Ciarra Ortiz receives the 2025 MLK Leadership Award for Graduate Students

Ciarra Ortiz, PhD student in the Aerospace Physiology Lab, was honored with the 2025 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award for Graduate Students as part of MIT’s annual MLK Celebration. 

From her nomination:

“In her first year of graduate school, Ciarra became an acting board member of MIT’s Black Graduate Student Association, a member of AeroAfro, and traveled to HBCUs to encourage students to apply to MIT. By the second year, she had become a Graduate Resident  Assistant, putting herself in a position to support even more of the MIT community. She has consistently advocated for the success of, and support for, Black and Hispanic community members across MIT and within the AeroAstro department.

As an Afro-Latina woman, Ciarra embraces every part of her multicultural heritage. With this comes a warm embrace of a fierce and extremely caring individual. 

Like Dr. King, Ciarra takes an approach to supporting and uplifting others by exhibiting a quiet but clear strength. She is true to her ethical code and speaks her mind clearly and eloquently, demonstrating her courage and confidence when working within the community.”

MIT’s MLK Leadership Awards are given annually to students, alumni, staff, groups, and faculty members who embody the spirit of Dr. King’s work.