With a parade of honking cars, signs and well-wishers, COVID-19 did not dampen the announcement that senior Alex Branham has been honored with the 2020 Tower of Excellence Award, one of the top two awards the University bestows on its graduates. On Friday, April 17, a caravan of family and friends, including Walsh President Tim Collins and Dean of Students Bryan Badar, presented Alex with the Tower of Excellence Award at his home. Visit this page dedicated to our 2020 graduates on the Walsh website to review a full-list of this year’s special honors.
The TOWER of Excellence Award is the University’s most prestigious and long-standing honor that a Walsh student can attain for work beyond academics.
Alex Branham is an Accounting major with a Theology minor, and a member of the Blouin Global Scholars Program. He earned direct admission to Walsh’s BA/MBA program and is expected to complete his Master of Business Administration (MBA) in May 2021.
Alex received a four-year academic scholarship and has earned a place on the Dean’s List multiple semesters during his Walsh tenure and was inducted into the Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society in Spring 2018. Outside of his studies, Alex has been actively involved on campus, with positions including admissions Cavalier Guide, Finance Department intern, Campus Peacemaker and Career Representative within the Career Readiness and Development Center. Alex also found ways to express his deep Catholic faith and his Accounting knowledge while honing his leadership skills through his roles as Treasurer for both the Student Alumni Association and the Institute of Management Accountants, as well as Praise and Worship Team Leader and AGAPE Retreat Co-Director.
As a Blouin Global Scholar studying food sustainability, Alex has participated in immersion programs in Tanzania and Italy with his cohort. He also traveled to Italy, Bosnia/Herzegovina and France in 2019 through Walsh’s President’s Pilgrimage. Many of Alex’s volunteer efforts are also tied to his faith and to the issue of food insecurity. Since 2018, he has served as a Sunday School Teacher at St. Mary/St. Benedict Parish in Canton. He is also a longtime volunteer at the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank as well as the Beverly-Waterford Food Pantry in his hometown of Waterford, Ohio. In addition, Alex presented on local and global hunger issues at the 2017 Summit Squared national conference, which was hosted at Walsh University. Additionally, Alex has participated in numerous clubs and activities at Walsh such as Campus Ministry, Cav Bash, Dance Marathon, Discover Retreat, intramural sports and more.
“Walsh has truly shaped me into the individual that I am today, and I am forever grateful for the time spent here,” Alex said. “My hope is that I have impacted Walsh in just the slightest way during my time here, especially because it has impacted me forever.”
