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Leah Onosato from 51�鱨վ’s College of Arts and Letters won the 2022 fall semester’s Outstanding Scholar Award, the highest honor awarded by the Alumni Association.

The award honors a "student who exemplifies academic excellence as well as overall achievement during his or her time here at the University."

Onosato, an English major who is also a standout on 51�鱨վ’s women’s golf team, carries a 4.0 GPA and is enrolled in a linked B.A./M.A. program that allowed her to begin taking graduate courses as an undergrad. She hopes to finish her master’s in applied linguistics in spring 2024.

She co-hosted a series of discussion panels relating Shakespeare’s works to the modern world and was published twice in the Mace and Crown. On the golf course, she has been named to the All-Conference USA second team and Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) All-State first team, the Conference USA All-Academic first team and the VaSID Academic All-State team.

Onosato, who grew up in Japan, cited Staci Defibaugh and Aj Nolan as her inspirational faculty members.

Defibaugh “has been an overall amazing professor who has inspired me to love linguistics and pursue further studies in that field come spring when I join the applied linguistics MA program,” Onosato said.

She described Nolan, her academic advisor during the latter part of undergraduate career, as “passionate and understanding.” She credited him with helping her “work out my last few semesters and my post-bachelors’ plans.”

What does she consider the favorite part of her time at 51�鱨վ?

“Meeting all the people who have shaped and influenced me,” she said. “The peers, the professors, the golfers, the coaches and the lifelong friends, because I know these will have lasting effects on my life and career.”

For more about Onosato, go to this link.

Each semester, the Alumni Association recognizes the graduating undergraduate student in each college with the highest academic average who will have completed at least 60 hours at the University.

Here are the other honorees:

Strome College of Business: Ryan vanHorn

Major: Accounting, with a minor in management

About Ryan: An active-duty Marine for seven years until he was honorably discharged in October, vanHorn was a member of Beta Alpha Psi, an honor organization for financial information students and professionals. He will join PBMares as a staff accountant in January.

Inspirational faculty member: Paige O’Shaughnessy. “She is an amazing educator and works tirelessly to ensure that her students succeed and understand new concepts,” vanHorn said. “She always makes time for students to ask questions about course material or professional development. Professor O'Shaughnessy inspired me to change my degree to accounting and work toward becoming a CPA. She showed me all of the rewarding career paths that the field of accounting has to offer and made me believe in myself that I could one day become a CPA.”

Darden College of Education and Professional Studies: Zabia Evans

Major: Speech-language pathology and audiology

About Zabia: With assistance from the Honors College, she researched the delivery of speech and language services in Prince William County during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Her study was eventually published in Old Dominion's Undergraduate Research Journal. Was a member of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association and Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society. Plans to attend graduate school and become a certified speech-language pathologist in Virginia.

Inspirational faculty member: Kimberly Murphy. “Dr. Murphy has given me encouragement and words of wisdom in my personal moments filled with doubt and uncertainty,” Evans said. “While reflecting on my experience in her class, I can truly recount her efforts to ensure understanding at all levels among me and other students. Her passion for the field shines brightly through her instruction and support of her students who aspire to do wonderful things in the future.”

Batten College of Engineering and Technology: Stephanie Luton

Major: Civil engineering/technology

About Stephanie: A distance-learning student, Luton said the favorite part of her 51�鱨վ experience was completing design projects in her Hydraulic Engineering and Hydrology & Drainage classes with Professor J. M Lester. She will continue in her role as assistant general manager of the James City Service Authority and take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam.

Inspirational faculty member: Amy Kitts. “She did a great job explaining many challenging engineering topics,” Luton said.

College of Health Sciences: Jonathan Lorusso

Major: Health services administration, with a minor in management

About Jonathan: As an online student, he made the dean’s list in all full-time semesters while holding a full-time job. He’s applied to 51�鱨վ’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program and hopes to start in May.

College of Sciences: Tynisha Smith

Major: Psychology, with a minor in speech-language pathology and audiology

About Tynisha: Scored in the top 10% for the Psychology Senior Assessment. Plans to pursue graduate school.

Inspirational faculty members: Robert Strozak, Sage Hawn, Kevin Waymire, Cassidy Sandoval and Kathryn Schwartz.

School of Cybersecurity: Kirk Smith

Major: Cybersecurity

About Kirk: Joined Cyber Security Student Association in the fall of 2021 and served as the organization’s secretary in the fall of 2022. Hopes to get an entry-level cybersecurity position in and will pursue industry-relevant IT/cybersecurity certifications.

Inspirational faculty member: Shobha Vatsa. “Professor Vatsa was available for consultation both in-person and virtually to me during the semesters I had her as a professor (fall 2021, spring 2022),” he said. “She was engaging and helpful.”