Abigail Dillard '25 knows scholarship and excellence.

Dillard, an electrical engineering senior, graduated with a 4.0, one of four students in the department to do so, while also dedicated to three different minors: Asian studies, Japanese studies, and international studies. In her free time, she served with Phi Kappa Phi, one of the nation's oldest honor societies.

In recognition of her achievements, Dillard received the Phi Kapp Phi medallion for the College of Engineering. Only the top graduating senior in each college is selected for this honor.

Dillard knew she wanted to pursue engineering at Virginia Tech thanks to a fun cousin who was a retired nuclear engineer with an eclectic collection of projects: a steam-powered boat, a hovercraft, even a 1908s elevator.

"I wasn't sure which field to pursue. I gained some interest in ECE because my bother started at Virginia Tech as a computer engineer, but I'd wanted to do more hardware rather than software," she said. "So, I took the intro to ECE concepts spring of my freshman year - taught by Arthur Ball - and thoroughly enjoyed it. Really, Dr. Ball was the reason I considered electrical engineering for my career."

Dillard is in the accelerated undergraduate/graduate program at VT, hoping to do her master's thesis in one year; she is focusing on controls and robotics within electrical engineering. When not studying, she is the treasurer of SalsaTech and president of the Japanese Cultural Association.