Academic All-Star
by Tad Lichtenauer • April 2008 • No Comments •
On February 13, 2008, USA TODAY published its 2008 All-USA College Academic Teams, and featured as one of the 20 first team members was Alexander Hertel-Fernandez (Northwestern 2008).
Two More All-Stars
Josh Wood (Valparaiso 2008) was named to USA TODAY’s 2008 All-USA College Academic Third Team.
A computer engineering major, he is credited with discovering how to do matrix multiplication using quantum computing techniques.
After graduation, Wood plans to pursue a graduate degree in electrical and computer engineering, specializing in nanotechnology, as well as a master of business administration degree. Currently, he is considering Stanford University, the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
One day he hopes to design the next series of computing technology, something that would ultimately replace current transistor-based processing.
“Being selected on the All-USA College Academic team was a great honor that reassured me that my research has great potential and that I am heading in the right path,” Wood says. “It also helped to recognize those who have helped me along my way — whether they be faculty members, Lambda Chi Alpha brothers, friends, or Valparaiso University itself.”
Having served as the chapter’s scholastic chairman and secretary, he strives to embody the Fraternity’s Christian ideals, Ritual teachings, and Seven Core Values every day.
“I continue to enjoy the bond I share with my brothers, and always will; I know that they are there if I need help, and they are always a source of entertainment and encouragement,” he says. “The Christian ideals of the Fraternity have helped me spiritually, and I know that that growth will be crucial through the rest of my spiritual life.”
Jordan DeHerrera (Denver 2007) was named as an honorable mention on the USA TODAY’s 2008 All-USA College Academic team.
In June 2009, he will graduate in with a combined bachelor’s degree in economics, a master of business administration degree, and master of accountancy degree.
DeHerrera plans to pursue a doctoral degree in economics or law and would like ultimately to work in a public policy think tank as a research fellow.
His essay submission for the USA Today All-USA College Academic team dealt with the individual responsibility and accountability that we all face as members of a community.
“It’s a principle that’s been greatly reinforced for me through Lambda Chi Alpha and its teachings of strength protecting innocence,” he says. “I wrote about how the greatest thinkers and catalysts for change have always advocated a strong sense of community responsibility.”
As a part of his experiences, DeHerrera organized an initial service learning trip to Juarez, Mexico, and four of the seven participants were Lambda Chis. In addition, three of the four executive officers on the board of the nonprofit he founded are Lambda Chis.
He also credits Drew Hunter (Denver 1980) and Mike Smith (Denver 1976) as serving as important mentors, and helping him launch his nonprofit.
“The nonprofit development was a big reason why I was selected for the USA Today honor and so I am very grateful for both Mike and Drew’s help,” DeHerrera says. “I truly believe that my accomplishments are the result of a collaborative group effort — even those that appear to be individually driven. It is only because of the support of great friends, family, and mentors that I’ve been able to achieve what I have.”
A political science major at Northwestern University, he has studied infant mortality in Chile, his mother’s native country. He’s also earned a Rotary Foundation ambassadorial scholarship and Howard Hughes Medical Institute research fellowship.
The USA TODAY program recognizes outstanding undergraduates for their vision, combined with a results-oriented idealism, and an entrepreneurial spirit.
The 20 first-team members, selected by a panel of judges from among nearly 500 juniors and seniors, each received $2,500 cash awards as representatives of all outstanding undergraduates. Second- and third-team members also were selected, along with honorable mentions.
Research Work in Chile
“When I began college, I was passionate about biological research,” Fernandez says in the essay application he submitted to USA TODAY. “This remains an area of great interest, but I came to realize that my true passion involved analyzing the social and political implications of biology and health care.”
As a part of his junior-year study abroad in Chile, he arranged for an opportunity to conduct a research project at the World Health Organization offices in Santiago, Chile.
When he considered his research, he was struck by the inequities in Chilean health care that he witnessed as a volunteer at a public polyclinic for the indigent, particularly the injustices of infant and child malnutrition and mortality.
According to many published reports, Chile has long been lauded in the public health community for its dramatic drop in infant mortality; national child death rates have plummeted by nearly 93% since 1955 — an unprecedented fall.
Yet the accounts Fernandez heard from doctors, nurses, and grieving mothers in the poorer communities told a much different story than the national statistics celebrated by politicians and international representatives.
“Driven by these experiences, I decided to delve into the epidemiological data of infant mortality, looking beyond the national rates that might mask the plight of vulnerable groups, such as the poor and the uneducated,” he says.
Such a study had not been conducted before, principally due to the difficulties associated with collecting and compiling historical life and death records for the entire country.
To gather the data, Fernandez had to canvass six government agencies over four months, compiling records as he went. When the collection, compilation, and analysis were finally completed, he had uncovered several alarming trends that confirmed his original suspicions.
“Poor families were nearly eight times more likely to have a child die before their first birthday than wealthier families, a trend that has only worsened over the past 15 years,” he says in his essay. “I also discovered that the much-lauded infant mortality decline was actually driven by the decreases in child deaths amongst the wealthiest families, while child deaths amongst the poor had actually increased.”
His research findings about overall declines in infant mortality rates in Chile were published in the Bulletin of World Health Organization, where his work caught the attention of Chile’s former health minister.
The two of them are now co-authoring an article for the popular press to call on the current administration in Chile to implement a new child health initiative.
“It is the potential to speak for those without a voice — the disadvantaged, the poor, and above all, for children — that motivates me to continue this work, and also why I consider this research to be my most significant achievement,” Fernandez says in his essay.
Lambda Chi
When Fernandez arrived at Northwestern he realized, not surprisingly, that Lambda Chi Alpha was the fraternity he wanted to join.
“What initially attracted me was how involved all of the guys were in the house, on campus, and other activities,” he says. “That really impressed me. So when it came time to rush, it was really a no-brainer for me.”
In addition to being president and founder of the university’s Latin Student Organization, Fernandez also serves as a volunteer for the ESL-Mentoring Program at Stockton Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois.
“When I’m looking for volunteers one of the first places I go is the house because I know there are people there who are always looking for opportunities,” he says.
In general, the unique balance of academics and volunteering are very important to Fernandez, so he appreciates having some sense of giving back to the community where he lives.
“Those are both two very important pillars of the Fraternity,” he says. “So I’ve internalized that in turn. First and foremost I am here in college to be a student…to do the best I can in classes. But I feel that community service also is an amazing opportunity to keep you grounded so you don’t get caught up in your own world, in your own bubble.”
Next Adventure
In the short term, Fernandez has joined Midwest Service Employees International Union and plans to spend some time after graduation educating home healthcare workers and daycare providers, many of whom are unlicensed, about their rights and union options.
“After that I’d love to go back to Latin America,” he says. “I’ve applied for some fellowships that would hopefully send me back to do some research and work with NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in Argentina and Peru. Then, after that, I think maybe graduate school…and end up doing something in global health and health policy.”
