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Nadia Dropkin ’07
was recently named to USA
Today’s prestigious
All-USA College Academic Team, honorable mention.
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USA Today has named
SUNY Oswego's Nadia Dropkin
’07, to its prestigious All-USA College
Academic Team, honorable mention.
Dropkin is the first Oswego student to make the highly
selective list of outstanding undergraduates across
the nation.
The annual USA Today
list includes 80 high-achieving undergraduates in all,
20 each on the first, second, third and honorable-mention
teams. Students were selected from about 600 students
nominated by their schools.
The 20 making honorable mention this year come from
such institutions as Johns Hopkins and Tulane universities,
the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the University
of California at Los Angeles, in addition to Oswego.
Dropkin, who is majoring in both studio art and women’s
studies, is co-director of the student Women’s
Center at SUNY Oswego. She based her application essay
on her public service, including organizing a campuswide
meeting on preventing sexual assault and violence on
campus and, from that, becoming a principal collaborator
on a U.S. Department of Justice grant proposal toward
the same end.
“Nadia has a strong commitment to social justice
that is coupled with intellectual curiosity and self-confidence,”
said Lisa Langlois of the art department, who first
proposed Dropkin for the honor.
“When I read about the competition, I immediately
thought of Nadia Dropkin,” Langlois said. “The
broad range of skills, talents and qualities called
for, coupled with excellent academic work, would mean
that, [among] the few who qualified for the honor, the
competition would be fierce.”
Dropkin’s accomplishments are many. A member of
SUNY Oswego’s Honors Program, she spent a year
abroad at Australian National University studying ceramics.
Among her formal recognitions, besides the latest honor,
are five awards, a scholarly and creative activity grant,
and two scholarships from SUNY Oswego; two articles
accepted for publication, one in a book from Greenwood
Press and one in an international journal; three upcoming
presentations at conferences around the country including
the National Women’s Studies Association conference;
and photography and ceramics by her included in seven
exhibitions at venues ranging from Oswego to China and
Australia.
Maureen Curtin, director of women’s studies, who
wrote Dropkin’s nomination letter for the All-USA
honor, added that “she has traveled extensively
. . . largely on her own initiative and almost entirely
independently.” Dropkin’s honors thesis
has grown out of her travels in Jordan, Syria, Turkey,
Israel and Egypt over two summers. For next fall, she
is applying to master’s programs in Middle East
studies in Israel.
Dropkin said that when Langlois approached her about
entering the competition for the All-USA College Academic
Team, she was a bit intimidated by the kinds of students
who received the honor last year -- many with 4.0 grade
averages from Ivy League schools and big research universities.
But she told herself, “You’re not going
to know unless you try,” and completed her application
in the final hours before the deadline. On the day USA
Today announced the winners, Dropkin said, “I’m
glad that I went for it.”
—Julie Harrison Blissert |
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To March 2007 E-Newsletter |
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