Graduates Receive Awards at the 2011 Valedictory Exercises

May 21, 2011 — Student awards given at the University of Virginia's 2011 Valedictory Exercises today on the Lawn include:

 

Seven Society Awards

• Louis A. Onesty Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award: D. Scotland "Scot" Robison, a College of Arts & Sciences student majoring in environmental sciences, is a captain and four-year member of the men's swimming & diving team who earned 17 ACC titles and earned All-America honors in 20 NCAA Division I events.

• James Earle Sargeant Award: Camp Kesem at the University of Virginia, a free summer camp for children with a parent who has – or has had – cancer. Students run the camp for about 60 campers each year, and counselors raise about $25,000 annually to cover costs. The award was accepted by Mark Manning, one of the co-chairman for Camp Kesem, who is a College of Arts & Sciences student majoring in psychology.

Class of 2011 Awards

• Community Service: Monica V. Nable, who has been a volunteer leader with the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad, the U.Va. Fall Activities Fair, the Charlottesville Health and Wellness Fair, Madison House, the Virginia Department of Health, the American Red Cross and an Alternative Spring Break program. She plans to pursue a master's degree in public health. She is a College of Arts & Sciences student majoring in psychology.

• Cultural Fluency: Betsy L. Graves, who has spent the past two summers interning in Kenya with the Caucus for Women's Leadership. She has also worked as a volunteer with the non-profit organization Sequoia Helping Hands, which serves children in Kenya. She plans to move to Kenya after graduation to serve as a director of a start-up organization that promotes education and community development. She is a College of Arts & Sciences student majoring in foreign affairs and English literature.

• Courage and Character: Reginald Gregory Benbow Jr., who was a judge for the University Judiciary Committee, a Peer Advisor for the Office of African-American Affairs, an LGBT Resource Center Operating Board member, and president and committee chairman for Brothers United Celebrating Knowledge and Success, or BUCKS. He also worked with Upward Bound during his summer months. After graduation, he plans to join Teach for America in his native Baltimore. He is a College of Arts & Sciences student majoring in African-American studies and political and social thought.