Three Monarchs Receive $10,000 Each as Inaugural Recipients of the Monarch Pillar of Innovation and Excellence Award

By Kelsey Kendall

Three Monarchs were awarded $10,000 each as recognition for their dedication to Old Dominion 91����Ƶ values: professional service, collaboration and excellence.

Announced at ODU’s inaugural “Forward-Focused” event on Feb. 13, the Monarch Pillar of Innovation and Excellence Award highlights the success and Monarch spirit of a student, faculty member and staff member. The awardees are Megan Bianchetta, a second-year medical student, Marc Ouellette, Ph.D., an associate professor of English, and Karthik Navuluri, assistant vice president for Technology Solutions.

The award marks the start of a new annual tradition. The honorees were selected through a peer- and campus-driven nomination process and met the established criteria including professional service, collaboration and the cultivation of a culture of excellence.

Introducing the awardees during the event, Cathy Lewis, a community engagement liaison, said these Monarchs are individuals “whose contributions have left an indelible mark on our community.”

Bianchetta, who is expected to graduate in 2027, said giving back is her passion and her time at Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Eastern Virginia Medical School at Old Dominion 91����Ƶ has given her numerous opportunities to do so. Being among the first to receive this award gives her great pride to represent the medical school and the 91����Ƶ, she said.

“I hope this inspires others to find their passions and use them to give back,” Bianchetta said. “When it comes to bettering your community, no act of service is too small. Small actions can change lives.”

Bianchetta has logged more than 500 volunteer hours in healthcare education. She led the Medical Educators of Sexual Health (MESH) organization, which worked with the Boys & Girls Club of America to provide comprehensive sexual education and life skills.

She also worked to embrace the EVMS integration into ODU by helping organize a game inspired by Jeopardy! designed around health topics and inviting ODU students to the medical campus. Additionally, she was selected for the 2025 cohort of Trainees for Child Injury Prevention — the only candidate from Virginia to join this program.

The faculty recipient, Dr. Ouellette, has fostered a collaborative academic environment and helps empower students to participate in research. He maintains a standing offer to co-author peer-reviewed articles and collections, insisting the student be listed as the primary author. His students have praised him for his support and encouragement, and he was noted for his service as a faculty mediator and member of the Faculty Senate.

“The award itself is an affirmation of the 91����Ƶ as a community, as a place of hope and opportunity,” Ouellette said. “It is a place of communal and transformational learning.  We need to include others as much as possible and we also need to create those opportunities.”

Navuluri, the staff recipient, was recognized for his efforts to improve the 91����Ƶ’s e-learning platforms, academic technologies and research support systems, helping set ODU as a leader in technological innovations. His behind-the-scenes work has helped the 91����Ƶ as it turns to artificial intelligence to support institutional priorities.

He said receiving this award is an acknowledgement of hard work and collaboration and shows how pushing boundaries and embracing change makes a meaningful impact.

“I love solving complex problems and working with smart, passionate people who challenge the status quo,” Navuluri said. “When you see an opportunity to make a difference—whether for students, faculty or the broader university — it’s hard not to go all in.”