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Kellogg's 2012 Siebel Scholars, from left: Jessica Young, Matt House, Kevin Poff, Sidharth Kakkar and Adrienne Day

Five Kellogg students named to prestigious group of leaders

2012 Siebel Scholars

Five Kellogg students named to prestigious group of leaders

By Amy Trang

9/9/2011 - In recognition of their leadership and academic excellence, five second-year Kellogg students have been named 2012 Siebel Scholars.

Kellogg students Adrienne Day, Matt House, Sidharth Kakkar, Kevin Poff and Jessica Young, all members of the Class of 2012, are among a prestigious group of 85 students from 17 of the world’s leading graduate business, computer science and bioengineering schools.

The international award recognizes five exceptional students at each of the schools. Recipients receive $35,000 for tuition and other educational expenses during their final year of study.

The Siebel Scholars Program was designed to create a community of leaders who will make important social contributions and solve some of society’s most pressing issues. The Kellogg scholars were nominated by a selection committee of Kellogg deans, who chose from among a pool of students in the top 10 percent of each academic department. Key criteria include academic merit and leadership qualities.

The Kellogg students join more than 700 Siebel Scholars worldwide who have been honored since the program was founded in 2000 by Siebel Systems founder Tom Siebel through the Siebel Foundation.

Current and alumni Siebel Scholars will meet in Ashburn, Va. in October to explore the science, applications, benefits and risks of synthetic biology with world-renowned scientific, industry, ethics and policy experts.

Kellogg’s 2012 Siebel Scholars are:

Adrienne Day ’12. After joining the finance department at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, Day established Steppenwolf’s human resources department, which was named a “Top 10 Small Workplace” by The Wall Street Journal. Day is president of Kellogg Board Fellows, a director of Net Impact and co-chair of the Innovating Social Change Conference. She also serves as co-president of the Kellogg Arts & Culture Club and as board president of Red Tape Theatre.

Matt House ’12. At Boston College, House received the Vincent Guffini award for best economics thesis, in which he explored state government reactions to recessionary fiscal shocks. After working with KPMG LLP’s tax group, House co-founded the Chicago office of WTAS LLC, a tax and wealth strategy firm. House is vice president of academics for the Kellogg Student Association and serves on the membership committee of the Chicago Boy Scouts of America Council.

Sidharth Kakkar ’12. During his time as an analyst with Goldman Sachs, Kakkar served as a mentor for Streetwise Partners and became inspired to contribute to social service. Kakkar also co-founded 10pens.com, which helps clients improve their English skills. Kakkar moved to a rural village in India, where he worked as a corporate strategist with Himalya International, a food processor. At Kellogg, Kakkar developed a local mentoring program, served as a leader for Day at Kellogg and the KWEST programs, and as a mentor for the Northwestern Transit Company.

Kevin Poff ’12. As a human capital strategy consultant for Mercer, Poff created a new consulting solution for rolling out product domestically and internationally. Internally, he led analyst/MBA recruiting, chaired a cross-business engagement committee, and founded a volunteer committee to support local schools. Poff serves on the Kellogg Student Association, co-founded the Public Management and Governance Club, served as the marketing director for the Operations Conference, and is a volunteer with the Junior Achievement organization.

Jessica Young ’12. At JPMorgan Chase in New York, Young worked in the internal consulting services analyst program, where she gained experience in product management, strategic sourcing and client services support. She contributed to the firm’s double-digit revenue growth for the product offering and managed sensitive client relationships. Young is executive producer of Kellogg’s annual Special K! Revue and co-president of the Arts & Culture Club. After Kellogg, she hopes to transition into arts management.

“We are proud to support the Siebel Scholars Class of 2012 as they collaborate and forge lifelong ties with this engaged community of leaders,” said Karen Roter Davis '00, executive director of the Siebel Scholars Foundation. “They are joining an exceptional group of talented individuals working together with the Siebel Foundation to address critical societal issues in health, food and energy.”