Finalist
Craig Altemose
Eckerd College
Junior in International Relations
4.0 GPA

Craig Altemose has been fighting hunger every day for about eight years. The 20-year-old Eckerd College student has been clicking on hungersite.com, which donates food to starving people, every day since seventh grade. But that’s only one of many issues on the political activist’s plate—Altemose is working hard to further global awareness on the EC campus and around the world.

As a high school freshman, he helped create a church fund raiser for Kosovo refugees and began sending part of his earnings from his after-school job at the local library to a disadvantaged child in Ecuador.

Altemose says he began reading the newspaper in high school and became particularly interested in articles he read about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the 2000 presidential election. “The September 11^th attacks also motivated me to learn more about the world around me,” he says.

Although his interest in humanitarian efforts sparked during high school, this passion really turned into a healthy fire at EC. The international relations major helped create the Alliance of Concerned Individuals, which focuses on human rights issues. “With its conception two years ago, ACI has grown to include over 50 active members and is one of the most influential and efficient clubs on Eckerd’s campus—because of Craig’s direct influence,” says Fred Sabota, director of campus activities.

ACI works on voter registration drives, tries to improve the conditions of Eckerd’s contracted employees, and campaigns with the Coalition of Immokalee workers, who are largely immigrants working for low wages in Florida. “We’ve taken on several new projects this year, including raising awareness about AIDS, volunteering for the Beth-El Farmworkers Mission, and driving students to the polls on Election Day,” Altemose says. “Through ACI, I’ve done what I can to bring forward important pieces of news, both from our campus and the world around us.”

In fact, Altemose will do almost anything to inform his peers of important issues. During his first year at EC, he organized a political rally at an intersection near campus. “The day of the event turned out to be very cold and rainy, and nearly all of the students declined to participate,” says Brian MacHarg, director of service ministry. “I recall driving home from campus that evening and seeing Craig by himself, out in the cold at the intersection, distributing the information that he felt was so important.”

The politically savvy student has come a long way in Eckerd’s Student Government, which is called the Eckerd College Organization of Students, or ECOS. He was elected a senator as a freshman and worked as director of financial affairs his sophomore year. “Craig is the kind of leader who is willing to work his way up in the ranks,” says Rebecca Jacobson, assistant dean of students. “He isn’t one who will simply jump to the head of the pack in order to be in charge.”

During his tenure as director of financial affairs, Altemose expanded control over the $20,000 Independent and Collaborative Ventures Fund, which had previously been in the hands of the executive council. “This fund could be easily controlled by two students, as had been the case in some previous years,” Altemose says. “My proposal expanded control by involving two senators from the Financial Affairs Committee so that five students instead of three were voting on this important fund.”

The New Jersey native also worked to reform the Campus Contingency Fund—about $20,000 that had to be spent before the end of the budgetary cycle. “This encouraged Student Government officers to hold this money until close to the end of the year as a contingency fund and then spend wastefully,” Altemose says. “Now, this money will roll over into the next budgetary cycle and be only used for real emergencies.”

Currently, Altemose serves as ECOS vice president and is running for student body president. “He’s gotten support from across the political spectrum,” says Bill Felice, political science professor. “I would predict that he wins the election by a landslide.”

As vice president, Altemose helped organize an event that educated students about Eckerd’s Master Plan, a 15-year plan that will bring huge changes to the college. “But there’s still little student participation in drafting the plans, which is something that I’d very much like to change,” Altemose says.

During his tenure, he also oversaw more than 50 student-run organizations and worked to secure student senators their own offices, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses, so students can contact them more easily.

In addition, Altemose created the Honors Mentoring Program at EC, which pairs incoming honors students with upperclassmen honors students to help them adjust to college life. He’s a student representative on both the Master Plan Task Force and the Environmental Affairs Committee.

Furthermore, he serves as an assistant in professor Felice’s freshman honors class. “He’s outgoing; he’s concerned; he’s empathetic,” Felice says. “One thing I’ve noticed in the honors classroom is that he really looks out for students who are shy or not as forthcoming. People look to him for guidance or direction.”

After graduation, Altemose plans to go to graduate school to study regional integration. “Basically, I want to help unite humanity by helping people realize that every single human being is worthy of dignity, respect, and human rights,” he says. “I don’t know what form such a job will take, but that’s what I’ll be doing.”

Approximately 90 percent of Altemose’s expenses are paid for by scholarships, including Eckerd’s prestigious Trustee Scholarship. The remainder is covered by his student body discount and parental contributions.—LD

Contact Altemose at altemocs@eckerd.edu.