UC Irvine student Vivek Mehta, a senior in the School of Biological Sciences, has been named to USA Today's All-USA College Academic First Team as one of the nation's top undergraduate scholars. The honor is conferred on only 20 college students nationwide each year.
Mehta, who is studying biochemistry and molecular biology, has been chosen for his academic excellence, leadership and commitment to activities outside the classroom that benefit society. All the students were profiled in a story in today's edition of USA Today. Mehta and the other team members also will win a $2,500 cash award.
"It is an honor to receive this type of recognition," Mehta said. "I am very excited to be named to the team and grateful to all of my mentors who have helped me throughout my undergraduate career."
Being named a member of the All-USA team is only the latest of a long string of accomplishments for Mehta. He has been the recipient of the Donald A. Strauss Public Service Scholarship, a National Institutes of Health Summer Research Fellowship and the UC Irvine 2005 Volunteer of the Year Award. He also was recently named a finalist for the prestigious U.S. Fulbright Fellowship. A Phi Beta Kappa national honor society inductee as a junior, he has done extensive work in basic science as an undergraduate researcher in immunology.
As part of his service to the community, Mehta has volunteered at the Share Ourselves Free Medical Clinic in Costa Mesa since 2002, where he has developed a series of seminars designed to reduce childhood obesity by educating the public about nutrition and health. He has served as a member of the UROP Student Editorial Board at UCI and is a member of the Flying Samaritan international aid organization, through which he travels to Mexico to aid physicians in running a free primary care clinic. He also has spent time in India working with physicians and public health officials to improve health care for women and children.
"Vivek makes all of us at UCI proud," said Susan V. Bryant, dean of the School of Biological Sciences. "He excels at everything he does and brings honor and distinction not only to himself but to the UCI campus, as well."
Upon graduation, Mehta hopes to travel to India under the Fulbright Fellowship, after which he plans to attend medical school.
About the University of California, Irvine: The University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,400 faculty members. The second-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3.3 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.
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