Emilio Ferrara, 2023 Goldwater Scholar, was honored as Sigma Nu’s Man of the Year, Scholar of the Year, and Alpha Alumni Chapter Affiliate Awards. (Stephanie Schupska/UGA)

From Greek life councils to long days in the lab, Emilio Ferrara did it all during his time at the University of Georgia. A 2024 Honors graduate who majored in biochemistry and molecular biology, Emilio recently received Sigma Nu Fraternity’s Man of the Year, Scholar of the Year, and Alpha Alumni Chapter Affiliate Awards.

The Man of the Year Award is given to the fraternity’s most outstanding leader across over 150 national chapters, and the Scholar of the Year Award is presented to the most academically excellent brother. The Alpha Alumni Chapter Affiliate Award is given to 10 outstanding seniors in Sigma Nu based on a competitive evaluation of the brother’s academic excellence, extracurricular record, and demonstrated leadership for the fraternity, school, state, and nation.

Emilio Ferrara

Before finishing his undergraduate journey at UGA in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and Morehead Honors College, Emilio worked on translating science into medicine through undergraduate research at UGA’s Center for Molecular Medicine and Department of Biochemistry, earned a fellowship with biotechnology venture capital firm KdT Ventures, and interned at biotechnology startup Tavros Therapeutics. He was also the president of UGA’s Interfraternity Council, a member of the Institute for Leadership Advancement, a 2023 Goldwater Scholar, and a national finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. On top of his impressive resume, Emilio was also a Foundation Fellow and Stamps Scholar at UGA.

“I would place Emilio firmly in the top 1% of all students I have engaged with through undergraduate teaching and research,” said Kimberly Klonowski, associate professor of cellular biology at UGA. “Society needs more intersectional individuals like Emilio to make big changes and breakthroughs in established sectors that have been doing the same old thing with incremental success.”

Emilio also served as Sigma Nu’s Mu Chapter vice president. In this position, Emilio increased chapter leadership participation by 40% and was vital in organizing the chapter’s 150th anniversary celebration, which hosted more than 375 attendees. In Sigma Nu, Emilio also served as an after-school volunteer coordinator with Extra Special People, a nonprofit in the Athens area that creates transformative experiences for people with disabilities. He also helped raise $180,000 for melanoma research funding while working as the head of the Mu Chapter’s funding and corporate sponsorships.

Emilio is in the first year of his PhD in bioengineering through a joint program at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, San Francisco. He plans to translate science into impact for patients by working at the intersection of scientific innovation and entrepreneurship.

“He is an extremely mature, articulate, personable, and highly motivated individual, and, simply put, he is an exceptional student,” said Michael Adams, a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UGA.

– By Gracie Howard