Global Connections to honor Professor Wadhia with Spirit of Internationalization Award

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Global Connections, a community-based nonprofit organization affiliated with Penn State and the United Way of Centre County, has selected Penn State Law professor Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia as the Penn State faculty recipient of this year’s Spirit of Internationalization Award.

Wadhia and her fellow award recipients will be honored at Global Connections’ annual International Women’s Day Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. on March 15 at the Days Inn Penn State.

Global Connections celebrates International Women’s Day by honoring women and organizations from the local community for their contributions to the advancement of women locally, nationally, and internationally. Winners embody the award through academic achievements, artistic excellence, volunteerism in international organizations, or dedication to advancing the status of women.

International Women's Day is celebrated by universities, businesses, nonprofit organizations and millions of individuals around the world at rallies, festivals, conferences, performances and more. According to the United Nations website, the event has been celebrated on March 8 since the early 1900s. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments and for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.

Wadhia, one of the nation’s leading scholars on the role of prosecutorial discretion in immigration law, is the Samuel Weiss Faculty Scholar at Penn State Law, where she teaches Asylum and Refugee Law and Immigration Law, among other courses. She also directs the law school’s Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, which engages in community outreach and education on immigration topics such as immigration remedies for victims of crimes and President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration. Under Wadhia’s supervision, clinic students regularly collaborate with local government and nonprofit organizations to provide educational seminars and attorney toolkits on matters related to immigration law.  

Her book Beyond Deportation: The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion in Immigration Cases was published by New York University Press in 2015 and is the first book to comprehensively describe the history, theory, and application of prosecutorial discretion in immigration law.

Tickets to the International Women’s Day Breakfast are $22 and can be purchased online (for a nominal additional fee), in person by cash or check at the Global Connections office in 314 Boucke Building, or by mailing a check to Global Connections, 314 Boucke Building, University Park, Pa. 16802.