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Senior Awards

Nominate a deserving senior

Know a senior that deserves to be recognized? Check out the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences awards below and nominate someone who meets the criteria.  Nominations can be submitted from faculty, staff, or students (including self nominations) using the links below.  Nominations are open until March 22, 2024. 

CALS Ut Prosim Award

The “CALS Ut Prosim Award" is to honor an outstanding senior who has made a significant contribution to the Virginia Tech and surrounding Blacksburg community through their time, actions, talents and dedication (outside any volunteer work done for their employer). The honoree selected should serve as a role model for compassion, service and leadership.

CALS Comeback Award

This “CALS Comeback Award” is to honor and recognize a graduating senior who has overcome adversity - whether academically, personally, emotionally, and/or physically. This award is to honor a graduating senior who has demonstrated tremendous grit and perseverance.

CALS Outstanding Transfer Student Award

Transfer students have unique challenges when continuing their education at Virginia Tech. The “CALS Outstanding Transfer Student Award” is to honor a graduating senior who transferred into one of our college’s four-year programs and made the most of his/her time. The recipient should demonstrate strong involvement in extracurricular activities such as clubs/organizations, community service, leadership/mentoring, and/or research.

CALS Outstanding Mentor Award

The "CALS Outstanding Mentor Award” recognizes an outstanding graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring. Relevant mentoring can include encouraging, nurturing, teaching, responding to students’ needs, and offering respect and support. The contributions can occur within the capacity of teaching, research, creative activities, service, and/or outreach. Seniors who have served as peer mentors, departmental ambassadors, teaching assistants, research assistants, and/or in other mentoring roles can be nominated for this award.

CALS Madelynn Todd Trailblazer Award

The “Madelynn Todd Trailblazer Award'' honors a CALS graduate, Madelynn Todd, who blazed new and impactful trails while attending Virginia Tech. This award is to honor her tremendous strides in the areas of access and inclusion across campus. This award will recognize a graduating senior who has demonstrated an outstanding example of "blazing a new trail" for the next generation at Virginia Tech. Trailblazing efforts can be in the areas of academics, community building, global initiatives, access and affordability, diversity and inclusion, and/or service.

CALS Champion Award

The “CALS Champion Award” is to honor a non-traditional graduating senior. Whether starting their education later in life or coming back to college after an extended break, this award celebrates those students who never gave up on their college education dreams. For this award, nominees must qualify in one of the following categories:

  1. Support a child
  2. Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces
  3. Over 24 years of age

CALS Undergraduate Research Award

 The “CALS Undergraduate Research Award” honors a graduating senior who exemplifies excellence in research. This award is based upon the involvement in long-term research projects, participation in conferences, published research papers, displayed leadership within the research environment, and unique contributions to their field of study.

CALS Outstanding Club Leadership Award

The “CALS Outstanding Club Leadership Award” is to recognize a graduating senior who has served in a leadership role within a college affiliated club or organization. The graduating senior should demonstrate outstanding leadership, mentoring, programming, and/or community service. Examples may include but are not limited to involvement in student activities, leadership development, organizational programming, mentoring, outreach, and/or service. 

CALS Global Visionary Award

The “CALS Global Visionary Award” recognizes an outstanding graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence in global education and engagement. This award recognizes the commitment to language acquisition, cultural immersion, global perspectives, and cross-cultural learning. 

CALS Outstanding Collaborator Award

The “CALS Outstanding Collaborator Award” recognizes an outstanding graduating senior who has demonstrated excellent teamwork and effective collaboration with others to produce positive results. The collaboration can be in any form, within and across groups, which include organizations, departments and/or colleges. This collaboration should celebrate partnerships that highlight the excellence in CALS. 

Randolph L. Grayson Outstanding CALS Diversity Scholar Award

The Diversity and Inclusion Service Award was established in 2006 (as the Diversity Enhancement Award) to recognize outstanding diversity accomplishments of faculty, staff, and students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS).

Nominees for the award should exemplify excellence in advancing the college's mission of promoting diversity in the college. The service award for students was named the Randolph L. Grayson Outstanding CALS Diversity Scholar Award for graduating graduate or undergraduate students.

The award includes a letter of commendation, a plaque, and a monetary gift of $500.  To find out more about this award and criteria please visit: https://www.cals.vt.edu/about/diversity/diversity-award.html

Past Award Recipients