Loudder Medal of Excellence honors students who step up

By Jeana Guillory

Mays Business School recognized 24 graduates on May 10 with the Martha Loudder Medal of Excellence. Named for Mays Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs and Accounting Professor Marty Loudder, the medal recognizes students who intentionally engage in their educations in and out of the classroom, and who engage in the reflective portfolio process to maximize their learning.

To be eligible for the medal, students first participate in a minimum of three high-impact experiences such as a peer educator position, an internship, or a learning community. Each student then completes a comprehensive learning portfolio, which includes self-awareness exercises and reflections on key experiences like those above.

The portfolio is showcased on a personal website, and serves as the final selection criterion for the Loudder Medal. Reviewers look for comprehensiveness, depth, and clear connections among stories, lessons learned, and future goals. Loudder Medal honoree Coryne Levine ’17 summarized it well: “Your portfolio is meant to be a reflection of who you are as a person and how you have grown throughout your undergraduate experience.”

Thinking about the reflective learning portfolio, Loudder Medal recipients Alejandra Motta ’16 and Jacquelinne Tobar ’17 agree. “It was one of the most rewarding processes I have ever been through,” says Tobar. Motta also emphasizes the process: “Creating a portfolio is about the process. The [website] product is a tool; the process is what translates into your everyday life. Absolutely DO IT!”

Established in 2012, the Medal of Excellence was formally named for Loudder in 2015. In her role as associate dean, Loudder has been a pioneer and advocate for programs like the Freshman Business Initiative, social impact programs, and international experiences. Though Loudder says it is an honor to have her name on the award, she considers it a higher honor to have her name associated with the names of the students who receive it. The 2017 recipients are:

• Christina Chan
• Rachel Claggett
• Courtney Cotter
• Arianne Couch
• Kelsey Crump
• Jourdan Escobar
• Adrian Gobeli
• Rachel Gonzales
• Coryne Levine
• Josey Logan
• Logan McDivitt
• Hope Miller
• Alejandra Motta
• Samantha Noonan
• William Patterson
• Abigail Roberts
• Sarah Rosas
• Carolina Solis
• Sarah Stroup
• Catherine Tan
• Jacquelinne Tobar
• Shivam Vakil
• Benjamin Wegendt
• Luke Wheeler