USA Today “Academic All-Stars”
Two LSU Students Named to USA Today’s All-USA College Academic Team
Cynthia Dubois Named to First Team, Jacquelyn Zimmerman to Third Team
Cynthia “CC” Dubois
Jacquelyn Zimmerman
Dubois joins students from such universities as Brown, Harvard, Georgetown, Princeton, Stanford and Yale, among others, on the first team.
“We are exceptionally proud of CC and Jackie for their remarkable achievements as scholars,” said LSU Interim Provost Harold Silverman. “Their recognition is a tribute to their development and accomplishments that have them identified as among the best undergraduates our country’s institutions are preparing. These are the leaders of tomorrow.”
Members of the All-USA College Academic First Team had their photos published and accomplishments spotlighted in USA Today’s Life section on Feb. 15, as representatives of all outstanding undergraduates. They each receive a trophy and a $2,500 cash award.
“It is an honor and a privilege to represent Louisiana State University as a recipient of this award,” said Dubois, a political science and agricultural business major. “After viewing the names and bios of the other winners, I am amazed to be among such elite company. I can only hope that this will challenge other LSU students to compete for such awards on the national level.”
Forty more runners-up were selected to the second and third teams. They will receive certificates, and their names were also announced in the newspaper.
“I am honored to be considered one of the top undergraduates in the country,” said Zimmerman, a biological sciences and chemistry major. “This honor encompasses all areas of study, not just basic sciences, and this increased the diversity of the applicant pool.”
According to USA Today, the All-USA College Academic Team honors full-time undergraduates who not only excel in scholarship but also extend their intellectual abilities beyond the classroom to benefit society. Criteria include grades, academic rigor, leadership, activities and most important, the student’s essay describing his or her most outstanding intellectual endeavor done while in college. Students are nominated by their college professors in November.
Dubois, who was nominated by LSU Honors College Dean Nancy Clark, was also LSU’s third recipient of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship last year.
After graduation, she plans to go to both law school and graduate school to pursue a joint J.D./M.P.A. degree. She will attend Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and Stanford Law School.
“I believe these awards speak volumes for the quality of education and vast research opportunities available at LSU. One of the great aspects of LSU is that a student can receive the one-on-one interaction that is necessary for a liberal arts education, while still being provided with all the amenities and opportunities of a flagship university,” Dubois said.
“The LSU Honors College provides a sense of scholarly community that is essential to the success of their students. The quality of education that one receives at Louisiana State University is first tier, and these awards are just an illustration of what students attending this university can accomplish,” she added.
Zimmerman, who was nominated by Assistant Dean of the LSU College of Basic Sciences Martha Cedotal, was a recipient of the nationally competitive Goldwater Scholarship last year. After graduation, she is planning to begin a medical scientist training program in the fall to get an M.D./Ph.D. She is still narrowing down the choices for a university, but she has already been accepted to Boston University, University of Alabama-Birmingham and the University of South Alabama, with Columbia University, Emory University, Vanderbilt University and Tulane University still as possibilities. She hopes to pursue a career in academic medicine with a research emphasis on pancreatic cancer treatment.
“The recent success LSU has had in winning national scholarships demonstrates the caliber of LSU students and faculty,” said Zimmerman.
“My experience at LSU has been amazing, and I have had opportunities here that were not readily accessible at other universities I considered. I cannot imagine completing my undergraduate studies in a more supportive environment.”
Zimmerman credits faculty mentors at LSU for her success and for preparing her for a future academic career.
“The faculty truly facilitates student learning and success. Although LSU is a large institution, I have been ‘more than a number’ during my career,” she said. “I am truly grateful for all those who have helped shape me as a student and as an individual during my undergraduate career at LSU.”
This is the 18th year that USA Today has named an All-USA College Academic Team. They received close to 600 nominations from colleges across the country. USA Today also names a high school, two-year college and teacher team.
Co-sponsors for the All-USA College Academic Team include National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Council for Advancement and Support of Education and American Council on Education.
For more information, visit http://allstars.usatoday.com.
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