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Andrew Thomas '06 History, Political Science, and Economics Hometown: Des Moines |
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Andrew Thomas likes to think fast. Whether it's making cases as president of the UI Mock Trial Club or cracking jokes as a member of the improvisational comedy group Paperback Rhino, Andrew needs to be able to work with complex ideas and turn them around quickly and concisely. He chose the right UI college. "The most important part of what I've learned in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is how to communicate well -- writing, articulation, and persuasion skills," Andrew says. "With those abilities, I feel like I'll be able to go in any direction I choose." Andrew, a UI Presidential Scholar, has been setting the stage for those choices -– including attending Yale Law School –- by taking advantage of opportunities in the college to make the most of his UI experience. With support from the college's Dewey Stuit Fund -- designed to support students' research -- and other resources made possible by gifts large and small, Andrew has delved into his education and taken it beyond the classroom. For instance, he's helped political science professor Brian Lai compile a searchable database of global terrorist incidents and research the role of the U.S. in halting international money laundering. Andrew served as president of the college's Dean's Student Advisory Council -- working with the dean's office on issues of importance to students -- and and as the chief of staff and public relations executive for UI Student Government. An active member of the Honors Program, he was awarded the Collegiate Scholar Award, and was selected to speak at the CLAS commencement ceremony in 2006, at which he graduated with highest distinction and honors. Andrew was also awarded a Hancher-Finkbine Medallion by the UI, as recognition of his outstanding academic success and service to the University. He's thankful for the ways that private support has helped him excel in his studies -- and mindful of the effects of private gifts on the college as a whole. "My Presidential Scholarship has helped me focus on what I'm most interested in," Andrew says. "And helping one student do his best work, by making unique opportunities available, raises the bar for all students."
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