From the Publisher

By Louis A. Weil III

Justin Boyan found the software for his home computer balky and difficult to use. So he wrote his own. His program was chosen "The Best of 1987" by PC Magazine. Today Boyan, 19, a math and computer-sciences major at the University of Chicago, is also president of his own company, Boyan Communications. Though the firm has its headquarters in an unusual place -- Boyan's dorm room -- the young entrepreneur so far has sold 2,000 copies of his software.

Boyan also happens to be one of 20 winners of this year's TIME College Achievement Awards. Now in its fourth year, the program singles out academically gifted college juniors who have made their mark in an extraordinary way, whether in their future fields, community service, athletics or the arts. Co-sponsored by Volkswagen United States, the competition attracted nearly 600 applicants this year. Each winner receives a $3,000 award.

Meeting them is a humbling experience. Mike Chou, 20, spoke little English when his family arrived in the U.S. from Taiwan in 1983. A Caltech physics major with a 4.1 grade-point average, he has already done pioneering research on solar flares. John Unger II, 21, a mechanical/ biomedical-engineering major at West Virginia University, spent the summer of 1989 in Hong Kong, helping Vietnamese refugees emigrate to the U.S. In September he leaves for India, where he will assist Mother Teresa. He plans to become a doctor and work in the Third World. Says he: "The best part about winning this award is the great feeling it has given the people of West Virginia. Maybe it will encourage someone else to aim a little higher. They're awfully proud." So am I, John.