Awards & Honors
Caltech Center for Diversity (CCID), 2021
The Sarah Sam Activist Scholar Award is given to individuals who demonstrate excellence within their discipline and research while engaging in complex social justice issues, leading and/or participating in advocacy campaigns centering on the experiences of minoritized identities, and providing vision and leadership through the formation of affinity spaces and targeted supportive programs.
* After restructuring the CCID under the President’s office, my name and other names have been stripped from these awards, undermining the long tradition of remembering past Black Caltech honorees by name at the CCID Celebration of Excellence. That decision has been made deliberately opaque to me as well as the individuals who created this award in my honor. It is now referred to the CCID Activist Scholar Award.
Photo Credit: Sam Comen for NATURE
Chen Institute, 2020
Sarah received multiple nominations for this award. She is president of the Black Scientists and Engineers at Caltech (BSEC) and president of the Black Ladies Association of Caltech (BLAC). She spends much of her limited 'free' time working for these organizations and volunteering as a tutor, as well as providing 'STEMonstrations' to high school students. She has demonstrated great leadership by taking a lead role in the recent institute Black Lives Matter town halls and has been an inspiration to many people to bring change and action to race inequalities at Caltech. As one of her nominations stated "The Chen Institute would be hard pressed to find another graduate student in all of Caltech, let alone the neuroscience community, more deserving of this award than Sarah Sam".
Caltech Y, 2019
“The Lucy Guernsey Service Award is given in honor of Lucy Guernsey, the Caltech Y Executive Director from 1989-1991, in recognition of her leadership, dedication to students, and diligence in furthering the Y’s commitment to volunteerism.
In 2019, we selected three graduate students to receive the Lucy Guernsey Service Award. Sarah Sam, Stephanie Threatt, and Kyle Virgil were chosen for their exceptional work tutoring and mentoring students in the Rise Program and for their outstanding “STEMonstrations” at local Pasadena schools.”
Caltech Y | Delta Sigma Theta Foundation, 2019
“The Caltech Y Advocating Change Together (ACT) Award provides motivated Caltech students with an opportunity to learn about themselves and their place in society, and to act to make-a-difference in the world through community engagement, activism and leadership.
In 2019, Sarah Sam addressed the marginalization of groups within STEM education taking HS students to the Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in Anaheim.”
Caltech Center for Diversity, 2018
The award was named in honor of James King Jr. who is a noted scientist and community leader. Dr. King received his B.S. in chemistry and mathematics from Morehouse College and then came to Caltech for his graduate work in chemical physics (MS ‘55 and PhD ‘58). His efforts to increase access to education and research at Caltech and JPL is part of an extraordinary list of professional accomplishments. Dr. King was Deputy Assistant Laboratory Director at JPL and served as the Director for Engineering and Science as well as the Chairman of the JPL Employee Ethnic Advisory Committee.
* After restructuring the CCID under the President’s office, my name and other names have been stripped from these awards, undermining the long tradition of remembering past Black Caltech honorees by name at the CCID Celebration of Excellence. That decision has been made deliberately opaque. The award is no longer part of the ceremony.
