Meet Joshua Kraus ’93 and Serena DeStefani ’15: Co-chairs of the GSAA Awards Committee

What drives you to contribute to the GS community?

Joshua: There has been a great deal of growth at GS in the relatively short period of time since I graduated. When I come back to campus, I’m struck by a greater GS presence everywhere, not just Lewisohn Hall. I credit the deans, staff, students, and volunteers with fostering a GS culture that is of real value on top of the terrific education at Columbia. As we celebrate 75 years, GS is still a young institution, and we can make a real positive impact on what our school will be in the next 75 years.

Serena: Following graduation, I attended a couple of alumni association meetings. This led to helping organize the 70th anniversary Reunion, which also marked the late Dean Awn’s 20th anniversary. I was always happy to see Dean Awn at these events because he had been so supportive of me during my time at GS. So, when the opportunity to join the board arose, I jumped at it. Joining was a way to stay in touch with friends, to learn about the latest developments at the school, to contribute to an institution that has helped me so much, and to witness Dean Rosen-Metsch’s incredible commitment and stewardship.

What has been the most fun and/or rewarding GSAA project with which you have been involved?

Joshua: My job as a member and co-chair of the GSAA Awards Committee is to help persuade the School and University to bestow honors that recognize the contributions and achievements of alumni, faculty, and friends. These honors include the Owl Award, the University Medal for Excellence, the Alumni Medal, and honorary degrees. Applauding people’s accomplishments is fun work. It is especially rewarding to see GS alumni receive recognition from the University.

Serena: The most fun project was assisting in the redesign of the GS website. We met with designers and user-experience researchers, and we participated in activities to try to understand better how people perceive and navigate the website. The most rewarding project was talking with freshmen and giving them advice on how to navigate their first year on campus.

What is your favorite GS memory?

Joshua: I had a work-study job in the GS Office of Admissions. We were on the main floor in Lewisohn, and people would flow in and out all day—Postbac Premeds, dancers, everyone. If you were to imagine consolidating and condensing that stream of diverse characters into a snapshot, it’s like a collage that signifies some of my best times as a student at Columbia and the friends I made there.

Serena: My favorite memory is when two classmates and I prepared for the dreaded Mathematical Inference final exam. We sought out a quiet location where we could study together. That was not an easy task, but we discovered an empty student lounge in the Department of Physics and camped there for three days. It was stressful and intense, but the story has a happy ending—we all passed the exam.

About Joshua Kraus ’93

Current Position: Partner at Bortstein Legal Group, with a focus on technology, media, and privacy
Free-time Interests: Tennis; hiking

About Serena DeStefani ’15

Current Position: PhD student in cognitive science at Rutgers University
Free-time Interests: Reading; working out; socializing with friends