Spring 2010 IFC Leadership Scholarship Winners

It is my honor to be able to announce the winners of the Spring 2010 IFC Leadership Recognition Scholarship. The scholarship was established in the Fall of 2009 with an initial endowment of $50,000 from IFC and was matched dollar for dollar by Chancellor Birgeneau for a total endowment of $100,000. This scholarship was established in order to recognize those outstanding members of our community who excel academically and are active members of not only their chapters, but our campus community. The winners this semester have an average GPA of 3.6 and are involved in their chapters, student government, research, and other on campus organizations and activities.

Ben Elkin – Alpha Epsilon Pi – A junior a 3.21 overall GPA as a Chemistry major and a minor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Ben has served as his chapter’s treasurer, and community service chair. He is a member of the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative, as well as the leader of a working group at the Science, Technology, and Society Center at UC Berkeley. Finally, Ben has also been involved in several research projects including research into myeloma and bone cancer, as well as research to develop a vegetative voltaic cell to be used as a low-power energy source in the developing world.

Dane Johnston – Zeta Psi – A sophomore with a 3.89 overall GPA as an Economics major, Dane has served as his chapter’s philanthropy chair. He holds the position of legislative liaison for the Office of External Affairs of the ASUC where he collaborates with city officials to increase student involvement in civic affair as well as represent the voice of UC Berkeley students to the city of Berkeley. Finally, Dane serves as research assistant in the Political Science department where he conducts research and analysis on political violence in Africa.

Daniel Kronovet – Delta Chi – A sophomore with a 3.93 overall GPA as a dual major in both Cognitive Science and Political Economy, Daniel has served as both his chapter’s alumni relations and finance chair. He also is a staff writer for the Daily Californian where he writes in the Arts & Entertainment section about film, theater, music, and literature. Daniel also serves as a cabinet member for the Berkeley Student Cooperative where he helps oversee long-term growth for the 1,300 member organization.

Kevin Sitek – Alpha Sigma Phi – A junior with a 3.55 overall GPA as a dual major in both Cognitive Science and Linguistic, Kevin currently serves as president of his chapter and has also served as treasurer of his chapter. He is Vice President of the Berkeley Project where he helps organize a 2,000 student volunteer day in the fall and a 300 student volunteer month in the spring. Kevin also serves as a Community Service Officer for the Berkeley Police Department. Finally, Kevin serves as a research assistant in the phonology lab in the Linguistics department.

John Tran – Pi Alpha Phi – A junior with a 3.55 overall GPA as a Business Administration major, John has served as his chapter’s recruitment coordinator and academic committee chair. John currently serves as Academic Affairs Vice President for the ASUC where he is responsible for for organizing campus wide programming and initiatives to enhance the academic experiences of students. In this position he oversees a staff of 32 directors and 50 interns who help carry the academic mission. He has also been actively involved in raising awareness about and raising funds for Hepatitis B initiatives.

James Zheng – Pi Alpha Phi – A junior with a 3.69 overall GPA as an Integrative Biology major, James has served two terms as his chapter’s president where he helped turn the chapter around by instituting a strong organizational culture. He has also served as his chapter’s VP of Internal Relations and as academic chair. Additionally, he has served as the IFC Academic Achievement Officer. For the past year James has taught a course on organizational leadership through the DeCal program. James has also conducted cardiac research for the VA Medical Hospital in San Diego.

Congratulations again to all our winners!