June 14, 2006

Andrew Giritharan wins Guyon scholarship

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A Carbondale student is the winner of a Southern Illinois University Carbondale scholarship named for a past president the University.

Andrew Giritharan (311 W. Park Lane) won the SIUC College of Science John C. Guyon Scholarship. The award will pay $500 toward his education costs for the fall 2006 semester and is renewable for additional semesters, provided the student maintains at least a 3.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and remains a major in the College of Science at SIUC.

The total potential value of the award is $4,000 over eight consecutive semesters.

The son of Kathirave and Michele Giritharan of Carbondale, he plans to major in physiology as a pre-medical student at SIUC.

The University awards the scholarship based on the student's academic record and other activities. A graduate of Carbondale Community High School, Giritharan's honors include appointment to the National Honor Society, French Honor Society and as an Illinois State Scholar. He also won a scholarship from the provost's office at SIUC and is a black belt in tae-kwon-do.

Guyon, a chemist and president of SIUC from 1987 to 1996, established the award for incoming freshman students pursuing science degrees.

Promoting excellence in undergraduate academics is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint the University is following as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2019.