Twenty-four Yale College juniors received honors from the Council of the Heads of Colleges in recognition of their scholarship, contributions to college life, and their character.
The winning students, their prizes, and the award citations written by the heads of college who nominated them follow:
F. Wilder Bellamy Jr. Memorial Prize
Established in 1939 by friends of F. Wilder Bellamy Jr., B.A. 1937, the prize is awarded to a junior who best exemplifies the qualities for which F. Wilder Bellamy, Jr. is remembered, including personal integrity, loyalty to friends, and high-spiritedness in athletics, academics, and social life.
Jack Starr, Benjamin Franklin College
A goalie on the men’s lacrosse team with a double major in psychology and film studies, Jack approaches all of his endeavors at Yale with service, gratitude, and an open mind. His investment in the experience of student-athletes at Yale led to his election as co-president of the advisory committee (SAAC), where he provided thoughtful leadership on access to mental health services for student-athletes. He was recently selected as a FroCo in Benjamin Franklin. In the spring of 2019 Jack wrote an op-ed for the Yale Daily News about the national college bribery scandal, defending athletics. He tied President Salovey’s work on resiliency to the lessons he has learned about grit and collaboration as a competitor for Yale. He also reflected on the myriad interests he’s drawn to off the field: “I wish I could go through Yale twice, first as a student-athlete and second to seize other opportunities. There are so many events I would attend if I had the time, including a cappella, comedy and dance performances, film screenings, and plays. These wouldn’t exist without students investing their time and talent, just as athletes do in their sports.”
Brian Lin, Berkeley College
Brian has contributed consistently and enthusiastically to the Berkeley College community for the past three years. He has been a member of both the club golf and club baseball teams since his first year, and in baseball, he is the team’s captain. Brian also has participated in club figure skating, and he is a regular player on Berkeley’s intramural teams. With respect to social activities, Brian has taken on leadership of Yale Community Kitchen, for which he directs soup kitchen operations and manages volunteer sign-ups and tasks. He has introduced the Community Kitchen as a regular feature of Berkeley activities, which he promoted via his role as vice president of Berkeley College Council. His own college peers elected him as a senator for Yale College Council, and one of his principal achievements was constructing and enacting a policy of opening the college dining halls as late-night study spaces for students. Next year, Brian will bring his wide-ranging interests and caring spirit to the Berkeley FroCo team, helping to lead the Class of ’24 through its first year at Yale.
James Larson, Branford College
James has been widely involved as a leader in Branford College and in the greater Yale community. As social media producer for the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, James interprets research and current events on climate change and works to produce social media graphics to communicate climate research effectively to the public. He is heavily involved with the Yale Daily News as a staff photographer and Photography Desk editor, capturing images across campus that bring different parts of the university to the community. In Branford, James is an integral member of our college’s council, currently serving as its vice president. Most impressive during his time in Branford so far has been his enthusiastic leadership with the Branford intramurals: he became an intramurals secretary as a first-year and from the very beginning was one of its driving forces. He exudes college spirit and pride and works tirelessly to strengthen Branford’s community.
Miles Waits, Jonathan Edwards College
If our college were a corporation, Miles would be its CEO — he is a man in charge, always making plans, dreaming big dreams, and recruiting partners in crime. Fortunately for JE, Miles is also a community-minded spirit with a good heart and great sense of humor. Miles has served as JE’s college council’s vice president for the past year and is the Yale College Council’s residential college deputy director. He is also an outreach fellow for Dwight Hall, providing one-on-one tutoring for local elementary students and working with New Haven Reads to recruit student volunteers. A physics major with a strong background in computer science, Miles somehow finds hours of his time to devote to organizing traditional JE events like apple-picking in the fall and skiing in the winter. He has also added new events like movie nights and the formation of a college textbook library. Miles is an active and happy participant in JE intramurals, having come to Yale as a decorated scholar-athlete in track and cross-country. Almost every event or undertaking happening in JE has Miles’ fingerprint on it somewhere. He is a friend to all but also a cheerleader, coach, and master of ceremonies.
Eleanor Cook, Pierson College
Eleanor Cook embodies the traits celebrated by the F. Wilder Bellamy Jr. Memorial Prize: an attractive personality, high spirits, good sportspersonship, loyal friendship, personal integrity, and universal respect. Since the spring of her first year, Eleanor has served as the Pierson intramurals secretary, and in that role she has single-handedly transformed Pierson intramurals from a lackluster program into a vital part of college life. Eleanor is a member of the Yale women’s club soccer team and has served as a FOOT pre-orientation leader. A pre-med student, she has also been active as a Global Health Scholar for the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, where her academic interests focus on social determinants for health. Building on her summer research on patient-provider communication and health outcomes as they pertain to diabetes care, she has been active in Student Partnerships in Global Health and has volunteered locally at the HAVEN Free Clinic. Due to her manifest leadership skills, Eleanor has been selected to serve as a Pierson FroCo for the 2020-2021 academic year. In short, Eleanor Cook is an absolute dynamo, an irrepressible presence in Pierson College, and someone who perfectly captures the ideals of integral leadership honored by the F. Wilder Bellamy Jr. Memorial Prize.
Iliana Cabral, Pauli Murray College
On the varsity field hockey team and in Pauli Murray College, Iliana Cabral is the ultimate team player. Her coach says that, over the scope of her entire career, Ili’s “maturity, character, and spirited leadership” stand out. She brings the same spirit of mentorship and community to Pauli Murray College. In leadership roles in the student activities committee, the Big Sibs, and the housing committee, Ili has gladly shouldered the work of passing down community wisdom to the next generation. She does all this with high spirits and a sense of fun. No one could better embody the spirit of the Bellamy Prize.
Jyot Batra, Silliman College
Jyot is a true leader in Silliman College. He is as an invaluable member of our HoC Office administrative team, has served as former student activities council president, and is a devoted intramurals supporter. Jyot works hard, plays hard, and loves his college and all the people who live in it. His love for all things Silliman paired with a fun and athletic spirit make Jyot an embodiment of all the great traits Wilder Bellamy was known for.
Angel Mora, Timothy Dwight College
From his first days on campus, Angel has been a bright light: full of energy, humor, spirit, vitality. He makes his TD classmates love the college more, and through multiple avenues: as a devoted head intramurals secretary, athlete, and quasi-coach; as the president of the college’s Mott Woolley Council; and as a future FroCo for the class of 2024. He’s organized our college paintball outings, ski trips, spring festivals — and, perhaps more significantly, he’s gotten people excited about those events and about residential college life more broadly; he is the kind of person whose enthusiasm is catching. Per the Bellamy commendation, Angel’s “high spirits” are a constant: Though he rolls with considerable punches, he does so with a smile on his face — not a fake or rehearsed smile, either, but one that reveals a deeper animation, a buoyancy, a verve.
John C. Schroeder Award
This award, which honors former Calhoun College master John C. Schroeder, is given to students who have contributed to residential college life and who, in the opinion of the committee, will “play a part in the good labor of the world.”
Julie Averbach, Benjamin Franklin College
From early days in the inaugural class in Benjamin Franklin, Julie sought out ways to seek “her place and play a part in the good labor of the world.” Julie quickly identified a way that students could transform the vast expanses of white “hospital corridors” in the college basement into colorful murals that represent the creativity, passions, and dynamism of the broad community. A double major in history of art and psychology, Julie approaches all of her projects from a commitment to the intersectionality of art, psychology, and social justice. She takes up the less-glorified residential college positions — website manager, social media coordinator — and turns them into opportunities to unite students and publicize their collaborations. She’s that type who turns up at events with a camera and a sly smile, and posts them on social media with a witty, generous caption that garners lots of good cheer. She singlehandedly organized a staff appreciation event for our facilities and dining hall staff. Perhaps Julie’s most transformative use of the college is as the meeting site for the troop of New Haven Girl Scouts she leads. She cooks with them in the student kitchen, tutors them in the library, and inspires them to imagine the Yale campus as a future home. She possesses unfailing integrity, altruism, and devotion to Yale.
Daud Shad, Berkeley College
Daud has channeled his service work primarily through Dwight Hall at Yale. In his first two years here, he participated in and then co-coordinated First-Years in Service, Dwight Hall’s flagship mentorship program that includes weekly service activities and discussions. As an upper-level student, Daud’s service work has focused primarily on humanitarian efforts. He founded the Dwight Hall Peace Initiative, a group for anti-war and humanitarian activism. He also co-founded Students for Yemen, an advocacy group that raised over $15,000 for emergency relief efforts through a national #Fast4Yemen campaign and A Night of Solidarity with Yemen, featuring Dr. Cornel West. For the past two years, Daud also has served as co-coordinator of Dwight Hall’s executive committee. His responsibilities include managing a 16-member committee, supporting 80+ member groups, promoting community engagement on campus, and serving on the board of directors. In addition to his Dwight Hall service work, Daud also is active in the Yale Rotaract Club and the Yale Muslim Students Association. This year, he helped many of his Berkeley College peers as a Yale Chaplaincy Fellow as well, and next year, he will help to lead Berkeley’s Class of ’24 through their first year at Yale as a FroCo.
Bessie Bauman, Ezra Stiles College
Thoroughly dedicated to the well-being of others, Bessie Bauman has been a terrific leader within and beyond the campus community. She has proven herself a reliable organizer and a strong and persistent voice noted for her generosity and commitment to equity. The winner of a Truman Fellowship, Bessie has been president of the Ezra Stiles College Council and co-president of New Haven’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. In that capacity she has managed more than 100 volunteers and expanded the organization’s work to include voter registration and savings advice for low-income residents of the city. Brilliant in the classroom and beyond, she will serve as a first-year counselor next year and expects to pursue a career in public service.
Matt Nadel, Grace Hopper College
Matt Nadel has focused a significant portion of his attention on understanding and improving the American criminal justice system, in class, at Yale, and beyond. As film director, Matt has made impressive steps toward the goal of an improved criminal justice system. He co-directed the award-winning documentary film, “120 Years,” which narrates the wrongful conviction of New Haven resident Scott Lewis, depicting his life after 20 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. Matt’s investment in documentary filmmaking can be seen locally and well beyond New Haven. The film has been selected for multiple festivals; received coverage by NPR (among others); and generated ongoing academic engagement. Matt’s work extends to nonprofit organizations focused on immigration, education, and LGBTQ+ rights. His work translates complex social and legal problems into lucid, memorable language that advances important conversations and encourages necessary political change.
Chika Ogbejesi, Jonathan Edwards College
Chika is incredibly bright, accomplished, and devoted to the pursuit of her goals, but the characteristic that sets her above many of her peers is her remarkable maturity and grace. Chika is a neuroscience major who has earned top marks in some of Yale’s most notoriously difficult classes, but who still finds time to devote unwavering support and guidance to her community. Her friendly face is a feature of all JE events, from intramurals to food nights and Head of College teas. She has been an enthusiastic college aide for three years, photographing many of our events and providing a calm helping hand during the chaos of Commencement week. She is an intrepid housing representative who navigates the minefield of room draw with diplomacy. Chika’s good deeds are also felt outside our college walls. She is the president of the Crisis Text Line, a summer tour guide for Admissions, and a volunteer at the Yale-New Haven Hospital. She also plays club volleyball and is a board member of the Black Student Alliance. Last summer, she served as a residential summer counselor, guiding students from all over the world through life \at Yale. In her interactions with her peers, her instructors, or the people who benefit from her help, Chika remains the same kind, unassuming, authentic person.
Zach Miller, Morse College
Zach Miller propelled himself into the college spotlight as a first-year by being himself. For three years, Zach has not only emanated one of the most positive, empathetic, motivating, indefatigable, loyal attitudes this college has seen in many years, but he has done so with a consistently open heart. Zach’s leadership and initiative are beyond compare. He leads by inspiring others to give their time and efforts as he so generously gives his own, and his initiative is driven by an unlimited reserve of creativity, enthusiasm, and commitment to his peers and his college. Intramurals have reached record participation behind Zach’s clever and tireless motivation, and college life is continuously infused with a groundswell of interest, collaboration, and spirit fueled by his naturally ebullient guidance and direction. In Fall 2020, in a move unprecedented in the college’s history, Zach will be both head FroCo and chief aide. Zach was chosen in these roles because he is both cherished and so very capable to thrive in leading two groups that are the critical heartbeat of the college. In these diverse ways, Zach is actively building community, leading quietly and effectively, and always endeavoring to do his part “in the good labor of the world.”
Karena Zhao, Pierson College
Karena Zhao’s leadership in the Pierson community and potential for future contributions to the world through altruism and service are unparalleled. Alongside her stellar academic work — as a neuroscience B.S. major, as a research assistant in Prof. Arielle Baskin-Sommers’ Mechanisms of Disinhibition Lab, and as a peer tutor for two courses in the Department of Chemistry — she has had an incredible impact in leadership and service outside the classroom. She has served as shift leader for Yale University Connecticut Hospice Volunteers, where she provides hands-on care to patients and families. She is director of the First-Year Program run by FOCUS on New Haven. She is the Yale College Council director of residential colleges. She is president of Knit One Give One, a club dedicated to teaching members how to knit and crochet and to donating the product of their labors to local organizations. She has also served as a production and design editor and as a senior editor for the Yale Daily News, and as a Yale University Tour Guide, leading tours in both English and Chinese. In Pierson, she has been a head Pierson aide, the student coordinator for our Yale Residential College Seminar Program, a member of a residential college dean’s search committee, and president of the Pierson College Council. Last but not least, she will serve next year as Pierson’s head FroCo. In sum, she has pretty much done it all, even while being a vital friend and support to many of her peers. In light of her scholarship, her extensive service involvements, and her genuine life commitment to the common good, Karena Zhao is a most deserving recipient of the John C. Schroeder Award.
SamiR Al-Ali, Silliman College
Samir’s deep commitment to humanity and service is evident in all that he does. Through his leadership positions as a chaplaincy fellow, as a Yale College Council representative, and as president of the Muslim Student Association, Samir has relentlessly forged a path that lifts people up, includes all, and strives to provide resource equity throughout our student body. From engaging amazing inspirational tea speakers, to spearheading hunger/homelessness service projects, to tutoring local refugee families, to fighting for free menstrual supplies for all residents, Samir has pushed hard to help marginalized communities. Samir embodies the true altruistic spirit for which John C. Schroeder was known.
Katie Schlick, Silliman College
Katie brings service and joy to whatever roles she takes on, going above the call of duty to bring sustainability to Silliman College. Through her work both as a college aide and as the Silliman sustainability liaison, Katie has transformed the way Silliman College thinks about green initiatives. From platinum sustainability certifications in our Acorn Café, to waste management education, to carbon reduction initiatives, to activism pushing for compostable programs on campus that work for all residents, Katie has worked tirelessly to make our college greener and healthier.
Daniel Sanchez, Trumbull College
It is as though this prize was established for Danny, who is the epitome of someone who will “play a part in the good labor of the world.” From Move In Day during his first year, when he was helping other frosh with their belongings, to next year, when he will serve as one of our first-year counselors, Danny has the attributes that we hope to see in all our students. Serving as our Trumbull College Council treasurer since his first year, Danny does much of the behind-the-scenes work with organizing college events and managing the budget. As someone who flourishes in group settings and who likes to talk through problems and concepts, he is thriving as a computer science major, and serves as an undergraduate learning assistant for introductory CPSC courses. Danny’s ability to make people feel at ease and at home seems effortless. He has been known to host Trumbullians for Thanksgiving and wears his Trumbull scarf everywhere. Danny says hello to everyone, waving from across the street or greeting people in the dining hall — we are thankful for his kindness.
Nishanth Krishnan, Timothy Dwight College
Since his arrival at Yale, Nishanth Krishnan has prioritized engaging with the New Haven community just outside of our gates. In fall 2017, he worked as a volunteer and shift leader for No Closed Doors, a group dedicated to helping unemployed and underemployed New Haven residents find work. That work led him to become more involved in the Yale Hunger and Homelessness Action Project (YHHAP) where he later became the co-director and community chair. He steered the group to develop new projects to facilitate outreach and fundraising for the city’s homeless shelters. Last summer, Nishanth worked as paid staff of the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK) where he trained and oversaw numerous volunteers and worked dinner service. He worked with hundreds of clients to register them for state and federal food assistance programs and launched two new Fair Haven summer food pantries that provided fresh produce, canned foods, and basic groceries to over 250 low-income families with over 510 children. A molecular, cellular, and developmental biology major, Nishanth hopes to attend medical school and enter the world of emergency medicine. His caring for others and warmth will make him a wonderful doctor and advocate for his patients. In the spirit of John C. Schroeder, he will continue to work tirelessly to help others in need of aid and comfort.
Joseph Lentilhon Selden Memorial Award
The Joseph Lentilhon Selden Memorial Junior Award is given each year to a member of the junior class of Yale College whose verve, idealism, and constructive interest in music and the humanities exemplify those qualities for which Selden is remembered. In recent years this award has gone to students especially notable for their contribution in the field of music.
Vivian Mayers, Branford College
Vivian is an extraordinarily gifted violinist who chose a university path for college over a conservatory. She wanted to matriculate at a school that would develop both her academic and musical sides and she has certainly not fallen short of this ambitious goal. With her “dedication to her musical craft, exponential improvement of her technical facility and musical artistry over the last three years,” Vivian was welcomed to Music 220/221 where she is part of a highly successful piano quintet. Vivian has also demonstrated exemplary leadership as co-concertmaster of the Yale Symphony Orchestra and was to be featured playing the Beethoven F major (“Romance”) on the (cancelled) YSO tour to Peru. Vivian has a wonderful combination of musicianship and scholarship, as evidenced by her forays into Baroque playing, shown in her leading of performances of Handel’s “Messiah,” Bach cantatas and the Yale Baroque Opera Project.
Chie Xu, Jonathan Edwards College
Chie Xu is a virtuoso violinist and renaissance scholar who is a perfect fit for the Selden Award. Chie has been playing violin since she was 6 and has participated ever since in orchestras as well as tutoring and musical outreach. Trilingual in English, Chinese and French, Chie loves the patterns and textures that make up the world in the same way she appreciates the different tenors and tones that harmonize in a symphony. Chie is also philosophy major with a special interest in aesthetics. Her community roles include serving as the director of the Yale International Relations Association’s Hemisphere Program. In this role, she has placed Yale student as teachers in New Haven public schools, organized weekly programs about international relations and community activism, and hosted Model United Nations team trips. Chie is also the program coordinator for the newly formed MacMillan Translation Initiative, which promotes the art of translation amongst schools at Yale and provides services to the New Haven medical and legal communities. Chie has a passion for all that is beautiful and musical, and we are grateful for her sharp mind and energetic contributions to college life.
Michael Gancz, Pauli Murray College
As performer, composer, and scholar, Michael Gancz has thrown himself into the study and practice of music. With a near-perfect academic record, an extensive portfolio, and participation in international festivals, he is working toward graduate study and a professional career in composition, but he also is animated by a belief that the heart of music is to connect people together, to communicate, and to serve as a shared source of joy. He has been an integral member of numerous ensembles: to name a few, the Davenport Pops Orchestra, the Yale Jazz Ensemble, the Yale Precision Marching Band, the Yale Handbell Ensemble, and the Yale University Guild of Carillonneurs. He is also founding member of Yale’s first trombone choir, which has enlivened Pauli Murray Family Dinner with a Kelly Clarkson arrangement for 10 trombones, and organizer of the Pauli Murray All-Nighter Music and Arts Festival. Characteristically, prizes were awarded for attending the full 12 hours, not on the basis of performance — music and performance as the fullest expression of community.
Alvin Chung, Silliman College
Alvin’s love for music stretches into everything he does. His amazing musical talent has been on display in so many forms — from formal Yale Symphony Orchestra shows to his incredibly fun Bulldog Days marimba concerts to playing Willy Wonka music live on NPR’s classic music show. As an ambassador for Carillonneurs on campus, Alvin has been able to share his deep love for music across campus. Alvin has a zealous fascination with all things music, which makes him a perfect fit for the Joseph Lentilhon Selden Memorial Award.
Maddy Tung, Timothy Dwight College
Maddy Tung has displayed her impressive talents and accomplishments playing in the most competitive ensembles on campus including the Yale Concert Band (YCB) and the Yale Symphony Orchestra, becoming principal bassoonist. As the YCB’s social chair, she has played a critical role in shaping the community life of the group. A musician who is dedicated to developing her knowledge, technique, and understanding of the orchestral repertoire from standard to contemporary fare, she has also taken on the challenge of playing the contra-bassoon and performing complex works such as Luciano Berio’s “Sinfonia,” a challenging piece that was originally commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for its 125th anniversary. Despite her demanding rehearsal and performance schedule with the YCB and YSO, Maddy has also made time for the Berkeley College Orchestra and the Timothy Dwight College Community Orchestra while completing a double major in music and the humanities. Since fall 2018, she has been the music director of the Yale Undergraduate Choral Society founded in 2012 to provide Yale students an opportunity to “sing in a choral group regardless of prior singing experience.” In all these roles, Maddy has shown herself to be a musical leader who enjoys sharing her love of music with her peers.
