Top December Graduates Recognized
January 09, 2019
By Joe Garvey
Here are the six students who received bachelor's degrees in December with the highest grade-point averages in their respective colleges, along with the faculty members who they said most inspired them:
College of Arts and Letters: Linda St-Laurent
Grade-point average: 3.97
Degrees: Bachelor of arts in English and international studies
Inspirational faculty member: Bridget Anderson, whose passion for linguistics helped persuade St-Laurent to continue on the path to ODU's Applied Linguistics Graduate Program.
Strome College of Business: William Parks
Grade-point average: 3.96
Degrees: Bachelor of science in accounting and finance
Inspirational faculty member: Randall Spurrier. "He always had a big influence on students in class and outside of class," Parks said. "He is a sponsor of Beta Alpha Psi and goes out of his way to help students network with employers and find jobs."
Darden College of Education and Professional Studies: Pamela Juarez
Grade-point average: 3.95
Degree: Bachelor of science in park, recreation and tourism studies
Inspirational faculty member: Eddie Hill. "Dr. Hill is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about what he teaches," she said. "He is a great mentor and cares about every student's success."
Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology: Leyi Wang
Grade-point average: 3.96
Degree: Bachelor of science in civil engineering
Inspirational faculty member: Xixi Wang. "I learned so much in his class," she said. "Because he is my academic adviser, he gave me lots of suggestions about how to live and study in America."
College of Health Sciences: Ricardo Francia
Grade-point average: 3.82
Degree: Bachelor of science in medical technology
Inspirational faculty member: Barbara Kraj. "Dr. Kraj is a very knowledgeable and driven person," he said. "As a program director, she is confident and a fantastic leader."
College of Sciences: Katherine Letchworth
Grade-point average: 3.99
Degree: Bachelor of science in computer science
Inspirational faculty member: Thomas Kennedy. "Mr. Kennedy has helped me through the most difficult classes, and he has taught me the fundamentals of computer science that I will use in my future career," she said.
Letchworth was also named the Outstanding University Scholar by the Alumni Association.
