The James Frederic Carr Memorial Cup
Sarah J. Larimer ’23 - 2023 Award Recipient
The James Frederic Carr Memorial Cup was established in honor of a William & Mary student who served with distinction in the First World War and lost his life before he could return to graduate. The award recognizes the student who best exemplifies character, scholarship and leadership. The recipient of the 2023 Carr Memorial Cup is Sarah Jean Larimer.
Sarah exemplifies the qualities of the Carr Memorial Cup. Recognized by her peers as virtuous and humble, inclusive and collaborative, Sarah embodies integrity and honor.
Sarah is a Monroe Scholar, well-rounded and prodigious in her scholarship. She graduates with a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Data Science and Economics, marked first-rate by a near-perfect 3.92 GPA. As a research assistant in AidData’s Research and Evaluation unit, Sarah geocoded Chinese development financing in the Middle East and South Asia and researched object detection algorithms for a new deep learning software. Sarah has also participated in applied mathematics research. As a Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Fellow, she worked on a team to build a machine learning classification model that could evaluate the quality of roads from satellite imagery.
Showcasing her dedication to success across all realms of pursuit, Sarah served as editor-in-chief of the William & Mary Review, a national literary and art journal, president of Delta Gamma sorority and vice president of Omicron Delta Kappa. Her passion for leadership and creating a sense of community shine clearly through her impact in these organizations. Nominators share that Sarah “accepts no less than her best from herself and pushes her friends to be their best and kindest selves.”
As a member of both the Undergraduate Student Conduct Council and Honor Appeals Board, Sarah is dedicated to restorative justice and preventative measures, reflecting her drive to find and maintain the peace within her community. She also serves as a Connects Peer Mentor, mentoring suspended students, helping students create, achieve and reflect on academic goals so that they thrive upon their return to campus.
One nominator shared that Sarah “gives grace to every person that comes her way, and whether a student is her friend or sitting on the other side of a panel, she makes them feel heard and understood.” Another said, “We all need someone like Sarah in our lives.”
