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Release date: May 15, 2006 Dedication to Service Nets Emory's Highest Honor for Local Student
As vice president, then president of the College Council this past year, Akbik represented the concerns of more than 6,000 undergraduates to Emory's administration and oversaw the distribution of more than $300,000 in grants that fund student-run events. During his tenure, he helped create new campus traditions, including the Great Debate lecture series, Battle of the Dorms and Screen on the Green. Behind the scenes, he lead an overhaul of the internal structure of College Council so it would run more efficiently, remain fiscally responsible and better serve the Emory community now and in the future. "Feras is a person who cares deeply about the college experience for students here, and is truly unsung for his work and dedication. He is someone who dove in to work on the inside for positive change instead of standing on the outside and pointing out what is wrong," says Karen Salisbury, director of student activities at Emory. His achievements earned him the university's highest student honor, the Marion Luther Brittain Award, given to a member of the graduating class in recognition of his or her service to the university. Akbik will receive the award during commencement exercises May 15, which includes a $5,000 gift. Akbik says he was surprised to receive the honor, and grateful for his Emory experience. "College is as much about developing as a person as it is about academics. By getting involved, you learn a lot of different life lessons that you wouldn't learn in the classroom," he says. In addition to his leadership on College Council, Akbik worked closely with the Muslim Student Association. He helped to plan and oversee events that furthered campus education on Islam, including the first MSA Art Gala. His work with MSA helped it achieve recognition as a three-time organization of the year on campus. He also represented Emory's Muslim community on Emory's Inter-Religious Council and planned inter-faith services. He also planned the university's popular sixth annual "State of Race Debate" which tackled an international topic for the first time this year. Akbik also was a founder of the Kappa Sigma fraternity chapter at Emory. A double major in biology and philosophy, he has maintained a near-perfect grade point average as a Goodrich C. White Scholar. Akbik plans to attend Washington University in St. Louis next year to pursue a career in medical research. His work to make a difference extended beyond Emory's campus. Akbik helped teach science classes last year at an Atlanta public school as an undergraduate fellow in Emory's PRISM (Problems and Research to Integrate Math and Science) program, an initiative to improve science education by pairing teachers with Emory students in the sciences to develop problem-based, hands-on science lessons. He spent a summer as a volunteer with the Emory Scholars and Service program working with at-risk youth and leading bicycle tours around Atlanta. This semester, Akbik also worked as a tutor with local public high school seniors to help prepare them for the Georgia High School Exit Exam in science. Akbik is the son of Fawaz Akbik and stepson of Hanadi Akbik of Atlanta, and is a graduate of Woodward Academy. ### Emory University is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. For nearly two decades Emory has been named one of the country's top 25 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system. Subscribe to News@Emory RSS feeds for automatic updates of the latest news at Emory. |
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