GINNY THRASHER (OoA, 2019)
Ginny Thrasher, Olympic Gold Medalist and a 2019 Order of Augusta recipient graduated with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, 12 All-American Honors, 4 NCAA Individual Medals, and 2 NCAA Team Titles. She also was awarded NCAA Top 9 Women of the Year spanning her college career.
After graduation, Ginny moved to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. During her first year of training as a professional athlete, she invented, patented, and worked with a shooting equipment company to distribute a specialized kneeling roll.
In her presentation, Winning the Olympics and the Aftermath, she discussed winning the first gold medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and immediately returning to WVU to begin her sophomore year. While she was prepared for her Olympic event, she was not prepared for the publicity and notoriety that followed.
Currently a Professional Athlete (Rifle Shooting), she is looking forward to the 2024 Olympics in Paris. With a combined social media following of over 65,000 people, she advocates for her niche sport. You can follow her at @GinnyThrasher.
ANNA ZANIEWSKI (OoA, 2005)
Dr. Anna Zaniewski, 2005 WVU Order of Augusta recipient, received her Bachelor of Science in physics from West Virginia University in 2006 and both her master’s and PhD in physics from the University of California, Berkeley. After working as both a physicist and an assistant research professor at Arizona State University where she developed a mentoring program, she became the Chief Technology Officer for Advent Diamond in Tempe, Arizona. At Advent Diamond, diamonds are used as semiconductors to make next-generation electronics.
During her presentation, Diamond and Other Hard Things, she discussed her journey from WVU to diamond electronics and the lessons she learned about leadership, emphasizing the importance of mentoring programs. In addition to her work of developing understanding from various branches of the sciences and engineering to build the technology of the future, Anna also enjoys putting together teams and developing talent. Highlighting the importance of “curiosity,” she emphasized the importance of both having and being a mentor.