The J. Edward Zollinger Outstanding Senior Award is presented annually to a senior in each of SigEp’s 26 districts for outstanding scholastic and extracurricular achievement. Two of this year’s recipients share a common experience of service in the Army National Guard.

Before enrolling at the University of Nevada-Reno, Thomas Green, ’16, enlisted in the National Guard. A member of the 485th Military Police Company, he participated in operations in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Afghanistan.

At Nevada-Reno, Green joined SigEp and took on several mentoring roles, including Phi challenge coordinator. He continued to serve as a guardsman and with the Fraternity while pursuing leadership opportunities on campus. As a two-term student government senator, he helped oversee a $2.5 million budget and wrote several successful pieces of legislation. He also led student efforts to combat sexual assaults on campus.

Green has maintained a 3.55 GPA and plans to pursue a career in education. After graduation, he’ll serve as a SigEp regional director before pursuing a master’s degree in educational leadership.

Christopher Piotrowski, Washington State ’16, began college like many students, enrolling right after high school. However, in his sophomore year, he took a six-month leave of absence to enlist in the National Guard. He was awarded two Army achievement medals for excellence in leadership and physical fitness and was the distinguished honor graduate of his class of UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter mechanics.

When he returned to campus, Piotrowski was elected chapter president. He helped establish new standards for accountability and worked to develop sustainable operations through transition retreats and an alumni mentoring program. He was asked to advise the university’s administration on new risk management procedures and even served on the search committee for the school’s new director of multicultural organizations.

A finance major, Piotrowski has maintained a 3.84 GPA while performing missions across his state with the National Guard and fulfilling leadership positions on campus and in his chapter. In his off hours, he obtained a real estate license and secured a job as an investment broker for a Seattle-based commercial real estate firm.

To learn more about Zollinger Senior Awards and Scholarships, visit www.sigep.org/zollinger.