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THE
UNIVERSITY'S CLASS OF 2000, which comprises approximately 5,360
students, is full of outstanding students who bring bright promise
to the new millennium. Some of them have kept their eyes on a single
target, some have gone through a period of soul-searching before
they figured out where to set their sights. We feature here a small
selection of graduates whose struggles and accomplishments have
helped prepare them for the future.
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Stephanie
Gross
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United
they stand
The
members of Brothers United Celebrating Knowledge and Success,
who founded the mentoring group in 1998, are serious about
encouraging U.Va. students to help African-American youths
in Charlottesville. They graduate this weekend, but their
organization will go on. From left: Ryan J. Wallace, Leslie
H. Williams Jr., Ryan F. Coleman-Ferebee, Aaron A. Lockhart,
Cameron D. Wadley, Marc K. Carroll and John T. Green III.
See BUCKS'
vision to give back to community will continue.
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Stephanie
Gross
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| Pooja
V. Sukhwani |
Sullivan
Award winners show deep commitment to caring
By Charlotte Crystal and Katherine Jackson
The
University will bestow three Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards at
Valediction Exercises May 20. The awards, which recognize excellence
of character and service to humanity, will be presented to Annette
Gibbs, a long-time University administrator who was instrumental
in transforming U.Va. into a coeducational institution, and two
graduating fourth-year students, Pooja V. Sukhwani and Leslie H.
Williams Jr.
Pooja V. Sukhwani
Pooja
V. Sukhwani of Miami, Fla., plans to express her caring for people
through a career in medicine. She's already well on her way.
While
at the University, she co-founded the March of Dimes Collegiate
Council to promote that organization's mission of raising funds
to prevent birth defects. She also helped organize the recent National
Bioethics Conference, which U.Va. students hosted.
Supplementing
her course work -- a major in bioethics and a minor in biology --
Sukhwani served as an ethics intern with the U.Va. Teen Health Center
and as a research assistant for the Institute for Practical Ethics.
In
Florida, Sukhwani served as an emergency room technician at the
Baptist Hospital of Miami in the summer of 1998 and last summer
worked as a liaison with parents and children from low-income households
for the University of Miami's Pediatric Mobile Clinic. She also
served as a cabin counselor for the Boggy Creek Gang Camp in Eustis,
Fla., a summer camp for chronically ill children.
"Students,
faculty and administrators express their amazement at and admiration
for all that Pooja Sukhwani does to help others, both individually
and in organizations, and the wonderful, caring spirit in which
she does it," said James Childress, the Edwin B. Kyle Professor
of Religious Studies and Professor of Medical Education. "She
does so much but always with a smile and a sense of joy that is
infectious. As one student put it, Pooja Œhas a heart of gold and
a dedication to all that she is involved with.' She invests her
time, energy and leadership in various organizations 'because she
truly cares about what they stand for and wants to help them achieve
all that they are capable of achieving,'" he said.
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Stephanie
Gross
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| Leslie
H. Williams Jr. |
Sukhwani
has deferred her acceptance into Tulane University Medical School
for a year to spend some time on service projects, one of which
is going to the Dominican Republic to help children learn to read.
Leslie
H. Williams Jr.
Leslie H. Williams Jr., an honor student from Alexandria, is the
living definition of a well-rounded student. A Rodman Scholar, he
majored in mechanical engineering, while acting in plays and mentoring
others.
Despite
the Engineering School's rigorous program, Williams strived for
fulfilling experiences outside the classroom. "I think engineers
should be well-rounded individuals with the ability to interact
with anyone," he said. Full story.
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