|
Release date: May 10, 2004 Brittain Award Winner Balances Scholarship, Community Service, Athletics
A native of Bolivia who grew up in Lexington, Ky. (40514), Aparicio received the award during commencement exercises May 10. Aparicio, a double major in Spanish and biology, is a Robert Woodruff Scholar -- the recipient of Emory's most prestigious undergraduate merit scholarship. He plans to attend medical school next fall, possibly concentrating in pediatrics. "I was really surprised to receive the award, knowing that there are so many great students here," Aparicio says. "As a Woodruff Scholar, I felt a nice sense of obligation to give back as much as possible to Emory, and to appreciate all of the opportunities I've had. Not everyone gets a chance be involved in so many different things, and have the opportunity to soak up the vast amount of knowledge available here." Aparicio's nominator aptly described him as a "Renaissance man," said Martin Howell, who headed the award committee and is assistant to the senior vice president for campus life. "Hugo had a variety of activities," Howell says. "He was an athlete and did a lot of service in Atlanta, as well as internationally. What really stood out about Hugo was his modesty. He is somebody who would not want to see himself in the spotlight." Aparicio ran varsity track and cross-country year-round, captained an intramural soccer team and performed in the Rathskellar improv comedy troop at Emory while also attaining membership in Phi Eta Sigma and Phi Beta Kappa honor societies, making the dean's list four out of his seven semesters, and volunteering as a tutor and mentor to others. As a volunteer, he tutored in the Emory Writing Center and in the Emory Pathways to Academic Success for Students program. He also served as a mentor in the Hughes Science Scholar Summer Institute program. In the community, he completed a summer as coordinator for the Ready, Set, Read! literacy program at Grady Hospital's North DeKalb Health Center in Atlanta. For the past three years, he has served as a Big Brother mentor with Big Brothers of Atlanta, an activity he said is one of his favorite experiences. "My little brother is now 12, and hopefully I've made a difference and shown him a little of what opportunities are out there for him. Spending time with him never feels like volunteer work," he says. He participated in two Journeys of Reconciliation -- to Ireland in 2001 and Bolivia in 2002 -- as part of the university's inter-religious program that gives members of the Emory community the opportunity to cultivate relationships of partnership, service and friendship with communities around the world. He also participated in a research trip to Ecuador. Aparicio also served as the scholarship chairman of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and philanthropy chairman of the Latino Student Organization. He recently received a 2004 Excellence Award from Emory's Office of Multicultural Programs and Services for his studies in Spanish. The Brittain Award is an expression of gratitude on behalf of the university for service performed without expectation of reward or recognition. The award was established at Emory in 1942 through a bequest from Emory alumnus M.L. Brittain, a former president of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Aparicio is the son of Hugo and Susy Aparicio of Lexington, and is a graduate of Lexington Catholic High School. ### *****Note to Editors: A photo of Aparicio at graduation is available. 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 more than a decade 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, a comprehensive metropolitan health care system. |
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
copyright 2001
For more information contact: