Sagar Vira Honored by College

Sagar Vira, a resident of Colonia, NJ, and a graduate of JFK High School in Iselin, has been named by Oxford College of Emory University in Georgia as the Student Leader of the Month, and has also been selected by the college to be listed in “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.”

Sagar was named Student Leader of the Month by the college for his numerous contributions and leadership abilities.   The Student Leader of the Month Award selections are based on each candidate's performance and demonstrated values like awareness of self and empathy with others, ethical leadership principles and practices, collaboration and problem solving, commitment and action, and ethical engagement and citizenship.

Honi Migdol, Oxford College assistant dean for campus life, announced the selection and shares this excerpt from the nominations for Vira: “While Sagar has been a consistent leader on campus, he demonstrated exceptional leadership and maturity during the Alternative Spring Break trip to New Jersey.”  Sagar, a member of the planning committee, was in charge of service projects for the Alternative Spring Break trip and “worked endlessly” to find ways for students to be helpful while making it a meaningful experience. 

“Sagar demonstrated exceptional leadership in planning a safety day for the children at Lavallette Elementary School,” said Migdol.  “He organized a fire truck, ambulance and police car to all come to the school so that the children would have an opportunity to meet some of the heroes that helped so many of them during Hurricane Sandy.  Over and over, the teachers expressed their gratitude for this project,” continued the college representative.  “While ASB is the most current example of Sagar’s leadership, he has shown his ability throughout the last year.  His freshman year he organized a ‘Pack the Chapel’ event for the Invisible Children organization, and this year he has been instrumental in starting a new service program through the Path Project, that provides after school tutoring for the children in a local trailer park.  Sagar makes sure the volunteers from various school organizations all know what they need to do and provides direction.”

Oxford faculty and staff nominated Sagar for “Who’s Who” along with nineteen other students based upon academic achievement, service to the community, leadership in extracurricular activities and potential for continued success.

In addition to being Student Leader of the Month and on the list of “Who’s Who,”  Sagar is in the Bonner Leadership program and a member of the Honor Council at Emory, a certified Emergency Medical Technician in NJ, and an Eagle Scout.

Oxford College is located on Emory University’s original 1836 campus in Oxford, GA.  One fifth of the students in each Emory freshman class begin their baccalaureate studies with Oxford’s liberal-arts-intensive program.  As juniors, they continue their studies on Emory’s Atlanta campus.  Emory University is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate experience, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities.  Emory is ranked as one of the country’s top 20 national universities by US News & World Report.  For information on Oxford College, visit www.oxford.emory.edu