Carissa Lange Named Outstanding Graduate Student Teacher for 2025-26
The award recognizes excellence in graduate student teaching.
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The School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS) has announced that Carissa Lange, a doctoral candidate in environmental health sciences, has been selected as the recipient of the 2025-2026 SPHHS Outstanding Graduate Student Teacher Award. The award recognizes excellence in graduate student teaching.
The review committee commented that “Carissa stood out for her thoughtful and intentional approach to teaching, and for her student-centered approach to course development.”
“It’s honestly hard to put into words how much this recognition means to me,” says Lange. “I’ve been fortunate to receive several awards during my time at UMass – scholarships, travel awards, fellowships, and grants – but this one feels especially meaningful because it comes directly from students. It reflects that I’m connecting with and hopefully inspiring them, which matters deeply to me.”
During the past academic year, Lange taught the Residential Academic Program (RAP) section of SPHHS 150: Great Challenges in Public Health and Health Sciences in both the fall and spring semesters. Lange, who will be graduating in May, explains that this spring marks her fifth and final semester teaching the course as the primary instructor. Before that, she spent two semesters as a Teaching Assistant for the larger lecture section of the same course, adding, “I’ve been involved with SPHHS 150 for a total of seven semesters – which feels like a long time!”
Lange notes that at the core of her teaching philosophy is the idea that meaningful education requires continual growth – from both students and instructors.
“I don’t think teaching should ever be static,” she says. “I’m always reflecting on my course, taking student feedback seriously, and making intentional changes to better support student learning.”
She adds, “I also see teaching as a reciprocal process. While it’s important to meet students where they are, I think the most impactful learning happens in environments where students and instructors are learning from each other, asking questions together, and pushing each other to think more deeply. I try to bring my own curiosity and passion into the classroom and create space for students to do the same.”