Max Nolin '13 and Dr. Sarah J. Terrill '13 are the first recipients of an award honoring young alumni.
The Outstanding Young Alumni Award, which was given to two recipients on May 15 as part of Alumni Weekend, recognizes the achievements and contributions of graduates of the last decade or alumni who are under the age of 40. Also recognized at the awards ceremony that day were Alumni Merit Award recipients.
Max Nolin
A noted educator, musician and community leader, Nolin has made an impressive impact in the Washington, D.C., area. As assistant head of middle school at Norwood School, a leading PK-8 institution renowned for its child-centered learning approach, Nolin cultivates a love for learning and empathy among students.
His passion for music and community development was shaped during his time at BW, where he majored in vocal performance and music history and literature before pursuing a master's degree in choral conducting from Westminster Choir College of Rider University.
His dedication to music extends to his role as sanctuary choir director at Bethesda United Methodist Church and music director of the Loudoun Chorale, where he transformed a modest group of 60 singers into a symphonic choir of nearly 170 voices.
Nolin has continued his BW connection in supporting students who are pursuing careers in music. During his time at Westminster Choir College, he played a pivotal role in the Westminster Summer Choral Institute, fostering connections between BW and Westminster students, and assisting with BW Motet Choir tours.
Dr. Sarah J. Terrill
An accomplished scholar and researcher, Terrill laid the foundation for her career at BW with majors in neuroscience and psychology before earning a doctorate at Florida State University, where she conducted pioneering research on how hormones produced in response to eating affect the brain and influence behavior.
Through this work, she received a prestigious award from the National Institutes of Health and was published in seven peer-reviewed manuscripts, which highlighted how GLP-1, a hormone linked to the weight-loss drug Ozempic, reduces appetite.
She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Southern California before returning to Ohio for a postdoc with BW alumna Dr. Christine Dengler-Crish at Northeast Ohio Medical University.
In addition, she served as adjunct professor at BW and collaborated with BW professor Dr. Clare Mathes and others on a research project examining how early-life consumption of artificial sweeteners changes taste behavior in rats.
In her current role as assistant professor of neuroscience at Carthage College in Wisconsin, Terrill is supporting the next generation of scientists. She received a grant from the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium to explore CO2 sensitivity in rats, a study with implications for space travel.
