FINALIST - 2005

Eric Imhof How has what I have done on campus made me the “Lafayette ideal?” I am not even sure that I know the answer. I mean what is the “ideal” in the first place? There are many different versions of the ideal, as there should be; it certainly should not be easy to define. For example, I have not done much in athletics or campus service activities, but I have spent most of my time volunteering with kids programs in Easton. Other people may not have volunteered as much, but may have been more active as an RA or participated on sports teams. Which one is THE ideal? I do not know, but I think that whoever is closest would not have, nor want to write 300 words on why she is so great and why everyone should strive to be a little more like her. On the contrary, whoever is closest to the ideal would have her record stand for her. Also, she would recognize that her path is not the only “right” one. She would not say, “this is what I have done, this is why I am the ideal” – she would never lay down such a blueprint, as if to imply, “if everyone were more like me, this would be such a better place.” She would respect other choices, and more importantly, the people who make them. In short, the Lafayette Ideal would not believe in the Lafayette Ideal. In fact, she would champion each unique path, not simply embody her own in such a narrow way that would disregard the others. The person who truly deserves this award would laugh at a question such as “Why are you the ideal?” She would say, “I am no better than anyone else,” and quietly, modestly, humbly do her best.

 

Majors: Spanish and Art


Academic ActivitiesAwards:

• Community Affairs Chair - Lafayette Student Government: worked as a liaison between the Government and the Landis Community Outreach Center, helped plan the Blood Drive, Literacy Day, and Lafapalooza (3)
• National Conference on Undergraduate Research presentation, “Vertigo and Insomnia: A Deconstruction of Language in 100 Years of Solitude” (4)
• Phi Beta Kappa (3,4)
• National Dean’s List Honor Society (3,4)
• Sigma Delta Pi, Spanish National Honor Society (1,2,3,4)
• Aaron O. Hoff Volunteer of the Year Award (1)

Campus Service Activities:

• Teaching Assistant - Professor Thomas’ Beginning Painting class: gathered materials, helped students with artistic techniques, participated in discussions and critiques, helped Professor Thomas prepare her own work for exhibitions in Philadelphia (3)
• Committee Member – Aaron O. Hoff Awards selection committee: selected recipients of the award from among the nominees, presented the “Service Above Self” award to Kristen Cahill ’04 at the awards ceremony (3)

Community Service Activities:

• Volunteer, Staff Member, Program Director, Director - KIC (Kids in the Community) Pre-Orientation Camp: attended camp freshman year; planned activities for camp, supervised a staff comprised of 8 students, set up and confirmed reservations, led group reflections and discussions, recruited the kids who attended (over 80 kids from local housing projects), designed the tee-shirts, helped the freshman volunteers adjust to Lafayette (1,2,3,4)
• Staff Member - Landis Community Outreach Center: organized and supervised an after-school program at KIC Union (at Union St. Housing in Easton) every Wednesday afternoon, and some Friday afternoons (2,3,4
)
• Volunteer - the Boys and Girls Club of Easton: participated with kids in craft activities, played basketball with them (1)
• Volunteer - KIC Delaware Terrace: tutored kids on Tuesday afternoons at the Southside housing projects in Easton (1,2)
• Volunteer - KIC Jefferson: tutored and participated in sports-related activities on Thursday afternoons at Jefferson St. housing in Easton (1,2,3,4)
• Volunteer - Trinity Episcopal church: served meals for homeless people on Saturday mornings, also set up tables and cleaned dining area, wrote an article about the meals program at Trinity for C3, the Landis Community Outreach Center newsletter (3)
• Member of Planning Committee / Volunteer - Literacy Day: designed the tee-shirts, recruited local kids, helped with fund raising, supervised one of three reading/science-related stations (2,3,4)
• Planning Committee / Volunteer – Lafapalooza: designed the tee-shirts, helped with fund raising, coordinated clean-up and kickball projects at the KIC sites (3,4)
• SAT Tutor – tutored a local Hispanic high school student in English and Math for the SAT (4)
• Coordinator – Wednesday night dinners: along with fellow Landis Center volunteers Matthew Grossman and Samira Fowler, brought kids from Union St. housing to Farinon for dinner after KIC every Wednesday, provided the food, let them talk to other students to get them interested in going to college (3,4)

Athletics:

• Intramural Floor Hockey - Big Don P’s All-Stars, and Big Don P’s pt. II (3,4)
• Recreational Basketball (1,2,3,4)
• Take A Stand 5K Run (2)

Special Interest Group Activities:

• Committee Member / Volunteer - Holla Back: helped recruit for voter registration drive, counted and organized registrations, helped with artwork (banners), lobbied for Ralph Nader, and participated in a debate along with David Block as part of a panel defending Ralph Nader’s platform in the presidential election (4)
• Organizer - Red State / Blue State Divide discussion: led a group discussion about the political divide in this country following the 2004 election in Keefe Commons (4)
• Contributor – Redefinitions: contributed artwork (original paintings and photographs) to the Redefinitions exhibit / performance, which was based on redefining women’s traditional societal roles, held in the Williams Art Center (4)
• Contributor – AYA: contributed original artwork for AYA magazine, “The Ghost of Karl Marx” (a collaboration with visiting artist Patricia Redline) was featured as the inside cover (4)
• Contributor – The Lafayette: wrote two articles for the opinion section of the college newspaper, one on the state of the Farinon Atrium after lunches and one on the post-election political divide in America (3,4)
• Contributor – The Marquis Literary Magazine: submitted original drawings and poems for the Marquis, some of which were published under the pseudonym Clarence Prescott III (3,4)