Inspiring Learning Award 2021-22 Recipient
Corinna Trujullo Tanner, PhD
"Corinna inspires every student she comes into contact with. I had no idea when I began doing research with her that it would have such a profound impact not only on my personal outlook, but on my career aspirations as well."
" Corinna is genuinely the most giving and generous person I know! Ever since my first interaction with her she has been so willing to give of her time and wisdom. I love whenever we finish meetings and she looks at me with a smile and says, “Isn’t it amazing being part of something that can change others’ lives for good?” She cares for and champions for those who might not otherwise have a strong voice, including populations like the elderly, the visual and hearing impaired, and Spanish-speaking communities. I can feel her genuine love of service to others and am so grateful for the countless opportunities she’s given me to be a part of something bigger than myself."
My research focuses on the biopsychosocial predictors of health among individuals with sensory impairments, including vision impairment, hearing impairment, and dual sensory impairment. Additionally, we use my state-of-the-art research lab, which hosts a blindness training kitchen, to design curricula to help those living with blindness live the lives they want.
A) Students work alongside me as indispensable members of my team and co-authors, reviewing the literature, writing manuscripts, creating interventions, and presenting at conferences.
B) Students have great ideas and are involved in planning future projects.
C) Students help create and teach curricula that will help to change what it means to be blind.
Regular team meetings, friendship, food, and fun.
Including students in my work via the experiential/ inspiring learning program has elevated the reach and quality of my research. The students breathe life into any project I include them in. They are gifted, bright, and motivated to work alongside me to make the lives of other people better through our research. Together we make sometimes mundane tasks into a spiritual quest.