Virginia Tech Honors Man And Woman Of The Year
Virginia Tech has selected the recipients for the Man and Woman of the Year award. This award honors two outstanding seniors for their work and involvement within the Virginia Tech community. This year's recipients are Brian Montgomery and Melissa Stuart.
Montgomery, an industrial and systems engineering major from Winchester, has been chosen to receive this award based on his academic excellence, outstanding leadership abilities, and the lasting, positive impressions he has made on many people at Virginia Tech.
During his time at Virginia Tech, Montgomery has served as the student government president for the 2001-2002 academic year, and currently serves as the undergraduate representative to Virginia Tech's Board of Visitors. He is also the founder of Virginia Tech's American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.
Academically, Montgomery has received the Marvin H. Agee Scholarship, John B. Grado Scholarship, and the Jack Sweers Scholarship. He has also received the College of Engineering Torgersen Leadership Scholarship, Omicron Delta Kappa Derring Sophomore Scholarship, and the Virginia Tech Pamplin Leadership Scholarship.
"It is very humbling to receive such a distinction from Virginia Tech," Montgomery said, "I've already received so much from the community here and had such a wonderful experience being a Tech student."
After graduation, Montgomery will work in a leadership program for General Electric and hopes to eventually continue his education with an advanced degree in business.
Stuart, an honors psychology major and native of Indianapolis, Ind., was chosen as Woman of the Year based not only on her outstanding academic achievements, but also her amazing drive to reach out to others through service.
Currently, Stuart volunteers at the RAFT/ACCESS crisis hotline as a phone counselor and serves as an assistant leader with the Agape Therapeutic Riding Center. She is also a project leader for the Center for Applied Behavior Systems where she conducts community-based research that combines the technology of applied behavior analysis with theories from experimental, social, and applied psychology.
"I've always been interested in helping others," Stuart said about her many service projects, "and going into psychology you have to have that drive to want to help someone else."
Stuart has also received numerous academic achievements including the National Institute of Health Fellowship, Virginia Academy of Sciences Undergraduate Grant, Dean's Roundtable Scholarship finalist, and Dean's Scholar for the College of Arts and Sciences.
"Receiving this award has made me realize that Tech focuses more on the well-rounded individual, rather than a person who excels at one thing, and I think that's pretty cool," Stuart said.
Photos available upon request by contacting Belinda Bennett at bbennett@vt.edu
Written by Emily Cummings, Intern in the Office of University Relations
