Celebrating students, faculty, and alumni
A lot has happened this semester, and we want to highlight the individuals who’ve helped our department shine:
We inducted 31 Alpha Phi Sigma (Criminology Honors) and 13 AKD Alpha Kappa Delta (Sociology Honors) into the Virginia Tech chapters of those organizations at our Undergraduate Awards and Honors Induction ceremony in April. We also presented the following awards:
- Outstanding Undergraduate Student – Gelila Dawet
- Blume Internship Award – Ryleigh Brown
- Leland B. Tate Award – Lea Winters
- William E. Snizek Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching – Dr. Laura Halcomb
- Soc@VT Teaching Award – Dr. Liam Weikart
Katalin Parti received the Excellence in Teaching Spotlight from CETL, and you can read more about her work here.
Bre Grace won the E. Gordon Ericksen Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award.
Aaron Rouse '07 was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus from the Department of Sociology at the college's Alumni Awards in April.
James Smith '74, was inducted into the 2026 Hall of Honor at the college's Alumni Awards as well.
Three professors received awards at the college's faculty and staff awards ceremony in April:
- Ashley V. Reichelmann - Outreach and International Initiatives Award
- Heidi M. Williams – Spirit of Ut Prosim Award
- Komal K. Dhillon – Certificate of Teach Excellence
Ryann Yang, who graduated in May, was recognized by the International Sociology Honors Society, Alpha Kappa Delta. Her paper “Prestige as Capital: How Ivy League Merit Becomes Structural Advantage” was selected as the second-place winner in the undergraduate paper competition.
Kwame Harrison was appointed to the VT Academy of Faculty Service in March.
Finally, Shannon Bell received the Engaged Research Award from Virginia Tech. You can read about her work here.
