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Physics Graduate Named Renaissance Scholar

Ricardo Betancourt-Benitez was honored as a USC Renaissance Scholar during the May 2001 commencement ceremony. The honor is awarded to those students who exemplify the objective of the program which is to bring two widely separate fields of thought together in the same mind. Ricardo graduated with a B.A. in Physics and a minor in French. Congratulations, Ricardo.

Ricardo and his family moved to the Riverside area from Mexico City when he was 16 years old. Even as a child, he had an insatiable curiosity regarding the physical world and what makes things work. "At times my friends made my life very difficult," he said. "They wanted to play and I just wanted to think."

After two years spent at Riverside Community College, Ricardo tranferred to USC. He thoroughly enjoyed his time here and will miss the University. Dr. Kresin and Dr. Thompson will also be greatly missed as they were very influential and encouraged his interest in physics. Ricardo also has a deep love of the French culture and language. He decided to pursue his two loves, majoring in Physics while minoring in French.

The Renaissance Scholar's honored Ricardo because he epitomized the objective of the program which is breadth with depth, and the extraordinary release of intellectual energy that often occurs when two widely separate fields of thought are brought together in the same mind. Certification is based on the extent to which the two fields of study are widely separate and distinct, and require the student to stretch intellectually.

Next for Ricardo is a move to South Bend, Indiana where he will be attending Notre Dame in the fall. He intends to pursue his Ph.D. in Physics and study Theology. After he completes the program, he plans to return to USC and receive a Masters in Film. His ultimate goal is to work as a documentary filmmaker focusing on science.

It was a pleasure to have Ricardo in our program and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

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