Congratulations to Pamplin’s award-winning students

Outstanding Pamplin Senior Award

Joseph Eugene Mills | Accounting Information Systems and Finance Dual Degree

The Outstanding Pamplin Senior Award goes to one student each year who exhibits leadership skills, is dedicated to extra-curricular activities and community service, achieves extraordinary grades, and is a well-rounded, accomplished individual.

This year’s recipient, Joseph Mills received the award for his contributions to the Appalachian Studies Association, where he volunteered as a business writer. He participated in an alternative spring break, where he worked on various community service projects, and he also served as a camp counselor at a camp for foster children.

Beyond his volunteer work, he also interned during his summer breaks, with companies such as Cherry Bekaert and First Community Bank, where he gained experience in Audit, Tax, and Risk, Marketing, and Accounting. At Virginia Tech, he gained leadership skills as a Resident Advisor, as well as a Chairperson on the Student Conduct Committee.

Mills gained leadership experience by serving on the Virginia Tech Services, Inc. Board of Directors, Hokie Handbook Committee, and Student Athlete Academic Support Services. He pursued advanced studies in Faculty-Student Agreement in his Business Law class, and completed a Sustainable Engineering Design project to create a renewable energy device that could be deployed in Nepal.

Despite dedicating so much time to other activities, Mills still earned a 3.95 GPA and a dual degree. He was also awarded several scholarships, including the John W. Fox Jr. Memorial Scholarship, the Wells Fargo Leadership Development Scholarship, the VSCPA Educational Fund Scholarship, the Kwan Soon Lee ACIS Scholarship, and the Sam and Janie Bowling Scholarship.

College Service Award

Johanna A. Yee | Accounting and Information Systems and Marketing Dual Degree

The College Service Award goes to a student each year who has a minimum GPA of 3.4 and devotes his or her time to community service.

This year’s recipient, Johanna Yee, served as the president of Business Horizons, a student-run organization which hosts the fall and spring career fairs for Pamplin College of Business. The Business Horizons career fairs feature approimately 160 employers in the fall and 120 employers in the spring. She has also developed her leadership skills by attending the Future Diversity Leadership Conference with KPMG, and participating in the Annual Pamplin Student Leadership Conference.

Yee was Controller for Beta Alpha Psi, as well as Vice President of Administration for the Accounting Society.  In addition to leading student organizations, she volunteered as a Student Note-Taker, and also tutored students after school. She used her own experience with tutoring to lead the Tutoring Service Project in the student volunteer group Circle K International. She has also helped mentor students as a Resident Advisor for Newman Hall, and attended campus-wide volunteer events such as Relay for Life and Big Event.

Yee exceeded the minimum requirements as a student by attending the “Doing Business in Europe” study abroad program, and also landed multiple internships with firms like KPMG and PWC. She received several scholarships during her academic career, including the Thomas R. Byrd scholarship, the KPMG Future Diversity Leaders scholarship, and the Dr.  Fredrick E. Horn Memorial Scholarship. Even while spending so much time aiding student organizations, studying abroad, and interning, she was still able to maintain a 3.6 GPA.

H. H. Mitchell Outstanding Leadership Award

Paul (Grey) Weissend | Finance and Real Estate Dual Degree

The recipient of the H. H. Mitchell Outstanding Leadership Award each year exhibits leadership and service within the university and the broader community, and is invited to speak at the Graduates with Distinction Reception.

This year’s recipient, Grey Weissend, has extensive leadership experience, including serving as the Senior Gift Campaign Co-Head for the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the Catalyst Student for the Apex Systems Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, as First Sergeant of Delta Company, and the Protocol Officer of Civilian-Leader Track Battalion with the VT Corps of Cadets: Rice Center for Leadership Development, the VP of Corporate Relations for the Pamplin Leadership Development Team, and the Jimmy V. Foundation Football Run Philanthropy Chair with Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. Lastly, he was the Chief Investment Officer and the Energy Sector Analyst for the prestigious Student-Managed Endowment for Educational Development (SEED). He also obtained a minor in Leadership.

In addition to extensive leadership experience within Virginia Tech, Weissend has also gained invaluable work experience through internships with J.P. Morgan, and GE Capital, as well as serving as the CEO and Founding Partner of RVA Electronics, LLC, and Enterprising, LLC. His impressive scholastic achievements include participating in multiple international scholarship programs. Two notable achievements were that he was selected as a Presidential Global Scholar in University Honors, and also selected as a Schwarzman Scholar, an international award for graduate study in China that was inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship.

Not surprisingly, Weissend was the recipient for several other scholarships and awards, such as the Virginia Tech Emerging Leader Scholarship, and the Henry Decker Student Leadership Award. He also qualified for Team USA in the World Off-Road Triathlon Championships, and was the Captain of the winning team in the Deloitte Diversity Case Competition.