Josephine Chuah Named Winner of Sue Levering Social Justice Scholarship

This year’s winner of the Levermore Global Scholars (LGS) Sue Levering Social Justice Scholarship is Josephine Chuah ’16. Susan Dworkin Levering was an activist, feminist and global citizen who committed her life to changing the world for the better. Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Dr. Les Baltimore created the Sue Levering Social Justice Scholarship in 2010 in honor of his late wife.

Ms. Levering organized demonstrations and civil disobedience projects to oppose the war in Vietnam, organized boycotts in South Africa and Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and had a law practice on Long Island. She generously devoted her time to her clients while fighting against racial discrimination and for better services for the disabled in her school district. Sue Levering’s life exemplified the idea of the committed citizen. Her legacy will be those who continue the work to make the world a more just, humane, and peaceful place that defined her life and this can already be seen in the three recipients of this scholarship.

A sophomore in the Levermore Global Scholars Program, Josephine is majoring in psychology, minoring in anthropology and holds a 3.85 GPA. Originally from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, she speaks five languages, including English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay and Spanish. Josephine is an active member of the LGS Student Leadership Council, AU Collaboration Project, and University Diversity Committee. She is a student speaker at LGS Diversity Panels on the topics of discrimination, identity, and social inclusion.

As part of the LGS-ELS Conversation Partners Initiative, Josephine arranges one hour sessions between LGS volunteers and ELS students for the purpose of promoting cultural exchange between international and American students. Her project helps build greater cross-cultural understanding on campus and is aimed at deconstructing stereotypes one conversation at a time, while giving ELS students an additional opportunity to practice their spoken English. Last year she was the LGS Representative to the United Nations Youth Assembly. She has also served as a Community Engagement Leader for the LGS Freshman Seminar.

For a NYC Chinatown Oral History Project, Josephine conducted original research about the social experience of first generation Chinese Americans during the early 1950s under the supervision of Dr. Jean Lau Chin of Adelphi’s Derner Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies. Josephine thanks Dr. Chin for all the opportunities that led to her research project success and for her support. “Working with her on different research projects has challenged me to solidify my academic goals and envision my future career.”

Regarding the Levermore Global Scholars Program, Josephine says: “For me, it isn't just an ordinary scholars program; it is an arena where one is encouraged to practice and apply knowledge regarding international issues and global affairs, with immense support and endorsement from faculty and staff members. Like a tight-knit family, we laugh, engage in heated debate, push each other beyond our perceived limits and through the friction of it all, we become better activists and more proactive knowledge-pursuers.” Josephine’s goal is to become a cross-cultural psychologist working in refugee camps.

LGS develops active and informed global citizens who are compassionate about other people, educated in global and local issues, knowledgeable about other societies and nations, and skilled in advocating for change. Scholars attend seminars, participate in conferences and workshops at the United Nations, and attend events with international leaders and policy makers amongst other activities. Find more information about the Levermore Global Scholars program.

Adelphi is a world class, modern university with excellent and highly relevant programs where students prepare for lives of active citizenship and professional careers. Through its schools and programs—The College of Arts and Sciences, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Honors College, Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, College of Nursing and Public Health and the School of Social Work—the co-educational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls nearly 8,000 students from 43 states and 45 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University, chartered in 1896, maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.

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This release was published on openPR.