Two University students received a jump-start this weekend toward their planned political careers, as third-year College students Grayson Lambert and Sarah Buckley received the first annual Senator John W. Warner Public Leadership Awards.
Named after Warner, a 1953 graduate of the University Law School and a five-term member of the U.S. Senate, the award is given to third-year students who exhibit a serious commitment to seeking election to public office in the future.
Politics Prof. Larry Sabato, chair of the selection committee, said the award was offered for the first time this year to honor Warner's long and productive career in the U.S. Senate and as former secretary of the Navy upon his retirement.
"The idea is to encourage bright, able University of Virginia students to consider running [for public office]," he said. "There is a cash award, currently of $2,000 each, and it's a bipartisan award."
One of the awards went to a Democrat, Sabato said, and one went to a Republican, to honor the bipartisan nature of Warner's career.
"He is a Republican but has been supported by Democrats," Sabato said.
Sabato also noted this is not meant to discourage independent or third-party students from applying in the future.
Buckley is a political philosophy, policy and law major from Richmond, who has been highly involved in politics at the University, as president of University Democrats and chair of the council of presidents of Virginia Young Democrats.
The application consisted of an essay and a recommendation, Buckley explained.
The essay was about "why public service is important to me, and what kind of issues are important to me and how public service is a good mechanism to solve them," she said.
Lambert is a foreign affairs major from Columbia, S.C.who has been involved in the University community in a number of ways.
"I am vice chair for trials of the [University] Judiciary Committee," he said. "I'm involved with the Jefferson Society and [Reformed University Fellowship]."
Both recipients also mentioned having experience as volunteers in political campaigns.
Buckley said receiving the award this year was especially exciting, because she and Lambert are the first recipients.
Lambert noted he was "very honored to receive [the award] because Senator Warner has a very distinguished track record."
Sabato noted that although he could not reveal the discussions of the selection committee, the recipients were chosen from among many exceptional applicants because they were "particularly outstanding"
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