An 18-year-old Indian-American has become the youngest graduate topper of the prestigious University of California in more than a century. Kolkata-born Ritankar Das has been named the University Medalist, a prize given to the year’s top graduating senior.
Das has taken just three years to complete his studies with a double major in Bioengineering and Chemical Biology, and a minor in Creative Writing from the University of California, Berkeley. Further, he is the first student from the College of Chemistry in 58 years, and the first ever from the Department of Bioengineering to earn the honor, which includes a US$ 2,500 scholarship.