CEPR Graduate Awarded Top 40 Under 40 by Local Professionals Group

October 11, 2024 – Dr. Kiersten Hawes, a graduate from the Department of Counseling Educational Psychology and Research (CEPR) has been nominated for the upcoming Top 40 Under 40 Urban Elite Professionals Awards in Memphis. Hawes is currently the clinical director of Trauma Services for the BRAIN Center, a research collaborative with Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.

"I am truly honored to receive this award and would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved,” said Hawes. “The encouragement has been instrumental in my success." 

“Kiersten and I have known each other for over 11 years and she is truly one of the greatest humans on earth,” said Dr. Eraina Schauss, a CEPR faculty member and the person who nominated Hawes for the award. “She deserves every accolade and award.”

This will be the 8th annual Urban Elite Professionals gala. The event is designed to recognize rising African American Memphians who are standouts in their profession and offer solutions to societal problems through their work.

In their announcement of Hawes being one of the recipients, the award committee said, “Dr. Hawes is passionate about building community awareness around stress, health, and emotional well-being, with research focusing on the interplay between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), emotion regulation and behaviors among children and adolescents. She enjoys facilitating trainings with various schools and organizations to promote mental health and wellness education.”

The event is Saturday, November 23. CEPR is a department within the College of Education at the University of Memphis.

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