Meagan Meyers of Greencastle, Pa., the 2009 Outstanding Senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, constantly amazes those around her with her dedication to a wide variety of academic and philanthropic endeavors.

“I am astounded at the number of people that have benefited from Ms. Meyers’ intelligence, compassion, and work ethic in her relatively short tenure at Virginia Tech,” says E. M. Gregory, associate professor of biochemistry.

Meagan, a biochemistry major with minors in Spanish and chemistry, juggles a rigorous academic schedule with multiple leadership positions and extracurricular activities. She lectures for Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, teaches children’s Sunday school at a local church, and serves as the media director for the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship group.

Meagan has also held several leadership positions with the Dairy Club at Virginia Tech, including service and education chair and Little All-American Banquet chair, and is a staff member of the Milky Way – the club’s annual publication.

An intelligent and hardworking student, Meagan has been recognized many times for her achievements. She has received numerous scholarships, including the Thomas W. Poole Memorial Scholarship, the Robert J. Noell Scholarship, and the Jean Duerr Memorial Scholarship. Additionally, she is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa national honorary society and the National Residence Hall Honorary, which recognizes the top 1 percent of campus residence hall leaders.

In 2007, Meagan was named an Honors Scholar, which gave her an opportunity to study rural medicine in Honduras and the Dominican Republic. She worked with doctors at several clinics, taught English to children, helped in a soup kitchen, and taught Bible school. Meyers most recently served as a mission intern in Huancayo, Peru, where she worked at a project for young children interested in supplementing their education. She also helped in the construction of an assisted-living home for the elderly and served as a translator.

“Meagan Meyers has been an inspiration to me,” says Maggie Bobbitt Bump, a visiting instructor in university’s Department of Chemistry, who taught Meyers and worked with her to prepare a portfolio for a scholarship application. “In addition to pursuing academic excellence, she is involved in the campus community, and she is looking for avenues to experience medicine to the fullest.”

The Outstanding Senior Awards are presented at the Student Honors Day Banquet each spring. These awards are co-sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association and the senior class.

The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding student performance in each college of the university. Students are selected on the basis of their grade point average (3.4 or higher on a 4.0 scale) and outstanding performance in several or all of the following areas: academic achievement, extracurricular activities, leadership positions, and contributions of service to the university and/or community.

Nationally ranked among the top research institutions of its kind, Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences focuses on the science and business of living systems through learning, discovery, and engagement. The college’s comprehensive curriculum gives more than 2,400 students in a dozen academic departments a balanced education that ranges from food and fiber production to economics to human health. Students learn from the world’s leading agricultural scientists, who bring the latest science and technology into the classroom.



Written by Katie Skipp. Skipp, of Leesburg, Va., is a senior majoring in English in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

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