Two Students Selected for the John W. Warner Public Service Award

By Brian Laubscher
July 23, 2026

Washington and Lee University students Chloe Kim '28 and Mackenzie Morante '27 were selected to receive the university's John W. Warner Public Service Award for their interest in public affairs and potential for future leadership in public service.

Each year, the award honors two students from the W&L Washington Term to serve in a second political internship through the summer. Both Kim and Morante were among the 16 students to participate in Washington Term during spring 2026. Kim spent her Washington Term working in the office of U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colorado), while Morante worked with Xiphos Solutions LLC alongside W&L alumni Tony DeMartino '89 and Lucas Flood

'21. Both students will continue their work with their organizations through the summer with the support of the Warner Public Service Award, which was established by Sen. John Warner III '49 and provides a financial stipend and honorary recognition at graduation.

"Both Mackenzie and Chloe exhibited the strongest qualities of Sen. Warner in their hard work, integrity, enthusiasm and intellectual leadership, each showing great potential for future success in public affairs," said Brian Alexander, associate professor of politics and director of the Washington Term program. Alexander also determines the award recipients.

Kim is a politics and accounting major and environmental studies minor from Fairfax, Virginia, and Morante is a physics major with a minor in Russian language and culture from Wyckoff, New Jersey.

If you know a W&L student who has done great, accolade-worthy things, tell us about them! Nominate them for an accolade.