Nneoma Nwankwo of Lagos, Nigeria, who will graduate in May with a degree in political science in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, is Virginia Tech Undergraduate Student of the Year.

Nwankwo is minoring in public and urban affairs and creative writing. She has maintained a 3.9 grade-point average while engaging in domestic and international service and research on issues facing girls and women in developing nations.

[img]http://vtnews.vt.edu/content/vtnews_vt_edu/en/articles/2016/04/040416-dsa-undergradoftheyear/jcr:content/article-image.img.full.high.jpg/1459353411656.jpg[/img]
Nneoma Nwankwo studies the negative effects of poor menstrual hygiene management on girls in underserved areas of sub-Saharan Africa.

“At Virginia Tech, I have been challenged to live in service to others,” Nwankwo said. “I have learned how to lead boldly as I pursue my global development interests. Ultimately, I have discovered that Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) is an active verb, and when I serve those around me, I create a meaningful life for myself.”

The Virginia Tech Undergraduate Student of the Year award recognizes a graduating student who has achieved overall excellence during his or her undergraduate career at the university. The recognition is the most prestigious non-academic undergraduate award given at Virginia Tech and is awarded to a student who has exceptional and balanced achievement in academics, leadership, and service. The recipient exemplifies the qualities and values important to a Virginia Tech education, captured in the university motto, Ut Prosim.

In fall 2013, Nwankwo undertook an independent study supervised by Ralph Hall, assistant professor of Urban Affairs and Planning, School of Public and International Affairs in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. She studied the negative effects of poor menstrual hygiene management (MHM) on the education and socio-economic empowerment of girls in underserved areas of sub-Saharan Africa.

“Nneoma’s ability to lead her own research in Nigeria and develop and deliver workshops on MHM and adolescent sexuality provide some insight into her unique set of skills and capabilities,” said Hall. “I believe Nneoma’s focus on MHM in schools is one of the most important issues facing young women in developing countries. Her future research and engagement in this area is likely to be transformative for her and for those she is able to touch.”

In 2014, Nwankwo was awarded the Austin Michelle Cloyd Fellowship for Social Justice for her proposal to pursue service-oriented MHM research in West Africa. Nwankwo said, “For me, it was necessary for women’s voices to be heard; thus, in Nigeria, I conducted focus groups and workshops with young women. In the Republic of Niger, I participated in the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council and United Nations Women menstrual hygiene trainings, which were aimed at lobbying national policymakers to establish MHM as a top priority in water and sanitation legislation. Through these unique experiences, I found passion in working in the service of others.”

Last fall, Nwankwo presented her research findings at the Women and Gender Discussion Series organized by Virginia Tech’s Office of International Research, Education, and Development. Her research has been published by Virginia Tech’s Innovation for Agricultural Training and Education, and she is a guest-lecturer on MHM in postgraduate classes in Virginia Tech’s programs in urban affairs and planning and women's and gender studies.

“Through these avenues,” she said, “I raise awareness about MHM on campus, contribute to research geared toward creating solutions in the field, and motivate students and faculty to work toward the improvement of women’s rights worldwide.”

Nwankwo has held many leadership positions across campus. She served as the fundraising chair for the African Students Association and raised money for a local charity in Ethiopia. Fluent in English and Igbo and conversationally proficient in French, Yoruba, and Swahili, Nwankwo is a coach at the Virginia Tech Writing Center and was international columnist for the Collegiate Times student-run newspaper. She earned an honorable mention in the 2015 Steger Poetry Prize competition. She was recipient of the Overton R. Johnson Scholarship and the Accenture Scholarship.

“I’ve had a ton of impactful experiences at Virginia Tech, but I think the relationships I have had with professors, particularly in the English, urban planning and political science departments, have been incredibly meaningful to me,” said Nwankwo.

Nwankwo has accepted a full-time position at Citibank in New York City. She will continue to conduct research on MHM.

The Undergraduate Student of the Year award recipient is selected by a committee of students, faculty, and administrators from across the academic colleges and the Division of Student Affairs. The division sponsors and administers the annual award, now in its 64th year.

Another Nigerian making us proud. Your institution has given your the best gift 'Ut Prosim'. Our life is to serve our people around us in excellence. This is wisdom and a force.

It's always good to see Nigerians do well. It's funny how you never see the tribalists in these types of threads.

Congratulations to her!. .. Very encouraging news for Nigeria as a whole and I'm sure her family will be massively proud of her

Well BigFrancis21, you live in Maryland right and she is in Virginia, they are two neighbouring states. My advice is that you meet up with her and start courting her

Fulaman198:
Well BigFrancis21, you live in Maryland right and she is in Virginia, they are two neighbouring states. My advice is that you meet up with her and start courting her

Haa Fulaman oo

How are you doing brother?

Congrats , I'm happy for Her.

bigfrancis21:


Haa Fulaman oo

How are you doing brother?

Doing well my brother and yourself? See if there is a way you can contact that beautiful girl. She would make good wife material for you oo. But, I hope she can speak Igbo. Too many of our African ladies abroad and tossing our respective cultures aside.

Good one, sis.

bigfrancis21:


Haa Fulaman oo

How are you doing brother?

you have a PM bro

Fulaman198:


Doing well my brother and yourself? See if there is a way you can contact that beautiful girl. She would make good wife material for you oo. But, I hope she can speak Igbo. Too many of our African ladies abroad and tossing our respective cultures aside.

guy, calm down, there are many Nigerians doing greater things in their school, that you don't even hear of. Y kill ur self over one, in a million.
A girl recently graduated with a 4.0 from Harvard, Niaja girl. chill my guy, nothing dey dere.

Fulaman198:


Doing well my brother and yourself? See if there is a way you can contact that beautiful girl. She would make good wife material for you oo. But, I hope she can speak Igbo. Too many of our African ladies abroad and tossing our respective cultures aside.

Thanks bro.

How's your IT profession going? You should reconsider returning to the US mennh. You'll make it big time here.

bigfrancis21:


Thanks bro.

How's your IT profession going? You should reconsider returning to the US mennh. You'll make it big time here.

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to respond brother.

The I.T. profession is going great. I could come to the U.S. I know, but I love Nigeria and Nigerians too much. The United States has its own problems. In Nigeria, I can be myself, dress the way I want to, speak the way I want to (I don't have to try and alter my accent so that Americans can understand me), just overall be a very merry and happy person.

It is true that the payscale in America may be a bit (not too much) higher than that of Nigeria, but money is not everything. I prefer seeing the smiles on fellow Nigerians faces than to face torment in a place that doesn't like me much for who I am.