Prerak Chapagain, a University of New Orleans summa cum laude honors graduate in electrical engineering, has been awarded a 2019 Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship. Chapagain, who earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average, was among 58 recipients across the country chosen for the college honor society’s annual graduate fellowship.

Phi Kappa Phi selected the recipients from nominations from over 300 of their chapters at colleges and universities. The Fellowship Program, established in 1932, provides funding across all academic disciplines to first-year graduate students who are pursuing post-baccalaureate degrees.

Chapagain, a native of Nepal, will attend graduate school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he also was awarded a research assistantship that covers tuition and includes a stipend for living expenses. Chapagain is interested in studying energy and power systems, particularly renewables.

During his undergraduate career at the University, Chapagain was president of UNO’s Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers and vice-president of public relations for UNO Toastmasters; he also was a senator for Student Government, a student ambassador and an orientation leader.
 
Chapagain, who was a teaching assistant and tutor in the College of Engineering, was crowned UNO’s homecoming king in 2018 and has a passion for acting.