The Dean’s Prize is awarded annually to the most outstanding scholars in the graduating senior class. They meet a list of basic requirements: a minimum 3.90 cumulative GPA, 24 completed honors credits and a depth of engagement to the principles of the Wisconsin Experience.
But more than that, the winners must represent the College of Letters & Science in terms of academic rigor, research, accomplishment and breadth of discipline and exploration. They leverage relentless curiosity, intellectual confidence, empathy and humility into purposeful action. Winners are awarded a $1,500 prize and a commemorative plaque.
WE CONGRATULATE THIS YEAR’S WINNERS:
Claire Evensen is a comprehensive honors candidate from Verona, Wisconsin, completing majors in Math and Biochemistry as well as a Biocore certificate. A Marshall and Goldwater scholar and a Rhodes scholar finalist, Evensen has published and presented research, mentored and tutored other students, facilitated service opportunities for Women in STEM areas and is an accomplished musician. She has also been an outspoken advocate for liberal arts education.
“Claire is outstanding in all respects, ranking as one of the very best undergraduates I have had the pleasure of mentoring in my five decades at UW-Madison,” says Tom Record, professor of chemistry. “She is committed to a career in academic research and demonstrates great promise of becoming one of the nation’s research leaders.”
In the fall, Evensen will travel to the United Kingdom as a Marshall Scholar to pursue a graduate degree in mathematical modelling and scientific computing at the University of Oxford. Afterwards, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology and disease ecology at the University of California-Berkeley. Her future goals include a career in academia that combines teaching, research and science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) advocacy.
Emily Perez, from Glendale, Wisconsin, completed majors in economics and German with a certificate in global health and completed Honors in the Liberal Arts. Her undergraduate experience included extensive research in psychology, including developing an artificial language during her time with the UW Language and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab. She has studied and worked abroad, an experience that includes being published as a second author for her work in the physics department at the University of Costa Rica. Perez has a strong record of service and leadership on campus as a student justice with the Associated Students of Madison, a member of the student misconduct committee and working at UW-Madison International Student Services.
“Emily is an amazing mix of intellect and drive, and she applies those skills to her classwork, her research and her community service,” says Maryellen C. MacDonald, a professor of psychology.
Emily has accepted a position the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division in Chicago, where she will help to investigate and try cases involving monopolies and restraints of trade. In the future, she plans to attend law school or graduate school in economics or a related field.
West Bend, Wisconsin native and senior class president Lauren Sorensen completed majors in political science (honors) and French, with a certificate in African Studies. As an undergraduate, Lauren spent a year in Senegal, extensively studying the rights of that country’s children, and interned in the office of Wisconsin State Senator Lena Taylor. In addition to her academic accomplishment—she was a Vilas Scholar and received a Hilldale Undergraduate Research Fellowship—she volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and with Badger Volunteers.
“I fully expect Lauren to be a future leader,” says Scott Straus, a professor of political science and international studies. “She has balanced rigorous work with me this year with her other commitments, including being class president. She is smart, gifted, well-rounded, hardworking, ethical, and thoughtful.”
Sorenson is a David L. Boren Scholar, so her post-graduation plans include fulfilling the federal requirements of that scholarship, including eventually taking a job in international affairs and national security. She’s planning to pursue a law degree, in the area of international law and international human rights law and incorporate international travel into her plans as often as possible.