Robert Orr ’87

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Robert Orr is the kind of student who fairly defines the word “excellence.” A young man who thrives in intellectual challenge, he is outstanding in his studies in English and history. He received the Alumni Association’s Clarence A. Dykstra Scholarship, was a Rhodes Scholar finalist and first recipient of the Chancellor’s Humanitarian Award in 1987. After a year in Peru in the Education Abroad Program, he conducted research and wrote papers in Spanish and Portuguese. His concern about people led him to cofound the Central American Refugee Aid Project in Los Angeles and to become a central figure in the only student-run refugee shelter in the nation. On campus, he tutored in the Academic Advancement Program for minority students and was active as a member of its policy board. He personally originated an important tutorial program for students on academic probation. His persistent vigor is expressed in everything he does. A high school track star, he had set academic priorities at UCLA, but continued to train – if sometimes at midnight – and recently ran 8th in his class in the Los Angeles Marathon. His goal is to devote his life to humane efforts and governmental policy making in the international sphere, especially in Third World countries. If Orr in any way represents the future, the world will be in good hands.