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Jennifer Tudder Walus '97: Dartmouth Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award Recipient, 2009--10

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Jennifer Tudder Walus '97 (left) received
the Dartmouth Young Alumni Distinguished
Service Award from Alumni Council president
Janine Avner '81 at the Club and Affiliated Group
Officers Weekend banquet on February 12, 2010.


We simply cannot thank your dad enough for convincing you to make one last stop in Hanover before completing your tour of the Ivies. Already impressed by the land of the black and orange, you did not feel the need to look any further. However, green prevailed as soon as you saw the campus, heard the enchanting voices of the Rockapellas, talked to the students, and even felt the allure of Webster Avenue.

Your decision was undoubtedly the right choice as evidenced by your flourishing undergraduate years at Dartmouth. As a romance languages major and biology minor, you took full advantage of the opportunities to study Italian in Italy and marine biology at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. You made lifelong friends at Epsilon Kappa Theta, and of course with the Rockapellas. An integral part of your Dartmouth experience, you and the rest of the College's exceptional all-female a capella groupsang your way to second place at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella's New England Regional Finals, an elite competition that attracts hundreds of college a cappella groups each year. However, your biggest prize was a certain football player who asked you to be in his band: more than music was in the air and today he is your loving husband, Matthew Walus '97.

After graduation and a brief stint at a law firm which confirmed a career you did not want to pursue, you took a new path and obtained an internship working for the "Got Milk?" campaign. You were soon hired full-time which marked the beginning of a successful career in marketing and public relations, and ultimately became vice president of the multicultural practice of Edelman Public Relations Worldwide. Currently, you are a public relations freelancer and raising your two children, Siena and Christian, who are frequently "Greenwashed" by you and Matthew.

We are thankful that amidst such a busy life, both your voice and your heart still sing "Dartmouth!" Your remarkable list of alumni activities includes serving your class as mini reunion chair, co-president, and member of the executive committee. In addition, you were a member of the executive committee of the Dartmouth Association of Latino Alumni, and served on the Alumni Council. Instrumental to the leadership of the Dartmouth Club of Chicago, you have been the events chair, secretary, president, and are currently the treasurer. Unsurprisingly, we can also find you singing with the Rockapellas whenever possible!

The accomplishments in your life have been in no small part inspired by the Dartmouth faculty who in your own words wanted you to "succeed and be something." To that we can proudly say, "mission accomplished." You are certainly a very special something to the Dartmouth community, and in recognition of all that you have done and continue to do for your alma mater, it is our privilege to honor you with the Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award.