Math Department Announces 2021 Graduating Senior Awards
April 22, 2021
The Department of Mathematics Undergraduate Program Committee has announced the departmental awards for graduating seniors in the class of 2021. It was a difficult decision with many excellent candidates, but the following students are to be recognized for their outstanding undergraduate careers.
Sung Kim came to Virginia Tech from McLean, Virginia. He not only excelled in the classroom but also as an undergraduate researcher. Last year, Sung was one of the winners of the Layman prize, a departmental award for outstanding research by an undergraduate.
Sung will continue his studies next fall at the University of Southern California in their PhD. program in Mathematics.
I would like to thank the faculty members at the Virginia Tech Mathematics Department for helping me achieve this award. Their guidance, passion, and care have led me to where I am today. This award is an accumulation of all the amazing support I have received from my family, friends, and the faculty members at Virginia Tech.
In addition, the outstanding students chosen from the four degree options are:
Anu came to Virginia Tech from Burke, Virginia. In addition to her excellence in the classroom, Anu was Vice President of the Virginia Chapter of Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM).
Next fall, Anu will begin work on a PhD in Biomedical Engineering through a joint program at Georgia Tech and Emory University
"I am extremely honored that the department has selected me for this award! I want to thank the amazing mentors that I’ve had in my time with the Mathematics Department who have always supported me through undergraduate research, classes, and the journey to graduate school."
Robyn Mann was born and raised in Blacksburg, Virginia!
After graduation, Robyn will be staying in Blacksburg to attend Graduate School at Virginia Tech where she will obtain her masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Her goal is to teach mathematics at the secondary level.
I feel very fortunate and blessed to receive this award. The past three years have not been easy for a variety of reasons, but the professors in the math department have been phenomenal throughout. I would not be graduating if it wasn't for my professors who took the time to chat with me, patiently explain math concepts to me, or encourage me in my goals of becoming a math teacher. I am truly grateful for all the support I have received, and I will remember their impact on me as I work towards teaching the next generation.
Ragavi came to Virginia Tech from Fairfax, Virginia. After graduation she will be working as a software engineer at Braintree, a payments service provider which allows businesses to accept payments online.
She will be moving to San Francisco, California, and plans to continue mentoring students and inspiring women to get involved in computing during my free time. She enjoys hiking, baking, and doing yoga, and plans on balancing her time between her career and hobbies.
Ragavi would like to learn as much as possible by working at companies whose missions she is passionate about and use the skills she learned to create a startup focused on training students using virtual reality. She would like to use virtual reality to help students practice performing surgeries and visualizing medical procedures, so they can get more exposure to medical procedures.
I would like to thank the Virginia Tech Math Department, mentors, and friends for supporting me throughout my time here. I would not be where I am today without the help of amazing teachers,mentors, and friends I met through the Math Department. I know I have gone to every single one of my math teachers' office hours for help on math, and each one of them has graciously helped me outside of class.
I am incredibly thankful to Dr. Zietsman as she inspired me to pursue math, spent countless hours with me at office hours, and has supported me throughout my undergraduate journey here at Virginia Tech. Thank you Dr. Orr, Dr. Arnold, Dr. Gugercin, Dr. Chung, and Dr. Loehr for challenging me every week, answering my endless number of questions, teaching me to be a better learner, and showing me I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my undergraduate journey and I wish you all the best.
Mason came to Virginia Tech froom from Mechanicsville, VA (a small town slightly northeast of Richmond). He is still in the planning stages of what to do after graduation. But he is hoping to find a job and then apply to gradchool sometime next year.
Thanks to all of the math department for what they've done for me! The VT math department is full of instructors and mentors that continuously pour out their best for their students, and I'm glad to have learned from them. As courses got more challenging, faculty members grew more approachable and more generous. I met some of my favorite people in my life in the math department, and I hope to be able to come back one day to show them what their wisdom did for my future. If we were in person I'd scream in joy right now, but since I can't do that, I'll just write "AAAAAAA!" and you'll have to imagine it. Thanks again, everyone, and best wishes for the future!
The Mathematics Department congratulates each of the award winners for their outstanding contributions! We can't wait to see what you accomplish next!
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