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Graduation – Awards and Student Speaker Competitions

We invite and encourage all ETL graduates to apply for the following awards:


1.  ETL Jere Trout Memorial Award 

The Jere Trout Memorial Award for Excellence in Educational Technology Leadership recognizes outstanding achievement in educational technology leadership in memory of Mr. Jere Trout, the first graduate of the program, who died in 1992. Each year, at graduation, the Jere Trout Memorial Award is presented  to an ETL student  who has demonstrated excellence in Educational Technology Leadership.

Process and Guidelines: Submissions for this award should include the following:

  • One paper or project example that demonstrates your educational technology leadership
  • A brief description (maximum 500 words) of the project, including:
    • Project description (context, purpose, methods, outcomes)
    • How this artifact demonstrates educational technology principles/media/methods/policy
    • How the project is innovative/novel
    • What was the impact of the project on the intended target audience

Selection Criteria: The award selection criteria include:

  • Clarity of project description (purpose, methods, outcomes)
  • Demonstration of educational technology principles/media/methods/policy
  • Innovative/novel characteristics of the project
  • Impact of project on intended target audience
APPLY ▶︎

Jere Trout Memorial Award Competition Deadline
Applicants should email award submission to: etladmin@gwu.edu
Entry deadline: March 17, 2024
The recipient of the award will be announced at the
Saturday, May 18th, 2024 GSEHD Celebration 🎓

Previous Jere Trout Awardees:

2024 -
2023 - Jesse Franco
2022 - Deanna Whelan
2021 - Tiffany Moy, Hiba Okar
2020 - Hailey Lee
2019 - John Chad Sabo
2018 - Alvaro Garcia Barba
2017 - Kelly Cashen, Eric Mistry
2016 - Tiffany Edwards, Jamie Jenson
2015 - Gabriel Martinez
2014 - Sazara Johnson
2013 - Nathan Hawk, Mathew Simmons
2012 - Shannon Cantrell, Louisa Schaefer
2011 - Vicki Axarlis
2010 - Kathleen Hughes
2005 - Guy Hamernik
2004 - Jack Hyman
1998 - Janet Agnew, Glen Gummes, Mike Hudson
Year Uncertain - Anne Childers
Year Uncertain - Michael Ehrenfried

2.  GSEHD Student Speaker Competition - Deadline: TBD

See also: GSEHD Graduation and GSEHD School Commencement Celebration


3.  GW University Wide Commencement Student Speaker Competition -
      Deadline:  February 21st, 2024

The GW University Wide Student Speaker Competition allows students to compete for a chance to address classmates and the rest of the GW community at Commencement on the National Mall. Undergraduates, graduates, on-campus and distance learning students from the graduating class are eligible to compete. Candidates must be in good academic standing with the university.

Please note all GSEHD graduating students who apply to the Commencement competition will also have their speech considered for the GSEHD Graduation.  Apply Here for GW Commencement Student Speaker Competition

Deadline: February 21st, 2024.