The Ohio State University Graduate School has announced the recipients of its Graduate Student Well-Being Mini Grant, recognizing graduate coordinators whose initiatives are designed to strengthen student wellness, resilience and academic success across the university.
The competitive mini grant program provides funding to graduate coordinators to develop or enhance wellness initiatives that support graduate and professional students. The grants are intended to advance awareness and practice across multiple dimensions of wellness, with a focus on addressing the unique pressures associated with graduate education. Five graduate coordinators representing academic units across the university were selected for the 2026 awards.
2026 Mini Grant Awardees and Programs
In the College of Engineering, Melanie Senitko, graduate coordinator in biomedical engineering, received funding for the BME Recharge Session, a weekly, student‑designed workshop series aligned with the university’s Ten Dimensions of Wellness. The interactive sessions highlight a different wellness dimension each week, such as emotional, social, financial or physical well‑being, pairing brief guidance from campus experts with hands‑on activities focused on reflection, peer connection and practical strategies. The department‑wide initiative is designed to complement existing student programs while strengthening community and sustainable wellness practices.
In the Department of Engineering Education, Tracy Hanson received funding for WellnessC2F2, a multi‑part initiative combining workshops with semester‑long activities. The program emphasizes creative, fitness, career and financial wellness through a research‑based creative showcase, a structured physical‑activity challenge, and workshops focused on professional development and financial planning. Social and intellectual wellness are incorporated throughout, with activities designed to strengthen connection and inclusion for both on‑campus and remote doctoral students.
Ange Leone, graduate coordinator in the Department of Design in the College of Arts and Sciences, was awarded a mini grant for Co‑Designing the Future of Graduate School Wellness, a program focused on intellectual, emotional and social wellness. The initiative engages graduate students in design‑thinking exercises that encourage reflection, open dialogue and collaborative problem solving. Participants examine all ten wellness dimensions through guided activities, identifying gaps in their current well‑being and envisioning strategies to improve balance across academic and personal domains.
At the Fisher College of Business, Laurie Spadaro, graduate coordinator for Executive Education, was selected for her Stress Relief Kit initiative, which centers on emotional wellness. The program provides executive graduate students with tools that support stress management, mindfulness and emotional regulation during intensive program periods. Distributed across cohorts, the kits reinforce a program‑wide culture that recognizes emotional well‑being as essential to sustained academic and professional performance.
The final award was granted to Mido Aly of the Graduate School for a Financial Education initiative focused on student financial wellness, with connections to additional wellness dimensions. The program integrates financial planning with broader considerations of career, environmental and spiritual wellness, linking personal financial decision‑making to long‑term stability, values and overall well‑being.
Graduate School wellness programming supporting the graduate community.
Collectively, the awarded projects reflect the Graduate School’s recognition of graduate coordinators as central contributors to student well-being. Graduate coordinators often serve as the primary point of connection between students and their programs, placing them in a unique position to identify challenges, remove barriers and create supportive environments. Through the mini grant program, the Graduate School formally acknowledges this role and invests in coordinator-led solutions that improve student outcomes.
The Graduate Student Well-Being Mini Grant for Graduate Programs is one component of a broader Graduate School commitment to wellness-focused programming. In addition to the mini grants, the Graduate School administers the Graduate Coordinator Wellness Program of the Year Award, which recognizes innovative wellness workshops, events or programs that have demonstrated a positive impact on graduate students. The award highlights excellence in coordinator-led initiatives and reinforces a culture of care across graduate programs.
The Graduate School also provides weekly wellness tips through its website, offering practical guidance and reminders tailored to graduate student life. These tips address a range of wellness topics and are designed to support students through consistent, accessible messaging during the academic year.
Wellness-focused programming is also offered by the Graduate School. These efforts complement unit-level initiatives by providing centralized resources and programming that reinforce wellness as an integral part of graduate education.
Together, the new framework and the various wellness initiatives (the mini grants, coordinator recognition awards, ongoing communications and targeted programming reflect a comprehensive approach to graduate student well-being. By investing in coordinator-led initiatives and institutional support structures, the Graduate School continues to advance efforts that promote health, resilience and long-term success for graduate students across Ohio State.
Learn more about Social, Wellness and Student Life resources through the Graduate School and our university partners.