Kathleen Dass of Bloomfield Hills, a senior in the Honors Program at Wayne State University, has been named to USA Today’s 2006 All-USA College Academic Team. Dass, who is majoring in biology on a pre-med curriculum with a co-major in university honors, is one of only two college students in Michigan to earn a spot on the newspaper’s 2006 academic team. She received Honorable Mention recognition.

The All-USA Academic Team honors full-time undergraduates who excel in scholarship but also extend their intellectual abilities beyond the classroom to benefit society. Criteria include grades, academic rigor, leadership activities and an essay describing the student’s most outstanding intellectual endeavor while in college.

In her essay, Dass described work she did as a result of an undergraduate research award received at WSU. She investigated what leads college students to engage in illegal substance abuse and used her research to recommend preventive measures.

The WSU senior is a member of the prestigious Golden Key International Honor Society and a recipient of the 2005 Spirit of Detroit Award from the Detroit City Council for her volunteer work with the ProLiteracy Detroit program.

At Wayne State, she serves as a peer advisor to other Honors Program students, is active with the Association for Pre-Medical students and served for a year on the Ghafari Residence Hall Council. She also is one of two students who serve on the university’s Honors Council, an advisory group that includes the program director, deans and department chairpersons.

In addition, she has on two occasions taken a leadership role in the Model United Nations Conference, an event that gives students a hands-on opportunity to learn how the world body operates by participating in mock UN sessions. Her community work includes volunteering at the Iraqi-American Endowment Center.

As a student coordinator for the MedStart program, Dass serves as a leader and mentor to students entering the pre-med program at WSU. She also is a volunteer at the Oak Park Medical Clinic and has worked many hours as a volunteer at Beaumont Hospital-Royal Oak. In addition, she has spent many hours assisting in cancer research studies at the Veterans Hospital in Detroit.

Kathleen Dass plans to become a physician specializing in pediatric medicine. She is the daughter of Dr. Ramsay Dass and Natalie Dass of Bloomfield Hills.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students.