Senior Wins Fruend Prize for Perfect 15.0 GPA

The first undergraduate in nearly twenty years to have a perfect 15.0 grade point average will receive his A.B. degree in government today.

Kevin S. Schwartz' 01 will receive the Sophia Fruend prize today, an honor awarded each year to the highest ranked summa cum laude graduate in the College.

Schwartz did not receive a single grade lower than an A--not even an A minus--over the course of his four years at Harvard

Schwartz said he was grateful for the many opportunities Harvard presented to him and focused on enjoying the University's resources.

"I am proud to be a part of Harvard history," Schwartz said. "I was very motivated and worked hard, so it meant a lot to me."

Schwartz is also a Truman Scholar and will spend the next year in Oxford on a Marshall Scholarship. He is a member of the U.S. Academic First team.

When Schwartz returns to the U.S. after his year abroad, he plans to attend Yale Law School.

"He's intellectually adventurous," said James E. Alt, Thompson professor of government and Schwartz's thesis advisor. "He has what I can only call unbelievable energy and motivation. In thirty years of teaching, I've maybe known one other student with this kind of capacity for dedication."

Schwartz wrote his senior thesis on disability politics in the United States and Britain.

Alt predicted a bright future for Schwartz in the public sector.

"He has extremely strong interests in public policy. You can't talk to the guy for a minute without picking up on his social responsibility," Alt said.

Mark P. Risinger, the Kirkland House Senior Tutor who initially informed Schwartz about the prize and his place in Harvard history praised Schwartz's academic and extracurricular involvement.

"He is a dynamo of energy who has been very active his entire time at Harvard, not only as a student but in his activities as well," Risenger said.

Schwartz has spent his senior week working to coordinate commencement activities as Class Treasurer. He has served as the president of the Mock Trial Team, on the Board of Directors for the Small Claims Advisory Service, and as Financial Manager for the Harvard Glee Club. Schwartz is also a former Crimson editor.

"Kevin works very hard," says friend Joel D. Rosenbaum '01, "While the rest of Harvard is sleeping, he is working or making a contribution to extracurricular life. He's an extraordinary individual in every sense of the word."

Schwartz, whose sister Lisa is a rising junior at the College, credits his family, professors and academic advisors for supporting him in his academic and extracurricular endeavors.

"I have had a wonderful four years at Harvard," Schwartz said. "I have always found wonderful opportunities at Harvard and learned a ton."

--Staff writer Nicole B. Usher can be reached at usher@fas.harvard.edu.