Best Academic Building: Peacock Hall

By: Lauren Lyerly

From the outside, one of the first things a person may notice about Peacock Hall is its ongoing construction; however, upon entering the building’s second floor lobby, it is clear the building has more to it than its developing exterior.

The lobby, which houses Beans 2 Brew, the Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship and places for students to collaborate and study, showcases the resources Peacock Hall offers students and faculty.

The building’s welcoming nature, in addition to its diverse services, offer an explanation as to why Peacock Hall won Best Academic Building for this year’s Best of Boone. 

“My favorite thing is the student commons,” said Tracy Reed, the associate dean for undergraduate programs and administration in the Walker College of Business. “I love to see the students hanging out there.” 

The building houses six departments within the Walker College of Business alone, in addition to numerous labs and career services for students in the college.

Reed said each department and major finds a way to make each space their own and distinguish themselves from one another.

“It’s kind of zoned and each kind of takes their own ownership of that space,” Reed said. 

Reed said she looks forward to the expansion of Peacock Hall which is set to be completed for Fall 2026. The expansion and renovation will make it possible to include more classrooms, learning lab spaces and common areas.

Best Student Club: APPS

By: Haley DiFruscio

Fairy lights and colorful LEDs give the APPS office a calm and comforting glow as the club members seated on the plush couches do work for their committee or talk with their friends. Framed posters cover the walls with the names and faces of artists the organization has brought to App State’s campus.

Behind the flashy live music shows, movie screenings, comedy shows and other activities APPS organizes for the student body is a group of students who put in work to make these events happen.

Lily Williams, a junior recreation management major, is the president of APPS. She said the organization is divided into six councils of 20 to 30 people each. These councils each have certain specialties that correlate with different types of events.

“So the members of our org kind of take what they’ve heard from the student body and from their peers, and they bring those ideas to the council.” Williams said. “Then as councils, they book the people who are coming and make all of the promotion, and then they work the event as well.”

Before she became president of APPS, Williams said she led the Spirit and Traditions Council, where she helped plan events like, Homecoming, a cappella competitions and AppSkate. She said she enjoyed the hands-on aspect of planning these events, but her favorite thing about APPS is the people.

“The culture of our organization is so positive and so encouraging,” Williams said. “Everybody is friends and we all are kind of here to do the same thing, which is put on really fun events for the student body of Appalachian State. And so even though we’re all really different, we have that one thing to hone in on.”

The APPS office is in room 233 in the Plemmons Student Union.

Best Fraternity Organization: Sigma Nu

By: Colin Wishneski

“Nobody does it like Sig Nu,” reads the App State RedCup Neers Instagram account.

In addition to winning RedCup Neers’ Frat Madness bracket competition, more commonly known as the “fracket,” for the second year in a row, Sigma Nu’s popularity among the student body and community also won them Best of Boone’s Best Fraternity Organization.

Sigma Nu has been in operation at App State since 1983. Although it stopped operating in 2009 due to low membership, it was re-chartered in March 2013. The fraternity has since made a significant comeback.

“These have been the best years of my life so far,” said David Cyubahiro, the president of Sigma Nu.

The Kappa Epsilon chapter of Sigma Nu is one of the largest and most active fraternities at App State with 75 members in 2024. Cyubahiro, a junior finance and banking major, said although his brothers come from diverse backgrounds, they have a common goal of fostering community with each other and the Boone community at large.

The fraternity does most of its community outreach through the Hospitality House. They work with the local shelter by doing upkeep on the building, donating goods and volunteering wherever they can. Cyubahiro said they also raised $12,000 for recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Cyubahiro explained his experience with Sigma Nu was essential to making him the person he is today.

“The trajectory of my life has been changed for the better because of Sigma Nu,” Cyubahiro said. “I’ve made great connections with alumni that got me an internship in New York. I’ve been pushed to be the best version of myself.”

Best Sorority Organization: Chi Omega

By: Matt Howe

In years past, App State’s Chi Omega Pi Kappa chapter has focused on fundraising and community building opportunities to serve its mission. But this year, the sorority added another focus to its list: supporting fellow chapter members following the impact of Hurricane Helene.

The Chi Omega chapter at App State celebrated their 50th anniversary in December 2024, raising $16,000 for the Make-A-Wish foundation and winning Best Sorority Organization for Best of Boone.

They held a “Glizzies for Good” event on Sanford Mall for their “Wish Week” philanthropy event during the Fall 2024 semester. They sold corn dogs and other food for the Western Central North Carolina Make-A-Wish Foundation. The money they raised earned them the title of Chapter Program of the Year from App State’s Fraternity and Sorority Life.

As for local philanthropy, the Pi Kappa chapter supports many different local organizations depending on the needs of the community. Most of their work is with OASIS and the Watauga Humane Society. Chi Omega at App State often partners with other sorority and fraternity organizations in their philanthropy for OASIS in Boone. 

In September 2024, five sisters in the Pi Kappa chapter of Chi Omega lost their homes in Hurricane Helene. Izzy Slick, a junior elementary education major and president of the sorority, said they created a GoFundMe and raised over $10,000 to get their sisters “back on their feet.”

Additionally, Chi Omega created a page for their sisters to be updated daily on donation links, where to volunteer for hurricane relief and opportunities for members who evacuated to help from afar.

“We are just so connected already when we know each other just through talking one day through recruitment,” Slick said.

Best Student-Owned Business: Carolina Crafts 4 U

By: Madalyn Edwards

The calming whir of the Cricut softens as the machine makes the final cut for a new design. Carefully, a student entrepreneur positions the piece of vinyl on a glass cup, ensuring each layer is lined up perfectly, and presses it into place.

Katelyn Bush, a senior digital marketing major with an entrepreneurship minor, is the owner of Carolina Crafts 4 U and this year’s winner for Best Student-Owned Business. She primarily sells glass cups with bamboo lids and customized vinyl designs.

Bush, a member of Student-Made App State, said the club gave her an opportunity to start her business.

During her freshman year, Bush was introduced to Student-Made and thought it would be a good way to sell products and be a part of a community that supports her creativity. A year later, she joined and founded her business.

“I’ve always wanted to start my own business, but Student-Made gave me the platform to help me start it,” she said.

Bush sells her cups at $16 apiece. She uses the Cricut Design Space to create a design, which is then cut out on her Cricut. She said the most difficult part of the process is applying the permanent vinyl to the cups.

Through Student-Made, Bush is able to sell her products online, offering both shipping and on-campus pickup, and she participates in markets and pop-ups where she can sell her products in-person. She said she made over $200 during her most successful event, where she created Christmas and holiday-themed cups. 

Some of Bush’s favorite cups to create are items with cow print patterns and sorority-themed cups. Recently, she has branched out to creating different products, such as keychains, bracelets and bookmarks. 

Bush said she loves running her business and getting to see customers purchase and enjoy her products.

“Just being able to sell my products with Student-Made has definitely been a big accomplishment for me,” she said.

Bush’s online store can be accessed through the Student-Made App State website.

Best Professor: Pablo Chialvo

By: Mia Seligman

For Pablo Chialvo’s biology classes, it’s not only the instructor students hope to see. Sitting in the front row is Lilly, Chialvo’s dog, whom he brings to BIO 1201 and 1202 lectures.

Voted Best Professor, Chialvo has been teaching at App State since the Spring 2020 semester after moving to Boone in the fall of 2019. He said he began teaching at App State after his wife secured a research position here. Prior to App State, Chialvo began his teaching career at Lander University in South Carolina in 2017. 

Chialvo said he enjoys teaching non-major classes because of the students and the ability to interact with a variety of people from a variety of backgrounds.

He teaches the large, 200-person auditorium style classes, Chiavlo said. He chooses to teach large classes because “the students make it so fun.” 

Chialvo said the opportunity to engage with students and influence how they see themselves and their roles in society through the application of biology is “very rewarding.”

Chialvo went to the University of Florida for his undergraduate research, where he also received his doctorate in entomology — the study of insects. 

Chialvo applied to the anti-racism graduate certificate program at UNC-Charlotte in the fall of 2020, where he began researching racial relations and history. In February 2022, Chialvo authored a chapter in “Antiracist Pedagogy in Action: Curriculum Development from the Field,” published by Rowman and Littlefield Publishers.  

Chialvo runs an Instagram account for his dog Lilly, where he posts various pictures and videos of the corgi.