The Annual Women of Achievement & Spotlight Awards of the Flora Stone Mather Women’s Center at CWRU celebrates the scholarship and research of women faculty and outstanding achievements by women campus staff and students. This award recognizes women who, like Flora Stone Mather, address problems in their community and work innovatively and tirelessly to solve them through significant philanthropic and communal service and other acts of generosity. Danielle Czarnecki was awarded the Outstanding Faculty award and Anvitha Ravipati was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student award. Read more about their achievements here.
Danielle Czarnecki
Danielle Czarnecki, Ph.D. is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the department of Sociology. Her research focuses on issues related to gender, technology, and reproduction. Her current research examines people’s moral lives in the context of their experiences with contested medical technologies and procedures. She has studied Christian women’s experiences with infertility and assisted reproductive technologies, how health care providers make decisions about participation in abortion care, women’s experiences with genetic carrier testing in reproductive health care settings, and how policy restrictions on reproductive health care impact patients and clinicians. Her work has been published in Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Gender & Society, Qualitative Sociology, Social Science & Medicine, Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law, and Contraception.
Dr. Czarnecki’s work regarding reproductive health and access is truly impressive, but isn’t the sole basis on which she was nominated. Dr. Czarnecki was nominated by Kate Freeman, a Graduate Assistant in the Flora Stone Mather Center and a student in one of Dr. Czarnecki’s class. Kate had the following to say: “Dr. Czarnecki is not only one of the greatest and most caring professors I have ever had, she is also an incredibly giving person, dedicated researcher, and supportive mentor who will never shy away from helping her students. Since arriving in my department a few years ago, Dr. Czarnecki has taught numerous courses, including her Reproductive Rights class, which was an eye-opening exploration into how women’s bodies have historically been a site of contested human rights. Throughout the course, Dr. Czarnecki provided helpful feedback and guided students through lessons with grace and compassion. She consistently asked for feedback and made changes to the course in real time– something that I’m sure was a significant amount of labor but never seemed like a burden to her. In particular, Dr. Czarnecki honored the diversity of women through literature she selected as well as by ensuring that all students were comfortable throughout the course. Because of this class, I was able to learn about women’s bodily autonomy in a way that demonstrated how I would like to be a professor in my career. Additionally, Dr. Czarnecki selflessly gives her time outside of class to do anything she can to help students succeed. Dr. Czarnecki has empowered me as a woman-identified student to be a better researcher and student in more ways than she will ever know. Because of these reasons, I can truly think of no faculty member more deserving of this award.”
Anvitha Ravipati
Anvitha Ravipati’s commitment to advocating for women’s education and leadership is evident through her academic and community-oriented work. As a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at Case Western Reserve University, her dissertation entitled “Feminist Empowerment among Women Farmers in Communities Undergoing Agroecological Transition: A Cross-Cultural Study.” focuses on the empowerment of women farmers, particularly in agroecological transitions, a field that Anvitha is deeply invested in academically and practically. Her research investigates how small-scale farms operated by women benefit from agroecological practices compared to conventional farming, emphasizing leadership, decision-making, and community engagement.
Anvitha’s cross-cultural work spans Cleveland and rural India, where she highlights the critical role of women in sustainable agricultural transitions. Focusing on women in agroecology, she explores how their knowledge and leadership contribute to community well-being and the development and maintenance of ecologically sustaining farming practices. Her work in Cleveland has centered on understanding the challenges faced by Black and Hispanic women farmers in small-scale community gardens through fieldwork, interviews, and volunteer work, which also helps to foster a broader understanding of their vital role in local food systems.
In her free time, Anvitha attends community events at urban farms led by women. She is intentional about being inclusive and recognizing intersectionality throughout her work, and has actively participated in Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health’s community-engaged research focused on food system inequities, race, and power. Anvitha has worked to advocate for the recognition and acknowledgment of women who contribute to food sovereignty and community welfare through the practice of agroecology. She strongly believes that her work in framing them as crucial advocates in resisting conventional food systems will help to advance their role in society. Her research demonstrates her passion and dedication to women, equality, and the earth; through her volunteer work and community engagement, Anvitha not only supports women’s education but fosters leadership in agricultural innovation and sustainability.