Feb. 15, 2007

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Washington, D.C. - Georgetown University senior quarterback David Fajgenbaum (Raleigh, N.C./Ravenscroft) was one of 20 students named today to the 2007 All-USA College Academic First Team, USA Today's recognition for outstanding undergraduates. He and 19 other juniors and seniors receive trophies and $2,500 cash awards as representatives of all outstanding undergraduates.

This year's first team members were chosen from almost 600 students nationwide who were nominated by their colleges. They were chosen in a two-step process by judges who considered academics, breadth and depth of activities and leadership, and most important, how they have extended their academic skills beyond the classroom. Collectively, the 20 juniors and seniors are pursuing 30 different undergraduate programs and carry a combined grade-point average of 3.89.

This is not the first such award for Fajgenbaum, a pre-med major who carries a 3.83 grade-point average. In November, he was one of 22 college football players nationally selected to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team.

Fajgenbaum was named to the Good Works Team as a result of his founding of Students of Ailing Mothers and Fathers Support Network (www.studentsofamf.org), whose acronym (AMF) comes directly from his mother's name. Anne Marie Fajgenbaum passed away in December 2004 from a brain tumor and Students of AMF aims to help students at college campuses cope with the psychological, spiritual, social, and academic difficulties associated with having a sick loved one through service, support, and mentoring.

When Fajgenbaum's mother passed away, he wanted to find a way to honor her and at the same time, raise money to support cancer research, which resulted in the "Boot Camp 2 Beat Cancer," held during the summer of 2005. While he hoped to raise a thousand dollars, he ended up raising more than $8,000. This past summer, the second annual "Boot Camp 2 Beat Cancer/AMF (A Morning of Fitness)" event raised more than $20,000.

"I'm honored to be selected to a team like this," Fajgenbaum said. "The neatest thing for me was to have been nominated and to be selected is unbelievable. My coaches and my teammates have supported me and have really gotten involved in my cause, so this award is as much a reward to them as it is to me."

Students of AMF, which was named as Georgetown University's "Outstanding Direct Service Program," has also received a grant from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to become incorporated as a non-profit organization. The program was recognized by UNC as the Director of Outreach for the Students of AMF, Benjamin Chesson, is a student there, and a high school classmate of Fajgenbaum.

"It's amazing how this has grown," Fajgenbaum said. "In October 2004, I told my mom I was going to do it. Two months later, we had 100 kids on campus who were involved and by the end of the semester, it had grown to over 300 people.