Virginia Tech has named Kathleen Cooperstein, of Big Stone Gap, Va., as the Outstanding Graduating Senior in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences for the 2008-09 academic year.

Cooperstein is expected to receive her bachelor’s degree in English from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences in May of this year. She has a pre-law concentration within the English department, as well as a minor in philosophy. During her time at Virginia Tech, Cooperstein has participated in a variety of extracurricular activities and held a wide range of leadership positions.

Cooperstein has excelled academically with recognition as a University Honors and Dean’s List student. Among her honors and awards are the Jenkins M. Robertson Scholarship, the Pamplin Scholarship, the Hilbert H. Campbell Scholarship, and the Alumni Presidential Honors Scholarship. Additionally, she is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, Phi Beta Kappa national honor society, and the Hillcrest Honors Community.

Cooperstein serves as a LSAT instructor for Kaplan Test Prep; the editor-in-chief of Hillpress, Hillcrest Hall’s monthly publication; and a Hillcrest Hall duty aide, providing assistance to members of the residence hall. In 2005, she helped organize the Hokie Helper Katrina Relief Program, recruiting staff from the Virginia Tech Honors program to assist refuges and coordinating allocation of food and clothing.

During the summer of 2008, Cooperstein studied in Europe as part of her Honors research, which involves a comparison of ancient Europe and modern-day Appalachian spiritual cultures. In 2007, she conducted an independent study focusing on 19th Century Women Novelists, in which she developed and presented teaching materials on authors covered by the course.

“Being a Virginia Tech student has enriched my life more than I could say,” said Cooperstein. “Over the past four years, I have worked hard to try and pay back what has been given to me by the Virginia Tech community.”

Cooperstein was recently accepted to Yale Law School, where she will continue her education.

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.

The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech embraces the arts, humanities, social and human sciences, and education. The college nurtures intellect and spirit, enlightens decision-making, inspires positive change, and improves the quality of life for people of all ages. It is home to the departments of apparel, housing and resource management, communication, educational leadership and policy studies, English, foreign languages and literatures, history; human development, interdisciplinary studies, music, philosophy, political science, ROTC, science and technology in society, sociology, teaching and learning, and theatre arts. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.



Written by Megan Grubb. Grubb, of Wytheville, Va., is a senior majoring in communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

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