Program in Real Estate Seniors and Exceptional Students Recogniozed at Industry Advisory Board Meeting
On April 14th Virginia Tech Program in Real Estate graduating seniors, exceptional students, scholarship recipients, faculty, and industry advisory board members were recognized at the annual awards ceremony at the Inn at Virginia Tech.
See below for award recipients and those who were recognized:
Real Estate Peer Mentors: Sarah Craig, Connor Greenwood, Neil Petersen, Caroline Rector and Charlotte Smith
These students serve as Peer Mentors in the Real Estate Peer Mentor Program. In this role, these students build trusting relationships with new students and provide guidance regarding campus, professionalism, academics and careers in the real estate industry to facilitate student successes. These students made an impact in helping our newest students feel welcome and better informed about opportunities within real estate.
Student Ambassadors: Spencer Desrochers, Jack Eastman, Owen Green, Emma Hancock, Sydney Helms, Troy Hoffman, Laney Hull, Renee Kasongo, Rachel McLevain, Lauren Moret, Victoria Ng, Ginny Richards, Charlotte Smith, Morgan Smith, Regiah Taylor, and Gavin Vaught
These students serve as Ambassadors for the Program in Real Estate. In this role, they meet with prospective students and their families, as well as represented our major at all of the Admissions events this year. Each student helped to encourage interested high school students, transfer students and prospective students on campus to consider the value of a real estate degree as they shared their experiences. Thank you for your leadership.
Real Estate Club President: Ginny Richards
Ginny Richards serves as the President of the Real Estate Club. The Real Estate Club brought guest speakers in such as Future Housing Leaders, VT Facilities, and Cecil Doyle and John Garland to speak about development and historical tax credits. Ginny is a member of Collegiate Women in Business. She has interned with Bonaventure Realty Group, DeFoor Realty, and Park Commercial Real Estate. Ginny also serves as a Real Estate Ambassador.
ARGUS University Challenge participants: Areana Goodrum, Owen Green and Kaylee Smith (not pictured: Dominick DeLeone)
The ARGUS University Challenge brings together teams of aspiring real estate professionals who are challenged to conduct an investment analysis for a mock real estate investment opportunity. We would like to congratulate these students for competing in this challenge.
Villanova Real Estate Challenge participants: Connor Greenwood, Emma Hancock, Sydney Helms and Thoqeer Sharieff
The Villanova Real Estate Challenge is a national real estate development case competition. We would like to congratulate these students for competing in this challenge.
Francis H. Chaney II Scholarship for Sustainable Land Use Study Recipients: Kyle Bassett, Lauryn Fraser, Justin Gravatt and Nicholas Kemp
The Francis H. Chaney II Scholarship for Sustainable Land Use Study is given to undergraduate students with a demonstrated interest in pursuing studies in the area of sustainable land use.
Virginia Tech Program in Real Estate Scholarship Recipients: Spencer Desrochers, Justin Gravatt, Alex Gubay, Nicholas Kemp and Neb Ogbamicael
These students were chosen by the faculty to receive this scholarship. Scholarships were awarded based on academic achievement and involvement in the Program in Real Estate.
Outstanding Senior Award Recipients: Caroline Rector and Dominick DeLeone
(not pictured: Dominick DeLeone)
The Outstanding Senior Award is given to a real estate major displaying exceptional and balanced achievement in academics, leadership, and service during their undergraduate career.
Caroline is a double major in Real Estate and Finance graduating from the University Honors College. Caroline serves as the Energy Sector Lead Analyst and Co-Chair of Recruitment for SEED – the Student-Managed Endowment for Educational Development which is a $5 million dollar student run portfolio for the Virginia Tech Foundation. Caroline serves as a Real Estate Peer Mentor, served on the Student Hokie Club Leadership Council, served on Alpha Phi Sorority Recruitment Team and spent a semester studying abroad in Lugano, Switzerland. She has had impressive internships from Credit Suisse, The Kranefuss Group, and 55 Capital Partners. Caroline has accepted a position as First Year Investment Banking Analyst in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Division at Credit Suisse in New York City.
Dominick DeLeone was unable to attend the awards ceeremony. He was a finalist for the Solar Decathlon Design Challenge and is a lead for real estate market potential and construction on this team.
Dominick is a double major in Real Estate and Building Construction. He served as the Team Leader of the Lucky Dog Shelter Development Project, participated on the ARGUS University Challenge team, and was the Project Manager for the Solar Decathlon Design Challenge. Dominick has interned with Vericon Construction Company and Gilbane Building Company. Dominick plans to remain at Virginia Tech to complete his Master of Science in Building Construction Science and Management during this next year.
Outstanding Student Leadership and Engagement Award Recipient: Sydney Helms
This award is given to a senior real estate major or minor that has shown exemplary service to the Program in Real Estate through leadership in the classroom and engagement throughout the Virginia Tech community during their undergraduate career.
Sydney is a Real Estate major with a Business minor and has stayed consistently involved with the Real Estate Program throughout her college experience. She recently attended the Dubai Study Abroad Program, participated in the Villanova Real Estate Challenge, served as a Real Estate Ambassador, participates in the Real Estate Club, and is the Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for the Financing Real Estate Projects class. She is currently a Real Estate Intern at the Virginia Tech Foundation and has interned with Colliers International and Management Services Corporation. Sydney has recently accepted a position as Client Services Coordinator with Collier’s Investment Sales team in Washington, DC.
Outstanding Community Leader Award: Jacob Gaddis
This award is given to a senior real estate major who has shown exemplary leadership in the Virginia Tech campus community during their undergraduate career.
Jacob Gaddis is a Real Estate and Finance double major. Jake has truly affected campus as an impactful leader that has fostered positive change within the Pamplin College of Business and across the Virginia Tech community. He has served on the Business Horizons Planning Committee all four years and served as the President of the Planning Committee. At the university level, Jacob has demonstrated exceptional leadership for the Interfraternity Council and Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity. He has been the Director of University Relations and President of the Interfraternity Council where he served as the face of Virginia Tech Greek Life and met with university leadership about safety, university expectations, programming and strategic planning. On top of his involvement, Jacob has landed impressive internships with Chick-fil-a as Strategy and Analytics Intern, Twiddy & Company Realtors and Shamrock Realty Group. Jacob has accepted the position of Strategic Business Development Group team member for the Keyence Corporation in Chicago.
Outstanding Community Service Award: Ryan Boyer, Dominick DeLeone and Lydia Kressel
This award is given to senior real estate majors who have shown exemplary commitment to service within the Program in Real Estate during their undergraduate career.
Ryan, Dominick and Lydia have helped Lucky Dog to develop a rescue facility. Lucky Dog is a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing homeless, neglected and abandoned dogs and finding them loving forever homes. Ryan, Dominick and Lydia have spent this last year designing a kennel in Florence, SC to accommodate 100 dogs and a small number of cats. These students took their academic skills and professional passion to design the development and create an operating budget for this site.
Industry Exemplary Service Award: Carman Liuzzo
This award goes to an industry advisory board member who has gone above and beyond in their commitment to serving the Program in Real Estate.
Carman Liuzzo is Senior Vice President of Investments of Highwoods Properties, Inc. Carman Liuzzo has served on our Industry Advisory Board since inception. Carman has been a regular and enthusiastic Hokie speaker in class and hosted an experiential learning tour for students in Raleigh, NC. He represents the Program in Real Estate on the Pamplin Advisory Council.
Founding Faculty Award Recipient: Randy Dymond
The Founding Faculty Award is presented to a faculty member who has given exemplary service and contributed to the founding of this program.
Dr. Randy Dymond is an Associate Professor in the Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Randy is one of the founding faculty for the Program in Real Estate and was instrumental in designing the Real Estate development courses.
Blackwood Award for Exemplary Faculty Service Recipient: Dustin Read
The Blackwood Award for Exemplary Faculty Service is presented to a faculty member who has truly gone above and beyond in providing their best service to the students in the Program in Real Estate.
Dr. Dustin Reads serves as an Associate Professor of Property Management at Virginia Tech and holds the William and Mary Alice Park Junior Faculty Fellowship in the Program in Real Estate. His teaching and research interests include asset management, property management, real estate development and land use policy. Dr. Read is a former NAIOP Distinguished Fellow, a recent inductee into Institute of Real Estate Management’s Academy of Authors and a six-time recipient of honors form the American Real Estate Society. Dustin has provided exemplary service to IREM developing their Asset Management knowledge.
Spring 2019 Graduating Seniors:
Erin Albert, B.S. in Real Estate and a minor in Business
John Ammerman, B.S. in Real Estate
John Aylor, B.S. in Finance with a double major in Real Estate
Brett Bignotti, B.S. in Finance with a double major in Real Estate
Ryan Boyer, B.S. in Real Estate and a minor in Business
Dylan Brooks, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Maverick Brooks, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Shaiyah Camper, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Residential Property Management
Joshua Canares, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Alexandra Capizzi, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Matthew Cote, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Residential Property Management
Travis Covington, B.S. in Real Estate and a minor in Business
Kody Cox, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Residential Property Management
Matthew Cox, B.S. in Real Estate and a minor in Business
Sarah Craig, B.S. in Real Estate with a double major in Property Management
Dominick DeLeone, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Bogdan Dragacevac, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
John Duffy, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Professional Sales
Benjamin Flannery, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
John Flowers, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Economics
Alec Fong, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Jacob Gaddis, B.S. in Finance with a double major in Real Estate
Tanner Gariepy, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Manuel Gomes Ruotolo, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Areana Goodrum, B.S. in Real Estate with a double major in Finance
John Greenwood, B.S. in Finance with a double major in Real Estate
Emma Hancock, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Residential Property Management
David Harrington, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Sydney Helms, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Business
Colton Helms, B.S in History with a double major in Real Estate and a minor in Residential Property Management
Jake Johnson, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Residential Property Management
Scott Kiser, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Connor Kish, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Lydia Kressel, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Business
Zengwei Lai, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Robert Lawson, B.S. in Real Estate
Nicholas Lowe, B.S. in Property Management with a double major in Real Estate
Charlton Maiorana, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Entrepreneurship - New Venture Growth
Ashley Martin, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Rachel McLevain, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Business
Katheryn McNulty, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Timothy Moran, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Grant Morrill, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Jack Osberg, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Business
Chase Patten, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Daniel Pelletier, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Daryn Penoyar, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Residential Property Management
Neil Petersen, B.S. in Real Estate
Brady Pope, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Margaret Prendergast, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Residential Property Management
Richard Randolph, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Caroline Rector, B.S. in Finance with a double major in Real Estate
Donald Riblet, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Virginia Richards, B.S. in Real Estate
Emily Rock, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Residential Property Management
Joseph Rozzi, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Brian Schmalenberger, B.S. in Real Estate
Calvin Seifert, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Thoqeer Sharieff, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Kyle Skinner, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Kaylee Smith, B.S. in Finance with a double major in Real Estate
Morgan Smith, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Agricultural and Applied Economics
Matthew Sompayrac, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
John Van Hook, B.S. in Building Construction with a double major in Real Estate
Sierra Walker, B.S. in Property Management with a double major in Real Estate
Jack Wilkinson, B.S. in Real Estate with a minor in Residential Property Management
Cameron Williams, B.S. in Real Estate