The George Washington University celebrated its highest achieving and most distinguished student scholars Thursday during the annual Academic Honors Ceremony, this year held in the Continental Ballroom at the University Student Center.
The Academic Honors Ceremony recognizes the academic performance of those undergraduates who have earned at least 60 credits at GW, primarily juniors and seniors, and are at the top 2% of their schools by GPA. Additionally, each school selects a Distinguished Scholar (the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences selects three, one for each discipline: Arts and Humanities, Social Science and Natural Science) who has excelled both in and out of the classroom. The selection process for Distinguished Scholars differs by school.
A total of 210 students representing 56 majors earned academic recognition on Thursday.
“An academic institution certainly makes an important contribution to the lives of those who are involved, and to those who are achieving so much academically, you are inspiring your faculty,” GW President Mark S. Wrighton told the recipients. “Faculty truly want to work with the most outstanding and conscientious students. Thank you for providing that inspiration and stimulation.”
Provost Christopher Alan Bracey congratulated the students for accepting the challenge of the university’s twofold mission: offering a rigorous, high-quality educational environment to train future leaders and push the frontier of knowledge with impactful research.
“These are priorities that demand that our students reach intellectually beyond their comfort zones,” Bracey said. “It is not easy, but I know it is how our students refine their passion and deepen their understanding of who they are as scholars and as people.”
Bracey also introduced the nine Distinguished Scholars for 2023:
Parker Blackwell, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences: A double major in archaeology and Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Blackwell received a Luther Rice Undergraduate Research Fellowship in her sophomore year, along with a Craft Travel Award from a local chapter of the Archeological Institute of America (AIA) to present research at the national AIA conference in New Orleans.
She has multiple publications in the Biblical Archaeology Society and was awarded a Gates Cambridge Fellowship to pursue a Master of Philosophy.
Justin Grady, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences: Grady is a psychology major and business minor and a Luther Rice fellow. He has served as a researcher with professor Stephen Mitroff’s Visual Cognition Lab and has also published as a first author, alongside Mitroff and the research team. He has presented at two conferences, including at the annual meeting of the Vision Science Society.
When he isn’t in the lab or in the classroom, he is the starting goalkeeper on the GW men’s soccer team. In the spring 2021 season, Grady earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team, A-10 All-Championship Team and United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team honors for his performance.
Gabe
Outside of the classroom, Grauvogel is a principal percussionist with the music department’s percussion ensemble and orchestra.
Leslie Anderson, School of Medicine and Health Sciences: Anderson works as a radiation therapist at an outpatient radiation oncology center and occasionally covers hours at a local hospital in diagnostic CT and MR imaging modalities, which is why she was unable to attend Thursday. Her successful academic performance in the clinical operations healthcare management program demonstrates her commitment to healthcare.
She plans to continue her education and apply to a physician assistant program after graduation.
Jonathan Lee, School of Engineering and Applied Science: Lee is a computer science major with a passion for interdisciplinary research, some of which has been published. He works on a team that is building an immersive travel companion app that enables users to collect and contribute to crowdsourced 3D models of landmarks via photos taken on phones. Lee also provides incredible service to other SEAS students in the form of serving as a learning assistant and an undergraduate teaching assistant.
Since his first year, Lee has been working on the GW Design/Build/Fly (DBF) project—a multidisciplinary project led by faculty in the Mechanical Engineering department and engaging students across several majors. He has extended his academic interests to courses in the fine arts. Some of these courses have influenced his senior design project, which seeks to build 3D models from a database of 2D images.
Meghan Sullivan, Elliott School of International Affairs: Sullivan graduated last fall with a Bachelor of Arts in international affairs, with concentrations in international development and comparative political, economic and social systems. While at GW, Sullivan was a Dean’s Scholar, held several notable internships and won numerous awards, including the Undergraduate Research Award. She has published two pieces in “The Diplomat,” a current affairs magazine for the Asia-Pacific region.
She contributed extensive service to the university community and beyond, notably with LEAP Student Advisory Board at the Elliott School, development officer for Delta Phi Epsilon Professional Foreign Service Sorority; No Lost Generation; Elizabeth J. Somers Women’s Leadership Program, International Politics (2019-2020); and the GW Program on International Education (Model UN Advisor September 2019-June 2020).
Sullivan is currently working as a program assistant for the Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands programs at the United States Institute of Peace.
Ala Al Farsi, GW School of Business: A business administration major with concentrations in finance and real estate, Al Farsi has served as a member of various finance, investment and entrepreneurship-related clubs that have enabled him to engage with industry professionals. He has also completed several internships, including one with a reputable multinational company.
Driven by his passion for real estate development, Al Farsi plans to pursue a career in the industry. His ultimate goal is to become a successful real estate developer, with a focus on creating sustainable and innovative projects that will have a positive impact on communities.
Julia
She has volunteered and interned with organizations dedicated to improving population health in the greater D.C. area, including with the American Red Cross. Sauriol will continue her coursework at GW as a dual degree student in the Master of Public Health program in community oriented primary care.
Mei Li
She has been involved with the Asian American Student Association, GW Engineers Without Borders, GW Student Chapter E-Board and GW International Student Association.
