Logo: University of Southern California

Epstein Department T.A. is Double Award Winner

“The thrill of meeting different people makes the stressful balancing act worthwhile”
Newly Paul
April 28, 2009 —

Sujata Dhole is the Viterbi recipient of the 2009 USC Student Recognition Award for her contribution to campus life. The award comes on the heels of having won an Office of International Services’ leadership award

The USC Student Affairs honor recognizes "USC’s most outstanding students,” who are nominated by peers, on the basis of detailed information about nominees’ campus careers.

Dhole
Sujata Dhole: “I have the habit of studying every day, so my work never piled up.

Dhole, a M.S. candidate in the Epstein Department studying Engineering Management, certainly fits the description.

A native of Solapur, India, she joined USC in Spring 2008 and signed up as ISE Senator for the Viterbi Graduate Students Association.

At the same time, she was a graduate student life committee member for the Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) and helped with publicity and recruitment. Her work included, among others, participating in a survey for campus safety, organizing mixers and welcome parties and publicizing events.

Recently she was part of the team that organized a whale-watching event for students at the Newport Beach. In August last year, Dhole became PR chair for GPSS while working simultaneously as a TA for one of her classes.

“I have the habit of studying every day, so my work never piled up,” said Dhole, who will receive her M.S. degree in May.

She says the awards committee looks for students who perform well in academics as well as extracurricular activities. “They check your involvement in organizing events, volunteer work and leadership activities.”

Professor Erich Kreidler from the ISE department, who nominated Dhole, says she stood out among all the students in her class by her ability to lead the team and execute projects in a timely manner. “She has a very professional approach towards her team mates and so she was selected the team lead for the final project. She also has excellent communication skills,” said Kreidler, adding, “I am glad that she has received this award as I have come across very few students, if any, who deserve this recognition more than Sujata.”

Dhole, who says she has been interested in extracurricular activities since her undergrad days, is also a winner of the USC Office of International Services’ leadership award. “The thrill of meeting different people makes the stressful balancing act worthwhile,” said Dhole.

She counts USC alumnus Ramnath Shenoy as one of her biggest inspirations. “I learnt a lot at GPSS, under his guidance,” she said. Shenoy won the Student Recognition Award last year.

story and photo by Newly Paul