Class of 2025: Lauren Sartori named 2025 Outstanding Honors College Senior
Name: Lauren Sartori
College: College of Architecture, Arts, and Design
Major/minor: Graphic design with minors in human-computer interaction and art history
Hometown: Arlington
Plans after graduation: User interface designer at Dante Consulting
Favorite Hokie memory: Being featured on ESPN during “Enter Sandman” when the Hokies played Notre Dame in Lane Stadium
The Honors College named Sartori the 2025 Outstanding Honors College Senior in recognition of her accomplishments over her undergraduate career and her commitment to exemplifying Honors College core values.
Sartori, a member of the Calhoun Honors Discovery program, will graduate with a degree in graphic design and minors in human-computer interaction and art history. After graduation, she will step into a role at the intersection of these disciplines. As a user interface designer at Dante Consulting, where she interned in 2024, Sartori will serve as a front-end specialist, designing intuitive, logical, and accessible ways for users to interact with complex digital systems.
"Lauren's deep intellectual curiosity is matched by her energy, enthusiasm and leadership, qualities that are paired with a modesty that, altogether, truly make her an exceptional student,” said Paul Knox, the college's founding dean.
Becoming a 'magical unicorn'
When Sartori was recruited into the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program in 2021, she reviewed the list of the students already admitted to the program and noticed one thing: most of these students were in STEM-related majors. She was confused: Why was she, as a graphic design major, being asked to join? So she asked point-blank.
What she was told was that they were hoping she would be the program’s “magical unicorn,” someone who could bridge the gap between design and engineering.
Sartori lived up to that promise. During her time with the program, she stepped into the role of team leader for the Hypnos project, facilitating collaboration within a team of engineers, creatives, and data analysts. The project, which suggests novel solutions for astronaut sleep quality, has been selected to be showcased among other Honors College projects at the Biennale Architettura 2025.
Sartori hopes that the Hypnos project will serve as a model of successful transdisciplinary collaboration and industry partnership for future Honors students.
Ambassador for everything
As a part of the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program, which also provides a full-tuition merit scholarship, Sartori found doors open to her that she otherwise would have had to kick down.
On an Honors College-funded research trip to New York, Sartori and the rest of her Hypnos team experienced this in a condensed form: An industry visit to the lighting designers at iGuzzini, back-stage Broadway tours, and other insider opportunities became available to her as a student of Virginia Tech.
“I’ve had all these experiences – and I always say, I get to do everything because I’m a Hokie,” said Sartori.
That line might be familiar to anyone who has been on a campus tour guided by a Hokie Ambassador, of which Sartori is one. Because of the support provided by the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program, she can volunteer her time as well as take on an array of additional extracurricular leadership roles.
These include serving as co-president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts at Virginia Tech, director of graphic design for Pamplin Re-Inventing Social Media (PRISM), School of Visual Arts ambassador, director of programming and director of campus activities for Chi Omega, and several others.
“Lauren has truly maximized how much a student can achieve in four years. From starting as a graphic design major and participating in the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program to adding a computer science minor, she has excelled in various leadership roles while always remaining willing to help others along the way, which is such an amazing accomplishment,” said Michelle Kovac, director of programs and partnerships for the Honors College.
A Hokie to watch
Sartori’s exceptionality has not gone unnoticed. In 2023, she was granted the VT Aspire! Award for her Commitment to Unwavering Curiosity.
Sartori pursued multiple internships during her undergraduate career, including at Navy Federal Credit Union and Boeing. At Boeing, Sartori developed an augmented reality experience for future assembly line processes. Her final product is now used as Boeing’s internal standard for further augmented reality development and was used to justify expanding the program.
Sartori’s internship with Dante Consulting, where she will work after graduation, bloomed from a contact made during the SOVA Design European Immersion program. These opportunities were also made possible by Calhoun Honors Discovery Program support.
She was also one of two Virginia Tech students selected as Graphic Design USA’s Graphic Design Students to Watch in 2025. Sartori’s passion for the discipline and the artistic processes behind it is evident.
“I have always been an artist at heart. My passion for art has expanded to trying to understand how art makes people feel, which has led to my interest in user interfaces and user experience. My designs and art can help people, and I think that is pretty awesome,” said Sartori.