The Elena B. and William R. Schonfeld Scholarship—established in honor of William Schonfeld’s 20 years service as dean of the School of Social Sciences—has been awarded to outstanding soc sci undergrads for the past ten years. The 2015 recipient, Medha Asthana, has worked tirelessly since arriving at UCI to demonstrate the academic excellence and dedication to the university community that the award promotes. In addition to maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.80, Asthana also serves the UCI community through work, volunteer opportunities and involvement with various organizations. 

Among the community contributions that earned her the scholarship is her dedication to the promotion of sustainability and making UCI an even more eco-friendly campus. She has worked with Facilities Management to encourage sustainable behavior through increasing the use of compost bins in student housing programs. She has also traveled to Costa Rica with fellow students to study civic engagement and cultural competency, engaged in business consulting with non-profit organizations in Orange County, interned with ASUCI and worked for UCI student housing throughout her college career. She will soon leave to complete six months of study and ethnographic fieldwork research at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago, Chile.

Asthana is projected to graduate in June 2016. She was recognized for her achievements at the Order of Merit awards ceremony on June 12.