Congratulations to Steve Sato

Normally celebrated at the CTAHR Annual Banquet, this year’s Dean’s Award recipients will be honored here, on your laptops and tablets, and with their names carved into the plaques that adorn Gilmore Hall.

2020 Outstanding Alumnus Award

Steve Sato

When Steve was a student at CTAHR in the mid-1960s, he and his friends met at the “Aggie table” to study and eat lunch together. At this table, students provided help and encouragement to one another and developed lifelong friendships.

In 2012, Steve visited CTAHR and first discovered that the students did not have a central place to study or gather for lunch. Knowing how important the Aggie table had once been to his classmates, some of whom continued on to earn their MS and PhD degrees, Steve ultimately had the opportunity to create a CTAHR student lounge with the assistance of Ania Wieczorek, Interim Dean of Academic and Student Affairs.

Today, Steve continues to support the oft-visited lounge, located on the first floor of Gilmore Hall in the Academic and Student Affairs Office.

Steve says, CTAHR students are the future of agriculture and human resources. I support the college because I want these young people to continue their studies, develop themselves, and go out in the world and make a lasting contribution.

I’m grateful to CTAHR. The support and education I received became the basic foundation for my career goals and accomplishments at the U.S Department of Agriculture. Helping CTAHR bring back that closeness I experienced in the ’60s—when we would gather around that old mahogany table—is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. You can learn so much in a classroom, but it’s the fellowship of students coming to a central place to meet, study, and learn from each other that makes you successful.

When I see CTAHR students using the student lounge, I’m so happy because a wonderful exchange is happening. I will continue to support the lounge because to me, it’s all about inspiring our students to develop everlasting friendships while pursuing their degree in CTAHR. I am overwhelmed with the success of the lounge.