Bouchet Society Spotlight: Enrica E. Bridgewater

The Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society is named for the first African American doctoral recipient in the United States (Physics, Yale University, 1876) and recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement, promotes diversity, and advances excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate. The society was formed in 2005 through a national chartre inagurated by Yale University and Howard University. Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan has held a chapter since 2008.

Learn more about the Bouchet Society through this Q&A with one of its 2026 inductees: Enrica E. Bridgewater, a Ph.D. candidate in the LSA Department of Communication and Media and Department of Psychology.

How has the Bouchet Honor Society fueled your research and/or professional practice? 
The Bouchet Honor Society has allowed me to share my research with scholars from various disciplines, including those at U-M and those from other institutions at the annual Bouchet Society conference at Yale. 

What do you value most about being a member of the Bouchet Honor Society?
What I value most is learning about the impactful research and service that other doctoral candidates and recent graduates have been doing throughout their time at U-M. Being surrounded by fellow scholars who care deeply about making academia a more equitable and accessible place has been inspiring.

What advice might you give to Bouchet Society applicants?
Think about your “why” for wanting to be inducted into the Bouchet Society. Specifically, think about how your academic and non-academic experiences speak to the five pillars and how these experiences reflect Dr. Bouchet’s legacy. Your story matters!

Learn more about the Bouchet Society at U-M.