Several awards are presented annually to graduates, staff and faculty members during the William & Mary Commencement ceremony. Below is a list of the awards that were presented during this year’s ceremony on May 16. – Ed.
- The Lord Botetourt Medal
- James Frederic Carr Memorial Cup
- Thatcher Prize for Excellence
- Graves Award
- Sullivan Awards
The Lord Botetourt Medal
Established in 1772, the Lord Botetourt Medal is presented annually to the undergraduate student who has achieved the greatest distinction in scholarship while at William & Mary. This year’s winner is Connie Ryu ’25.
Ryu earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, with a minor in sociology. A Monroe Scholar who made the Dean’s List every semester, she accomplished a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Ryu has been a near-constant presence in the research lab. Mentored by Biology Professor Shantá D. Hinton, she investigated the pseudo phosphatases MK-STYX and STYXL2 and trained other students as an undergraduate teaching assistant for molecular biology.
She presented her own research at Cell Bio 2024 and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2025 Annual Meeting. She has already co-authored two manuscripts.
Colleagues and advisors praised her “keen inquisitive personality” and courage to research “something completely new.”
In summer 2023, Ryu won a competitive national internship with Magee-Womens Research Institute & Foundation. She conducted independent clinical research and shadowed physicians in maternal-fetal medicine, pathology, reproductive endocrinology and infertility.
Outside of the lab, Ryu led the Korean American Student Association, wrote for the William & Mary Alumni Magazine and actively participated in Alpha Phi Omega Nu Rho.
The Korean American Scholarship Foundation awarded her the Korean Honors Scholarship for her academic achievements and service to others.
Despite all her accomplishments, nominators say Ryu is humble and kind.
“The most amazing thing about Connie is her goodness,” said one nominator. “She uses her scholarship to encourage and uplift others.”
James Frederic Carr Memorial Cup
The James Frederic Carr Memorial Cup was established in honor of a William & Mary student who served with distinction in World War I and lost his life before he could return to graduate.
The award recognizes the student who best exemplifies character, scholarship and leadership. This year’s recipient is Sarah L. Devendorf ’25.
Devendorf earned a Bachelor of Arts in government and history with a 3.9 GPA. During her undergraduate years, she researched human rights with the Global Research Institute and interned with Lawyers Without Borders, OpenSecrets, the Brookings Institution, a U.S. Senator and a state legislator. She was one of 13 undergraduate students invited by the Pulitzer Center to interview vulnerable communities for a long-form article.
In January 2025, she assisted Government Professor C. Lawrence Evans in evaluating a New Member Seminar for the U.S. House of Representatives, earning kudos from elected officials and staffers alike. She met with congressional staff and wrote brief, professional summaries of their conversations. Congressional Research Service leadership, as well as freshmen lawmakers, praised her maturity and intelligence.
As a Spotswood Society member, Devendorf supported the historic Sir Christopher Wren Building. She served as vice president of the Virginia Gamma Chapter of Mortar Board and vice chair of William & Mary’s Conduct & Honor Advisors Program. She also held leadership roles at The Flat Hat, on the Media Council and on the Undergraduate Admissions Arts Panel.
Devendorf has already been recognized with the A. Joseph Jay Award for Service in Support of Our Community’s Values, the Cypher Award and the Carl A. Fehr Scholarship. She is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa.
Peers and advisors praise her work ethic and commitment to supporting others. As one nominator put it, Devendorf is “deeply invested in the intellectual development of those around her, always encouraging discourse and deeper understanding.”
Thatcher Prize for Excellence
The Thatcher Prize was created in honor of the 21st Chancellor of William & Mary, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Presented annually, this award recognizes an outstanding student in graduate or professional study, with recipients selected on the basis of scholarship, leadership, character and service. The recipient of the 2025 Thatcher Prize is Grace D. Molino Ph.D. ’25.
Molino is known as a rising star in coastal and marine sciences. In her work at W&M’s Batten School & VIMS, Molino studied how rising sea levels convert coastal forests to salt marshes in the Chesapeake Bay. Additionally, she completed coursework at the William & Mary Law School and published seven first-author journal articles.
One nominator described Molino as “a rare student that combines machine learning and satellite imagery with muck boots and sediment cores.”
Her research blends geology, ecology, marine science and environmental policy and engages a wide array of audiences, including residents of Tangier Island, Eastern Shore farmers and scientists in the American Geophysical Union. Members of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission have regularly asked her to brief them on her marsh migration research.
A Dean’s Fellowship recipient and a Hollings Scholar with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Molino partnered with northeastern communities impacted by climate change and sea level rise. As a Fulbright Scholar, she worked with the Building with Nature Initiative at Delft University in the Netherlands to improve dike safety standards.
Further cementing her impact in coastal and marine sciences, Molino’s dissertation identified 300,000 to 500,000 acres of land in the Chesapeake region that will convert to marsh in the next century and found that agricultural land converts faster than forestland. Her unique background in law and policy allowed her to explore how state-level policies influence difficult decisions about whether to abandon or defend property in the face of sea-level rise.
Molino was the first student to co-teach Coastal Habitats of North Wales, a William & Mary study abroad field course. She has advanced the university’s core value of belonging at the W&M’s Batten School & VIMS, mentored students conducting undergraduate research and engaged with the VIMS Graduate Student Association. She also served as the president of the VIMS chapter of Women in Marine Science.
Graves Award
Aiko Kitamura
Teaching Professor Aiko Kitamura joined the William & Mary Japanese Studies Program as a lecturer in 2007. Committed to quality teaching and devoted to her students, she has helped the Japanese Studies Program flourish.
Through dedication to optimizing learning environments, Kitamura expertly uses cultural elements, video clips and activities to bring textbooks to life. Her student-centered approach provides direct and tailored attention to each learner. Kitamura empowers each student to identify and set personal learning goals and chart their own progress toward higher language and intercultural proficiency.
Kitamura’s service extends beyond the classroom. Since 2009, she has served as a faculty advisor for the highly successful Japanese Language House. She has been deeply involved in the operations and success of the house, working closely alongside its international fellows. Language houses across the university enrich academic offerings for students and build long-lasting communities through frequent extracurricular activities and cultural events.
Kitamura is strongly committed to improving students’ learning experiences in all instructional settings, including classes taught by teaching assistants. Since 2007, she has supervised teaching assistants for Japanese language courses. Students’ evaluations are especially heartfelt. They cherish her innovative teaching methods and dedication to fostering belonging.
Above all, students describe Kitamura as “an excellent, engaged and passionate instructor who is completely and consistently invested in teaching.”
John Strong
Colleagues describe CSX Professor of Business Administration John Strong as the “ideal exemplar” of a William & Mary scholar.
In his decades-long career at William & Mary, Strong has distinguished himself as an extraordinary teacher. Keenly attuned to current business practices, he elevates real-world relevance and impact. His students apply fundamental concepts and models to actual business situations through myriad case studies and exercises.
Academic leaders recognize Strong for enhancing the business school’s commitment to transformative learning, and students and peers cherish his mentorship. Colleagues have noted his “huge impact on the Mason School’s culture of teaching excellence.”
Strong has achieved several milestones during his time at William & Mary. For 13 years, he held the role of area head for finance and economics; served as the director of the Executive MBA program from 1993 to 1996; launched the first international residency in China and Southeast Asia; and more recently, held the role of faculty director of the EMBA program. During his tenure, he led a committee to review, recommend and implement a full strategic update for the program. He also introduced a highly distinctive EMBA residency at the W&M Washington Center.
Strong has led and participated in executive education programs, workshops and consulting programs across six continents and 48 countries. This depth of business expertise and experience extends to the classroom and produces a highly unique educational experience for students of all educational and professional backgrounds.
Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards
The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards, given in the form of a medallion, are presented in recognition of influence for good, taking into consideration such characteristics of heart, mind, conduct and demonstrating a spirit of love and helpfulness to others. They are awarded each year to two individuals from the graduating student body and to a third person who has a close relationship to the university.
The student recipients of this year’s Sullivan Awards were presented to Allisyn Lam ’25 and Kyle Lewis-Johnson ’25. Father Kyle O’Connor, parochial vicar and chaplain for Catholic Campus Ministry, also received a Sullivan Award.
Allisyn Lam ’25
An aspiring physician known for her entrepreneurial spirit and community-mindedness, Allisyn Lam ’25 graduated with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience.
As the president of Food for All at William & Mary, she provided resources to faculty, staff and students who face food access issues. Under her leadership, the organization distributed 2,500 meals to more than 200 individuals in just over a year. She also created an infrastructure to ensure Food for All will continue at William & Mary beyond her graduation.
Lam also helped lead a statewide student coalition to address food insecurity on college campuses in Virginia, welcoming members of the General Assembly to William & Mary and traveling to Richmond to meet with legislative staff. The coalition’s efforts resulted in bipartisan passage of the Virginia Hunger Free Campus Act, establishing a $500,000 state-funded grant program for campus food pantries.
In addition to her work around food insecurity, she has pursued international humanitarian projects with Rotary International, including supplying the Sawua Elementary School in Ghana and bringing water and sanitation to earthquake victims in Turkey.
In honor of her work, Lam was presented the 2023 President’s Award for Service to the Community.
“Our degrees come with responsibilities,” said Lam. “As the resources of our communities have enabled us to pursue a world-class education, we have been empowered with particular skills that have the potential to give back to others who lack the same access.”
Kyle Lewis-Johnson ’25
A rising star in the field of chemistry, Kyle Lewis-Johnson ’25 is known for removing barriers for underrepresented students in STEM and building community at William & Mary and beyond.
A chemistry major, he helped organize mentorship programs and networking opportunities for underrepresented students and created outreach initiatives as a member of the executive board of William & Mary’s chapter of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE). At that organization’s 51st conference, Lewis-Johnson received the Undergraduate Rising Star in Research award, and the W&M Chapter was recognized for K-12 outreach.
Praised by colleagues for his tutoring work and knack for breaking down complex ideas, the William & Mary Chemistry Department awarded him the Marga Larson Bales Scholarship for his research and emphasis on teaching.
In addition to his leadership in the chemistry department, Lewis-Johnson distinguished himself at William & Mary as a Sharpe Community Scholar and a Student Assembly senator. As a Sharpe Scholar, he advocated on civic issues to create positive change. In the Student Assembly, he consistently sought to improve student experiences across the university.
Whatever he is doing, he brings “enthusiasm, humility and sincere desire to make a difference,” according to one nominator.
Father Kyle O’Connor
Father Kyle O’Connor, parochial vicar and chaplain for Catholic Campus Ministry at William & Mary, has dedicated his life to uplifting others. In his role, he offers opportunities for prayer, fellowship and service.
“Father Kyle is more than just a faith leader; he’s a mentor and source of hope,” said one nominator.
In addition to leading daily mass, he leads three masses on Sunday to ensure that all interested students can join regardless of their schedule. He also participates in Catholic Campus Ministry’s intramural sports teams and sits with students at Sunday Supper.
Among other regular events, he helps organize five yearly retreats and one yearly service trip to Appalachia. During one trip, returning students experienced a serious car accident, and O’Connor rushed to the scene to pray with and comfort the students. He sat with students in the hospital and even traveled to Tennessee to visit another student.
O’Connor is known among students and colleagues for his calming presence and empathy — as well as his talent for floor hockey and table tennis. His efforts to greet students by name and offer support to anyone who needs it have earned him the affection of this community.
“Treating everyone with dignity like Father Kyle does brings light to the community,” one nominator said.
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