar Awards were created to honor and promote academic excellence and accomplishments among women at the top of their fields who are pursuing doctoral degrees. The awards offer up to $25,000, providing both financial assistance and a personal connection between the P.E.O. and the scholars.
The P.E.O. is a nonprofit, volunteer-based women’s group dedicated to empowering women by providing opportunities for scholars to continue their research and reach their academic goals. The organization, which has supported 43 scholars from FSU since 2009, is committed to helping women overcome financial barriers and realize their full potential.
“The impactful research these scholars are engaged in drives meaningful change both in their fields and in the world.”
— Adrienne Stephenson, director of FSU’s Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards
Brodhead, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Computer Science with a focus on artificial intelligence, strives to improve the safety and reliability of AI systems by concentrating on self-calibration and the safety of mathematical structures behind AI.
Unable to fully dedicate herself to her doctoral research due to a strict work schedule, Brodhead expressed how this award has helped her focus and realign her academic goals.
“The P.E.O. award has given me the opportunity to work exclusively on my research and has definitely changed where I’m going,” she said. “Now I’m able to meet my goals and complete the Ph.D., the path which was unclear before this time.”
Brodhead discovered the P.E.O. Scholar Awards through an FSU News article in 2021. She printed the article as a future goal, knowing she wanted to apply, even though she didn’t feel ready at the time.
“I kept it in the drawer for a couple of years, and then finally, I applied,” she said. “I just felt that being part of this community of women who recognize and support each other is a wonderful thing, and I really wanted to be a part of that. Since that time, I’ve been able to develop my work and clarify where I’m going with what I’m trying to do in computer science.”
Morabito is a first-generation college student pursuing her doctorate in the Department of Psychology. She works in the Anxiety and Behavioral Health Clinic.
Her research examines risk factors that lead to trauma-related disorders and seeks to expand understanding of how trauma impacts individuals’ lives and their risk of suicide. Recently, her work has centered on the impact of tonic immobility, or “freeze,” during trauma and intervening on the negative thoughts and symptoms associated with this response.
“The P.E.O. Scholar Award is an incredible honor that has given me the opportunity to connect with an inspiring network of women helping women advance through education,” Morabito said.
Morabito recognizes 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 helping her discover funding opportunities such as the P.E.O. award.
“I’m also very grateful for all the resources and guidance available through the psychology department and my mentor, Dr. Brad Schmidt,” she said. “However, my favorite thing about FSU is the collaborative nature of the university community. I’ve been fortunate to work with and learn from individuals with various specialties and perspectives within my department, across the university and beyond.”
Morabito is excited to connect with a network of professional women with whom she can engage in learning and growth opportunities throughout her career.
Reid is pursuing two doctoral degrees, a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance and a doctorate in music theory.
She attributed this award to the guidance and mentorship she received from professors, colleagues and students at FSU.
“The brilliance that lives within the entire College of Music is infectious and inspiring,” she said. “I could not have achieved this award without all my professors, colleagues and peers.”
Reid’s Ph.D. dissertation research analyzes the piano music of 19th-century German composer-pianist Luise Adolpha Le Beau through the lens of pianistic gesture and embodiment and considers how these musical features relate to Le Beau’s experiences as a woman composer in a heavily male-dominated musical world as documented through her 1910 autobiography, “Lebenserinnerungen einer Komponistin” (Memoirs of a Female Composer).
“It’s such a huge honor to receive this award,” she said. “Luise Adolpha Le Beau wrote her autobiography because she knew that her life and works otherwise would be forgotten after her death. I hope that she would be glad to know that people are winning grants like this to write about and play her music now.”
Rehard is completing her doctorate in musicology. She has enjoyed studying how accessible percussion instruments are to people and how music facilitates a sense of community for individuals worldwide.
Reflecting on her journey at FSU, Rehard highlighted the supportive environment she encountered.
“FSU provides ample teaching experiences for its graduate students,” she said. “Coming to Tallahassee, I felt immediately supported by the faculty and graduate students. It felt like a tight-knit community that was built on encouragement, not competition.”
Rehard has recently conducted a yearlong field research project with Baque de Mina, an all-women’s maracatu group in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The project examined how their drumming relates to Brazil’s recent feminist movements. She credits this group for this award.
“I am filled with gratitude for this award,” she said. “It reminds me that research in the arts and humanities is valued and motivates me to share the importance of women-focused organizations, like Baque de Mina and P.E.O., with broader audiences. We are stronger together.”
To learn more about the P.E.O. Scholar Award visit peointernational.org.
For more information about graduate fellowship and award opportunities, visit the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards at ogfa.fsu.edu.