2011 Four Pillar Awards

6/16/2011 - Graduating Kellogg students Josh Engel, Franco Famularo, Adam Louras, Ada Osakwe and Frank Sasso were honored June 3 with the Kellogg School’s Four Pillar Awards.

The awards recognize students who display exemplary leadership in one of four areas:

• Experiential learning
• Global perspective
• Intellectual depth
• Leadership and social responsibility

More than 75 students were nominated for this year’s awards. The winners were chosen by a selection committee composed of faculty, students, alumni and administrators.

Experiential Learning
The Experiential Learning Award recognizes students who excel in Kellogg’s experiential learning opportunities (classes or non-curricular leadership positions) by routinely putting into practice academic insights to deal with practical strategic, operational or organizational challenges.

Adam Louras not only founded his own business while at Kellogg — he has been a cheerleader for other aspiring student entrepreneurs as well. Louras founded the Kellogg Startup lab to give other entrepreneurs a forum to connect. He also helped students who are entering the consulting industry by revamping the Kellogg Case Book, a task he accomplished while serving as a leader of the Kellogg Consulting Club.

“Unlike many, Adam is a doer,” a nominator wrote. “He doesn't just talk about the need for change but actually executes. He started Startup Lab. He's starting his business. He's involved and motivated other Kellogg students in both (efforts) and in many others. His presence truly shaped my Kellogg experience and I know that many others feel the same way.”

Global Perspective
The Global Perspective Award recognizes students who employ a well-rounded, comprehensive perspective when considering international business issues and the global economic and social impact of their actions.

Ada Osakwe has made her mark at Kellogg by engaging her classmates in global issues. Osakwe led the Kellogg Student Association’s global affairs committee, pushed for more global business cases and global discussion in the classroom and helped launch the Kellogg Debates, an ongoing series that focuses on matters of global concern.

“With grace and natural leadership abilities, Ada was always able to inspire her peers to execute their very best work and naturally earned their trust in her leadership through her professionalism and engaging style,” a nominator wrote.

Intellectual Depth
The Intellectual Depth Award recognizes students who exemplify thought leadership through superior critical thinking. They demonstrate the ability to impose an analytical structure on complex, ambiguous business problems. They excel both in coursework and academic extracurricular activities.

From creating international fundraising frameworks for a real estate fund to writing a case study, Franco Famularo has inspired and led his peers by leveraging his strong intellect and work ethic in the classroom.

“Over the 14 experiential learning courses I have run, Franco has been the top student in my courses,” a nominator wrote. “Franco is intensely curious, but he does not just stop with questions. He is data-driven in his analysis and uses sophisticated tools to create frameworks to provide answers to relevant questions.”

Leadership & Social Responsibility
The Leadership & Social Responsibility Award recognizes students who best inspire, build trust and help teams develop and grow while maintaining strong values of social stewardship. These students serve in leadership capacities within the Kellogg School and beyond.

This year, two Kellogg students — Frank Sasso and Josh Engel — were recognized with the Leadership and Social Responsibility Award.
Frank Sasso has spearheaded many leadership activities during his time at Kellogg. He was the Kellogg Student Association’s vice president of academics, a student leader for the “Day at Kellogg” program for admitted students, a co-chair for the Real Estate Conference and a KWEST group leader.

“Frank is distinctive because he makes those around him want to be better leaders and inspires others to take risks and see their own potential,” nominators wrote. “Frank personifies not just leadership at Kellogg but what leadership should be at Kellogg, because he meticulously works with all relevant constituencies and then spends the time to diligently develop, communicate and execute the solution.”

Fellow award winner Josh Engel, meanwhile, founded HUB 561, an incubator to support Kellogg social entrepreneurs. He has also been a leader in the Emerging Markets, Net Impact and Entrepreneurship clubs, in addition to founding the Levy Social Entrepreneurship Lab Associate program.

“Josh brings his entrepreneurial spirit into all that he does, and much of what he spends his time on is directly related to social responsibility,” nominators wrote. “Through HUB 561, he has created a thriving community of Kellogg's aspiring social entrepreneurs, and the fact that we can now get support and inspiration from each other will be invaluable to our ability to successfully launch ventures during and after school.”