The Yale Club of New Haven honored 45 high school seniors from the greater New Haven area at its annual Yale-Seton Book Award event, held in Davenport College on Oct. 2. These students were selected by their schools in recognition of their “outstanding personal character and intellectual promise.”
The Yale Club of New Haven invited Yale Book Award winners, their families, and their school guidance counselors to campus for an awards ceremony. The students and their guests also enjoyed breakfast and lunch in Davenport College, a panel discussion and conversation with current Yale students from the area, and tours of Yale.
Head of College John Witt welcomed everyone to Davenport. Yale’s first lady, Marta Moret, was on hand to greet the guests, speak to the winners and their families, and award the books. Handsome Dan stopped by with his handler, Kevin Discepolo, to pose for a group photo (above) in the Davenport College courtyard taken by Michael Marsland.
This year’s student panelists were: Solomon Aromolaran ’21, Coral Lynn Ortiz ’21, and Jordan Lampo ’20, joined by Kevin Sullivan ’18, who now works at Yale. Dr. Sandy Chang ’88, associate dean of science and quantitative reasoning education at Yale College spoke about opportunities for students interested in STEM. Then tour guides Joshua McGilvray ’20 and Alex Weyerhaeuser ’20 showed students and families around the campus while guidance counselors met with Patricia Wei from the Admissions Office.
Each student was awarded two books, chosen by the students — one as a keepsake and one to present to their school library. The award program is endowed by the late Fenmore Seton ’39 and his wife, Phyllis. The event was made possible through the efforts of Yale Club of New Haven administrator Theresa Mester and a devoted group of volunteers: Elaine Piraino-Holevoet ’75 (chair), club president Keith McCants ’87, Timothy Bertaccini ’77, Christina Coffin ’74, and David McNamara ’78. Yale’s Office of New Haven and State Affairs and the Yale Admissions Office provided additional financial support.
The 2018 Yale-Seton Book Award winners and their schools are:
- Academy of Our Lady of Mercy/Lauralton Hall: Carolyn Canavan
- Amistad High School: Aliyah Doodnath
- Amity Regional High School: Kate Yuan
- Ansonia High School: Samantha Rowland
- Branford High School: Benjamin Mehmedovic
- Cheshire Academy: Zhengxian Lin
- Cheshire High School: Berkley Fang
- Coginchaug Regional High School: Sierra Astle
- Common Ground High School: Jenisha Khadka
- Cooperative Arts & Humanities Magnet High School: Salome Campos
- Daniel Hand High School: Chloe Veth
- Derby High School: Ryan Callaghan
- East Hampton High School: Kristin Whitney
- East Haven High School: Miranda Morman
- Engineering & Science University Interdistrict Magnet High School: Jay Raymond Hilton
- Guilford High School: Charlotte Zimmer
- Haddam-Killingworth High School: Emma Anziano
- Hamden Hall Country Day School: Charles Manger
- Hamden High School: Zachary Lane
- High School in the Community: Sofia Yanza
- Highville Change Academy: Janelle Smith
- Hill Regional Career High School: Jorge Blanco Herrera
- Hopkins School: Alexander Hughes
- James T. Hillhouse High School: Makayla Dawkins
- Jonathan Law High School: Ming-May Hu
- Joseph A. Foran High School: Tessa Malesky
- Mercy High School: Madeline Richardson
- Metropolitan Business Academy: Melody DeBlasio
- Middletown High School: Matthew Lecky
- Morgan School: Simon Hua
- Nathan Hale-Ray High School: Sierra Cazassa
- New Haven Academy: Jaylynn McCown
- North Branford High School: Rebecca Sabetta
- North Haven High School: Sarina Sandwell
- Notre Dame High School: Brian LoCicero
- Oxford High School: Ann Dzuyen Le
- Portland High School: Rebecca Tripp
- Riverside Education Academy Magnet: Deja Pagan
- Sacred Heart Academy: Clare M. Bassano
- Seymour High School: Daniel Bouzolin
- Shelton High School: Sarah Gloria
- Sound School: Kyle Driebeek
- West Haven High School: Riyad Al-Bakri
- Wilbur L. Cross High School: Pablo Causa
- Xavier High School: Pier Bos
