Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

May 12, 2025

Abigail Arnold | Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

In the fall of 2024, Brandeis University’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) launched the first Outstanding TA Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring. Open to undergraduate and graduate TAs across all the disciplines at Brandeis, these awards honor the teaching assistants who make a difference in students’ learning experiences. The CTL solicits nominations from both the faculty who supervised TAs and the students who worked with them, awarding the best TAs in different divisions and categories each semester. This year’s awardees were:

Fall 2024

• Meli Jackson- Undergraduate TA in the Creative Arts
• Sahid Mondal- Graduate Student TA in the Humanities
• Mia Nydam- Undergraduate TA in the Sciences (tie)
• Rachel Marchant- Undergraduate TA in the Sciences (tie)
• Kylie Schiloski- Graduate Student TA in the Sciences
• Stefan Liu- Undergraduate TA in the Social Sciences
• Fangchao Ji- Graduate Student TA in the Social Sciences (tie)
• Joseph Weisberg- Graduate Student TA in the Social Sciences (tie)
• Zijie Wang- Graduate Student TA in the International Business School

Spring 2025

• Inbar Shifrin, Graduate TA in the Creative Arts
• Tali Cohen, Graduate TA in the Humanities
• Patrick Cao, Undergraduate TA in the Sciences (tie)
• Morgan Collins, Undergraduate TA in the Sciences (tie)
• Kyle Pandiscio, Undergraduate TA in the Sciences (tie)
• Nazir Khan, Graduate TA in the Sciences
• Lynca Saito, Undergraduate TA in the Social Sciences (tie)
• Jackie (Jacqueline) Floro, Undergraduate TA in the Social Sciences (tie)
• Fangchao Ji, Graduate TA in the Social Sciences
• Armando Vizcardo-Benites, Graduate TA in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management
• Xiaohang Wang, Graduate TA in the International Business School

Thoughts From the Winners

The award winners were excited to be honored and spoke about what the award meant to them. “Receiving the CTL TA award is incredibly meaningful to me because it validates a journey that wasn’t always easy,” said Morgan Collins, a spring winner for undergraduate TA in the sciences. “I struggled to adapt to the pace and style of learning in college and it took time to figure out how I learned best. That personal struggle is what made me so passionate about helping others do the same.” “Serving as a Teaching Assistant for Professor Sandra Cha has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and I’m especially grateful for the recognition I’ve received for my contributions. This role has deepened my appreciation for the patience, attention to detail, and coordination required to create an engaging and effective learning environment,” said Jackie Floro, a spring winner for undergraduate TA in the social sciences. Sahid Mondal, the fall winner for graduate TA in the humanities, added, “Being described as reliable, thoughtful, and innovative — especially in areas like course discussions, student feedback, and record-keeping — affirmed for me that teaching is not just about delivering content, but about cultivating a learning environment rooted in kindness, responsiveness, and shared intellectual growth.”

The winners also shared what they have learned from students during their time as TAs and the ways they strive to support students in the classroom. Meli Jackson, the fall winner for undergraduate TA in the creative arts, said, “Being a TA has taught me a lot about embracing student's different learning styles and to, as cliché as it is, always expect the unexpected and not judge a book by its cover (or a student by their major). That neuroscience-business double major might just end up being more experienced with art or knowledgeable of a certain art form than the humanities students, that English major might also be experienced in diving and reef recovery: you never really know until you sit with students and get to know them for who they are outside of just their field of study.” “The experience has reaffirmed a deep respect I already held: students, especially those at the master’s level and particularly in Global Health at the Heller School, bring extensive content knowledge, lived experience, and insight into the classroom. My role wasn't just to guide or support but also to create space for their voices to be amplified and for peer learning to thrive,” said Armando Vizcardo-Benites, the spring winner for graduate TA in the Heller School. “Having taken the class before, I was also able to anticipate the kinds of challenges students might face. I came prepared to help them navigate those moments of confusion,” said Xiaohang Wang, the spring winner for graduate TA in the International Business School. “Designing assignments and projects pushed me to consolidate my own understanding and brought my knowledge to a whole new level. As the old saying goes, ‘Teaching and learning go hand in hand.’” Nazir Khan, the spring winner for graduate TA in the sciences, said, “I think the most rewarding part is seeing improvement; both in and out of the lab class room, some students who struggled in the beginning of the course were producing some of the most impressive work by the end, by asking the TAs questions and engaging with the course. It really clarified what a TA's role can be (besides making sure nothing blows up).”

Winners spoke of what they try to bring to the classroom and what they will bring forward with them in their future teaching experiences. “From a student's perspective, I try to be a welcoming voice who can help them navigate the course,” said Joseph Weisberg, a fall winner for graduate TA in the social sciences. “Most of the time that means helping students with assignments and challenging content, but sometimes it can be as simple as letting students know there is someone on campus who knows their name and notices when they unexpectedly miss a week of class.” Mia Nydam, a fall winner for undergraduate TA in the sciences, said, “I've learned the importance of checking in with each student individually. Simply asking the entire class, 'Any questions?' often results in a room full of blank stares — not because students fully understand, but because many are hesitant to admit confusion or fear being wrong. Taking the time to check in with each student empowers them to ask for help and clarify misunderstandings without fear of judgement.” Patrick Cao, a spring winner for undergraduate TA in the sciences, added, “From being a TA I've become more comfortable with public speaking and have learned how to better present information for different audiences. I've also truly gained a passion for teaching and hope to bring that with me in my future endeavors!”

Finally, the winning TAs shared stories and reflections from their classroom experiences. “It's just really rewarding to watch my students become nuanced ecocritical readers and thinkers,” said Tali Cohen, the spring winner for graduate TA in the humanities. “When I gave the class about the movie The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), I asked the students if they had seen the Disney animated version of Robin Hood. The majority of the class said they had. When I sighed with relief and said that it made me feel less old, they were outraged and said that I can't be that much older than them,” laughed Inbar Shifrin, the spring winner for graduate TA in the creative arts. Kyle Pandiscio, a spring winner for undergraduate TA in the sciences, shared some food with his students: “During one of my review sessions I overheard my students, who were freshman nearing the end of their first year, speaking about how much they miss baby carrots and dip, something not available in the dining halls. I promised them that I would get them these coveted baby carrots if they could prove to me that they had learned the material that I was covering in my review session, and lo and behold they returned to me the next week, exams in hand, to show me that they had successfully proven their understanding. As a person of my word, a few days later I did, in fact, bring them baby carrots and their dips of choice, and it is these kinds of moments that I will truly miss after I graduate.” And Fangchao Ji, a fall and spring winner for graduate TA in the social sciences, reflected on the meaning of being a TA. “Being a TA has been part of a deeply rewarding cycle that continually reaffirms how kindness can open the gates to critical thinking — on both sides of the classroom. Teaching is not a one-way transmission of knowledge, but a mutual process of learning and respect. Some might say that as young historians, it is our faith in the humanistic social sciences that allows us to see our students clearly. For me, it’s the other way around — it is through my students that I come to see the enduring value of these fields.”