Berkeley, CA
Premkumar has been named a 2017 STATEment Makers by the ISU Alumni Association.
Iowa 'STATEment Makers' is an honor that recognizes the early personal and professional accomplishments and contributions to society of Iowa State University's young alumni (graduates 32 years of age and under). Nominations are sought annually for 'STATEment Makers' who have made differences in their own lives, the lives of others, their communities, and/or their professions through ambitious efforts that reflect the scholarly, entrepreneurial, or service-oriented spirit of an Iowa State University education.
He grew up in Ames, but he says that didn’t change his sense of wonder and excitement about the ISU experience – from meeting one of his role models, Barack Obama, to honing his high-level skills in global academic research, which he continues today as a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley. His current research projects are “The Ferguson Effect: Do High Profiled Fatal Encounters with Police Lead to Reductions in Arresting Intensity?” and “Hospital Closure and Hospital Choice: How Hospital Quality and Availability will Affect Rural Residents,” both of which he hopes will prepare him for a post-PhD career in public policy, academia, advocacy, or even a run for office.
Deepak on…
…the movies he’s always quoting: “The Dark Knight or 21/22 Jump Street”
…his guilty pleasure: “reading an unfortunate amount of Clickhole”
…his favorite words of wisdom: “’Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.’ – Robert F. Kennedy”
…his favorite college memories: “There are honestly too many to count. There are the countless heart-stopping basketball victories that come to mind, such as when I watched us beat Iowa in the last seconds in 2013 with my closest friends. There was the incredible community of Global Resource Systems, where I found myself discussing the most complex of issues with classmates. There was putting those concepts into practice with Dylan Clark by conducting original field research in Tanzania. Certainly one of the most consequential experiences was starting and advocating within the ISU Global Health & AIDS Coalition, illustrating the nexus of my passion for service, development, and policy. It allowed me to grow as a person and as a leader, providing a constant reminder how young people can truly make a difference.”