Poole College Announces Inaugural Student Award Winners

Poole College students are exceptional in and out of the classroom, living the college’s values in a number of different ways. With the support of generous donors, we have created several awards to recognize students graduating in May whose outstanding efforts have contributed to the success of Poole College.

“Poole College has amazing students and I am so glad that we recognize some of them who have excelled in different ways,” says Vikas Anand, associate dean for academic programs. “The winners are judged not only on their academics but also on factors such as how they overcame adversity, their leadership of others and impact on the community. These students represent many of the key values of the college, and we are proud that in a few weeks we will be calling them our alumni.”

The awards are made possible by an endowment established by Poole alumnus Alex Darden (’98, Business Administration) in honor of his father, Jim.

“NC State was a foundational part of my life,” Darden says. “It’s important to try to make sure others have a similar opportunity. I also wanted a way to honor my dad. This seemed like a good opportunity to do that.”

The inaugural award winners will be celebrated at an April 24 ceremony in Nelson Hall.

Undergraduate Student Awards

Poole College Award for All-Around Excellence
Julianna Lopez
Accounting, Analytics Focus

Julianna has excelled in and out of the classroom during her time in Poole College, actively engaging in various leadership roles within the college community. As president of the Poole Student Advisory Board, she led the effort to raise funds for a new student scholarship. She also has served as a Poole College Ambassador, held roles with the Student Media Board, is a member of Beta Alpha Psi honor society and was part of the University Honors Program.

Poole College Award for Excellence in Innovation 
Dorienne Young
Business Administration, Information Technology concentration

During his time at Poole College, Dorienne has actively pursued opportunities to gain experience and broaden his skill set by completing internships with organizations such as Nintendo of America, the NC State College of Sciences and the NC State IT Office. He has also been involved in various extracurricular activities, including holding memberships with the National Association of Black Accountants, IT Club, Data Analytics Club and Esports Club.

Poole College Award for Leadership  
Zedrique Ahmed
Business Administration, Marketing Concentration

Having served as a Poole College Career Ambassador, Zedrique assisted in advising groups of students on developing their career readiness and provided a unique perspective on various professional development topics. He also currently serves as president of NC State chapter of the American Marketing Association.

Poole College Award for Resilience
Courtney Klich
Business Administration, Finance Concentration

During her NC State career, Courtney served as a project leader and operations director for 180 Degrees Consulting, completed an internship with Nike as a finance analyst, and is a member of the Business Analytics Honors Program.

Graduate Student Awards

Poole College’s Jenkins Team Player Award: Full-Time Student
Jack Hannah
Master of Accounting

Jack Hannah embodies the Jenkins Team Player Award. One of his award nominators says, “Jack was serving in the MAC Program in a different capacity in fall semester. However, when our service chair unexpectedly left the organization, we had some unmet goals that if not addressed, could negatively impact all of our MAC students. Jack stepped up and took over the service chair position. He was able to organize and lead two group service activities which allowed students to fulfill their community service requirements for graduation. His ability to take on this role was a huge success and contribution to the MAC program.”

Poole College’s Jenkins Team Player Award: Working Professional Student
Kalindi Kapadia
Master of Business Administration

Kalindi is a Two-Year Jenkins Graduate Delegate serving the Poole College of Management. According to her award nominators, “Kalindi is an engaged, sincere, tireless and empathetic peer. She is constantly looking for ways to support her fellow MBA students and increasing the experience/raising the bar for all those in the Jenkins MBA program. I have worked with her for the past two years and have seen first-hand her ability to increase the performance of a class, but more than that, she has helped foster a sense of community.”