About Alex: Born July 5, 1986. Son of Walt and Cynthia Breitinger, of Valparaiso. Brother to Ben and Max. Grandson of Harold and Barbara Freidrich, of Fort Wayne, and Eleanor Breitinger, of Charlottesville, Va. Graduate of Valparaiso High School class of 2004.

Accomplishments: Alex Breitinger, a senior at DePauw University majoring in chemistry and history, recently became a member of Phi Beta Kappa national honor society. This past spring he received the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the national premier undergraduate award in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. Breitinger is taking four classes for 16 credit hours this semester. He is a chemistry tutor, active in Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and an apartment manager, which is similar to being a resident assistant. A science research fellow, Breitinger spent eight weeks the summer after freshman year in China working alongside a geology professor. He's received the John Ricketts Prize that is awarded to a student who shows the highest achievement in physical chemistry and the Division of Analytical Chemistry Award. He is a member of Phi Lambda Upsilon chemistry honor society.

The history department awarded Breitinger a William Wallace Carson History Scholarship and the Lucien J. Kirkby Scholarship, which is given annually to the outstanding junior history major. As a sophomore he received the Hollings Scholarship from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and interned in Seattle working with hydrothermal vent fluids. Breitinger is one of 10 seniors selected to serve as Presidential Ambassadors, a newly formed group of students chosen to greet distinguished guests of the university, including the board of trustees, distinguished alumni and guest speakers such as Madeline Albright and author Greg Mortenson. Breitinger is a member of the DePauw cycling team and is a disc jockey on the college radio station.

Personal heroes: "My parents. They both have a wide array of interests and they've been an inspiration."

What I read: "I like reading historical fiction and most recently about the Civil War and World War I."

What I do for fun: "I enjoy cycling. I'm also a big fan of 'The Office' and 'Saturday Night Live.' "

People might be surprised to know: "I didn't go straight to college after high school. Instead I spent a year in Germany as an exchange student at a German high school on a scholarship from the U.S. and German Congress."

- SUE BERO, Times Correspondent