“She is the perfect choice as a University Medal winner,” said Edward Miguel, a professor of environmental and resource economics at UC Berkeley who wrote a letter recommending Kannan for the award. “Radhika is someone who really embodies Berkeley — it’s not just about being smart, but using talent and energy to create a better world and trying to do the right thing for society.”

The Academic Senate Committee on Prizes also interviewed and selected other finalists, including Miranda Landfield, Matt Nguyen, Margaret Perret and Aaron Wienkers, who will each receive a $500 award.

Previous winners of the University Medal include 2014 recipient Rebecca Peters and 2013 recipient Ritankar Das.

Hailing from Mumbai, India, Kannan transitioned between schools many times during her childhood. Her family moved to Singapore when she was 3 years old and continued to relocate between Singapore and India, which helped her become more outgoing and flexible, she said.

During her time as an undergraduate, Kannan became involved with the Cal Mock Trial team, which placed second at the National Championship Tournament this year.

According to Kannan, the team became her...Read the rest of the original article here.