James Monroe Prize in Civic Leadership

2026 - Jason Zheng '26

Jason Zheng, Class of 2026, you advance civic leadership at William & Mary. As soon as you learned you were accepted to the university, you made a personal vow to give back to this community. You have realized this promise in many ways: through Student Assembly, as a law research fellow, a Sharpe Community Fellow, an RA, a teaching assistant, a representative to the Student Conduct and Appeals Board, director for William & Mary's Courageous Leadership Institute and more.

As a Better Arguments leadership fellow, you have affirmed civil debate at William & Mary, training your peers in the skills of democracy. By encouraging participants to challenge ideas, not people, you prove that community can flourish through disagreement. As a testament to your dedication, you are the only student presenter who has spoken at every Better Arguments training session.

You embody civil rights leader Mary Church Terrell’s call to lift as you climb. Beyond the university, you have led voter-engagement efforts, reported on food insecurity, advocated for violence prevention policies and volunteered on behalf of individuals facing eviction.

Jason Zheng, your courageous leadership has made you a role model for this community, now and in the future. In this year dedicated to stewardship for our nation, the university proudly honors you with the James Monroe Prize in Civic Leadership.

2025 - Alison Mayer '25

Alison Mayer, we honor your dedication to helping others succeed. While preparing for a career in education, you have promoted learning as a tutor, mentor, substitute teacher and career coach for children, young adults and those with special needs.

You helped expand William & Mary's Griffin School Partnerships Literacy Lab by recruiting, organizing and training new tutors. As president of the William & Mary Chapter of Best Buddies, you catalyzed friendship and belonging among students and Williamsburg residents. You have advocated for peers through The Haven and welcomed new students as an orientation aide. You helped secure a grant to establish an AmeriCorps program at William & Mary in partnership with local schools and nonprofits.

Alison Mayer, your personal integrity and ability to inspire others will make you an impactful educator. The university is proud to honor you with the 2025 James Monroe Prize in Civic Leadership.

2024 - Jaden Spady '24

Jaden Spady, Class of 2024, we honor you as a civic-leader, a role model and a mentor. You make this community and others more just and welcoming.

On campus, you have led as the former President of the African American Male Coalition, Vice President of the National Pan-Hellenic Council and a William & Mary Scholars Undergraduate Research Experience (WMSURE) fellow. To inspire underrepresented students to attend college, you developed and ran a weekly mentorship program at James Blair Middle School. You coach freshmen (especially underrepresented scholars) through the transition to college life and have fostered intellectual and spiritual growth and brotherhood and sisterhood for students of African descent.

An active participant in our democracy, you worked with William & Mary Voter Engagement to organize voter registration campaigns with the League of Women Voters. You created a historical research presentation to strengthen partnerships with First Baptist Church of Williamsburg (one of the nation’s earliest African American congregations). During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, you hosted a virtual panel with fellow student leaders around the region to set best practices for social activism.

Your dedicated volunteering and fundraising have supported the missions of national nonprofit organizations, including the March of Dimes. During summer and winter breaks, you provided mentoring, coaching and leadership development for the Boys & Girls Club in your hometown of Woodbridge, Virginia. For your accomplishments, you were appointed the Youth of the Year (2020-21). As a state-level ambassador, you used your platform to educate, advocate and share your personal story.

To paraphrase your nominators and the selection committee: you are an invaluable member of the William & Mary community. Your leadership roles and desire to support those who have been historically excluded make this university a more welcoming place. As a role-model, you encourage others to make a true difference.

Jaden Spady, by believing in the power of your story, with grit and determination, you have inspired many to join your efforts to promote belonging at William & Mary and beyond. The university is proud to honor you with this year’s James Monroe Prize in Civic Leadership.

2023 - Sophia Haile '23

Sophia Hagos Haile, Class of 2023, through your tireless efforts to advance inclusivity for students of color pursuing STEM, you make our community a more just and welcoming place. You are a campus leader as student president of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), a member of the African Cultural Society and a Writing Resources Center peer consultant. You spearheaded the formation of a mentorship program for students enrolling in introductory chemistry courses. As a research assistant, you delved into the systemic perception and treatment of Black adolescents in the criminal justice and education systems. And you served as a facilitator helping Sodexo employees on William & Mary’s campus form a recognized union in October 2022.

Your civic leadership has deepened William & Mary’s connections in our communities. You played a pivotal role in organizing an outreach event for 108 students from an underrepresented high school. These students experienced William & Mary’s Integrated Science programs and facilities. As part of this event, you helped convene inspirational small group discussions with William & Mary science students and faculty, campus and lab tours and chemistry department demonstrations.

Beyond your commitment to empowering the next generation of future scientists, you have also applied your talents in preserving history and raising funds for those in desperate need. As a research intern for the Fairfax Cemetery Preservation Association, you helped preserve and consolidate research on 100 Vietnam War veterans from the Northern Virginia area. The resulting database provided an accessible outlet for relatives of veterans to learn about and connect with their loved ones. Additionally, your philanthropic efforts with the African Cultural Society helped shed light on the plight of Ethiopian refugees in the District of Columbia and raised funds to support their needs.

On this campus and beyond, your efforts have amplified inclusion and belonging. Beloved by your peers, you have cultivated a cohort of students of all races and identities who care for one another and our community.

Sophia Hagos Haile, by believing in the power of your story, with grit and determination, you inspire every community you serve to be more just and welcoming. Consequently, William & Mary is proud to honor you with this year’s James Monroe Prize in Civic Leadership.

2022 - Cameron Lynch '23

This year's recipient, Cameron Lynch, has tirelessly championed for the rights of disabled people at William & Mary and at the regional, state and international levels. Cameron has served as undersecretary for Disability Affairs in Student Assembly; member and re-energizer of the Student Accessibility Services Peer Advisory Group; and as a confidential peer advocate for the Haven.

She fought isolation and vulnerability among disabled people by creating “Chronic and Iconic,” a global weekly Zoom support group and Instagram presence. Because of these efforts to make William & Mary a more welcoming community for disabled students and her potential to further disability rights, William & Mary is proud to honor Cameron Lynch.