A graduate student in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences was named one of Virginia Tech’s two Graduate Students of the Year for 2022. Jack Leff, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society, took that honor.

Graduate students in the college also took the top awards in the Social Sciences, Business, Education, and Humanities category. The Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award went to Jessica Brabble, a master’s student in the Department of History, while the Outstanding Dissertation Award went to Kazuki Hori, a doctoral student in education research and evaluation in the School of Education.

In addition, outstanding master’s degree and Ph.D. students chosen by each college received honors, as did faculty members chosen by the colleges. For the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, the Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award went to Jordan MacKenzie, an assistant professor in philosophy. Damien Williams, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society, was named the college’s Outstanding Doctoral Degree Student, while Kiana Wilkerson in the Department of History was named the Outstanding Master’s Degree Student.

“I’m very proud to announce that second-year master’s student Kiana Wilkerson has been selected to receive the Outstanding Master’s Student Award in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences,” Brett Shadle, professor and chair of the Department of History, told department members. “This is the 9th year in a row — and the 12th time in the past 15 years — that a history student has won the award.”

The Virginia Tech Graduate School honored all the student and faculty member awardees at its annual reception during Graduate Education Week in March.

“The Graduate School at Virginia Tech could not be more proud to celebrate the individuals honored in our Graduate Education Week Awards Ceremony,” said Graduate School Dean Aimée Surprenant. “These awards honor a variety of accomplishments, from mentoring to outstanding research, scholarship, and teaching to individuals exhibiting character and service. Each winner has been chosen by a selection committee and represents excellence in their field. We look forward to seeing what they accomplish in the future — it will be great, I promise.”

Student of the year and service awards

  • 2022 Graduate Students of the Year: Gabriela Carrillo, Ph.D. candidate in translational biology, medicine, and health, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC; and Jack Leff, Ph.D. candidate in science, technology and society, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
  • Graduate Service Excellence Award: Kathryn Lopez, Ph.D. student in civil and environmental engineering, College of Engineering.

Thesis and dissertation awards

  • Outstanding Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Dissertation Award: Lindah Kotut, computer science, College of Engineering.
  • Outstanding Social Sciences, Business, Education, and Humanities (SSBEH) Dissertation Award: Kazuki Hori, education research and evaluation, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
  • Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award, STEM: Molly Hickman, computer science, College of Engineering.
  • Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award, SSBEH: Jessica Brabble, history, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

Teaching awards

  • Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Instructor of Record Excellence Award: Sarah Blackowski, Ph.D. student in engineering education, College of Engineering.
  • Graduate Teaching Assistant Excellence Award: Troy Jaisohn Kim, mechanical engineering, College of Engineering.

Outstanding doctoral degree students

  • College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Leah Hamilton, food science and technology.
  • College of Architecture and Urban Studies: Omobolanle Ogunseiju, building construction.
  • College of Engineering: Barath Udayasuryan, biomedical engineering.
  • College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences: Damien Williams, science, technology and society.
  • College of Natural Resources and Environment: Yang Zhou, sustainable biomaterials.
  • College of Science: Whitney Woelmer, biological sciences.
  • Pamplin College of Business: Haozhen Zhang, management.
  • Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine: Sarah Kuchinsky, biomedical and veterinary science.
  • Interdisciplinary doctoral student: Connor Brown, genetics, bioinformatics, and computational biology.

Outstanding master’s degree students

  • College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Aryanna James, entomology.
  • College of Architecture and Urban Studies: Alexandra Palin, visual arts.
  • College of Engineering: Bharath Bharadwaj, mechanical engineering.
  • College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences: Kiana Wilkerson, history.
  • College of Natural Resources and Environment: Brogan Holcombe, fish and wildlife conservation.
  • College of Science: Carla Lopez Lloreda, biological sciences.
  • Pamplin College of Business: Alexis Monahan, business administration.
  • Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine: Emily Hellstern, biomedical and veterinary science.

Outstanding faculty mentors

  • College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Professor Boris Vinatzer, plant and environmental sciences.
  • College of Architecture and Urban Studies: Professor Frank Weiner, architecture.
  • College of Engineering: Associate Professor David Knight, engineering education.
  • College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences: Assistant Professor Jordan MacKenzie, philosophy.
  • College of Natural Resources and Environment: Professor Kevin Edgar, sustainable biomaterials.
  • College of Science: Associate Professors Pearl Chiu and Brooks King-Casas, psychology.
  • Pamplin College of Business: Associate Professor Mario Pandelaere, marketing.
  • Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine: Professor John Rossmeisl, biomedical and veterinary science.

For more information about the awards, visit the Graduate School’s awards and honors webpage. 

Written by Cathy Grimes