Senior Awards
Purpose
Each year, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech proudly graduates more than 800 seniors across 21 majors. We are continually inspired by the accomplishments our students achieve, the challenges they overcome, the impact they make on our communities, and the remarkable growth they experience during their time with us.
The CALS Senior Awards Ceremony recognizes graduating seniors who have made significant contributions to their disciplines, college, and broader communities. These awards honor students whose journeys demonstrate curiosity, initiative, integrity, and meaningful impact.
Through five distinct college-level awards, we celebrate the diverse ways CALS students lead, innovate, and help shape a better future for agriculture, life sciences, and the communities they serve. The awards highlight a wide range of achievements, including leadership, scholarly engagement, service, research, innovation, and community contribution, reflecting the many pathways through which CALS students make a difference.
Grounded in the mission and values of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the CALS Senior Awards elevate students who exemplify responsible leadership, intellectual curiosity, and a commitment to advancing their fields and contributing positively to society.
Who is Eligible?
Students are eligible if they are:
- Graduating in the current academic year (fall, winter, spring, or summer), and
- Their primary major is within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (includes an Associate Degree from the Agriculture Technology Program)
Eligibility guidelines for each award can be found on its respective page.
Awards Categories
Honoring Service, Integrity, and Community Commitment
The Ut Prosim Award honors a CALS student who exemplifies the university motto, That I May Serve. This award celebrates students who demonstrate exceptional commitment to service, values-driven leadership, and contributions that strengthen the CALS, local, or global community.
Students in any CALS major or program, including the Agricultural Technology Program, are eligible and encouraged to be nominated.
Who the Award Is Designed For: Students who have engaged in service-oriented activities, formal or informal, academic or applied, that make a meaningful difference. This award is appropriate for students whose impact may not always be publicly visible but is deeply felt by peers, community partners, or the college.
Who Can Nominate: Students, faculty, advisors, staff, mentors, or community partners who are directly familiar.
Honors Innovation, Bold Leadership, and Pioneering Contributions
The CALS Trailblazer Award recognizes a student who demonstrates imaginative thinking, forward-looking leadership, and a willingness to challenge norms to create positive change within CALS or the broader field of agriculture and life sciences.
Students in any CALS major or program, including the Agricultural Technology Program, are eligible and encouraged to be nominated.
Who the Award Is Designed For: Students who pursue innovative ideas, initiate new programs or solutions, or break new ground as leaders, researchers, creators, or advocates.
Who Can Nominate: Students, faculty, advisors, staff, mentors, organizational leaders, or community partners familiar with the student’s innovative or trailblazing contributions. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged.
Honoring resilience, transition excellence, and students who uplift others while overcoming challenges.
The CALS Champion Award recognizes students who demonstrate exceptional resilience and persistence in the face of adversity, significant transitions, or personal challenges, while still actively supporting and encouraging their peers. This award honors individuals who rise strong and help others rise with them.
Students in any CALS major or program, including the Agricultural Technology Program, are eligible and encouraged to be nominated.
Who the Award Is Designed For: Students who...
- Overcame notable personal, academic, health, financial, or life challenges
- Demonstrated strength, perseverance, and determination
- •Navigated major transitions (including transfer students or students returning after time away)
- Continued to uplift classmates and contribute positively to their community despite personal obstacles
Who Can Nominate: Students, faculty, advisors, staff, mentors, organizational leaders, or community partners. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged.
Honors students who spark collective impact through leadership, collaboration, and mentorship.
The CALS Catalyst Award honors students who ignite positive change by energizing others, strengthening organizations or teams, and advancing shared goals. This award recognizes collaborative leaders who mentor peers, build partnerships, and elevate the work of groups, clubs, or programs across CALS.
Students in any CALS major or program, including the Agricultural Technology Program, are eligible and encouraged to be nominated.
Who the Award Is Designed For: Students who
- Demonstrate strong leadership in student clubs, teams, or programs
- Foster collaboration and shared success
- Mentor peers or guide others’ development
- Lead initiatives that improve processes, programs, organizations, or community effort
Who Can Nominate: Students, faculty, advisors, staff, mentors, organizational leaders, or community partners. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged.
Honors intellectual curiosity, early inquiry, and promise for future scholarly or professional impact.
The CALS Emerging Scholar Award recognizes a student who demonstrates exceptional intellectual curiosity, a strong desire to learn, and meaningful early engagement in scholarly, applied, or inquiry-based work. This award celebrates students who are beginning to explore their academic or professional field in deeper ways and show clear potential for future contribution.
Students in any CALS major or program, including the Agricultural Technology Program, are eligible and encouraged to be nominated.
Who the Award Is Designed For? Students who...
- Appreciate learning for its own sake and pursue knowledge beyond required coursework
- Engage in early-stage research, inquiry, applied projects, technical investigations, academic enrichment
- Take initiative to ask thoughtful questions, explore ideas, or try new forms of or applied work
- Show a promising trajectory toward future academic, technical, or professional impact even if still early in experience
Who Can Nominate: Faculty members, research mentors, advisors, graduate assistants, or experiential learning supervisors
Each year, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences honors exceptional graduating seniors from across our departments through the Outstanding Seniorrecognition program. These awards celebrate students who have demonstrated exemplary academic performance, leadership, service, engagement in their discipline, or meaningful contributions to the CALS community.
Each department selects two Outstanding Seniors based on criteria and processes determined within their academic unit. Because departments have unique cultures, priorities, and student experiences, selection methods may vary. Students who wish to learn more about how their department identifies Outstanding Seniors, including eligibility, nomination procedures, or review timelines, are encouraged to contact their departmental advisor or undergraduate program office for guidance.
At the CALS Senior Awards Ceremony, we proudly recognize the achievements of these Outstanding Seniors and celebrate the impact they have made on our college and the communities we serve.
Spring of 2025: Past Awardees
We are so proud of all our CALS Hokies for their hard work and devotion in and out of the classroom, and even in our community. This is a snippet of the amazing students we have in this college and those outside of these awards.
How to Submit a Nomination
Nomination Overview: Faculty, staff, advisors, community partners, and mentors across CALS play an essential role in identifying students whose achievements merit recognition. Nominations help us honor graduating seniors who exemplify academic excellence, leadership, service, research involvement, or unique contributions to the CALS community.
Students may also be nominated for multiple awards if appropriate.
Step 1: Review Award Categories
Explore the award descriptions to determine which category best aligns with the student’s strengths and accomplishments.
Step 2: Prepare the Nomination Narrative
A strong nomination includes:
- Clear examples of the student’s achievements
- Descriptions of impact and significance
- Evidence that aligns with the award’s selection criteria
Narratives should focus on specifics rather than general praise.
Step 3: Submit the Nomination via Submittable
Use the online Submittable portal to complete the nomination form. You may submit multiple nominations.
Step 4: Confirmation
Once submitted, you will receive an email confirmation from Submittable.
Step 5: Review & Selection
The award committee will review all nominations using standardized rubrics and notify finalists and award recipients.
- Specific evidence of impact or achievement
- Clear alignment with the award’s rubric
- Concrete examples, not general or vague statements
- Insight into the student’s growth, initiative, or leadership
- Context, when helpful (e.g., scale of involvement, obstacles overcome)
Remember: A compelling narrative clearly connects the student’s story to the award's values.
All nominations require:
- A nomination narrative
- Basic student information (Student's Name, CALS Major, and VT email address)
No letters of recommendation, resumes, or transcripts are required.
Nomination Timeline
Because nomination cycles occur annually, the following timeline applies each year:
- Nominations Open: January 15
- Nominations Close: March 1
- Committee Review: Mid-March – Early April
- Notifications: By April 15
- Ceremony: Held every May during commencement week
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged for all award categories, with the exception of the Emerging Scholar Award. Because this award focuses on early scholarly engagement, research potential, and faculty-mentored development, nominations for the Emerging Scholar award must come from a faculty or staff member.
Yes. Students may be nominated for multiple awards when their accomplishments align with the criteria for each award. Separate nominations should be submitted for each category to ensure reviewers have complete and relevant information.
- There is no word or character limit in Submittable. However, a strong nomination narrative should:
- Provide specific, concrete evidence aligned with the award’s selection criteria
- Include examples of the student's impact, contributions, or scholarly engagement
- Reference the categories from the nomination guide, where detailed criteria for each award are outlined
- Narratives may differ in length, but clarity, relevance, and evidence-based detail are more important than length.
Faculty, staff, advisors, mentors, community partners, employers, and students (self-nominations) may submit nominations.
No additional documents are required. The nomination narrative should provide all necessary information.
- Most nominations require:
- Student Name and CALS major
- A nomination narrative
- Basic contact information (need to have the students' VT.edu email address)
- The nomination guide provides award-specific requirements
A committee of CALS faculty and staff reviews nominations using standardized rubrics tailored to each award. Reviewers assess the alignment between the nomination narrative and the rubric criteria and engage in a collaborative selection process.
Nominations are accepted each year between January 15 and March 1. All submissions must be received by 11:59 PM EST on March 1 to be considered. This annual nomination window provides consistency for nominators and ensures the review committee has sufficient time to evaluate nominations before award notifications and the spring graduation ceremony. The nomination portal will remain closed outside of these dates.
Rubrics and selection criteria for all awards can be found in the CALS Senior Awards Nomination Guide, available on this site.
This ceremony is not open to the public. Attendance is by invitation only and limited to award recipients and their invited guests. However, the event will be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person or who wish to watch and celebrate remotely. Livestream details will be posted on this webpage once they are confirmed.