Blake Christiansen was announced as the Class of 2023’s Outstanding Senior at the Oct. 8 homecoming football game. Nine other seniors were honored at the game for being part of the Top 10 Outstanding Seniors. Christiansen shared his reaction to winning the Outstanding Senior award.

“Complete shock was the initial reaction. Even hours after the announcement, I felt like I was still in shock. I never expected any of this to happen,” Christiansen said. “I remember calling my mom after I interviewed telling her that there was no way I’d even make it to the Top 20. I’m really thankful for everyone who congratulated me and for everyone in Student Affairs who made the whole process work. Y’all are the best.”

Outstanding Seniors are honored annually during homecoming weekend in recognition of their contributions to campus, academic merit and leadership. Student organizations could nominate a senior, after which nominees completed an application process. VPB student homecoming chairs, the Outstanding Senior Subcommittee and faculty judges then selected 20 candidates for the Outstanding Senior election, in which the student body voted. Ten of these candidates were named finalists based on vote counts.  

Campus involvement

The Top 10 Outstanding Seniors were selected in part due to their passion for their respective campus organizations. 

As co-president of Next Steps at Vanderbilt Ambassadores, Sophie Kaiser has worked to expand the organization since her first year at Vanderbilt. This program aims to empower Vanderbilt students with intellectual disabilities, according to its AnchorLink page. Kaiser expressed gratitude for having been a part of Next Steps and pride in its growth over the past four years.

“I feel like Vanderbilt talks a lot about being a school that champions diversity and inclusion,” Kaiser said. “While I agree with that in some respects, I am proud of the way that Ambassadores and my time with Ambassadores has tried to weave a true sense of belonging and partnership into that, especially with our Next Steps program.” 

Interfraternity Council President Ben Powdermaker similarly said he found community within his fraternity, Sigma Nu. Powdermaker stated that he was proud of his service through IFC’S Membership Development Committee, where he worked to reform sexual assault prevention programs in Greek Life.

“When the whole Abolish Greek Life movement was going on, I really wanted to be a part of my fraternity and I felt like it was where I found community, but I also didn’t want to just let a lot of the matters that Abolish Greek Life had been standing for to just go to the wayside,” Powdermaker said. “I made a promise to myself that if I was going to stay in my fraternity, I was going to try to make a difference in changing some of the culture.”

As the President of Transfer Connect, Izzy Kinney similarly said she works to offer support, guidance and community to incoming transfer students throughout their transitions to Vanderbilt. Kinney added that she encourages students to remember that they can thrive at Vanderbilt, regardless of their path to university, just like she was able to do when she found community in VUTheatre.

“The best decision I made as a Vanderbilt student was auditioning for VUTheatre’s production of ‘The Last Days of Judas Iscariot’ my junior year. Getting involved in the theatre community here at Vanderbilt has caused me to declare a theatre minor and seriously consider pursuing a career in the arts post-grad,” Kinney said. “I feel so lucky to be able to surround myself with the arts on this campus, and this immersion has helped me feel truly at home at Vanderbilt.” 

Personal growth

Soleil Kelly, president of Finance Club, said she serves as the first Black president in the club’s history this academic year.

“I was the first Black person, let alone Black woman, on the board for Vanderbilt Finance Club. So that was really a proud moment for me to get there. Now being on the board and now being president, seeing the volume of Black and brown students who are trying finance is super exciting,” Kelly said. “I am far more confident in spaces as a Black woman, knowing more than likely I’m gonna be the only one.” 

Carson Ferrara, president of the Drug Overdose Reduction and Education Initiative and vice chair of the Student Health and Wellness Committee in Vanderbilt Student Government, reflected on his years at Vanderbilt. He also spoke about his feelings on being named an Outstanding Senior.

“Being named an Outstanding Senior is an incredible honor, and something I never could have expected looking back at my first year at Vanderbilt. I was significantly struggling academically, socially and emotionally back then, so to be an Outstanding Senior helps me appreciate the growth I have had during my time here,” Ferrara said.

Namrah Ajmal, president of the Muslim Students Association, said she is grateful to have taken advantage of learning about all the ideas and people present on campus.

“One of the most impactful parts of the Vanderbilt experience for me is the people I’ve interacted with and the connections I’ve made,” Ajmal said. 

Secretary of Alpha Phi Omega, a psychology honors fraternity, and VUceptor Cassidy Latchford said the best decision she made at Vanderbilt was becoming a VUceptor and growing within the community. 

“I made a lot of lifelong friends through VUcept, and I’ve just been able to grow so much as a leader, student, mentor and friend,” Latchford said. “The community within the VUcept group is like no other I’ve ever found in my life, and just being able to help first year students with their transition is so rewarding. It’s hard to put into words, but it was definitely the best decision deciding to apply for that.” 

Advice to underclassmen

Christiansen, battalion executive officer of Navy ROTC and head resident of Gillette House, gave advice that his younger self should have heard.

“He cared a lot about a lot of things, which is good, but it’s too much. Not everything is super serious. You could just have fun,” Christiansen said. 

Co-Director of Camp Kesem, President of CSET Student Affiliates Association and Senior Advisor to Project RISHI Karan Mirpuri said he became a campus leader by learning to be intentional about how he spent his time at Vanderbilt.

“When I first came in, I really wanted to get involved with a lot of different things from orgs to different classes. At one point, it got to be a bit too much for me to chew,” Mirpuri said. “I’ve just become a bit more intentional about what I’m involved in and what I can dedicate my time to.” 

Asya Miles, co-president of the Vanderbilt Alliance on Disability and Condition, advised younger students to focus on what they truly care about and pursue it without letting others’ opinions influence their decisions.

“I would tell myself not to get so caught up in perceptions of other people and what other people are doing. That is something I had to learn, and it negatively impacted my mental health and my thoughts about my career path,” Miles said. “Once I finally pushed those voices away from me, I was able to focus on those things I really care about and end up where I am supposed to be.”