Virginia E. Thomas Endowed Scholarship
The Virginia E. Thomas Endowed Scholarship honors a legacy of excellence, integrity, character, discovery, and service. Established by Virginia's colleagues, friends, and students, the scholarship is awarded concurrently with the Chancellor's Awards for Leadership and announced during the April awards ceremony held annually on the Pullman campus.
Virginia Thomas
As director of the Leadership Center at Washington State University from 1995 to 2003, Virginia E. Thomas served the university and its students in a variety of roles, through which she displayed a breadth of leadership knowledge, skills, and qualities. As an advisor to the Associated Students' officers and other organizations, Virginia demanded excellence, modeled integrity, and encouraged discovery and innovation. Virginia was a true servant leader to students, bringing passion, courage, and perspective to her work of student development. We honor her legacy with this award.
2023 Recipient
Alvin Joseph Azana
Computer Science, WSU Pullman
Scholarship Selection Criteria
Washington State University is guided by a commitment to excellence embodied in a set of core values. Nominees for this scholarship must first be considered for the WSU Pullman Chancellor's Award for Leadership, based on their leadership experiences and qualities relative to:
- Inquiry and Innovation
- Excellence
- Character and Integrity
- Stewardship
The scholarship is bestowed upon a WSU Pullman student who, in addition to the criteria above, demonstrates:
- A minimum of 45 credits at WSU Pullman
- Ability to inspire others
- Knowledge of leadership concepts
- Innovation
- Leadership coaching/mentoring of others
- Membership/participation in a registered student organization
Scholarship Selection Process
In addition to submitting an application for the President's Awards, applicants must submit an essay describing a situation or role in which the student has mentored or coached other students to improve as leaders, specifically articulating their skills and/or qualities in integrity, servant leadership, encouraging discovery, and passion.
Once selected, the awardee will be expected to serve as a representative of the scholarship and the legacy that has remained from Virginia's work; including, but not limited to serving on future selection committees, assisting with ongoing leadership development initiatives, and promoting the President's Awards for Leadership and the scholarship.
This necessitates the recipient to be an enrolled student at WSU Pullman for the year following their selection, either as a graduate or undergraduate student.