Stephanie Peng of ORIE is one the 36 Merrill Presidential Scholars selected campus wide in 2008. She recognized Professor Gennady Samorodnitsky as the Cornell faculty member contributing most significantly to her college experience.
The Merrill Presidential Scholar program was created by the late Philip Merrill '55 to recognize Cornell's top scholars and their most influential high school and Cornell teachers. Stephanie Peng, who received her BS from ORIE in May, honored her teachers Eric Levin of Manalapan High School in New Jersey and Professor Gennady Samorodnitsky of ORIE.
Earlier in May, the 2008 Merrill Presidential Scholars gathered in events on campus with their honored Cornell Professors and secondary school teachers. The celebration culminated with a convocation luncheon hosted by Cornell President David J. Skorton and Susan H. Murphy, Vice President for Academic Services.
Peng commended Samorodnitsky for "his straightforward lectures, generous use of examples, and genuine concern for his students' learning." "In addition, his Engineering Probability and Statistics, and Introduction to Financial Engineering courses have been invaluable to me in finding a career path after graduation," continued Peng. "The first helped me solidify my understanding of the subject and appreciate its power to describe complex phenomena. The second introduced me to the role of probability and statistics in the financial world. I will no doubt be combining concepts and skills from both [courses] in my future job."
In addition to compiling a stellar academic record at Cornell, Peng was involved with the Cornell Taiwanese American Society, a cultural group on campus. She also served as a partner and as the financial manager of Optix Productions, an Ithaca-based video production company. Starting this summer, she will be working at AllianceBernstein in Manhattan and living in Jersey City, NJ.
Merrill Presidential Scholars are graduating Cornell seniors who have demonstrated outstanding scholastic achievement, strong leadership ability, and the potential for contributing to society. Every spring semester, the deans of Cornell's seven undergraduate colleges select scholars representing the top one percent of graduating seniors, for this honor.
Please see the Cornell Chonicle's story for additional information on this year's Merrill Scholars.
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