Emma W. Locke Award

 
Charles A. Locke established the Emma W. Locke Memorial Award in 1946 in memory of his mother, Emma W. Locke. One undergraduate winner is chosen by a committee from among nominees selected by the deans of the undergraduate schools. The award recognizes high scholarship, character, leadership, and devotion to the ideals of the University of Pittsburgh.

 

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Congratulations to the 2022 Emma W. Locke Nominees!

 

Jordann Antoan

School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

During her time at Pitt, Jordann balanced her time as a student with acting as founder and executive director for the Stroke Wellness Center, a non-profit organization which provides resources to stroke survivors with little to no access to traditional healthcare services. She believes in using her work to advocate for others, something she also accomplishes within her professional pre-health fraternity, where she completed training to become a Reporting Advocate, Non-Survivor to help those who are dealing with sexual harassment and assault.

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Avery Emma Bazell

School of Social Work

As a dual degree candidate in Social Work and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, Avery has spent her time at Pitt completing vigorous academic courses while holding leadership positions in multiple organizations, Bridge Beyond Pittsburgh and BASW Club within the School of Social Work. Outside of her academics, Avery also advocates for members of the LQBTQ+ community. She is currently working with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh to launch their new “Big Siblings” initiative.

 

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Eli Brock

Swanson School of Engineering

Eli credits Pitt with helping him discover his passion for research, sustainability and teaching, something he says he will carry with him beyond his college years. After being initially drawn to research by his desire to understand energy systems on a fundamental level, Eli was able to investigate potential rooftop solar panels for the University. Beyond research, Eli has discovered his love for teaching while serving as a teaching assistant to help other students better understand mathematical thought processes. After his time at Pitt, Eli says his success will not be measured by the number of journal publications he produces, but by the impact he has on others.

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Michelle S. Fernandez

School of Computing and Information

As a December 2021 graduate of the School of Computing and Information who also pursued a minor in Creative Writing, Michelle is no stranger to balancing science and art. During her time at Pitt, she combined her passions for writing, education, and information technology and began working as a research assistant in the University’s FacetLab on a project that sought to enhance an AI-enabled intelligent tutoring system for Latino children. Michelle currently works at Carnegie Mellon’s Teel Lab of Computer Science Education and plans to pursue her PhD in Information Science at Pitt.

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Emily S. Jolly

Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences

Emily began her time at Pitt as a first-year student in Pitt’s Honors College with a plan to complete a vigorous course load of 17 to 18 credits a semester – a mission that she can now say she accomplished four years later. Not only was Emily able to excel academically, but she has also been heavily involved in research since her first year. It was while working with the Pymatuning Lab of Ecology when Emily found her passion for ecological research. 

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Murali Kovvur

College of General Studies

Murali was admitted as an undergraduate student with the selective offer for guaranteed admission to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine for the Class of 2027, giving him a strong sense of direction throughout his time at Pitt. While his focus was on his academic pursuits, Murali has also been highly involved with the local nonprofit M-PowerHouse of Greater Pittsburgh, where he continued his long-standing passion for mentorship.

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Kiera Rose Loftus

School of Education

In addition to completing a challenging curriculum here at Pitt, Kiera volunteered over 250 hours of her time to organizations in the Greater Pittsburgh area such as the Jewish Association for Aging, Days for Girls, and the Boys and Girls Club. Kiera says that Pitt led her to her true passion, working with children on the autism spectrum, something she discovered after being hired to work as a behavioral therapist for children and adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.

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Tyler Viljaste

College of Business Administration

Tyler has accomplished much during his four years at Pitt, including founding the Pitt Votes Student Task Force and co-authoring the 2020 University of Pittsburgh Voter Engagement Plan, which increased the student voting rate on our Pittsburgh Campus from 65.9% in 2016 to 78.5% in 2020. Tyler also serves as chair of the 90+ member LGBTQIA+ Resources and Center Task Force, where he coordinated and co-authored the 2021 Report on the Status of LGBTQIA+ Resources at Pitt. In addition, he also worked to create, design, and lead a series of “Know Your Rights” customized train-the-trainer curriculum sessions to over 200 community leaders spanning over 12 unique community organizations on knowing one’s rights against discrimination in Pittsburgh. 

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Brianna Wahlers

School of Nursing

Brianna started her first year at Pitt with a goal to involve herself in every part of the college experience, including academic coursework, clinical experience, extracurricular activities, and social events. Four years later and with many lessons along the way, she can say she was successful. Brianna is currently balancing completing her degree with a job as a Patient Care Technician at UPMC Mercy Hospital’s Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Unit and volunteering at the University’s CoVax vaccination center, where she educates and vaccinates both University and community members. She is most proud, however, of her time as a teaching assistant after being selected from a pool of over 300 applicants.