The 2023 CECP GSO Diversity Gala will be held  this year on Saturday, May 6, 2023, in the MU Alumni Memorial Union (AMU) Ballroom*.

 

Register today.  Online registration closes on April 29.

Each spring, the Counselor Education & Counseling Psychology Graduate Student Organization (CECP GSO) hosts the Diversity Gala, an event held to celebrate diversity and recognize scholarship recipients. In an effort to endorse the department’s commitment to diversity and social justice, the CECP GSO established a scholarship to assist in the recruitment and retention of graduate students from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds. 

The Diversity Scholarship funds an annual award for an incoming or current CECP graduate student who identifies as an ethnic or racial minority. Since its inception in 2001, the scholarship has supported over 30 counseling students in completing their programs in the College of Education.

Ms. Cheryl Schiltz will join us at the 2023 CECP GSO Diversity Gala's keynote speaker on May 6th.

Ms. Schlitz lost her sense of balance and ability of knowing where she was in space in 1997.  Her experience was further complicated in 2010 when a brain aneurysm was discovered and she had surgery.  In the summer of 2013 seizures developed.

Because of these experiences, Cheryl became involved in neuroplasticity substitution research completed at University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was not only “Subject Zero,” but also the co-investigator of the research.

The perseverance Cheryl demonstrated through her disability has played a tremendous role in who Cheryl is today. She has served as Board of Director for Access to Independence, an Independent Living Center and for Movin’ Out. All leading up to her current position as a Board of Director for The Employability Project, where Cheryl helps those with autism or other barriers successfully transition to fulfilling employment through the development of the Student Transition to Employment Program (STEP).

Her experiences have led her through a life full of many obstacles and overall resilience, which is all highlighted in her book “Silencing the Noise of Disability” and on her website cherylschiltz.com. Cheryl’s remarkable journey is certainly an inspiration.

Support the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology (CECP) and its students through sponsorship of the Diversity Gala.

Please help spread the word to your networks about making a gift to the CECP Graduate Student Organization Diversity (GSO) Scholarship Fund. Visit the online giving webpage, select “other fund designation” and type in CECP GSO Diversity Scholarship.