2011-2012 Outstanding Senior

Amanda Heckart, Outstanding Senior for 2011-2012

The East Carolina Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi annually presents an award to the Outstanding Senior at ECU. The winner receives a plaque and a check for $1000 from the chapter.

The winner of the 2011-2012 Outstanding Senior award is Amber Heckart from Holly Ridge, NC. A graduate of the NC School of Science and Math, Amber was selected to be an EC Scholar and member of the Honors College. She was also chosen to be part of the Brody Early Assurance for Admission to Medical School program. Amber graduates in May of 2012 summa cum laude with a B.S. degree in biology and a B.A. degree in Hispanic Studies. She studied abroad for a semester in Santander, Spain, where she attended classes at the Universidad de Cantabria. She did her senior honors thesis project under the direction of Dr. David Tulis at the Brody School of Medicine investigating the biochemical mechanisms that underlie abnormal growth of vascular smooth muscle. Amber has also been involved in many service and leadership activities. She has been a volunteer tutor for chemistry, biology and physics. She served as Co-President of the ECU Spanish Club, helped raise funds for the NC Migrant Farm Worker Food Bank, and has been the Undergraduate Student Vice President for ECU’s chapter of Phi Kappa Phi. In Greenville, she has served with a number of organizations to volunteer ot help the local Latino population, working particularly in the Grimesland Health Clinic and the AGAPE health clinic in Washington, NC. Amber is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Eta Sigma and Golden Key. She was recently nominated for the Fullerton Scholarship in the Brody School of Medicine, which she will enter this fall. Amber plans to prepare for a career in primary care. Eventually, she would like to open medical clinics across eastern NC to serve the growing Hispanic population.