Yonathan Ararso Honored at Hampden-Sydney College Graduation

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Yonathan Ararso, left, with Dr. Stevens

HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, VA (05/14/2013)(readMedia)-- On May 12, at commencement ceremonies marking the end of the 238th academic year at Hampden-Sydney College, Yonathan Tarekegne Ararso, Class of 2013 (left), received the Samuel S. Jones Phi Beta Kappa Award for his honors thesis in biology entitled, "An shRNA-mediated RNA Silencing Approach to Understand the Role of Melanoma-derived Factors in the Suppression of Dendritic Cell Maturation and Activation." His project was supervised by Dr. Kristian Hargadon, H-SC Class of 2001 and Elliott Assistant Professor of Biology.

This award was presented by Dr. Dennis G. Stevens, Dean of the Faculty at Hampden-Sydney College. The Phi Beta Kappa Award for Intellectual Excellence was established by Samuel S. Jones, Class of 1943, to recognize excellence as manifested in outstanding student research. Papers are entered in a competition judged by the faculty members of the Eta of Virginia, Hampden-Sydney's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

A Patrick Henry Scholar, Ararso is co-founder of both the Hampden-Sydney Journal of Sciences and the Hampden-Sydney Biology Colloquium. He served as Captain of the varsity cross country team and as President of the International Club and the Society for Collegiate Journalists. Ararso was Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper, The Hampden-Sydney Tiger, in 2011-2012 and is a Senior Member of the Union Philantropic Literary Society. He is a member of the honorary societies Phi Beta Kappa (academics), Omicron Delta Kappa (leadership) and Chi Beta Phi (sciences) and the professional scientific fraternity Alpha Chi Sigma. A graduate of Woodberry Forest School, Ararso graduated from Hampden-Sydney summa cum laude with a B.S. in biology. He is the son of Mr. Tarekegne Ararso & Mrs. Elizabeth Demeke of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

A private college for men, Hampden-Sydney is ranked in the top tier of liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report. The College is known for its liberal arts curriculum, the Honor Code which stresses individual and collective responsibility, and a focus on the education of young men.