MACON — Phi Kappa Phi, one of the nation’s most prestigious honor societies has awarded Mercer University graduate Samson Alva with a scholarship for post graduate study. Alva graduated magna cum laude May 13 from the College of Liberal Arts with degrees in physics, mathematics and economics and a minor in German. Annually, Phi Kappa Phi presents only 40 Award of Excellence scholarships and Alva was one of only three students in Georgia to receive the award.
“It is a distinct honor to have one of your university’s candidates selected for this prestigious award,” said Horace W. Fleming, executive vice president and provost of Mercer University. “Mr. Alva has compiled an exceptional record in both his academic endeavors and also his involvement in co-curricular and leadership activities. He exemplifies the kind of student that Mercer University strives to produce.”
Alva will be attending Boston College in the fall to work toward his Ph.D. in economics.
At Mercer, Alva maintained a 3.827 grade point average overall and a 3.9 in his majors. Alva also had many extracurricular activities, including serving as captain of the Binary Bears Computer Programming Team, despite only taking three computer science courses. Since he joined, he’s helped the team earn seven regional titles.
Alva’s parents, Jerome and Sylvia, relocated from Bombay, India, to Dubai in 1980 because the tiny Middle Eastern country was experiencing a major economic boom. Samson was born a year later. He grew up in Dubai, and excelled in school as his father built an import-export business. Alva, who now lives in Macon, is the oldest of four brothers and also has two younger sisters.
His experience at Mercer hasn’t been all school and computers, however, Alva has been involved in student groups and served as a senator and committee chair in Student Government Association and as a DJ and General Manager for Mercer Radio. He has also won numerous awards in his career at Mercer, including the Outstanding Bachelor of Arts Graduate in Economics Award and the Riley Plymale Award for Excellence in Mathematics.
Mercer also awarded Alva with the Wallace Odell DuVall Excellence in Leadership Award, which will also provide assistance for his post-graduate studies.
About Mercer University:
Founded in 1833, Mercer University has campuses in Macon and Atlanta as well as regional academic centers in Douglas County, Henry County, Macon and Eastman. With 10 schools and colleges, the University offers programs in liberal arts, business, engineering, education, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, law and theology. On July 1 2006, the University will add its eleventh academic program, the School of Music. For 16 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has named Mercer University as one of the leading universities in the South. The Princeton Review has ranked it among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation.
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