10/22/2015 Fatima Farha, MechSE Communications
Alex Kahn, a senior in the Mechanical Science and Engineering Department, has been named to the 2015 University of Illinois Homecoming Court.
The Court is composed of 20 seniors who are selected based on their academic achievements, campus leadership, and community involvement.
Written by Fatima Farha, MechSE Communications
The Court is composed of 20 seniors who are selected based on their academic achievements, campus leadership, and community involvement. Students on the Homecoming Court are viewed as role models for their peers and outstanding representatives of the Illinois student body.
Kahn (BSME ’16) is vice president for new members for Pi Tau Sigma, the mechanical engineering honor society, as well as a member of Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society. He participates in Sailing Club and the Illinois Men’s Volleyball club team, through which he has been nationally recognized. Kahn is also a Chancellor’s Scholar, James Scholar, and member of the Provost’s Undergraduate Student Advisory Board. In December, he plans to do volunteer work at an organic farm in Guatemala. He is currently working on research sponsored by the Semiconductor Research Corporation and hopes to pursue a master’s degree in medical technology.
Kahn, who is from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, said he hopes other students will take inspiration from his involvement in academics, athletics, and outreach to further their university experience. Homecoming is especially meaningful to Kahn because both maternal grandparents, his parents, and two sisters all studied at Illinois, and he said he is happy to share this honor with them.
“My time at Illinois has been the sole most rigorous endeavor I have ever experienced. It has also been extremely rewarding,” Kahn said. “My paternal grandfather worked his way out of extreme poverty during the Great Depression, and his story has shown me that I am extremely fortunate to attend U of I in the manner that I do. As such, I try to make the most of every opportunity as a sort of personal policy.”
Dr. Blake Johnson, a visiting lecturer with whom Kahn has worked on a design project in the ME 310 lab, said Kahn is one of MechSE’s top students.
“Alex is extremely diligent with his study habits, very friendly and personable, and highly disciplined to manage a large plate of commitments, including coursework, research assistance, independent research, and athletics,” said Johnson.