2020 Commencement Celebration

Since her first semester at Virginia Tech, Lena has excelled academically, shown an exemplary work ethic, taken part in co-curricular activities, and engaged in service. Assuming leadership roles in diverse activities, she shows a sense of social responsibility that reflects the university motto of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve). Lena’s interests range from German language and culture to music and mechanical engineering. In pursuit of these diverse subjects, she repeatedly demonstrates an ability to think and work across disciplines, drawing connections in an effort to better understand the world. She uses these skills to help others, serving as the German program’s peer tutor for the past two years and volunteering with Teach for Jamie, a student-led after-school program that brings German instruction to Blacksburg elementary schools.

Having joined The Marching Virginians as a first-year student, Lena has led the 36-member clarinet section since 2018. She played with the Virginia Tech Symphony Band and volunteered with various pep bands, performing at high schools and other area venues.

Through her mechanical engineering major, her research-related and project-based experiences revolved around the creation of devices intended to improve the lives of others. She has been part of teams that developed and planned a drone suitable for medical deliveries, a Rube Goldberg machine intended to support the teaching of physics, and a public transportation wheelchair lift.

Despite all these commitments, every year she found time to participate in the Big Event and Relay for Life. Lena’s engagement and dedication were recognized with a 2018 Wenger Family Scholarship, a highly prestigious and competitive award made to a well-rounded student who has demonstrated academic excellence, leadership, and extracurricular engagement. A member of the Society of Women Engineers and of Delta Phi Alpha, the national German honor society, Lena Campbell has truly made the best of her four years as an undergraduate at Virginia Tech.

We congratulate Lena on her achievements and wish her all the best for her life after Virginia Tech!

Gabi’s commitment to learning will continue after graduation, when she enters the Ph.D. program in physics at Rice University, where in addition to pursuing advanced graduate study, she will continue her language pursuits by seeking academic and work opportunities abroad. She has shown an extraordinary capacity to establish connections between the complex theoretical concepts studied in class and real-life events. Her magnetic personality, outgoing nature, and her no-matter-if-I-am-not-perfect-the-important-thing-is-to-try kind of attitude encouraged her classmates to constantly participate in language classes, and to never give up trying. She has always excelled in language learning, whether in reading, writing, or communicating. Her dedication to learning and compassion for service makes her an excellent role model.

Apart from her outstanding dedication inside and outside the classroom, Gabi has also participated in different activities abroad, such as Helping Trujillo, a nongovernmental organization in Peru for which she taught English to a group of 40 students. She has studied abroad at Shandong University in Jinan, China, and interned in Shanghai. She also worked as a homestay tutor of English in Shanghai during her multiple visits to China during her time at Virginia Tech, most recently during this past winter break.

Congratulations, Gabi!

Katelyn Marie Russell

Katelyn Marie Russell has been awarded the 2020 Linda Plaut Prize, named after a beloved faculty colleague. Graduating summa cum laude, Katie is a classical studies major with a history minor. She has been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and is a member of the national classics honor society Eta Sigma Phi. She studied abroad at the Steger Center in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland, and in Rome. She served as teaching assistant for the Greco-Roman Myth course.

In her all-too-brief two years studying classics at Virginia Tech, Katie was a pleasure for all her teachers, intelligently engaging in all classes for the major, making excellent contributions both inside and outside of the classroom. The faculty of the interdisciplinary program in classical studies is happy to recognize Katie’s accomplishments with the Plaut Prize.

Following graduation, Chase is planning to commission in the U.S. Navy and will pursue a master’s degree in Russian language and culture with the goal of working as a translator for the military and eventually the U.S. Department of State.

Jake graduates summa cum laude with a B.A. in Spanish and a B.S. in biology with the pre-veterinary option. After graduation, he will pursue a degree in veterinary medicine. Throughout his tenure at Virginia Tech, Jake has taken on various leadership roles across the university. Beginning with his first eligible semester, he became a member of the Spanish National Honor Society, Sigma Delta Pi, for which he became involved with varying outreach and service projects. In his junior year he accepted the position of vice president, and in his senior year he led the Honor Society in the role of president.

Over the summers, Brenden has begun to use his Spanish as he builds his experience in clinical environments through shadowing doctors with different medical specialties. Throughout his time at Virginia Tech, he has been an active member of the Spanish National Honor Society, assuming various leadership positions in the organization. He accepted the position of treasurer and added vice president to his responsibilities his senior year.

Jake and Brenden have impressive individual accomplishments, but often it is difficult to separate them when the faculty members think of their class engagement and extracurricular work in the Spanish program. Their professors remember both Jake and Brenden as actively involved in class discussions and serving as strong peer mentors. They both often initiated further discussion on cultural topics in class that encouraged their classmates to participate actively.

Outside of the classroom, Jake and Brenden not only created multiple opportunities to engage in outreach, but they also supported academic events and helped with study abroad information sessions. After having studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, Jake and Brenden shared their experience and appreciation with future students.

Beyond Virginia Tech, Jake and Brenden organized talks with local high school students to discuss the value of studying Spanish and its role in informing their respective careers. While their paths now diverge, we can only imagine that someday a Hughes Veterinary Clinic will be located next to a McQueeney Medical Office. Their work during the past four years in the classroom and beyond has made the Spanish faculty proud.

We shall miss you both in class, but now watch from afar, as you continue to achieve great success in your future endeavors.