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Tuesday, November 26, 1996

PROFILE:

Academics, service to community among the criteriaBy Kathryn Combs

Daily Bruin Contributor

Anyone attending college can attest that the undergraduate years are the foundation of a successful academic or professional career.

These years are where it all starts, where responsibility kicks in and the real world becomes ... real.

As much of a challenge as this can be, some students at UCLA continue to rise to the occasion.

Brian Lester and Maria Virginia Dicono are two such students. Lester and Dicono both received the 1996 College of Letters and Science Undergraduate Award.

The Undergraduate Award is one of the more prestigious awards given by UCLA. This year, in honor of Chancellor Young and his wife, the award is called the Chancellor Charles and Sue Young Award.

To be considered for the Undergraduate Award of $1,000, students must be nominated by a member of the UCLA faculty. The college then requires two recommendations, a resume, an academic transcript and a personal statement from the student. The nominations are then reviewed by the dean of the college and final recommendations are submitted to the provost. Each student is evaluated according to their academic standing, extracurricular activities and other student contributions to the UCLA community.

According to the College of Letters and Science, this year's winners far surpassed these criteria.

Brian Lester, majoring in biochemistry, has a perfect 4.0 GPA and in recent quarters has received multiple A+s for his academic efforts.

The College Honors senior will complete his degree this spring and is in the process of applying to medical school.

"I've received multiple acceptances already from other universities such as University of Michigan, University of Chicago and Northwestern," said Lester, "but again I'd love to come to UCLA," he continued.

Among his past distinctions, Lester has been named UCLA Regents Scholar and National Merit Finalist. He is also a three-time winner of the UCLA Alumni Achievement Award.

Lester has also participated in undergraduate research, including the statistical aspects of a psychological study on developmentally delayed children and quantum mechanics.

Maria Virginia Dicono, a fourth- year Spanish and Portuguese/ Linguistics student, recently completed her graduation requirements this fall.

During her undergraduate career, she has maintained a perfect 4. 0 GPA while working full time as an interpreter and translator.

Born and raised in Latin America, Dicono and her family moved to Los Angeles 17 years ago. Earlier this year, she became a U.S. citizen.

In her acceptance speech, Dicono attributed her success largely to the support of her family.

"My being here this evening is an extension of the constant and unfailing love and encouragement of my loving mother and sister," Dicono said.

Dicono will spend four months in Costa Rica teaching local children English and Spanish grammar. Dicono says that her field observations will be used to write her graduate school entrance essay. Like Lester, she expressed interest in pursuing a graduate degree at UCLA in applied linguistics.

"UCLA is like a home for me. It always had been and it always will be," Dicono said.

In her acceptance speech, Dicono referred to a quote reflecting the sentiment of both students ,"The only place where success comes before work is the dictionary."

In this is the spirit and determination that both Lester and Dicono have shown at UCLA.

"We recognize outstanding students ... The only way we can see into the future is to see into the effort of brilliance and steadfastness of those that we teach," said actor Richard Dreyfuss, who served as master of ceremonies for the awards banquet.