Outstanding CALS students honored
Four students from the college were honored this spring for their academic excellence and service to community.
 Jessica Li |
Jessica K. Li of Martinsville, Virginia, received the Virginia Tech Undergraduate Student of the Year Award. Li graduated with dual degrees in human nutrition, foods, and exercise and biological sciences. Li held numerous internships and positions during her time at Virginia Tech that called on her dedication to public service, including working as a medical translator in Honduras and interning in the field of geriatric medicine. Continuing with her interest in public service, she plans to attend medical school, where she will focus on cultural diversity and geriatrics. |
 Hope Wentzel |
Hope Wentzel of Alexandria, Virginia, received the 2015 Outstanding Senior Award. Wentzel majored in animal and poultry sciences and minored in forestry. A Pamplin Scholar, she received numerous scholarships throughout her academic career and made four sojourns abroad to better understand international development and agriculture’s role in fostering capacity building. She founded Ag for ECHO, an organization that provides agriculture and health education activities for an adult day services group. |
 Sarah McCoski |
Sarah R. McCoski of Amsterdam, New York, was named the college’s outstanding master’s degree student. She is earning her M.S. in animal and poultry sciences with a concentration in reproductive biology. |
 Sarah Phoebe Williams |
Sarah Phoebe Williams of Charlottesville, Virginia, was named the college’s outstanding doctoral student. She is earning her Ph.D. in biochemistry. Williams is working on projects sponsored by the National Science Foundation. She has been first author on research papers and has given presentations at international meetings. |
[…] is creating a seed bank in his native Haiti to help the country recover from the 2010 earthquake. Jessica Li, the 2015 Virginia Tech Undergraduate Student of the Year, held a number of internships and used her talents to serve as a medical translator in […]