Since its founding in 2020, the Graduate School Access Fund (GSAF) at vlog has transformed the futures of more than 100 students. Designed to support low-income, first-generation, and historically excluded students, the fellowship provides financial assistance, individualized advising, and a strong sense of community to those aspiring to pursue graduate and professional school.
On May 1, faculty, staff, students, and donors gathered to celebrate the newest cohorts of GSAF juniors and seniors. Milone Family Assistant Vice President for Career Initiatives and GSAF co-director Teresa Olsen captured the spirit of the occasion. “We’ve sat together, we’ve shared tears, we’ve shared stress, we’ve shared celebrations and excitement,” she said. “It has just truly been a pleasure to be able to get to know each of you and be able to see just a little part of your life.”
The GSAF was launched through the generosity and vision of Giovanni Cutaia ’94 and Maree Cutaia. The couple partnered with Career Services, the Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty, and a faculty co-director to address the structural barriers that often stand between talented students and their dreams of graduate study. Since that time, the program has benefited from the generosity of multiple donors.
At the 2025 celebration, Cutaia reflected on the program’s beginnings. “In 2020, my wife, Maree, and I approached President Brian Casey and others at the University,” he said. “We knew we didn’t have all the answers, but we knew there were amazing people here with powerful ideas. We simply wanted to help provide the resources to make those ideas happen and have a positive impact.”
The result is a fellowship that offers more than just funding for standardized test preparation, applications, and travel. It also provides a community for students to share ideas and concerns about applying to graduate school as an underrepresented student. The cohort engages in holistic advising that spans a student’s junior and senior years and teaches fellows the process of preparing for and competing in graduate school admission, as well as learning to thrive as a graduate student. Fellows can access funding support for up to two years after graduation. This structure reflects a core belief of the program: each student’s path and timeline is unique and has validity.
That commitment is reflected in the newest GSAF cohorts, whose academic pursuits stretch across disciplines. Among the 2025 fellows, Ta’Von Amir is creating a self-designed major in metaphysical arts and hopes to transform graduate studies in music into a “stage where healing is clarified, digested, and strummed.” Classmate Jose Arriaza, a geography major and grassroots organizer, will blend sound-design work from London with a master’s in media studies. Leila Bekaert will draw on experience at the Cannes Film Festival and archival internships to pursue film preservation and post-production, beginning with an internship with the Oral History Department at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The 2026 fellows show similar breadth and depth. History major Oscar Brown documents overlooked LGBTQ+ histories and curates museum exhibitions in preparation for graduate work in queer public history. STEM-focused students include Brennan Donnelly, who is on a medical school path, and Nayda Farnsworth, who aims for a PhD in combinatorics and graph theory after conducting research in Japan and at national laboratories.
GSAF co-director Brenda N. Sanya, associate professor of educational studies, urged students to recognize the often-unseen efforts of their peers, cohort, and mentors. “You are all standing on the shoulders of those who have mentored, advised, cheered you on, and helped you reach this point,” she said. “Congratulations on your brilliant work and in all that you’re preparing to do next, but never forget your peers and mentors.”
GSAF applications open in late fall 2025 for members of the Class of 2027. Learn more.