Some 50 people gathered Wednesday night to award four recipients the Walter J. Mathews medallion.

Seniors Stephanie Canady, Jennifer Edwards, Brice Nielsen and David White were honored for their dedication and devotion to the enhancement of the campus community during their tenure as undergraduate students.

“These four students have outstanding records of accomplishments,” Chancellor James L. Oblinger said. “[The award] was established by the Alumni Association and student ambassadors as a means of recognizing outstanding students and their leadership contributions.”

To receive the award, seniors must submit an application that includes proof and description of service to the University, two essay questions and two letters of recommendation.

“It feels nice to get recognition for all the contributions I’ve made,” White, a senior in industrial engineering, said. White was the president of Alpha Pi Mu, the treasurer of a fraternity, a student ambassador and the director of the traditions committee.

“It’s more exciting to know we’re the first class to get it,” Edwards, a senior in business management, said. “Hopefully we’ve set the standard for future recipients.”

The event served as the inaugural awarding of the medallion and is modeled after the Watauga medal that is the highest non-academic award given to alumni by the University.

“It’s such an honor,” Canady, a senior in communication, said. Canady will graduate with a degree in three years. “That humbles me even more that I got this award in three years.”

Canady, a Park Scholar, was involved with the ambassador program, the Chance for Dance program that offered free dance lessons for children and was the parade chair that created the Hillsborough Street parade, a tradition that she said she hopes will continue.

“It’s really great, I feel really blessed to receive it,” Nielsen, a biology major, said. “There’s just so many ways you can serve N.C. State and to get acknowledgment for it is wonderful.”

The award is named for Walter J. Mathews, the first student enrolled at the College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1889, and is representative of a student’s desire to attend the university, to contribute to its well-being and to leave a legacy on campus. The award serves to promote to the student body that same interest in their alma mater after graduation.

“The biggest thing I learned was that a lot more people realized what I was contributing than I thought,” Nielsen said. “I think a lot of people do it and think nobody realizes it.”

The recipients have words of advice for current undergraduate students.

“Never get discouraged by the size of the University,” Canady said. “It’s easy to just stand in the background but the school offers so many advantages.”

White said he agrees.

“Take advantage of everything the University has to offer,” he said. “We’re lucky to be students here.”

A Founders’ Day celebration was also hosted in the Brickyard Wednesday where almost 1,000 students received free pizza, cake and ice cream and had the chance to get free T-shirts by correctly answering questions about the history of N.C. State.

“I think it went really well, we had a big turnout,” Connie Justice, chair of the traditions committee of the Alumni Association student ambassador program, said. “I think they learned a lot through getting the T-shirts because everybody loves free T-shirts and food. I think it was really successful.”