Established in 2005 with a $50,000 challenge gift from the late John A. Herring (a former Newcomb Hall director), the Fund which was matched subsequently through individual gifts in five years, and was first awarded in 2011 to Marcus Hall, College ’12.
With the addition of Mr. Herring’s bequest to QVA and beginning in 2015, two $5,000 scholarships are awarded annually to two current students, either undergraduate or graduate, of any year who demonstrate leadership, citizenship, and fellowship and have actively supported, through volunteerism and advocacy, the LGBTQ Center at the University of Virginia. Rather than self-nomination, the recipient will be selected through nominations submitted from peers, students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
The student will be known for their exemplary acts of kindness toward people of diverse backgrounds and their participation in the education of others. This person will welcome and encourage a multitude of perspectives and not be a “one book person.”
The application for the 2023-2024 school year has closed. Please check back in the spring for the next application cycle.
The next application period will begin in spring of 2025.
Nominations
Any questions concerning the scholarship may be directed via email to the Chair of the Herring Scholarship, Blair Smith at Studentaffairs@quervirginia.org.
John Herring Scholars
2024 Winner
Tichara Robertson | 2024 CLAS
Tichara Robertson graduated from the University of Virginia in 2024 with a B.A in Political and Social Thought and African-American and African Studies. Throughout her time at the university, she committed herself to advancing the experiences and opportunities of Black students, LGBTQ+ students, and first generation low-income students, and especially those who existed at the intersection of these identities. She served as the Outreach and Operations Intern at the LGBTQ+ center, and in these roles she helped form and run the Black Queer Club. In addition, she worked on a larger scale to advocate for students at the University through her role as Student Council President for the 2023-24 school year. She also focused on this work academically when she designed and taught a course titled Emerging Narratives: Black Queer Youths and wrote her fourth-year thesis on the impact of banned books on the identity formation of Black queer youth. Since graduating, Tichara has moved to Detroit, Michigan to teach middle school English as part of the Teach for America Program. In this role, she is most excited to support and uplift marginalized youth.
2024 Runner-Up
Kelsey O’Donnell | GSAS
Kelsey O’Donnell is a 4th year PhD candidate studying coastal oceanography in UVA’s Environmental Sciences Department. As a young student, she always sought out queer spaces to be a part of, joining and then leading both her middle school and high school’s Gay Straight Alliance clubs. During her first year at UVA, she noticed that there was no group within the department for queer students and so she created a group, Queer in EnviSci, for undergraduate and graduate students within the environmental sciences department. The purpose of this group and its meetings is to create a safe place to celebrate their identity as queer scientists, discuss the hardships faced by queer individuals in both science and academia, discuss resources and conferences for queer scientists, as well as make connections and foster mentorship amongst students at different stages in their academic careers.
Kelsey will also be one of her department’s DEI representatives starting this fall, and she is looking forward to representing and advocating for queer students in this position. After graduating, Kelsey hopes to work with non-profit organizations on applied research projects focusing on coastal protection and resilience, and she hopes to continue to mentor young queer students throughout her career. In her spare time, Kelsey can often be found spending time with her miniature golden dachshund Honey, reading a good book on the porch, or whipping up something delicious in the kitchen.
2023 Winners
Nia Baker | 2024 GSAS
Nia Baker is a PhD candidate in the Sociology department at the University of Virginia. As a scholar of race and sexuality, she explores cultural shifts in sex and intimacy as it relates to queer politics and racial identity. Her research and activism are informed by Black feminist thought and intersectionality theory.
While in the process of interviewing for her master’s thesis on Black queer experiences at PWIs (predominantly white institutions) and HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities), she was reminded of the necessity of safe spaces for those whose sexualities and gender expressions intersect with race, particularly at a PWI with a strong history of racial exclusion. As students recalled moments of exclusion and feelings of otherness in PRIDE centers and in cultural affinity group spaces, she thought critically about what spaces exist for people like her to find community on campus. This reflection inspired her to start Grad/Professional Queer and Trans Students of Color (GradQTPOC). As founder and Co-President, she has worked with others across Grounds to build community and address the specific needs of those with intersecting identities.
Upon graduating, she hopes to extend this activism and these lines of inquiry into sexuality, identity, and power. She is currently working on her dissertation that explores interplay between race, identity, and capitalism by exploring the world of commodified intimacy through Black sex worker experiences.
Abid Hussain | 2023 SEAS
Abid graduated from UVA in 2023 with a B.S. in Systems Engineering. During his fourth year, Abid served as President of the Queer Student Union, becoming the first openly queer and Muslim student to hold the position in the organization’s 51-year history. Under his leadership, he successfully raised over $3,000 to support LGBTQ+ focused organizations in Charlottesville. Abid also forged partnerships with a multitude of student organizations, including the University Programs Council, Student Council, National Alliance on Mental Illness, UVA Mutual Aid, UVA Outdoors Club and many others, in pursuit of promoting diversity and inclusion within the queer community.
Beyond his role in QSU, Abid was a dedicated member of the Student Council’s Diversity and Engagement Committee and was the Engineering School’s Representative for Student Council. His leadership extended to roles such as Director of Engagement with the Muslim Institute of Leadership and Empowerment at UVA, and he served as the Undergraduate Representative for the UVA Computer Science Faculty’s Diversity Committee.
After graduating, Abid embarked on a transformative gap year, traveling across various continents and gaining valuable life experiences. His future aspirations include attending law school, driven by his steadfast commitment to furthering his education and making a lasting impact for the queer community.
2022 Winners
Ankit Agrawal | 2022 Commerce
Ankit Agrawal graduated from the Class of 2022 with a B.S. in Commerce and a B.A. in Computer Science. He was involved in the LGBTQ+ community at U.Va. in a variety of capacities throughout his undergraduate career. In his second year, Ankit served as the Vice President of Finance for the Queer Student Union and raised $2600 in grant funding for the organization. He also served as a Diversity and Inclusion Committee Co-Chair for U.Va.’s Second Year Class Council, overseeing a variety of initiatives, one of which included an informative email titled “A Guide to CVille Pride,” which shared details about and answered common questions regarding Charlottesville’s Pride celebrations for the Class of 2022.
In his fourth year, Ankit got involved with Pride at McIntire, the LGBTQ+ affinity group at the McIntire School of Commerce, and helped strengthen the organization’s visibility through increased programming and social media initiatives. Additionally, he served for two years on the Managing Board of The Cavalier Daily—U.Va.’s independent student newspaper—as the Operations Manager, during which time he also produced a video titled “What is Pride: A Conversation at the Intersection” to discuss the meaning of Pride Month in the context of Black Lives Matter protests and the COVID-19 pandemic. Ankit was honored to be selected as one of two student speakers at the Class of 2022 Lavender Graduation. Outside of these involvements, he acted as a Resident Advisor during his third and fourth years, and volunteered at U.Va.’s LGBTQ Center. Since graduating, Ankit has been working as an Associate Software Engineer at Slack in San Francisco, California.
Spencer Haydary | 2023 Law
Spencer Haydary is a third-year law student at the University of Virginia School of Law. He served as president of the Lambda Law Alliance, the Law School’s LGBTQIA+ affinity group. During his time as president, he built strong coalitions between students and other groups to place a gender-neutral restroom in the main halls of the Law School, organize a protest against Dallin H. Oaks’ speaking engagement at UVA, and ensure all excluded gender-affirming medical procedures would be included in the next round of student health insurance. He currently serves as one of the Co-Directors of the Peer Advisor program at the Law School which provides mentorship opportunities to law students in their first year.
Before attending UVA Law, Spencer worked as a K-3 special education teacher on the south side of Chicago where he cultivated a strong passion for social justice. Upon graduating, he hopes to become an education lawyer, specifically focusing on issues LGBTQIA+ students face.
Lex Williams | 2024 CLAS
Lex (he/they) is a third-year English major and Chinese minor in the College of Arts and Sciences, hoping to pursue a Master’s in Secondary English Education after graduation. This past year, Lex served as the Trans/GNC Advocacy Chair for the Queer Student Union, as well as the Education Intern for the Queer Center. They have been honored to work in community with other queer folks in their time at UVA, working to facilitate stronger relationships between UVA Student Health and the QC to support trans and gender-diverse students, work on Open Housing initiatives, and to volunteer and work at the Queer Center, helping create a space on grounds for queer students to feel comfortable and accepted. In his time as the Education Intern at the Queer Center, Lex also worked to improve lesbian and sapphic visibility in the space, developing a Lesbian Visbility Workshop alongside Alex Winkowski and working with other student leaders to help found the Sapphic Circle, an affinity group for women loving women and nonbinary people, as well as others who find community and acceptance under the sapphic label. In the future, Lex hopes to become a teacher and a support system for queer youth, and plans to continue working with LGBTQ+ children and youth in their local communities to create networks of support and community. They also hope to continue working in community with other queer folks this upcoming school year, uplifting conversations surrounding queer mental health on grounds, strengthening mutual aid networks for queer people in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area, and working with the Queer Center on a binder donation program.
Caroline Davis | 2023 SEAS
Caroline is a fourth-year student, studying biomedical engineering and computer science. She has been the president of oSTEM (Out in STEM) for the past two years. As president, Caroline has increased active student involvement within the organization by 150%, organized UVA’s inaugural Family Weekend Drag Show, which raised over $2,000 for Side by Side VA, and prioritized professional development through collaboration with the Engineering Career Center.
2021 Winners
Kasey Roper | 2021 College
Kasey Roper graduated in 2021 from the English Department’s Area Program in Poetry Writing (APPW) & the Media Studies Department’s Distinguished Majors’ Program (DMP). During her time at UVA, Kasey worked at the intersection of her passions–creative writing and advocacy for the queer community–as the Editor-in-Chief of the Q* Anthology of Queer Culture, an annual LGBTQIA+ literary magazine. She spearheaded the production and release of the third and fourth editions of Q* Anthology and expanded the magazine’s missions to be more intentionally intersectional with sexuality, gender identity, ethnicity, race, disability, and more.
Her Media Studies DMP thesis focused on how LGBTQ+ people who play video games interact with and respond to queer representation in video games, which claims, and often fails, to represent them. While at UVA, Kasey was also a member of Sigma Omicron Rho (SOR), an LGBTQIA+ and gender-inclusive fraternity. She was a journalist & photographer for abCD Magazine, a subsection of The Cavalier Daily as well as a member of FLUX Poetry & Spoken Word (FLUX). Her short stories, poetry, and journalism have been published in several literary magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times (2018) and the Wingless Dreamer (2022).
Kasey is currently volunteering at BreakBread Literacy Project, a nonprofit organization focused on uplifting voices of young writers and removing barriers to the publication industry. She hopes to publish her poetry manuscript and other pieces of her academic and creative work. When she is not writing, she is most likely finding pineapples in the most random of places & adding them to her ever-growing collection of pineapple memorabilia.
Mae Hovland | 2022 College
Mae Hovland graduated from the School of Architecture with a Bachelors in Urban and Environmental Planning and a minor in Environmental Science. Originally from the Twin Cities in Minnesota, she has grown to appreciate Virginia’s warm winters and friendly people.
During her time at UVA, she greatly enjoyed the community and purpose that she found in the Queer Student Union, which she was involved in for four years. As a second year, she served as QSU’s Aromantic and Asexuality Advocacy Chair and helped to create community and raise awareness of Aro/Ace identities. In her fourth year, she served as the president of QSU, as the Union rebuilt community post-covid and celebrated its 50th anniversary. She also helped establish the Sapphic Circle, a group dedicated to providing support and community to women loving women and nonbinary people.
Outside of QSU, she was involved in the International Residential College, the Meriwether Lewis Institute, and the Institute for Engagement and Negotiation. She plans to pursue a career in urban planning with a focus on environmental resilience.
Herring Scholarship 2020 Honorable Mentions
- Matt Lunsford
2020 Winners
Lauren Habig | 2020 Darden
Lauren Habig received her MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. As president of Pride at Darden (PAD), the LGBTQ Club at UVA’s Graduate School of Business, Lauren worked to increase visibility of the LGBTQ-people on grounds and made strides in building LGBTQ community at UVA. Lauren supported the scaling up of the annual Drag Show, with over 500 people in attendance to raise money for local LGBTQ youth services. She also created initiatives between the first and second-year students focused on building strong relationships and better pathways of communication between the two classes. In the broader Darden community, she helped bring an interactive Pronoun Workshop to grounds and served on the 2nd Annual Diversity Week and Lem Lewis Scholarship committees.
Prior to attending Darden, Lauren worked at a nonprofit organization helping to scale sustainable financing solutions for government and nonprofit clients. When she is not working or studying, Lauren enjoys cycling, swimming, and any other activity that gets her and her partner outside.
Blair Smith | 2021 College
Blair is originally from South Riding, Virginia. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Political & Social Thought in 2021. Blair interned with the UVA LGBTQ Center during his second and third years. In this role, he led the “Love is” Valentine’s Day campaign for LGBTQ+ awareness, the Q*nect Coffee Hour series that connected trans/queer undergraduate and graduate students, and an LGBTQ+ Leadership Series. Blair also coordinated the Center’s Speaker’s Bureau and Queer Brunch series. He enjoyed participating in the Center’s relocation from Newcomb Hall’s Lower Level to the building’s Third Floor in 2020.
During his fourth year, Blair served as the President of the Queer Student Union at UVA. He worked to cultivate community and create support systems for LGBTQ+ students amidst the unusual circumstances that accompanied COVID-19. Blair oversaw QSU’s first virtual Pride in June of 2020, which included book clubs, movie viewings, and a compilation of UVA trans/queer student’s creative works.
Outside of these involvements, Blair sang Bass in the University Singers and Chamber Singers choral ensembles. He plans to pursue a career in education.
Herring Scholarship 2020 Honorable Mentions
- Hunter Wagenaar
- Abigail Staub
2019 Winners
Marie Olavere-Terry | 2019 College
Marie Olavere-Terry graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2019 with a B.A. in History. During her time at UVa, Marie focused her efforts in her academics, creative outlets, and especially, her community of fellow Hoos and Houstonians. Upon entering into the University, Marie made it a goal to continue the work of predecessors of improving conditions for all individuals in Charlottesville and her hometown of Houston, TX. In pursuit of this goal, she served as the Vice President of Community Engagement for the Queer Student Union, acted as an officer for Athletes for Equality, and interned for the UVa LGBTQ Center as its Operations, then Engagement intern. In the summer before her third year, Marie also co-founded of PLUS+, an LGBTQ faith group on Grounds to provide a space for LGBT and questioning folks of faith to discuss their being and be free of prejudice. Both in Charlottesville and in Houston, Marie mentored LGBTQ youth. When she wasn’t busy with school, she sang with both the University Singers and Chamber Singers, served as a Producer for the 2016 Music Arts Board, and acted as a Fourth Year Trustee for UVa’s Bicentennial Class.
Marie currently serves as a Post-Graduate Trustee for the Class of 2019 through the UVa Alumni Association. After graduating, Marie joined AmeriCorps VISTA to continue to serve LGBTQ Houstonians at the Montrose Center where she creates cost-tracking systems for the HEB Emergency Food Pantry and forms new programming for its community center. In the future, she plans to attend law school where she hopes to achieve a J.D./MBA dual-degree.
Zoe Pettler | 2019 Philosophy
Zoe Pettler received her Master’s degree from the Corcoran Department of Philosophy in 2019. She also received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and graduated with the highest distinction in 2018 with a double major in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Religious Studies. While at UVA, Zoe served as the Vice President of Education for the Queer Student Union, the Programs Intern for the LGBTQ Center, an executive board member of QueerGrads, and the QVA Intern. Her work supporting the LGBTQ+ community also included a position as Communications Intern with Equality Virginia.
Zoe’s academic interests have been focused on issues of gender and sexuality even as she has shifted between departments. Her undergraduate thesis explored temporality and intimacy in queer women’s relationships. Her qualifying paper for her M.A. discussed the boundaries of queer community spaces, with particular emphasis on the inclusion of marginalized members of the LGBTQ+ community. Her most recent academic project was designing and teaching a nine-day gender studies course for middle and high school students as part of UVA’s Summer Enrichment Program. Zoe plans to continue her academic work in the field of philosophy and will be pursuing her Ph.D. in the near future.
Shaun Khurana | 2018 College
Shaun Khurana received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia (UVA) College of Arts and Sciences in 2018. While at UVA, he received the Kishore Memorial Scholarship and the Garrett Memorial Internship Grant. His LGBTQ advocacy work includes time serving as the QVA Intern, as President of the Queer Student Union at UVA, as the Speakers Bureau Intern then Operations Intern with the UVA LGBTQ Center, and as a Program Intern with the statewide advocacy organization Equality Virginia.
Shaun helped the Office of Admission implement an LGBTQ identifier question on the UVA undergraduate application. He also created the Open Housing Advisory Board, which works to include the voices of impacted students in the administrative decision making process for gender-neutral housing accommodations. He also raised over $8000 to implement the Queer Community Partnership Program which bridges together major sections of the student community (racial, religious, Greek, military, etc) in dialogue to dispel queerphobia and create social acceptance of LGBTQ people in each respective community.
After graduating from UVA, Shaun moved to Columbus, Ohio to pursue his Master of Public Administration (MPA) at The Ohio State University. He is currently working as a Graduate Research Associate and is conducting social policy research. He is passionate about the intersection of human rights and administrative law, and hopes attend law school to pursue a career in government and public service.
Kevin Westfiled | 2019 College
Kevin Westfield is studying Global English Literature and Culture and Women, Gender, and Sexuality. She is the President of the Queer Student Union and the Outreach intern at the LGBTQ Center. Kevin is from South Florida originally and is preparing herself for the winters Chicago where she will be working with Bain&Company after graduation. She has dedicated much of herself to the advancement of the Queer Community on Grounds, and is in the process of creating a Queer Academy of Leadership and Empowerment.
Khanh Tran | 2017 College
Khanh Tran is a fourth year in the College studying Computer Science and Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. Originally pursuing a future in pharmacy, he quickly discovered that chemistry was not his forte and stepped away from that path. He now considers himself a Programmer and a Queer Rights Activist. He is currently the Vice President of Sigma Omicron Rho (UVa and the country’s only Queer and Allied Gender-Inclusive Fraternity), an active panel speaker on the LGBTQ Center’s Speakers Bureau, and a volunteer for the LGBTQ Center. He identifies as a Vietnamese-American, Transgender Male (he/him or they/them pronouns if you were wondering!) and came out during his second year. After coming out, he was determined to make UVA a safer space for gender non-conforming students. Post-graduation, Khanh hopes to do something that would allow him to combine his love for tech with his passion for activism. He wants to continue to help people and wants whatever he will be doing in the future to be meaningful and beneficial to society.
During the Fall of 2015, Khanh met with Dr. Christopher Holstege, Executive Direct of Student Health, to address issues faced by gender non-conforming students when they visit Student Health. Through my meeting, Student Health has undergone a reform of its training programs to make sure receptionists, nurses, and health care providers are sensitive and respectful to preferred name and pronouns. Spring 2016, him and his partner developed a mobile application version of the LGBTQ Center’s website in order for students to have more accessibility to resources such as an upcoming events feed and the gender-neutral bathroom map. The biggest feature of this app is to allow students to find the closest gender-neutral bathroom using their phones instead of having to pull out their laptops.
Since coming out as trans during second year, Khanh has had to navigate the process of transitioning here at UVa. He decided to document the entire process and is currently working on a resource guide to transitioning at UVa in the hopes that he can help out students through his experiences. The resource guide will include information on trans-friendly health care providers, resources that are available to students, the process of changing your name in UVa’s systems depending on if your name is legally changed or not, and the medical transitioning process through the Teen Health Center. He hopes to have this guide finished and released as a resource to students by the time he graduates in May.
Carrie Myatt | 2017 College
Carrie Myatt studied Women, Gender, and Sexuality in the College of Arts & Sciences. The interdisciplinary nature of her course work combines her interests in feminist and queer theories with policy and organizing practices. Her extracurricular work has included involvement with various social justice initiatives, such as the Queer Student Union and Queer and Allied Activism.
Outside of the University, Carrie has spent her time involved with various non-profit organizations in Richmond, Virginia. During an academic leave of absence, she volunteered with the Fan Free Clinic assisting with managing records for HIV prevention efforts and with Opportunity, Alliance, Reentry tutoring formerly incarcerated community members in computer skills.
In Summer 2016, she completed a Program internship with Equality Virginia, a statewide nonprofit LGBT rights, education, and advocacy organization. In this position, she worked on outreach for the Transgender Advocacy Speakers Bureau and the Equality Means Business Campaign. In addition to outreach, Carrie researched and wrote for various Equality Virginia publications about LGBT policy on state and national levels.
During her second year she completed a Health Education internship with the LGBTQ Center and will be returning as the Programs intern for the 2016-2017 academic year. In this position, continued her work with the Safe Space Training program and expanding the scope and depth of the LGBTQ Center’s programming.
When not working on social justice initiatives, Carrie spends time with her frat
The 2015 John A. Herring Scholarship for Social Awareness award recipients are Brandon Chinn (Darden ’15) and Thomas Pilnik (College ’16).
Brandon Chinn (Darden ’15)
Brandon Chinn received his MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, where he earned the C. Steward Sheppard Distinguished Service Award, the Keven Bewley Memorial Scholarship, and the Faculty Award for Academic Excellence. He served as the president of Pride at Darden (PAD), making great strides for LGBTQ MBAs in admissions, fundraising, and campus climate.
Brandon organized a silent auction, which raised over $11,000 for Darden’s endowment for LGBTQ scholarships, as well as $1,000 for the Blue Ridge PFLAG Chapter. While president of Pride at Darden, Brandon also improved the admissions process for LGBTQ applicants, successfully orchestrating the addition of an “LGBTQ check box” to Darden’s application. During Brandon’s tenure as PAD President, Darden, for the first time ever, offered over 3 LGBTQ scholarships to prospective students through the ROMBA fellowship.
Furthermore, Brandon led the charge to improve Darden’s inclusion score (measured by the FriendFactor MBA Challenge) by 30%, thanks to several educational events on campus such as an Ask Me Anything lunch, a GAYme Night Cold Call, a National Coming Out Day First Coffee, and the annual Darden Drag Show. Prior to attending Darden, Brandon was active in the queer theatre community working with companies such as Re:Directions Theatre, Theatre Askew, and the Actors Theatre of Louisville, where he played a leading role in The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, An Epilogue. After his time at UVa, Brandon will join Peer Insight as a Senior Innovation Consultant in Washington, D.C.
Thomas Pilnik (College ’16)
Thomas Pilnik is studied Cognitive Science and Studio Art in the College. Initially considering a life in Architecture, he quickly transferred into the College to explore a more holistic and extracurricular focused education. In recent years, Thomas has been significantly involved in the University Programs Council, Orientation and New Student Programs, and the Minority Rights Coalition amongst others.
Through his involvement in a wide variety of student groups, he has been able to interact with a wide array of students and listen to their concerns. Because of this, in the fall of 2014 he worked to start the Multicultural Student Center Initiative with a group of six other students. The MSCI has opened up the challenge of bringing an inclusive, resourceful, and collaborative space to the University. Through this, they hope to expand the dialogue surrounding diversity and inclusion with The Center acting as the starting point. Post-graduation, Thomas intends to pursue a career in Higher Education and Student Affairs to further the ability of universities to create truly open-minded, well-rounded, and global citizens.
2014 Recipient
Greg Lewis, CLAS ’15
Greg Lewis is a fourth-year student and Echols Scholar double majoring in Media Studies and Women, Gender & Sexuality. During the Spring 2014 semester, he worked to re-establish the previously defunct Queer & Allied Activism (QuAA), bringing a focus on social justice back to the University’s queer community. Greg helped plan QuAA’s Queering Spaces project, a visual campaign and open discussion which called out places at UVA that are unsafe for queer students and students of color. QuAA also partnered with the Middle Eastern Leadership Council (MELC) to organize a joint event called “Being Middle Eastern Has No Sexuality,” which brought together the vibrant Middle Eastern and queer communities for the first time in both organizations’ history. Under the mentorship of Professor Andre Cavalcante, Greg is currently researching gender-nonconforming, queer hip-hop performers, specifically focusing on New Orleans bounce artist Big Freedia. Greg served as the LGBTQ Center’s Marketing and Community Outreach intern for the 2013-2014 academic year, developing a unified visual brand and increasing the Center’s reach across the University. He helped plan and curate Reel Colors, a new queer film series hosted at the Center. At UVA, Greg is a Senior Resident in UVA’s Housing & Residence Life program and the 2014 recipient of the program’s DeSantis Family Scholarship. He has worked for an array of nonprofit organizations, including The Cavalier Daily, American Documentary | POV, the Century Foundation, and the Times Square Alliance. He has been recognized by the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, the Virginia Press Association, and the Institute for Practical Ethics. Greg hopes to pursue a career that combines his deep interest in queer theory, cultural studies, investigative journalism, and radical politics to further causes of social and economic justice.
2013 Recipient
Wo Chan
Wo Chan now lives in Brooklyn, New York, pursuing passions in poetry, drag, and LGBT community enrichment. While a student at UVA, Wo was involved in a number of student groups, including serving as vice-President of the Queer Student Union, directing Live Homosexual Acts with Queer and Allied Activism, and helping form the very (un)official drag queen sisterhood known as the Proud University Sisters for Service. Beyond the University, Wo made himself known in Charlottesville and the surrounding area as well, making a strong effort to network with other LGBT groups like Charlottesville Pride, PFLAG, and Madison Equality. After a member of the LGBT community was assaulted on Grounds last November, Wo and many other leaders of the queer community led a Rally Against Hate Crimes that united many segments of the queer community under the same Rotunda, both literally and figuratively. As a drag queen, Wo has found himself representing the community in another totally unexpected way, performing at the first Charlottesvile Pride Festival and many other benefit shows including acts for Charlottesville’s AIDS Services Group and Lynchburg’s Pride Night. Academically, Wo’s poetry is very queer-centric, often exploring themes of performitivity, closetedness, the personal, complex intersectionality of biculturalism, gayness, and gender expression. Wo intends to pursue an MFA in Poetry in the following year, and hopes to add to the grand historic queerness of the American poetic cannon.
2012 Recipient
Katherine Mayfield ’12
Katie Mayfield studied fiction-writing and theatre. She’s been involved in a variety of LGBT organizations and causes since her first year, and she was one of two presidents of the Queer Student Union. Since arriving at UVa, Katie has organized educational meetings, protests, counter-protests, vigils, queer monologue shows, and Oscar Wilde plays infused with drag queens. Otherwise, Katie volunteered with VISAS an an ESL assistant to employees in the UVa hospital system, co-coordinated The Undergraduate Reading Series, works with elementary, middle, and high school students to help them develop their creative writing skills, and delights in conducting games of bingo for the residents of a local hospice. After she graduates, Katie hopes to write professionally and work to improve the lives of LGBT refugees, homeless youth, and veterans.
2011 Recipient
Marcus Hall ’12
Marcus Hall graduted from the College of Arts and Science, majoring in Spanish and Anthropology. He studied abroad twice, in Spain and Argentina. He co-coordinated two discussions/presentations at UVA relating to Africa-American queer identity and race as well as transgender issues. He has been a Peer Advisor and writer for the Office of African American Affairs. He worked in fundraising for the University, through the Phon-a-thon for two years. He has worked as a research assistant in the Curry School of Education under the Youth-Nex (UVA Center to Promote Effective Youth Development). Outside of academics he enjoys athletic activities like rowing and dance, plus experiencing the world through international foods. He wants to work in Youth Development in the future, particularly in the area of literacy enhancement for low-income minority students. He has enjoy his experience at UVA and continues to learn, grow, and persevere.
Prior year recipients are listed here.
Obituary of John A. Herring
John Augustus Herring III was born on March 29, 1930, in St. Petersburg, Florida.
He died on Friday, April 20, 2012 in Richmond, Virginia, the son of Dr. John A. Herring, Jr. and Evelyn Dulin Herring, formerly of Lexington, Kentucky. John attended Florida Military Academy (now Stetson Hall University) in St. Petersburg. After graduation from Florida Military Academy, he became a Cadet at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. It was noted in “The Bomb,” the VMI yearbook, that one could hear Mr. Herring before one saw him because he was always whistling Beethoven or Bizet. Classical music and a love for the arts in general followed him the rest of his life.
After his commission, Herring served in the United States Air Force in Korea where he was a First Lieutenant and attaché‚ in the 49th Bomber Squad. Upon completing military service, John received a Master of Arts in History at the University of Virginia and became a lecturer for the E. I. du Pont de Nemours Company. Herring returned to Charlottesville in 1958 and became Assistant Dean and Director of Newcomb Hall at University of Virginia, a position he held until 1989. During his tenure at the University, John organized and produced the University’s Artists Series.
Because of his intense interests in music and the arts, he brought many world renowned performers to the University and Charlottesville community, including, Van Cliburn, Mischa Dichter, Julie Harris, The London Symphony, The Hague Philharmonic, and many illustrious Broadway productions. Often, he served tea and sherry after the performances. Many great artists attended gatherings at his antique filled home. His students relished the opportunity to meet these performers in a small setting. John took great pride in his association with the University and often said the Artists Series was his finest hour; the Series lasted for many years. Mr. Herring, as he was known to his students, was supportive and generous. John’s objective in life was to encourage education for his students and everyone he met. To that end, he worked tirelessly to let young people know there was a world beyond their immediate eyes, and to promote tolerance.
After retirement from the University of Virginia, John moved to Richmond and resumed his travels. He drove across the United States, and visited friends. A world traveler, Mr. Herring especially enjoyed his many visits to Europe. He had a special love and respect for Venice, Italy, and his Professor Robert O. Cuppy whom he said was his greatest teacher. An avid collector of fine art, his eye for detail was that of a connoisseur. To his friends, when he wanted to be the teacher, he would say, “well, that is pleasant, but it isn’t real.” John continued his pursuit of, and interest in, arts and antiquities for the remainder of his life. He donated a number of important pieces to the University of Virginia Art Museum, where he served on the collections committee.
A great supporter of QVA, he provided scholarships to students in need to help them continue their studies. His friends and former students joined him in establishing the John Herring Scholarship for Social Awareness at University of Virginia. Herring was honored with the Distinguish Service Award by the University of Virginia Alumni Association, among others awards received during his tenure at University of Virginia. John Herring was preceded in death by his parents; twin sister, Jane (in infancy); and sister, Evelyn (Herring) Harmon.
Survivors include his nephew John Harman and wife, Patricia, of Bluefield, West Virginia; and their daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, both of whom are in doctoral programs of which he was very proud. In lieu of flowers contributions can be made in his memory to the John Herring Scholarship for Social Awareness care of the University of Virginia Alumni Association.
This obituary was originally published in the Daily Progress.