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Meet the 2015 KU Ex.C.E.L. finalists
HANNAH BETTIS/KANSAN
Angela Bass, a finalist for
the 2015 Ex.C.E.L. awards.
Angela Bass
When and why did you decide the University was the right fit for you?
Senior | Swanton, Neb. Elementary Education
"I came to KU because I love the tradition and pride that come along with being a Jayhawk. Honestly, that's my favorite part of KU: the atmosphere when you walk down
Jayhawk Boulevard. It is a one-of-a-kind school, that's for sure."
What opportunities have been presented to you at the University?
Ex.C.E.L. stands for Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership.The winners will get $500 in annual scholarship funds and will help plan a leadership conference.
"My freshman year, I lived in Hashinger, and I met a lot of people and got exposed to a wide variety of people. I'm still incredibly grateful that I chose to live in a residence hall my
freshman year. Then, I joined Alpha Chi Omega, which I think really helped me learn about opportunities to get involved. Because of older girls who were involved in things, I found things for myself that I was interested in."
What would winning this award mean to you?
"Even being in the final 10, I consider this to be such an
honor. My freshman year, I remember hearing them announce the Ex.C.E.I. finalists at the Homecoming game and thinking, 'One day, that would be awesome if I could be there. I would love to save an impact on this campus to where people recognize that.' If I could win, that would be fantastic, but I feel honored to be in the running with these other people because they're all so great.
Even making it this far has been very validating. It's just so rewarding to know that you are making a difference."
Matthew Gwin
Alvaro Papa Silva Senior | Caracas, Venezuela and Overland Park | Mechanical Engineering
When did you know you wanted to come to the University?
"I visited KU a couple of times, and my cousin and brother both came here before me. My cousin was an architecture major, and my brother was Mechanical Engineering.
as well. He was a senior when I was a freshman, so it was cool being with him for one year."
"The moment I remember is seeing the campus and seeing the community inside. The campus is a big enough school that it's easy to feel small, but when you're involved in a bunch of organizations, the campus doesn't feel so big because you have a community of your own."
What opportunities has the University given you? "I've had lots of opportunities at KU. Coming in as a freshman, I was a member of the SELF (Self Engineering Leadership Fellows) program in the School of Engineering, which gave me personal skills, leadership [and] managerial practice; it gave me confidence to seek more opportunities outside. I became involved with city council [and] Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. It if wasn't for KU, I wouldn't have studied abroad in India or gone on an Alternative Breaks to Chicago."
would have no chance of being here right now. It's also a recognition of all the hard work I've put in while I've been here and of the great relationships I've built here."
What does being nominated for the award mean to you? "I'm very grateful for this opportunity. I realize that, without the support I've received from the faculty and professors and from my friends, I
- Paige Stingley
ZOE LARSON/KANSAN Lauren Arney, a副主编 for the 2015 Ex.C.E.L. awards.
HANNAH BETTIS/KANSAN Alvaro Papa Silva, a finalist for the 2015 Ex.C.E.L. awards.
Lauren Arney
Senior | Stilwell, Kan. |
Biology
"I knew I wanted to come to KU actually pretty late, later on in the game. A lot of my friends had decided where they wanted to go, so I probably decided around February that I was going to go to KU of my senior year of high
When did you know that you wanted to come to the University?
school because I was kind of conflicted between KU and another school. But at the end of the day, when thinking about it, I mean KU just won out in every category that I was looking for, so I decided on KU."
What opportunities has the University provided to you? "So KU's been awesome. I've actually think I've received a lot more opportunities here I have than my friends at
other universities. I've gotten to be involved in undergraduate research. For the past four years, I've been a part of Student Senate, so I was able to run from day one and be elected as a student senator. I just have gotten a lot of opportunities to get to know my professors and just have a good working relationship with people who are doing things that I'm really interested in doing. So, I'd say just access and accessibility has
been a really big part of KU."
What does being nominated for this award mean to you? "I'm really honored to get this. I'm really excited to be a finalist for it because I feel like it's such a representative award of KU, and it's so reflective of how important KU's been to me, and how everything that I've done has kind of been giving back to the greater community of KU and making it better. So, it's
cool to be recognized, and I really love all the people that I'm recognized with because they're so cool. It's been neat to get to know them because they are student leaders on campus too. So, I'm just really honored and excited."
Nashia Baker
Michael Schugart
Senior | Overland Park
Finance
When did you first know you wanted to come to the University?
"Before I made my final decision to come to KU, it took multiple visits. I enjoyed the big campus, the friendly faces, the honors program; all of these kept me coming back. However, the moment hit me when I visited the town of Lawrence, and I saw the unique culture and how it
impacted University life. KU offered the most complete college experience"
What opportunities has the University given you?
"My dad always said to 'expand my horizons,' and KU has given me unlimited opportunities to do so. Whether it be in a challenging Honors class with an engaging professor or a campus organization that allowed me to develop my leadership skills, I was able to be challenged and find new interests while at KU."
What is your favorite memory from your time at the University?
"Last year, I was able to go to the top of the Campanile on the Hill. As a part of Student Ambassadors, we all got a private tour of the Campanile and witness a performance of the bells inside the Campanile. It was great to be able to see behind the scenes of one of the most iconic landmarks of KU. To experience such a historical landmark with some of my greatest friends
that I have gained while at KU because of one of my favorite organizations leads this to be my favorite memory."
What does being nominated for this award mean to you? "It is truly an honor to be nominated for such a prestigious award, especially considering the nine other individuals and their amazing accomplishments. I have always admired my peers that were nominated for the Ex.C.E.L. — they were upstanding and model students. To be
considered in the same class as these individuals is, and will continue to be, an honor. Also, I believe this nomination carries a huge weight of responsibility. After being recognized for such award, I must continue to use the important skills I have gained in college in the professional world."
Conner Mitchell
HANNAH BETTIS/KANSAN Alex King, a finalist for the 2015 EX.C.EL. awards.
HANNAH BETTIS/KANSAN Michael Schugart, a finalist for the 2015 Ex.C.E.L. awards.
Alex Kong Senior | Lawrence | Pharma ceutical Studies
When did you first know you wanted to come to the University?
"I grew up in Lawrence with a father who was a KU professor and two siblings who would attend KU for their undergrad. KU was always an option, and I knew this when I was younger. When the time came to apply to colleges, I
applied to several top schools, but KU was always near the top of my list. I had grown to love Lawrence and the KU community, so the short answer is: I've always known that I wanted to come to KU because KU has always been a part of my life."
What opportunities has the University given you?
"KU has given me many amazing opportunities, and being nominated for this
scholarship is no exception. I was able to immerse myself in several research experiences, develop as a leader as I led numerous organizations, like Mortar Board and the Society of Scientists, represent the Honors Program and Center for Undergraduate Research and keep my passions for music and creative writing alive. Whenever I've met with prospective Honors students, I've always told them that college is a place to grow up and
to figure out who they want to be. For me, KU has provided this and so much more."
What does being nominated for this award mean to you? "Being nominated for this award means so much to me because it comes with the understanding that people at KU believe in me and what I have done at KU. There are so many opportunities I have had that I never thought I would have as a KU student.
Being nominated for tremendously prestigious, and tremendously competitive, scholarships is one thing, but being recognized as someone who has made a difference to this community, a community that I love, has served as the capstone to my time at KU."
Hannah Reinhart
Hannah Reinhart Senior | Kansas City, Mo. Journalism and Political Science, Pre-Law
- Conner Mitchell
When did you know that you wanted to come to the University?
"I would say I knew I wanted to come to KU after my first Senior Day visit. I really loved the campus, loved the journalism school and going through all of that, and then just all the different opportunities they presented us during all the little displays and sessions and stuff. I knew it would be a place that I could be able to do a lot of
different activities in, get involved in different things with my major and it's affordable, and beautiful and great."
What opportunities has the University provided to you? "I would say that KU has provided me a diverse group of opportunities, so it hadn't been only in academics or only in student involvement. That's what I liked most about it. I felt like I could get a real balance between doing different things with academics, having different internships while going to school, through the political science department and
different connections through the journalism school, when they do the J-school Generations and stuff, which has been great. Then, also, for student involvement, you can get involved in a lot of different things and be able to manage your school work, which has been great for me because it helped me a lot as a person and being able to work with others, and learn from your strengths and weaknesses before you get in a work setting."
What does being nominated for this award mean to you? "It's great to be a finalist; it's
SEE EXCEL PAGE 7B
the best honor. I'm very humbled by it, but I think it means just being able to showcase kind of — not [that] I need an award for what I've done or anything — but just kind of being able to showcase kind of what I've done at KU. It's kind of me on my way out because I'm a senior and I'm
graduating, which is crazy, but being able to just say this is what I've been able to do here and be able to pass it along to other students coming behind me"
Nashia Baker
ZOE LARSON/KANSAN Hannah Reinhart, a finalist for the 2015 Ex.C.E.L. awards.
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