Mathews Medal Winners

As the highest non-academic distinction awarded to NC State students, the Mathews Medal honors graduating seniors who have served as student leaders and made significant contributions to the advancement of the university.

The Mathews Medal is named in honor of Walter J. Mathews, the first student to arrive on the North Carolina School of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts campus in October 1889. As an alumnus, Mathews remained deeply involved with the university, and this annual award – given each year at the Founders’ Day dinner – encourages student recipients to envision themselves as future alumni leaders.

NC State’s Alumni Association Student Ambassador Program is pleased to announce the 2023-24 award recipients.

Catherine Carter

Catherine Carter ’24 is a political science major with a concentration in American politics and a minor in Spanish.

As a student, her top accomplishment was co-founding her nonprofit, Lux Resources, which supports survivors of sexual violence through providing legal resources.

She also served as the Student Body Director of Athletics and worked for Congresswoman Deborah Ross as a full-time staffer — the first and only person in her office to be offered such a position before completing their undergraduate degree.

Post graduation, Catherine will be presenting at the 2024 Institute of Violence, Abuse and Trauma Hawaii summit about Lux Resources and plans to move to Washington, D.C., to work on Capitol Hill in legislative policy.

Becky Renfrow

Becky Renfrow ’24 is a biomedical engineering major.

An avid member of the Alumni Association Student Ambassador Program, she served as Homecoming Director, President and Director of the Student Alumni Association.

During her tenure, she helped increase philanthropic giving by 600% during Homecoming 2021.

To further her plans to become an orthopedic physician, Becky worked as a medical administrative assistant at a foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon to gain clinical hours toward medical school.

After graduation, she plans to continue her medical assistant position to accrue clinical hours while applying for medical school.

Joshua Wasserman

Joshua Wasserman ’24 is an international studies and Spanish double major, with a concentration in global relations.

A globally minded student, Joshua served as vice president and then president of Voluntarios Ahora en Raleigh (VOLAR) and dedicated over 700 volunteer hours annually to empowering the Hispanic community through language services.

He also founded and led the Spanish Ambassador Program to create a valuable resource for cultural and linguistic exchange among students. He helped coordinate a Spanish-section newsletter that connected Spanish majors and minors to Latino cultural events, faculty and opportunities.

As a member of the Global Ambassador Program, Joshua’s role focused on enhancing campus internationalization and cross-cultural connection. A notable achievement was organizing the “Global Language Night,” an event that celebrated linguistic diversity, creating a vibrant event for cultural exchange and dialogue.

After graduation, Joshua plans to enter the private sector, specifically focusing on the global security industry and will eventually pursue a master’s degree in international security.