Piedmont Virginia Community College student Grayson Katzenbach, of Waynesboro, was recently named as one of America’s top 20 community college students and the top community college student in Virginia.
Sponsored by the Follett Higher Education Group with support from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the All-USA Community College Academic Team annually recognizes exceptional students from the nation’s community colleges.
This year, Katzenbach was one of only 20 students from 1,800 nominations from more than 1,000 community colleges selected for this prestigious award. To be selected for the All-USA Community College Academic Team, students must meet a variety of criteria and demonstrate intellectual rigor, academic achievement, leadership and civic growth. The program also recognizes students who extend their community college education to better themselves, their schools and their surrounding communities.
In addition to this national recognition, Katzenbach has been named this year’s Coca-Cola New Century Scholar for the state of Virginia, a designation she earned by receiving the highest All-USA Community College Academic Team application score in the state.
“I am still in awe and am incredibly humbled by this award,” said Katzenbach. “This is my freshman year of college, and here I am being recognized as the highest ranking community college student in the state, which is mind blowing to me. I cannot encapsulate how thankful I am for my incredible support network and to PVCC for gifting me the tools to excel.”
Katzenbach, 19, is a liberal arts major, who first began attending PVCC in fall 2014 as part of the college’s dual enrollment program for high school students. A homeschooled student, Katzenbach graduated early from high school and began attending PVCC full-time in fall 2015.
Once she arrived on campus, Katzenbach quickly set herself apart by becoming a campus leader, taking on the role of vice president of service in the PVCC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges, and by resurrecting the PVCC chapter of Virginia21, a statewide nonpartisan political organization that fosters leadership skills and encourages students to actively involve themselves in higher education legislation. She now serves as president of the PVCC Virginia21 Club and, in fall 2016, recruited 25 students to join her efforts to increase voter registration and turnout among PVCC students for the 2016 presidential election. The club, under Katzenbach’s direction, registered more than 300 people to vote and had the highest voter turnout among the Virginia community colleges.
“In today’s political atmosphere, a lot of students don’t know how to be heard,” Katzenbach said. “Virginia21’s motto is that we are the voice of a generation. We deal with real legislation and teach students to effectively be the change. Our goal is to equip the next generation with the tools to make a difference within our political system.”
During her time at PVCC, Katzenbach has received statewide recognition for her academic success. In summer 2016, she was selected as a Valley Proteins Fellow for the 2016-2017 academic year. This competitive scholarship program, administered by the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education, is awarded to community college students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential and financial need. Katzenbach was one of only nine Virginia community college students selected for this honor.
Beyond her academic achievements and campus leadership skills, Katzenbach is also a leader in her community and believes that one of the traits that set her apart from other nominees is her dedication to the sport of fencing. Katzenbach was the first Virginian female in history to compete in the Junior Olympics in all three weapons and placed first in all of her state categories and sixteenth at the North American Cup. She now teaches the sport to children and has started her own fencing business, Valley Fencing Alliance, where she has already introduced fencing to more than 80 students.
“Fencing is a major component of my rigorous curriculum,” Katzenbach said. “Being an individual sport, fencing is entirely self-driven and therefore instills responsibility and respect towards others. It is heralded as one of the most beneficial sports for children and it’s my dream to make fencing accessible to children who would not otherwise engage in the experience.”
Katzenbach is the eighth PVCC student to be recognized as the New Century Scholar since the award was created in 2001. To date, PVCC has the highest number of New Century Scholars in the Virginia Community College System.
“The fact that a PVCC student has been named the Virginia New Century Scholar eight out of 17 years is truly amazing considering that there are 23 community colleges in Virginia,” said PVCC President Frank Friedman. “It speaks volumes about the quality of a PVCC education and the culture of excellence established by the PVCC faculty. We are extremely proud of Grayson and our other outstanding students who have received this award.”
In addition to receiving $7,000 in scholarship funds for her achievement, Katzenbach will be recognized at the Phi Theta Kappa’s Presidents Breakfast at the annual AACC Convention in New Orleans, La., on April 24. She will graduate from PVCC in May 2017 and plans to transfer to the University of Virginia (U.Va.) to complete her bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in bioethics.
“PVCC has been an ideal place for me,” said Katzenbach. “I believe I have grown more at PVCC than I would have at a traditional four-year school. The fantastic professors, faculty, and staff at PVCC have fully prepared me to enter the U.Va. as a junior and have also better prepared me to enter the workforce once I’ve completed my education.”
About Piedmont Virginia Community College
Piedmont Virginia Community College was founded in 1972 and serves residents in the city of Charlottesville, as well as the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson. Since its founding, an estimated 213,000 students have taken credit and noncredit classes at PVCC, and the college has awarded more than 12,000 associate degrees and certificates. Learn more by visiting www.pvcc.edu or by calling 434.977.3900.
About Phi Theta Kappa
Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of community college students to grow as scholars and leaders. The society is made up of more than 3.2 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in nine nations.
About Follett Higher Education Group
Follett Higher Education Group is the leading provider of college and university bookstore services. Since 1873, Follett has served as the trusted partner in education for students and educators at all levels of learning. Today Follett delivers print and digital learning materials, retail services, library resources and school management systems on more than 1200 college campuses and across 65,000 elementary and high schools.
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