Virginia Tech names 10 new Bouchet Scholars for 2025
The scholars will attend the honor society's annual conference at Yale University.
Virginia Tech was represented at the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society induction ceremony April 4-5 at Yale University by seven doctoral students, two postdoctoral fellows, and a December 2024 graduate who were among the newest members of the honor society founded 20 years ago by Yale and Howard universities and named for the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Yale in 1876.
Nineteen universities across the nation have Bouchet Society chapters, including Virginia Tech. Each year, the Virginia Tech Graduate School receives nominations for membership in the society and a selection committee chooses those who will be inducted. The following students and postdoctoral fellows will be inducted into the Honor Society:
Yugasha Bakshi is a Ph.D. candidate in the planning, governance, and globalization program in the School of Public and International Affairs. Her research explores how trust and risk perception influence a household’s water use decisions and consumption pattern and how these can shape collaborative and cooperative behavior in the context of Delhi, India. Bakshi holds a master's degree from CEPT University in India and a bachelor's degree from the Government College of Architecture in India. Passionate about ensuring access to water and sanitation for all, she aspires to contribute meaningfully to bridging research and policy to create inclusive and equitable urban environments.
Ramón Benítez earned a Ph.D. in engineering education in December 2024 and now works at Ardurra. Benítez’s work focuses on corrosion risk, lead mitigation, and stakeholder education. He develops public health-focused solutions that support sustainability and access to clean water. Benítez has authored reports on corrosion control, predictive modeling, and small system compliance. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at El Paso. Benítez specializes in corrosion, regulatory compliance, public health, and community engagement in water infrastructure.
Oziomachukwu Chinaka is a Ph.D. candidate in the Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program and earned her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Virginia Tech. She conducts her research in Professor Brittany Howell's lab, where she investigates factors influencing recruitment and retention in the Healthy Brain and Child Development study. Oziomachukwu has co-authored three publications and actively serves as an ambassador for the Our Future of Science program, which encourages students to view science as a tool for positive change. She has also been selected as a 2025 Commonwealth of Virginia Engineering and Science Policy Fellow.
Inga Haugen is a Ph.D. candidate in agricultural, leadership, and community education. Their doctoral research investigates materiality within bureaucratic information systems, particularly at the federal governmental level, using the lens of leadership-as-practice to do so. Haugen earned a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State University, Moorhead. At the heart of Haugen’s work is the desire for a world where no one goes hungry and the eradication of marginalization. Haugen’s research also focuses on building communities where everyone has a sense of place and belonging.
Whitley M. Johnson is a Ph.D. candidate in the higher education program in the School of Education. Her dissertation research focuses on Black undergraduate women and their lived and self-defined experiences of student success from an anti-deficit lens. She received both her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Virginia Tech. Support and persistence of historically marginalized students has been a central tenet of her work, including research and presentations at local and national venues. Ultimately, she aspires to work in education policy, influencing and impacting how students are educated and the laws and regulations that govern educational systems.
Pratyoosh Kashyap is a postdoctoral associate at the Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation in the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education. His research employs a mixed-methods approach to assess the technical assistance needs of Black, Hispanic, and tribal agricultural producers for accessing wholesale markets, focusing in the southern and southeastern United States. He earned his Ph.D. at Colorado State University, his master’s degree at South Asian University, and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Delhi, India. He aims to assist policymakers and community leaders in responding to changes in their food environment in a sustainable manner.
Sarah Plummer is a Mellon Postdoctoral Associate with Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia, a project housed at Virginia Tech. As a member of the project’s leadership team, Plummer created an inventory of more than 3,500 monuments in Appalachian Virginia, analyzed this data, and is creating a public-facing report critical to understanding how and why certain stories are highlighted, funded, and remembered. Her personal research focuses on the performativity of objects through the intersections of puppetry, cultural history, the arts, and social theory. She earned her Ph.D. and master’s degrees from Virginia Tech and her bachelor’s degree from Berea College.
Vanessa L. Ruccolo is Ph.D. candidate in the higher education administration program in the School of Education and a senior instructor in the English department. A first-generation college student, her research focuses on best practices for teaching English writing to nonnative English speakers, specifically international Chinese students at higher education institutions across the United States. She earned both her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Virginia Tech. She seeks to understand how instructors have adapted their classes to be more equitable for and accessible to Chinese international students, and how to continue this work through a shifting academic landscape.
Sonal Sathe is a candidate for the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Her research focuses on accessibility and usability of health information in disabled technology users. She received master's degrees from the University of Texas School of Public Health-San Antonio Regional Campus and the University of Florida. She also received her bachelor's degree from the University of Florida. She has been recognized as a member of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health and aspires to work at the intersection of technology and health care with the goal of eliminating health disparities.
Sandeep S. Sangha is a Ph.D. candidate in industrial and systems engineering with a concentration in operations research in the College of Engineering. His research encompasses optimization, machine learning, mathematical modeling, and digital accessibility, with work published or under review in several journals. He is a Rehmert-Nachlas Ph.D. Fellow, recognized for his scholarly contributions to operations research. He earned his bachelor’s degree from PEC University of Technology and his master’s degrees from Virginia Tech and from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Ultimately, his goal is to bridge business and engineering to create innovative, inclusive solutions.