BLACKSBURG (WSLS 10) - A Virginia Tech student is heading to the White House to be honored for her work against sexual assault.
Claire Kelling will receive the Champion of Change award Thursday, along with nine other college students from across the country.
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Award winners will get to meet and hear from Vice President Joe Biden.
Kelling spearheaded a number of events during her four years in Blacksburg, such as Take Back the Night and Clothesline. Since her freshman year, participation has quadrupled.
"Cultural change is what needs to happen to fix this issue," Kelling said. "We can't sit around and say, `Okay, how can we cope with the fact that it exists?` We need to change the fact that it exists."
Kelling is heading to Penn State next semester for a graduate degree in statistics. She hopes to continue her advocacy work on that campus as well.