Outstanding Daniels Pioneers
At the 2010 Pioneer Award Ceremony held May 18, 2010, nine Daniels students were awarded Outstanding Student and Pioneer Awards:
- Charlie Wondergem: Distinguished First-Year Student
- Matt Dooley, Shelby Flora, Antoine Perretta and Joel Portman: Pioneer Award Student Recipients
- Jim Francescon: Distinguished Junior Student
- Shelby Flora and David Simson: Distinguished Senior Students
- Joel Portman: Outstanding Senior Student
Created to recognize undergraduate students who epitomize what it means to be DU Pioneers, the recipients demonstrate strong academic performance, leadership, service, involvement and character. We highlight three of these Outstanding Pioneer Award winners:
Antoine Perretta (BSBA, 2010; MBA candidate), for example, not only worked as an account manager for the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management and served as vice president of his fraternity, he and his teammates in his senior capstone course developed a wine bar business plan and pitched it to the new Denver Four Seasons. The idea so intrigued the general manager that the concept is currently under review by Four Seasons corporate executives. The students' initiative earned all four classmates employment offers from the prestigious hotel chain; Perreta will start as soon as the downtown hotel opens this summer.
Freshman Charlie Wondergem (2010-11 Undergraduate Student Government Senator, Lambda Chi Alpha officer and Pioneer Ambassadors Alumni Relations board member) responds to being called a "natural leader among his peers" modestly, saying, "I enjoy getting involved in the things I care about. I like joining with others to see how we can institute positive changes. There are so many opportunities at Daniels and DU, and I'm happy to participate in whatever I can."
Joel Portman (BSBA, 2010; MBA candidate), too, says getting involved is just his nature. "I was hopeful when I came to DU, but I didn't expect I would have so many great opportunities to lead and make changes and do better in the world," says Portman, who worked as an intern for the Center for Multicultural Excellence and was--among other things--the co-chair of the University Programming Support Committee, chair of records for the Undergraduate Student Government, vice chair for the Undergraduate Diversity Committee and the founder of Never Again, a Holocaust awareness group.
Congratulations to all Daniels awardees. Through their involvement, leadership and service to the College and the University, these individuals exemplify the Daniels vision of transforming lives, organizations and communities.
