Note to reporters:
To request a digital photo or to arrange an interview with Daniel Pyon,
please contact the Public Affairs office at Cal State L.A., (323)
343-3050.
Pre-law honor student garners
At 18, CSULA’s outstanding senior to head to law school
Los Angeles, CA – Cal State L.A.’s outstanding senior Daniel Pyon
(Montebello, CA resident)—who will complete his bachelor’s degree in
business administration with a pre-law option this spring at 18 years
old—is the recipient of CSULA chapter’s $500 Phi Kappa Phi
fellowship.
Pyon, who will be graduating summa cum laude, will pursue a Juris
Doctor degree at Harvard Law School starting next fall. He is also the
University’s nominee for this year’s
Phi Kappa Phi National Graduate Fellowship.
A Dean’s List student, Pyon is a member of the CSULA’s Phi Kappa Phi
Honor Society—the oldest and largest national honor society dedicated to
the recognition and promotion of academic excellence in all fields of
higher education. This year, a $250 Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship was
also presented to Cal State L.A.’s chemistry and biochemistry major
Angela M. Guerrero (Downey resident).
“I have been incredibly blessed to work with the faculty in various
departments,” said Pyon. “I have benefitted tremendously from the
commitment my professors have shown to mentoring me in both my academic
and professional pursuits. Working with such a diverse and unique group
of students across campus in classes and extracurricular activities has
also been very rewarding.”
Pyon‘s accolades include the Golden Key Business Achievement Award, the
Korean American CPA Society of Southern California Scholarship, the
Youngnak Academic Scholarship, first place in Pi Sigma Alpha
Undergraduate Paper Contest, and “Outstanding Delegate” at UC
Riverside’s 2011 Model United Nations Conference.
“Over the years, I have worked with many gifted students in this [Early
Entrance] Program, but Daniel is the most impressive of all,” said Maria
Kathleen Boss, professor of business law at CSULA. “...The fellowship
recognition to Daniel by Phi Kappa Phi will contribute to what I have no
doubt will be a distinguished legal career.”
Pyon took advantage of CSULA’s
Early Entrance Program
(EEP)
to start college at the age of 14. EEP admits extraordinarily
gifted youngsters—some as young as 11—directly into college, providing
the early entrants with monitored evaluation, regular counseling
sessions, and the opportunity to study with like-minded peers.
“Being a part of EEP has truly been an amazing experience,” Pyon said.
“The director, staff, alumni, and other students have created a positive
environment that helps students flourish during their undergraduate
careers. I am grateful for the support that EEP has provided to me
throughout the past four years.”
Also at Cal State L.A., Pyon currently serves as vice president for
finance for Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) campus government and
academic chair of the EEP Club. He previously served as the chief
justice and associate justice for ASI and as a mentor for the EEP Club.
He is also an active member of the Mock Trial Club and the Chemistry and
Biochemistry Club.
Off campus, he has volunteered for LOVE LA: Food for the Homeless and
AWANA (church youth group).
“Daniel is one of the youngest student leaders that I have the honor of
working with, and he demonstrates a standard of leadership within ASI
that is respected by fellow student leaders and staff,” said CSULA’s
Intef W. Weser, ASI executive director. “I can reassure you that any
investment in Daniel will be repaid through commitment, leadership,
motivation, and determination to meet the academic goals and challenges
placed before him.”
# # #
Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 220,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds—reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six
Colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to
the Honors College for high-achieving students, opening in fall 2011.
Programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a growing forensic science program, housed in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center. www.calstatela.edu
University’s annual Phi Kappa Phi fellowship
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