Westfield State cross-country and track and field athlete Mia McDonald has been selected as one of nine students who will be recognized with the university's President's Award for Excellence in Leadership.

McDonald is a junior economics and business management major from Westfield, Mass.

McDonald has served as class secretary, captain of the cross-country team, a representative of the Student Honors Advisory Council, and student representative of the Honors Advisory Committee. She is a member of the track team, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and Alpha Lambda Delta first-year honor society.

McDonald works at Northside Creamery and the Amelia Park Children's Museum, and has volunteered at the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club, Run Stanley, and as a student representative to prospective Honors Program students and families.  

She placed sixth in the women's 5000 meter run at the 2020 MASCAC indoor track and field championships to help lead the Owls to the team title.

Created in 2007, the President's Award for Excellence in Leadership recognizes the achievements of highly qualified students. Student recipients must have a grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 or higher and demonstrate an array of volunteer services performed in the local community and at Westfield State University. Along with an essay, students are required to complete an application listing their co-curricular activities, the leadership groups they belong to, and details of their volunteer participation. 

McDonald and the other honorees will be recognized in a pre-recorded award ceremony will be shared on the University's website in the coming weeks.