The University of Washington’s Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies awarded Tess Abrahamson-Richards, a fourth-year Ph.D. student at the UW School of Social Work, with the 2024 Best Graduate Paper in Labor Studies Prize. Since 1992, the Bridges Center has promoted quality scholarship on labor issues among UW students through an annual $500 cash prize to the authors of the best student papers written on a labor topic during the academic year.
Abrahamson-Richards authored “Projected Paid Parental Leave Access and Equity Among American Indian and Alaska Native Working Mothers in Washington State” which addresses earnings stability, parental leave access and associated outcomes among working American Indian and Alaska Native mothers in Washington State. It combines a critical Indigenous theoretical framework, quantitative data on mothers’ earnings around the time of a birth and qualitative data on mothers’ experiences balancing work, finances and time off after welcoming a new child.
Abrahamson-Richards was also recently named a 2024 Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow. The institute selected 22 leaders from across the United States who are transforming systems so that young children and families can thrive.
The 2024 cohort joins a network of more than 160 Ascend Fellows who work across sectors that affect the vitality and wellness of families. Over the course of the 18-month fellowship, Ascend Fellows participate in four fellowship forums and create and carry out an action plan that amplifies their vision to enable children and families to reach their full potential.