UVA Darden Presents Second Year Awards to Standout Students

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

https://youtu.be/g8sKMx39Aao