51¶ÌÊÓƵ

Presented annually at the Founders Day Convocation during Reunion Weekend, the Oak Award honors a graduating 51¶ÌÊÓƵ senior whose contributions at Salem have been marked by exceptional leadership and academic achievement, and a graduating Salem Academy senior who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and left a lasting impact on the Academy. Oak Award recipients are nominated by faculty, staff, and their peers. It is the highest award a Salem student can receive.

51¶ÌÊÓƵ student Cristina Battistini, recipient of the 2026 Oak Award, distinguished herself through exceptional leadership, academic excellence, and heartfelt service to her community. As Head Resident Assistant, she created a welcoming, supportive environment for hundreds of students. As Vice President of the Student Government Association, she championed student voices and community-building initiatives, which contributed to her receiving the 2024 Ann Macpherson Weaver Community Relations Award. 

As a Dean’s List double major in design and mathematics, Cristina balanced rigorous academics with competing on the varsity soccer and basketball teams, serving on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and volunteering with Morgan’s Message to raise awareness of student-athlete mental health. She also completed design internships, and she left a tangible mark on campus by redesigning spaces for her fellow students. 

Cristina exemplifies the Oak Award’s highest ideals and will carry that same spirit of service into her graduate studies in architecture this fall.