Lori Ann Laster Wins Prestigious P.E.O. Scholar Award

Lori Ann Laster, a Ph.D. candidate in Curriculum and Instruction with a graduate minor in Human Rights at the University of Minnesota, is one of 110 doctoral students within the U.S. and Canada selected to receive a prestigious $20,000 P.E.O. Scholar Award from the P.E.O. Sisterhood. She was nominated by P.E.O. Chapter R of St Paul, Minnesota.

Laster is the recipient of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Jewish Studies 2022-2023 Theresa and Nathan Berman Graduate Fellowship in Jewish Studies and UMN’s College of Education and Human Development’s 2022-2023 Ruth Eckert Scholarship. She was also the first recipient of the Children’s Literature Assembly Research Award from the Children’s Literature Assembly (CLA) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in 2011.

Laster has presented her research at many prestigious regional and international conferences. Her research focuses on the intersection of religious literacy, cultural identity and education. She feels incredibly lucky to benefit from the continued support and mentorship of her co-advisors in Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Lori Helman and Dr. Susan Staats, and her Human Rights and Jewish Studies advisor, Dr. Bruno Chaouat.

The P.E.O. Scholar Awards program, established in 1991, provides substantial merit-based awards for women of the U.S. and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral-level degree at an accredited college or university.

P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) has been celebrating women helping women reach for the stars for more than 150 years. Since its inception in 1869, the nonprofit organization has helped more than 116,000* women pursue educational goals by providing over $383 million* in grants, scholarships, awards and loans. Through membership, the P.E.O. Sisterhood has brought together more than a half a million women in the United States and Canada who are passionate about helping women advance through education, while supporting and motivating them. In addition to the educational philanthropies, the P.E.O. Sisterhood provides a framework of support and community for all members.