2026 PPE Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award Winner

The David H. Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics is proud to feature Charlie Clifton, a Spring 2026 PPE graduate, as the 2026 PPE Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award winner.

Charlie, can you tell us a little about yourself, academically?

I am a senior in the class of 2026 and a PPE major. I was initially accepted into the business school, which I enjoyed, but after a friend of mine told me about the PPE program, I was immediately interested in changing my major. The blend of philosophy coursework with the more practical concepts taught in my political science and economics classes made it the perfect major to allow me to excel both academically and professionally. After my time at Virginia Tech, I plan to continue my education at the University of Oxford in the MSc Social Science of the Internet program. 

What has your experience with the PPE program been like, and what are some of your favorite aspects of the program?

I have loved my time in the PPE program. It is clear that all of the faculty care deeply about the subjects they teach. I have spent so much time in office hours with my professors, discussing concepts from class. I also appreciated how the department organizes multiple lecture series from experts in the field outside of the classroom. Some of my favorite memories at Virginia Tech have been attending these talks and interacting with other students at receptions afterward. 

I particularly enjoyed the freedom in course selection that the PPE major offers. I used this freedom to find courses related to my interests in technology, such as “Ethical Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence” and “Cryptoeconomics.” These courses allowed me to apply my knowledge built in foundational PPE courses to emerging areas of study. 

How do you think PPE has set you up for success?

PPE has set me up for success by providing a strong academic foundation across a variety of subjects while also allowing me to specialize in specific areas that interest me. The technology-related courses I took at Virginia Tech inspired me to seek out a similar interdisciplinary master’s program at the University of Oxford next year. As an incoming master’s student, I also appreciate the opportunities to undertake research that the PPE program offers. The PPE capstone course is a semester-long research project that culminates in students creating an original research project. This was great practice for master’s and PhD programs. The capstone course, like many of my other courses, was also very discussion-based, which helped me develop my communication skills. This has helped me do well in job interviews and has given me the confidence to communicate effectively in professional and academic environments. 

If you could give other students in the program advice, what would it be?

Engage with the faculty and your peers outside of the classroom. During my freshman year, I thought I would bother my professors by approaching them outside the classroom, but that was far from the truth. The PPE faculty is passionate about the subjects they teach and appreciates any opportunity to discuss these subjects with students in or outside of the classroom. I have learned just as much from talking with professors at office hours and attending extracurricular PPE events as I have in the classroom. 

I would also advise students to take advantage of the PPE program’s broad range of subjects to explore what interests them. Take strange classes that sound interesting, and always push yourself academically. I would have never figured out what I wanted to do in the future if I hadn’t constantly pushed myself out of my comfort zone by taking new and interesting classes. I would also approach your PPE capstone project with this same mindset. The capstone paper can be about any topic in PPE. Use this opportunity to undertake a research project that interests you or relates to your future career. This project gave me direction and it showed me that I am passionate about research.

My final piece of advice is to enjoy every second of your time in the PPE program. We literally get to study anything we are interested in, and I would always remind myself of that when I had to wake up early for class or walk out to the bus stop in the cold. 

Do you have any final words or remarks?

I want to thank everybody at the Center for choosing me for this award and for their support over the last four years. I also want to thank my incredible advisor, Heath Furrow, who convinced me to join the PPE program and, ever since, has been available anytime to advise me on everything from picking my courses to planning for my future after college. I am going to miss Blacksburg and all of my friends in the PPE department. However, I am excited to watch this program continue to grow and offer more opportunities for students in the future. 

(Photograph provided by Charlie Clifton – used with permission)