Emerging Scholars

Emerging Scholars: As always, agonizing over who will make up this year's class of Emerging Scholars was intense, yet this was a happy work. We felt privileged to have the opportunity to read about so many talented young scholars committed to using their gift s to make the world a better place.

One of the most eye-popping nominations for the Emerging Scholars Class of 2012 came in for Geanncarlo Lugo-Villarino, a postdoctoral fellow studying tuberculosis a world away in Toulouse, France, at the French government's equivalent to the NIH. Lugo's Ph.D. in immunology from Harvard is a first clue that he is a bright star on the academic horizon, but the fact that he earned an associate in science degree in general studies from Southwestern College and lists this fact prominently on his CV is an indication of Lugo's true potential.

Among many other things, community colleges have long served as a springboard for high-potential students with meager resources to make it big.