Two Students to be Recognized for Outstanding Contributions to Campus

Christine Clark | June 8, 2009

Preston Sharp during his years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Samoa.

Senior Shae Lynn Zastrow has been an advocate for Native American issues and a dedicated mentor to middle and high school students. Preston Sharp, a graduate student at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, volunteered in the Peace Corps, where he found his passion: international development. This Friday, Zastrow and Sharp will be rewarded for their efforts with the Outstanding Senior and Outstanding Graduate Student awards during UC San Diego's All Campus Graduation Celebration.

Zastrow and Sharp will share the stage with Chancellor Marye Anne Fox, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Penny Rue and keynote speaker Mike Judge, a UC San Diego alumnus and creator of “King of the Hill” and “Office Space.”

The two award recipients were selected among 58 students who were nominated, said Cynthia Davalos, special assistant to Vice Chancellor Rue and chair of the Outstanding Senior and Graduate Student awards committee. “These graduates embody well-rounded, high-achieving students who are extremely involved on campus and in the community,” Davalos said. “They have the potential to be outstanding alumni leaders carrying the UC San Diego legacy wherever they go.”

The awards are designed to recognize students who have enhanced student life on campus and who have served the university. Zastrow and Sharp will receive $1,000 each and a lifetime membership to the UC San Diego Alumni Association.

Shae Lynn Zastrow

“It's a great honor to be given this award,” said Zastrow. “I've strived to become a successful UC San Diego student since I arrived here and many people have invested in my success. This is extremely touching.”

In addition to being a volunteer mentor for local middle and high schools students, Zastrow worked as an intern at the OASIS Language Writing program, where she has shown a genuine commitment to tutoring her peers who speak English as a second language, said Cecilia Ubilla, the program's coordinator. “She’s an extraordinary humanitarian,” Ubilla said. “She has a high sense of responsibility and she’s always generously given her time and knowledge to those in need.”

Zastrow, a cognitive science major from Eleanor Roosevelt College, also has been involved in student life on campus. As a descendant of the Hupa tribe of Northern California, she has cultivated and supported Native American culture on campus and in the community. She re-founded the Native American Student Alliance and led a letter-writing campaign to UCSD’s Native American Grave Protection committee. She also has organized projects that mitigated the devastating effects of the fires on the Indian reservations of Eastern San Diego County.

Zastrow also has a deep interest in the arts. She has performed for seven quarters with the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus as a soprano. She's also currently weaving bear-grass braids for her cousin's coming-of-age ceremony.

Preston Sharp

Meanwhile, Sharp’s degree from IR/PS focuses on management and economics in Latin America. When he was in the Peace Corps from 2003 to 2005, he worked on community-based development and helped a nonprofit organization achieve financial stability.

Sharp has continued to dedicate his time to serving those in need since arriving on campus. He has been working on the Baja Project, for which he traveled to El Barril, Baja California, Mexico, four weeks a year during school breaks to work with the community.
 
“My parents inspired me to serve others,” Sharp said.  “My mother built her career in social work and my father has spent countless hours volunteering with the Salvation Army.”

In addition, Sharp is dedicated to raising awareness about environmental sustainability and supporting UCSD's efforts to become one of the greenest universities in the nation. Sharp helped develop the Sustainability Walk, a tour that allows guests to learn about UCSD ’s sustainability achievements. He initiated a sustainability ideas contest that resulted in more than 40 submissions and has become an annual event. He’s also helped coordinate campus events on fair trade, corporate social responsibility and organic farming. Upon graduation, Sharp will work with a small nonprofit that facilitates investment in social entrepreneurs while employing impact metrics and evaluation tools that he developed as a graduate student.

“This recognition is a climactic finish to a rewarding two years at UC San Diego,” Sharp said.