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May
24, 2003, 16S:
Special Commencement Issue
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Bechtel
Achievement Award: Emery
Sanford, ME
Bechtel
Engineering Scholarship:
Austin Minnich, Eng. Science
Departmental
Citation Winners:
Ryan Doan, BioE
Sarah Gidding, CEE
Kevin Simler, EECS
Olivia Or, Eng. Science
Anthony Paganini, IEOR
Priam Pillai, MSE
Matt Panzer, ME
Ryan Hannink, NE
Other
Departmental Awards
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Photo
by Nick Lammers
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Materials
Science Citation : Priam Pillai
At the age of 17, when most kids are getting ready for their senior prom,
Priam Pillai left his parents behind and moved from his native India to
live with his aunt and uncle in California.
He made the move because he dreamed of becoming a college professor and
to do that he felt he needed to go to a top U.S. college.
Priam's road to that top school came circuitously after two years of hard
work. He enrolled in Diablo Valley College and worked as a customer service
representative for a credit card company to put himself through school.
Priam also worked as a tutor in physics, chemistry, and math while he
was at Diablo Valley College. He transferred to Berkeley his junior year
because he knew that’s where he’d be the happiest.
“It was a great decision because at Berkeley I have gotten to know
the smartest and most interesting people I have ever met,” he says.
At Berkeley he soaked up all the knowledge he could. As the son of two
English teachers, learning and teaching come easily to Priam.
“I like to give my two cents all the time. As a professor, I get
to talk and people have to listen to me,” laughs Priam.
Priam's approach to learning has helped him do well. It isn't about getting
the best grade but rather figuring out what he's getting from the material.
“When I think about what I am actually learning, I enjoy classes
better and I get better grades.”
On campus, Priam was the industrial relations officer for the Materials
Science and Engineering Association and did research in the computational
materials science group, predicting material properties using computer
simulations.
To relax, Priam enjoys playing word games, chess, and board games. He
also likes to hike and snowboard.
After he graduates in December, Priam wants to go to grad school for MSE
and is applying to Berkeley, MIT, UCLA, and Stanford.
Even if he goes to Stanford, Priam says he will always be a die- hard
Bears fan.
His favorite moment at Berkeley has nothing to do with engineering. He
will never forget when the Bears beat Stanford in the 2002 Big Game after
seven straight years of losses.
“When everyone ran out on the field to celebrate I felt a surge of
school pride and a lot of adrenaline."
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