The APALA Scholarship and Awards Committee is honored to name Ray Pun as the 2024 recipient of the Gayatri Singh Award.
Gayatri Singh was a long-time APALA member, community builder, activist, and friend. Gayatri served on several APALA committees and was known for the way she welcomed each person as an individual with kindness and compassion.
The Gayatri Singh Award provides a $500 scholarship to one APALA member annually to participate in professional development engaging with equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice.
This year’s recipient is Raymond Pun. Ray Pun (he/him) is the academic and research librarian at the Alder Graduate School of Education, a teacher residency program in California, where he supports library services by engaging with graduate students and teacher educators. Ray holds a Doctorate in Education from Fresno State, a Master of Library Science from the City University of New York, Queens College, a Master of Arts in East Asian Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from St. John’s University.
Upon receipt of the award, Ray shared this:
I am honored to be this year’s recipient for the APALA Gayatri Singh Award. I want to thank the APALA Scholarships and Awards Committee for their time and service. I also wanted to share that Gayatri Singh was truly a compassionate, warm, and kind friend and collaborator. She was always there supporting APALA and mentoring APALA members. I honestly wouldn’t be where I am today without mentors like Gayatri.
To learn more about Gayatri Singh and her contributions, please visit APALA’s Gayatri Singh Award page, UC San Diego’s Communication Departmental News Memorial, and ALA’s Memorial Resolution Honoring Gayatri Singh.