Patrick Hudie, a senior double majoring in national security and foreign policy and German in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, has won the U.S. Marine Corps’ annual Officer Candidates School Commandant’s Award.

The award was bestowed on Hudie at the Virginia Tech football game against the University of Miami on October 20. Joining Hudie on the field as he was presented with the award were the university’s president, Tim Sands, and the chair of the Department of Political Science, Karen Hult.

The Officer Candidates School offers training regimens designed to screen and evaluate potential Marine Corps officers. Those who successfully complete the program are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Marines.

The Commandant’s Award is the highest honor a Marine Corps officer candidate can receive.

“The Officer Candidate School bestows this award on only one trainee each year,” said Hult. “We believe it’s the first time a Virginia Tech student has won it, and we’re so proud of Pat.”