Valedictorian Tennen demonstrates her distinctive brand of persistence

by Jennifer Greenstein Altmann
Senior Ruth Tennen was ecstatic to hand in her thesis. As she walked out of the molecular biology laboratory where she had spent so many nights and weekends, she thought, "This is great. No more lab for four months." But two days later, Tennen was back, sneaking in so that no one would notice her.

"I didn't want people to see me in there because I thought they'd think that it was kind of bizarre," explained Tennen, who has been running experiments related to her thesis.

Tennen, who will deliver an address at the June 1 Commencement as valedictorian of the senior class, is the kind of student who pursues answers long after the grades are turned in.

"Beyond academic achievements, Ruth is truly and sincerely dedicated to scientific research," said professor Mark Rose, director of undergraduate studies for the molecular biology department. "She is a true lab rat, always here, always enthusiastic. She is a promising researcher who will undoubtedly be making important contributions in the future."

Aside from her academic record — 21 A+'s in 11 departments and programs, no grade below an A — Tennen stands out for her intellectual curiosity, her scrupulous preparation and her tenacity, say her professors. She also is the kind of person who refers to lab work as "fun," an important trait for someone heading to Stanford University's Ph.D. program in cancer biology this fall.

She is "one of those people whom one feels privileged, if inadequate, to teach," said Maitland Jones Jr., the David Jones Professor of Chemistry.

Tennen's valedictory speech at Commencement will be preceded by the salutatory address, which will be delivered by Brian Tsang, a computer science major.

The salutatory address is traditionally given in Latin, a subject Tsang studied for four semesters at Princeton. In addition to his choice of language, Tsang's sterling academic record across all his work made him the University's selection as the salutatorian of his class. "I just felt that in order to get a complete education you need to know a little bit of Latin, at a very minimum," he said.

Read the full stories on this year's valedictorian and salutatorian.