2023 Award Winners
2023 Alumni Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Academic Advising
Renee Eaton
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
"While my career path is not the way I imagined, my perspective and experience has grown beyond what I ever dreamed and given me a role where I can use my strengths every day. I get to build relationships, solve problems, explore ways to improve, and am a small part of something great. I am able to use my background in the scientific disciplines in which I was trained, and employ skills and techniques gained through clinical experience and share them with others."
2023 Provost's Award for Excellence in Advising
Emily Metzgar
College of Engineering
"I employ strategies of developmental and intrusive advising, aiming to build supportive connections with students and to get to know them within the larger context of their lives. In a big university, it is not always easy for students to connect with faculty and staff. I am in a unique position, where I work with students over extended periods of time. Getting to know students as individuals allows me to better help them evaluate academic options and pathways to success.”
2023 Alumni Award for Excellence in Graduate Academic Advising
Megan Dolbin-MacNab
College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
"Graduate school can be hard. For many students, entering a graduate program means being challenged intellectually, confronting deep-seated fears about their competence, considering multiple career paths, and juggling work-family commitments. With this context in mind, I take seriously that I play a significant role in my advisees’ lives. The quality of the relationship we establish will impact how my advisees experience graduate school, envision and prepare for their future careers, and learn to navigate the professional world."
2023 Award for Excellence in Career Advising
Michael Kender
Pamplin College of Business
"I believe it is critical that students know the menu of career opportunities that are available to them. You can’t find your ideal career if you aren’t aware of it. I want students to know what is available to them as soon as possible so that they have plenty of time to pursue internships and their dream job while at Virginia Tech."