2025 International Student Achievement Awards

Sarthak’s dedication to academic excellence is evidenced by earning a perfect 100% in my Financial Management class, a rare distinction. His performance combined with his contributions to class discussions led me to select him as my Graduate Assistant for the two consecutive semesters. In this role, Sarthak has gone beyond administrative tasks, actively engaging with first-year MBA students to help them navigate coursework, understand complex financial concepts, and prepare for examinations.

Recognizing Sarthak’s strong analytical skills and ability to synthesize complex financial data, Professor Vladimir Atanasov and I invited him to collaborate on a high-impact research project analyzing over 700 mining companies. This research is not just academic—it has the potential to drive real change by identifying companies committed to environmental sustainability and helping them secure funding from ethical investors. By leveraging data-driven financial analysis, Sarthak’s contributions are helping shape a research paper that bridges the gap between sustainable mining practices and investment opportunities, filling a critical void in the financial and environmental landscape.

Sarthak has taken a proactive approach in guiding students who aspire to build careers in finance, offering insights into potential career paths, skill-building, and networking strategies.
Sarthak’s commitment to mentorship extends beyond his official academic roles—he has been actively involved in W&M’s Peer Mentorship Program, where he has played a pivotal role in guiding students through critical academic and career decisions.

Sarthak also integrated himself quickly into the local community, making exemplary service and leadership contributions in the areas of social impact, environmental sustainability, and community service.

As a volunteer with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Sarthak has actively worked on oyster restoration projects in the Virginia Beach area, helping improve marine biodiversity and raise awareness about environmental conservation.

Sarthak has also been involved with educational and social advocacy. In Williamsburg, he has volunteered his time to support special-needs students at local churches, helping them in their education and personal development. In India, Sarthak has worked pro bono to provide free education for underprivileged students, not only teaching but also helping schools streamline their cost structures and manage accounts more efficiently.

Understanding the challenges that international students face, Sarthak worked with Baptist Collegiate Ministry and Agape Ministries to ensure that they feel welcomed, supported, and integrated into the W&M community.

Sarthak experienced a severe medical accident, where he suffered a clean break in his arm and underwent a complex surgery to get a metal plate and multiple screws in his arm. Yet he remained steadfast in his commitment to his education. While many would have opted to withdraw from courses or reduce their workload, Sarthak chose to push through and completed all his classes, projects and Peer Mentorship responsibilities with an exemplary record. This resilience not only reflects his personal determination but also underscores his ability to overcome adversity and maintain excellence in the most challenging circumstances.

—Scott Gibson, K. Dane Brooksher Professor of Finance, Raymond A. Mason School of Business

Sang Hwan Lee has demonstrated outstanding academic ability, particularly given the challenges of studying law in a second language. Law school coursework is rigorous, and the mandatory grading curve makes academic success especially competitive. Despite this, he has excelled, earning top grades and producing thoughtful, well-reasoned legal analyses.
What sets Sang Hwan apart is not only his academic excellence but also his dedication to the learning experience of his peers. I saw him support others in mastering difficult concepts and enriching class discussions to explore broader legal and policy implications. His ability to grasp intricate legal doctrines, articulate nuanced arguments, and excel in legal writing in a non-native language is reflected in his success in the Moot Court Competition, where he was a finalist and won the Best Brief Award.

Serving in student governance, particularly in an enforcement role, is never easy, and Sang Hwan has acted as the Chair of the Honor Council with integrity, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to fairness and honesty. He has worked tirelessly to uphold the Law School's Honor Code in challenging and even hostile settings. He has navigated difficult situations with professionalism and sound judgment, ensuring that the Council operates with accountability and transparency. Under his leadership, the Council has significantly strengthened its capacity to handle complex cases. He has also improved the Council’s outreach to international students, helping them have a clearer understanding of William & Mary’s academic integrity standards.
As President of the International Law Student Alliance, Sang Hwan has advocated for international students and created a sense of community and belonging among JD and LLM students, organizing social events and offering guidance on CPT, OPT, orientation, and externships.

Sang Hwan has demonstrated resilience under pressure, maintaining composure and professionalism even in the most challenging situations. Through his leadership, service, and dedication to ethical lawyering, Sang Hwan exemplifies the principle of the Citizen Lawyer that our Law School seeks to instill in its students. His ability to balance rigorous academic work, demanding leadership roles, and meaningful contributions to the broader community makes him an outstanding candidate for this award.

—Iria Giuffrida, Assistant Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs and Professor of the Practice of Law

We have worked together in his capacity as Honor Council Justice and Honor Council Chief Justice, and I have also worked with him through his own individual academic journey. Sang Hwan is a deep thinker and a skilled advocate. He has excelled in the classroom and in legal practice through work placements and internships and has secured employment at a good law firm where he will work following graduation. Sang Hwan is a leader at the Law School. He was selected as Chief Justice of the Law School Honor Council by his peers and has done an exemplary job of modeling the tenets of the Honor Code to his classmates and leading the Honor Council through the academic year.

—Brian Wall, Associate Dean for Student Affairs & Academic Support, William & Mary Law School

Sang Hwan has done a remarkable job as the chair of the Law School Honor Council. In addition to dealing with some difficult cases, he demonstrated a real desire to do something lasting for the community by improving the process, so future honor councils will have an easier time with difficult cases. Sang Hwan has really poured his heart and soul into the Law School Honor Council, but on top of that, he has worked as a research assistant for two professors, competed for William & Mary on our moot court team, and worked for veterans in our Veterans' Benefits Clinic. He is a truly impressive student who has given a lot to our community.

—Thomas McSweeney, Professor of Law

Antu’s exceptional academic record, research contributions, leadership, and commitment to excellence make Antu a truly exemplary student.

Antu’s research addresses a significant problem in software engineering. Antu’s research goal is to design and evaluate techniques and tools to assist software developers and end-users in reporting and managing defect reports more effectively so that developers can efficiently identify and correct the defects in the software’s source code. As it is impossible to create defect-free software systems, software developers rely on defect reports submitted by end-users to manage and correct all the defects. Defect resolution is important for delivering and maintaining high-quality software systems, ultimately benefiting society, yet it is a challenging process for developers, and research is needed to assist them in overcoming the challenges. Antu’s research goes in this direction.

Antu’s research results have been peer-reviewed and published in the most prestigious conferences in software engineering. In his doctoral research, Antu has proposed technical solutions and conducted studies to evaluate such solutions. He has also conducted studies to understand how to improve defect resolution workflows performed by developers. This research has been published in four peer-reviewed publications at the most distinguished and rigorous software engineering conferences. Antu’s research on assisting developers in localizing mobile app defective user interfaces using AI methods was published at the ACM International Symposium on Software Testing and Analysis (ISSTA 2024). His research on evaluating the defect resolution process at Mozilla Firefox, which involved data mining and surveys with Firefox’s developers, was published at the IEEE/ACM International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE 2025). His research on assessing the quality of end-user defect reports using AI methods was accepted for publication at the IEEE International Conference on Program Comprehension (ICPC 2025). He also developed and evaluated an open-source software tool for GitHub to assist developers in defect management – this tool is easy to use and useful for bug resolution, as found by the user study he conducted with professional developers. This tool is reported in a paper published at the IEEE/ACM International Conference on Mining Software Repositories (MSR 2025).

Antu has demonstrated strong research leadership. He has been able to plan the projects and engage lab peers and colleagues outside the lab to produce research results and report them in papers. His teamwork and cooperative skills are truly commendable, and I rate Antu’s teamwork and collaborative skills on the highest terms.

Antu has demonstrated academic excellence in terms of grades, awards, and dissemination of his research. He has completed his coursework with a high GPA of 3.96. He won the Best Poster Award at the W&M Computer Science Graduate Symposium in the 2023 and 2024 editions, where he presented partial research results that later became publications. This demonstrates his ability to prepare quality posters and communicate complex research projects to a wider audience. Inside and outside the classroom, he demonstrates exceptional control of the English language (considering he is a non-English native speaker), not only in written reports but also in oral presentations, meetings, and discussions. In addition, Antu served as a teaching assistant for my undergraduate Algorithms course, where his dedication, support, and feedback were highly appreciated by the students.

Antu is currently leading two research projects within our lab, where multiple students collaborate under his guidance. In these and previous projects, he has shown strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills, fostering a productive research environment. Additionally, he has mentored five junior graduate students and one undergraduate student, guiding both coursework and research projects, helping them navigate challenges, and supporting their academic and professional development.

His commitment to service extends to volunteering. Antu has been selected as a student volunteer to support the organization of several premier international conferences. He has also served as a student volunteer to support event logistics at William & Mary, including the W&M Computer Science Graduate Symposium in 2022 and 2023, ESSEC 2024, and WM Grad Bash 2023 and 2024. He was also the web chair of the 2023 W&M CS Graduate Symposium.
As a Reves Center’s International Peer Leader, Antu has played a key role in assisting incoming graduate students in adapting to life at William & Mary and in the United States. Beyond his institutional contributions, he actively supports students from his home country as the administrator of the Facebook group “Let’s Touch the Dream.” Through this platform, he provides valuable guidance on career development, research opportunities, and higher education in the U.S., helping undergraduate and prospective students in Bangladesh navigate their academic and professional journeys.

At W&M, Antu was awarded the CS Department Graduate Research Fellowship in the summers of 2022 and 2023. (Typically, all Ph.D. students receive one summer research fellowship, and only in exceptional cases when students demonstrate excellence in their academics, they are awarded a second fellowship — Antu was one of these students). In 2024, he secured the Research Seed Grant from Arts & Sciences to support his research on understanding issue resolution workflows. Additionally, he received multiple travel grants to attend and/or present his research at conferences.

—Oscar Chaparro, Assistant Professor, Computer Science

I have known Minnie for 1.5 years as her professor in her Ph.D. program. I have taught Minnie in two research-focused classes, as well as directing an independent study course with her this semester. We also co-presented together at the W&M STLI symposium in May 2024, and at the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling Conference in September 2024 on the use of photovoice as a teaching tool in counselor education.

Minnie has consistently demonstrated outstanding academic achievement throughout the doctoral program. Her commitment to intellectual growth, research and scholarly contributions sets her apart as a leader in their field. She brings a strong work ethic, innovative thinking and academic curiosity to the classroom. Two of the most impressive qualities about Minnie are her humility and curiosity; to me, these qualities propel her academic excellence, as she is open to new learning experiences and willing to seek and apply feedback. She has established working relationships with multiple counselor education faculty outside of her courses, with multiple presentations and publications in progress with her professors. This also speaks to her ability to collaborate effectively with others towards scholarly success.

In addition to excelling academically in her classes, Minnie has made significant strides in scholarly endeavors, presenting as the first author at seven conferences, including the AARC, ACES, Virginia School Counseling Conference, and Virginia Counseling Association Convention. Her research continues to impact the field, with two manuscripts already submitted to the Professional School Counseling Journal, focused on advancing the well-being of school counselors. She is currently co-authoring two other manuscripts, with expected submission dates for peer review this year, along with serving as the PI on a qualitative research project exploring the experiences of school counseling-focused counselor educators in their doctoral training programs.

At the national level, Minnie has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to professional development and mentorship. As a Mentee Manuscript Reviewer for the Journal of Counselor Leadership & Advocacy (JCLA) Reviewer Mentorship Program (January 2025–present), she has contributed significantly to the field of counseling. Minnie's role as Division E Graduate Junior Student Representative for the American Educational Research Association's Graduate Student Council and as Publicity Coordinator for the Asian American Psychological Association Division on Students exemplifies her leadership in advancing diversity and inclusion within the fields of education and counseling. Furthermore, her role as Mentorship Committee Co-Chair for the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision's School Counseling Interest Network showcases her dedication to supporting emerging leaders.

On a state level, Minnie serves as the Social Media Specialist for the Virginia Alliance for School Counseling’s Board of Directors, effectively promoting initiatives that support school counselors. At the university level, she holds significant leadership roles as the Vice Chair of the Honor Council in the School of Education, an International Peer Leader for the Reves Center for International Studies, and a Student Ambassador for the School of Education. Additionally, Minnie serves as a Student Mentor for a first-year Ph.D. student, helping to guide and support the next generation of scholars.

In addition to these roles, Minnie has actively participated in conference proposal reviewing for organizations such as the Virginia Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (VACES), the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC), and the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES).

Minnie is trustworthy, kind, dependable, respectful and resilient. I am honored to nominate her for this award and hope her contributions to both our doctoral program and the counseling profession are recognized by William & Mary.

—Amber Pope, Assistant Professor in Counselor Education, William & Mary School of Education

Alisa Yang is brilliant, hardworking, compassionate, and fun! I feel so fortunate to have known and worked with her for the last year and a half, even though she never took a course with me officially as a student. I have taught over 1000 students at William & Mary and rarely do I get to develop such a deep relationship with a student whom I just continue to admire more every day!

Alisa’s academic excellence is evident in her exceptional performance, maintaining a 3.96 GPA with a perfect 4.0 in her major coursework while undertaking an ambitious double major. Her interests extend far beyond her primary fields of study, encompassing subjects such as philosophy, government, international relations, history, biology, chemistry, computer science, computer animation, marketing, mathematics, studio art, and education. She is also only one course away from completing both a Studio Art minor and a Marketing concentration, demonstrating her deep appetite for both technical and creative disciplines.

Her academic accomplishments are not limited to coursework, but are also reflected in the research she has undertaken. The Charles Center Summer Research Grant she received was inspired by her hurricane disaster relief volunteer experiences. During her summer research at VIMS, she led a research team in developing a hurricane damage detection machine learning model, which improved accuracy by 40% compared to the existing model.

Among her many academic and research contributions, one of the most notable is her work on the AI The Magic Box (https://a.co/d/cIu5JHm) book project, which she undertook with me and my Data Scientist Junior team at Artificial and Natural Intelligence Education (AANIE: https://www.aanie.org/), a non-profit organization I founded. Alisa was not just an integral part of the team; she was the driving force behind the success of this initiative. Her exceptional contributions to this project were recognized with the F.U.S.E. scholarship. She co-authored the book, ensuring that complex AI and machine learning concepts were communicated in an engaging and digestible manner for young learners and all readers. What makes her truly remarkable, however, is not just her technical expertise but her insights, creativity, attention to detail, and ability to execute tasks under time pressure. She understood the nuances of AI education and how to translate abstract concepts into an accessible format—often with just a hint or minimal direction, demonstrating an unparalleled level of perceptiveness and intelligence.

As the marketing chair and co-president of TEDx William & Mary, she played a key role in directing two large-scale TEDx events. The last event attracted over 300 attendees, and I’ve been observing how she organizes this year’s upcoming TEDx event with deep admiration. She manages everything from speaker selection to event promotion, logistics, and social media outreach, ensuring these events are executed with professionalism and impact. See here for the 2025 TEDx William & Mary event Alisa organized: https://mason.wm.edu/news/2025/tedx-william-and-mary-2025-accelerating-innovation-a-night-of-inspiration-and-reflection.php

Additionally, she serves as a co-organizer for the Hampton Roads Tech Meetup (https://www.meetup.com/williamsburg-tech-meetup-group/), where she actively engages with professionals, secures sponsorships, and co-hosts networking and speaker panel events. Through these roles, she has demonstrated an exceptional ability to build and engage communities, bridging the gap between students and professionals in both educational and technological spaces.

While her academic and leadership achievements are extraordinary, what truly defines Alisa is her deep passion for community engagement and service. She does not engage in service for accolades or recognition; she genuinely finds joy, growth, and value in the process—connecting with people, understanding real social issues, and immersing herself in communities that are often overlooked. Throughout college, she has been on six domestic and international volunteer service trips. Through her extensive volunteer work, whether it be hurricane disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico, Florida, and North Carolina, environmental protection and sustainability work in Maryland, or economic development field research in Nicaragua, she has gained a profound sense of compassion and responsibility for the world around her. These experiences have shaped her into someone who deeply values the interconnectedness of humanity, recognizing that even the smallest contributions can create a ripple effect in a larger, global community.

She is not just an exceptional student - she is a visionary, a problem-solver and a changemaker. Her ability to blend academic excellence with social impact is truly rare, and I can say with full confidence that Alisa embodies everything the International Student Achievement Award represents.

—Tingting (Rachel) Chung, Clinical Associate Professor of Operations and Information Systems Management, Raymond A. Mason School of Business