Deborah Buttitta Wins Exceptional Levels of Service to Students Award

Dr. Deborah Buttitta was selected for an Exceptional Levels of Service to Students award for the 2026-27 academic year. She was awarded this honor for her work with the community that focuses on LGBTQIA+ development, emerging adulthood, and youth identity. Initially, a community engagement project titled LGBTQIA+ Liberatory Stories, the project has evolved to incorporate multiple identities and bring together graduate students in her research course with youth from Northridge Academy High School. Graduate students serve as story collaborators, supporting underserved youth in developing their stories of hope, pride, and resilience. This work integrates her research on LGBTQIA+ identity, her teaching philosophy, which is centered on equity-minded and culturally responsive education, and her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. The project has been renamed the Identity Pride Story Project and has been implemented over the past two years, with hopes of continuing and expanding its reach to more schools.