Nine undergrads win Spirit of Princeton award

The selection committee for the Spirit of Princeton Award, which honors students "for their positive contributions to campus life during their years at Princeton," has announced this year's winners.

The nine recipients — Jordan Amadio '05, Emily Henkelman '04, Rishi Jaitly '04, Kristopher Kersey '04, Daniel O'Brien '04, Taufiq Rahim '04, William Robinson '04, Antoinette Seaberry '05 and Robin Williams '04 — were selected from a field of 50 nominees, said Thomas Dunne, associate dean of undergraduate students and a member of the selection committee.

Committee member Adriana Diaz '06 said the process was especially competitive.

"We wanted to expand the number [of winners]," she said. "Everyone [nominated] deserves recognition."

In choosing the recipients, Dunne said the committee focused on the variety of the nominees' contributions.

"[The winners] were distinguished by the breadth and depth of service," he said.

An excerpt from Amadio's nomination illustrates the kind of student the committee honored: "Jordan shares a real and devoted commitment to improving campus life — and he has been effective in doing that for an astounding number of areas," one of his professors wrote.

Attempts to contact the winners demonstrated the extent of their involvement in the community. Henkelman, for example, could not be reached because she had left to work at a school for the deaf.

Diaz said the award often honors students whose contributions had not been previously recognized.

That may be because the students, for all their involvement, are personally unassuming.

"Even though Rishi [Jaitly] was a senior who had such a reputation that we all called him 'Mr. Princeton,' there was nothing in the way he acted that would have shown he had such tremendous influence at the University," Anand Dharan '07, who danced with Jaitly in Naacho. said.

Robinson said he was "extremely honored" to be chosen for the award, both because so many other Princeton students had made "amazing contributions" to the community, and because he is so impressed by the contributions of his fellow recipients.

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"They've picked some pretty incredible people [for the award]," he said. "I'm flattered to be selected."

Although this year's winners are all juniors and seniors, Dunne said the committee had given "serious consideration" to freshmen nominees. The award generally goes to upperclassmen, however, because of their "sustained service."

The selection committee was composed of students and administrators, including Associate Director of Athletics Erin McDermott, Women's Center Director Amada Sandoval, Mathey College Director of Studies Lisa Herschbach, senior class president Eli Goldsmith and Corey Sanders '04, recipient of a 2003 Spirit of Princeton award.