Nneoma Nwankwo graduating in May [2016] with a degree in political science in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, is Virginia Tech Undergraduate Student of the Year.
Nneoma Nwankwo is minoring in public and urban affairs and creative writing. She has maintained a 3.9 grade-point average while engaging in domestic and international service and research on issues facing girls and women in developing nations.
According to Nneoma Nwankwo:
“At Virginia Tech, I have been challenged to live in service to others.
“I have learned how to lead boldly as I pursue my global development interests. Ultimately, I have discovered that Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) is an active verb, and when I serve those around me, I create a meaningful life for myself.”
The Virginia Tech Undergraduate Student of the Year award recognizes a graduating student who has achieved overall excellence during his or her undergraduate career at the university. The recognition is the most prestigious non-academic undergraduate award given at Virginia Tech and is awarded to a student who has exceptional and balanced achievement in academics, leadership, and service. The recipient exemplifies the qualities and values important to a Virginia Tech education, captured in the university motto, Ut Prosim.
In fall 2013, Nwankwo undertook an independent study supervised by Ralph Hall, assistant professor of Urban Affairs and Planning, School of Public and International Affairs in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. She studied the negative effects of poor menstrual hygiene management (MHM) on the education and socio-economic empowerment of girls in underserved areas of sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2014, Nwankwo was awarded the Austin Michelle Cloyd Fellowship for Social Justice for her proposal to pursue service-oriented MHM research in West Africa.
Nwankwo has held many leadership positions across campus. She served as the fundraising chair for the African Students Association and raised money for a local charity in Ethiopia. Fluent in English and Igbo and conversationally proficient in French, Yoruba, and Swahili, Nwankwo is a coach at the Virginia Tech Writing Center and was international columnist for the Collegiate Times student-run newspaper. She earned an honorable mention in the 2015 Steger Poetry Prize competition. She was recipient of the Overton R. Johnson Scholarship and the Accenture Scholarship.
In the words of Nneoma Nwankwo:
“I’ve had a ton of impactful experiences at Virginia Tech, but I think the relationships I have had with professors, particularly in the English, urban planning and political science departments, have been incredibly meaningful to me.”
Nwankwo has accepted a full-time position at Citibank in New York City. She will continue to conduct research on MHM.
