The David Everett Chantler (B.A. 1910) Award is given to a senior who has best exemplified qualities of courage, strength of character, and high moral purpose. This year there were four recipients: Jun Luke Foster of Davenport College, Alan Elbaum of Pierson College, Beata Fiszer of Morse College, and Joshua Ackerman of Berkeley College.
Jun Luke Foster
Elected Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year, Jun Luke’s stellar academic accomplishments are complemented by his superb performances as a concert pianist. His strength of character, deep humanitarianism, and high moral purpose are evident in his scholarship in Ethics, Politics, and Economics; his nuanced interpretations of the music he plays; and his sustained, caring relationships with classmates, friends, and family, most especially during their times of need. To them he is more than an accomplished scholar; he is a source of strength, comfort, and hope.
Alan Elbaum
A Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations major, he is fluent in both Hebrew and Arabic. At Yale, he has been a leader in the Multifaith Council and the “Jews and Muslims” student group. As Religious Life Chair of the Hillel Board, he has sponsored interfaith worship among Jews, Muslims, and Christians on campus. Prior to medical school, he will be working next year as an intern at al-Manarah, a non-profit organization in Nazareth dedicated to the advancement of persons with disabilities in the Arab society of Israel. His commitment to Arab-Israeli reconciliation makes him a worthy Chantler Award recipient.
Beata Fiszer
A first-generation American and a first-generation college student, Beata Fiszer has leapt into every aspect of college life with courage, compassion, and leadership. Her sense of community stretches from the group of freshmen for whom she serves as counselor, to the college where she is a beloved and ever-present friend, to the larger world, where her research on environmental sustainability is driven by an intergenerational commitment to the health of our world. She is honored for these values and for her contributions across four years of citizenship at Yale.
Joshua Ackerman
Mr. Ackerman has pursued a challenging double major, earning a B.S. in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and in Latin American Studies, graduating with 43 credits. At the same time, he has devoted himself to the community, earning service awards that include Berkeley’s Samantha Landau Beggs Prize, the Yale College Public Service Research Prize, and the Yale Global Health Initiative Field Experience Award. He has also been a Freshman Counselor, worked in Admissions in various capacities, and dedicated himself to research on leptospirosis in the School of Public Health.
