UVA Darden Presents Second Year Awards to Standout Students

By Dave Hendrick


A selection of standout University of Virginia Darden School of Business Second Year students were recognized for their contributions in and outside of the classroom on 31 August, as faculty leaders distributed a series of awards to outstanding students at a special First Coffee on Flagler Court.

Senior Associate Dean of Degree Programs Ron Wilcox, who lauded the awarded students for making “extraordinary contributions, both in the classroom and the larger Darden community,” congratulated each award recipient.

Award Winners

  • Samuel Forrest Hyde Memorial Fellowship: The Hyde Fellowship, determined by faculty vote and recognized as the highest honor presented to a Second Year student, was awarded to William “Buzz” Becker. The award honors a student who has contributed the most to Darden in their First Year and shows the greatest promise of achieving a “useful” career.Becker was cited as the “embodiment of an ideal Darden student,” someone who inspires the community, acts in a genuine and selfless manner, and is “using their time on earth to make it better.”One anonymous praiser of Becker’s character went so far as to deem him the likely future president of the United States.
  • G. Robert Straus Marketing Award: Professor Thomas Steenburgh presented the marketing award to Manish Singh Rathaur. The award recognizes a student who shows innovative thinking, the ability to develop unique solutions to real-world problems, flair and charisma in presenting ideas and compassion for fellow students, among other traits.
  • C. Stewart Sheppard Distinguished Service Award: Sarah Elliott, assistant dean of student affairs, presented the service award to Ester Barbuto, Robert Duggan and Sasha Keleman. The award recognizes Darden students for exceptional service to the School of a non-academic nature.
  • William Michael Shermet Award: Professor Mark Lipson, associate dean for the MBA program, presented the William Michael Shermet Award to 15 students. The award honors students who demonstrate academic excellence and provide an example of responsible competitive spirit for their classmates. The Shermet Award winners included:
  • Dustin Albright
  • Mitchell Beck
  • Matthew Breen
  • Robert Duggan
  • Molly Duncan
  • Alexander Hoffarth
  • Stuart Jansen
  • Stanley “Jay” Kraska
  • Simonas Matulionis
  • David Pena
  • Manish Singh Rathaur
  • Michael Russell
  • Philip van der Made
  • Adrian Viesca Trevino
  • Huifei “Sophie” Xiong
About the University of Virginia Darden School of Business

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business prepares responsible global leaders through unparalleled transformational learning experiences. Darden’s graduate degree programs (MBA, MSBA and Ph.D.) and Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programs offered by the Darden School Foundation set the stage for a lifetime of career advancement and impact. Darden’s top-ranked faculty, renowned for teaching excellence, inspires and shapes modern business leadership worldwide through research, thought leadership and business publishing. Darden has Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., area and a global community that includes 18,000 alumni in 90 countries. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

 

Press Contact

Molly Mitchell
Associate Director of Content Marketing and Social Media
Darden School of Business
University of Virginia
MitchellM@darden.virginia.edu