USA Today Names Three UF Students To All-USA College Academic Team

February 12, 2004

USA Today named two University of Florida students among 20 selected nationwide to its top-tier All-USA College Academic Team, and another UF student to its Third Team. The students are featured in the Feb. 12 edition of the USA Today newspaper.

UF’s two First Team members are Steven Cohen, from Pembroke Pines, and Anup Patel, from Altamonte Springs.

The 20 First Team members were selected from among more than 600 nominees by educational professionals in a two-step process. As representatives of all outstanding undergraduates, each received a trophy and a check for $2,500

Cohen, 21, a business administration senior with a 4.0 GPA, lists as his major accomplishment serving as the national chairman and chief executive officer of Friends for Life of America,www.friendsforlife.com,an organization he started in high school to help pediatric cancer patients and their families. He expanded the organization nationally and internationally while at UF.

In addition, Cohen has conducted research through the University Scholars Program on analyzing benefits of extending Medicare coverage to oral anticancer drugs. He is a student representative of the Office of Community Service advisory committee and has been both a student senator and an Honors Ambassador.

Patel, 22, is a senior with three majors: biochemistry, economics and political science. He has a 4.0 GPA, is a 2003 Goldwater Scholar and spent the summer of 2003 volunteering with AIDS-infected children in India. As a result of his overseas efforts, Patel co-founded and is chief executive officer of Cents of Relief,www.centsofrelief.orgthat has raised nearly $15,000 to help AIDS victims in red-light districts of India.

In addition, Patel participated in the University Scholars Program to conduct genetic research on irregular outgrowth of blood vessels in the eye, and as an intern researched public health-care polity for U.S. Sen. Bob Graham from Florida.

The UF student who earned recognition on the Third Team is Joshua Pila, a senior political science major. Pila founded and is the chairman of Awareness By Leadership and Education, or ABLE, a disability awareness group.

He recently was recognized at UF as a student winner of the President’s Humanitarian Award, for those who have made significant humanitarian contributions on campus and in the community. He also is involved in the Jewish Student Union and has chaired Jewish Awareness Month, served on the Reitz Union Board of Managers and is a member of the Matthews Society.