In an effort to recognize leadership qualities and academic achievement, members of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity awarded three freshmen with a prestigious award last night at their second annual "Gentlemen, Leaders and Innovators" scholarship ceremony. In the banquet room of Moriarity's Restaurant and Bar at 1116 Walnut Street, 11 of the 12 finalists -- selected from an applicant pool of over 60 freshman males -- gathered with nearly 25 Phi Psi brothers for dinner and casual conversation. After opening remarks from Phi Psi President and incoming Interfraternity Council Vice President John Buchanan, a College junior, and scholarship co-coordinator Stuart Torch, a College sophomore, the three scholarship winners were announced. Wharton freshman Dario Kosarac won the $1,000 first prize, Engineering freshman Chris Ioannides garnered the $300 second prize and College freshman Justin Joseph received the $200 prize. "[The scholarship] is something our fraternity can do for a bigger Penn community," Buchanan said. "It's a way of recognizing talent in the freshman class and rewarding that." Kosarac said he was thrilled to win the award. "I'm really honored, especially since I met the other guys and saw how awesome they are," he said. Applications were sent out to all freshman males -- about 1,200 letters in all -- over the summer and about 60 students responded with a one-page essay on why they considered themselves gentlemen, leaders and innovators. After arriving at Penn, each applicant then went through a round of informal interviews with fraternity brothers and attended some casual social events, such as Monday night football gatherings. According to Phi Psi scholarship co-coordinator Greg Filosa, all of the candidates were very strong. "It was tough to make the decision," the College sophomore said. Kosarac wrote about his experiences as a peer leader, as a tutor with America Online and as the co-chairperson of his local American Red Cross Youth Corps, but what really set him apart from the other candidates was his unusual background. At the age of 15, Kosarac fled his home in war-torn Sarajevo for a host-home in Virginia Beach, Va., where he attended high school for four years and earned numerous accolades, including the Virginia 1999 Youth Award. "[For Kosarac] to achieve the same level as we did was just impressive," considering the obstacles he had to overcome, Filosa said. Ioannides wrote about his experiences as an Eagle Scout. And Joseph addressed the leadership and innovative skills of Mahatma Gandhi and Benjamin Franklin and identified himself with each of them. Ioannides said he enjoyed the application process as a whole because it helped him to meet upperclassmen early in the year and to get a feeling for the camaraderie within the fraternity. He added that it was an opportunity "to get to meet everybody where you're not being scrutinized by your every action."
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