Joseph Jajonie wins Student of the Year Scholarship from the Institute of Real Estate Management
Joseph Jajonie of Virginia Beach, Virginia, a Virginia Tech senior pursuing dual bachelor’s degrees in building construction and real estate, received the 2015 Student of the Year Scholarship from the Institute of Real Estate Management and the IREM Foundation.
The scholarship recognizes outstanding students who have shown academic achievement and an interest in pursuing a career in real estate management.
The scholarship covers an all expenses for a trip to IREM’s 2015 Fall Leadership Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, Oct. 20-24, where Jajonie will be formally recognized as the scholarship recipient.
“IREM has provided me the chance to network with industry professionals that I will one day call colleagues,” Jajonie said.
Carrie Woodring, the Virginia Tech Foundation’s director of real estate, recommended Jajonie for the scholarship after meeting him at the 2014 Institute of Real Estate Management’s Capitol Hill Visit Day in Washington, D.C. Woodring is a member of IREM’s Central Virginia Chapter 38. She has since hired Jajonie as a student intern for the Virginia Tech Foundation’s real estate office for his senior year.
“Joe has been active in the Program in Real Estate, and this award recognized his outstanding commitment to a career in real estate,” said Kevin Boyle, director of the Program in Real Estate.
Jajonie is a student member of IREM, serves as president of the Real Estate Club, and is active in student government and residence life. He is currently completing an internship with Colliers International in Washington, D.C., and he has completed two internships with the non-profit Community Housing Partners in Christiansburg, Virginia.
Jajonie’s industry mentor is Karen Whitt, president, US Investor Services & Real Estate Management Services of Colliers International.
“My mentee is bright and eager. He is hungry to learn about the industry. The best parts of my interactions with him have been his enthusiasm, and the depth of the knowledge he exhibits while still in college,” she said.
Virginia Tech’s Program in Real Estate offers a comprehensive interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science degree that builds on existing strengths in six of Virginia Tech's colleges — the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Pamplin College of Business, College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, and the College of Natural Resources and Environment. The program’s experiential courses integrate disciplines such as finance, law, construction, and property management by examining commercial, residential, retail, and mixed-use property from initial project conceptualization through sale or management.
Written by Rory Halligan of Manchester, a junior Communication Studies major in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
