Yale College Dean Richard H. Brodhead presented the honors at the Senior Class Day exercises on May 25. The award-winning students carried special banners during the Commencement procession the following day. Their award citations follow:
Chiraag Bains
The James Andrew Haas Prize is awarded annually to "that member of the Senior Class in Yale College whose breadth of intellectual achievement, strength of character, and fundamental humanity shall be adjudged by the faculty to have provided leadership for his or her fellow students, inspiring in them a love of learning and concern for others." This year the Haas Prize is awarded to Chiraag Bains of Morse College.
Awarded a Truman Scholarship in his junior year, and elected to Phi Beta Kappa at Commencement, Chiraag Bains has earned 38 credits at Yale with 27 grades of straight A and seven grades of A. For his senior essay he was awarded the Henry K. Hayase Prize in Asian American Studies; he graduates with Distinction in both History and Ethnicity, Race and Migration. He will continue his studies next year at the University of Cambridge as a Gates Fellow, studying the relationship between race and policing in both England and the United States.
In his work as an ethnic counselor Mr. Bains has been recognized for his warmth and effectiveness, while on campus and in the New Haven community he has had a major influence as a leader of rare humility. In an effort to promote social justice he has formed coalitions with members of groups such as the Student Legal Action Movement, the Martin Luther King Jr. initiative, and New Haven community organizations. He has been a mentor with the Juvenile Justice League, and worked for prison reform with the group People Against Injustice. On campus he has been the editor of Type Magazine and the Yale Journal of Human Rights, as well as the co-moderator of the Asian American Students Alliance.
In recognition of his academic achievements, his humanity, and the breadth and depth of his leadership, Yale College takes great pleasure in conferring the James Andrew Haas Memorial Prize upon Chiraag Bains.
Aaron George Jakes
The Warren Memorial High Scholarship Prize for the senior majoring in the humanities who ranks highest in scholarship is awarded this year to Aaron George Jakes of Trumbull College.
Aaron Jakes graduates summa cum laude with Distinction in his major of History. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year, he was most recently recognized with two major fellowships: the Fulbright and the Henry. He has completed 40 credits at Yale, earning one A-minus and 39 grades of straight A.
Mr. Jakes has done brilliant work across the Yale curriculum. Conversant in Arabic and French, he excelled in cognitive science before turning to History. His interest in the intersection of law, politics and social policy informed not only his scholarship but also his service, including public-interest research as an intern in the office of the New York Attorney General. A jazz saxophonist and classical oboist, he played in the Yale Symphony Orchestra and conducted the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, serving as its director this year.
In recognition of his diverse accomplishments and independent mind, Yale College proudly awards the Warren Memorial High Scholarship Prize upon Aaron George Jakes.
Thomas Chun-Ho Leung
The Arthur Twining Hadley Prize, which honors the memory of the man who served as president of Yale from 1899 to 1921, is awarded annually to the senior in Yale College majoring in the social sciences who ranks highest in scholarship. This year the Hadley Prize is awarded to Thomas Chun-Ho Leung of Berkeley College.
A native of Hong Kong, and fluent in four languages, Mr. Leung was elected to Phi Beta Kappa after four terms of enrollment. He graduates summa cum laude with Distinction in both economics and biomedical Engineering. He is the recipient of the Louis Laun Prize in Economics and the D. Allan Bromley Biomedical Prize in Biomedical Engineering. Over his Yale career, he has earned 40 credits, with 36 grades of straight A.
Mr. Leung has tutored elementary school children in science and Yale College students in economics. His knowledge of economics and engineering served him well in his work with Team Lux, Yale's solar car racing team. As co-director and senior adviser for the team, he not only constructed the body of the car, he managed the budget.
In recognition of his exceptional performance and promise of future success, Yale College proudly confers the Arthur Twining Hadley Prize upon Thomas Chun-Ho Leung.
Margaret Sarah Ebert
The Russell Henry Chittenden Prize is awarded annually to that senior in Yale College majoring in the natural sciences or in mathematics who ranks highest in scholarship. This year's prize is awarded to Margaret Sarah Ebert of Trumbull College.
Elected to Phi Beta Kappa early in her senior year, Margaret Ebert graduates summa cum laude with Distinction in her major of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. She was recently awarded a Churchill Scholarship and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Pre-doctoral Fellowship. She has completed 39 credits at Yale with 36 grades of straight A.
Ms. Ebert made important contributions to research in biotechnology while still an undergraduate, focusing on the modification of a type of RNA. She served as editor-in-chief of the Yale Scientific Magazine and published articles there and in the journal Chemistry & Biology. Wielding a bow as deftly as she wielded a pipette, she played lead cello in the Yale Symphony Orchestra and served as principal cellist in two chamber orchestras.
For her splendid research and her unstinting commitment to excellence in all endeavors, Yale College is pleased to award the Russell Henry Chittenden Prize to Margaret Sarah Ebert.
Kimberly Akemi DeQuattro
The Louis Sudler Prize for Excellence in the Arts is awarded this year to Kimberly Akemi DeQuattro of Branford College, for outstanding accomplishments in the area of vocal performance.
Kimberly DeQuattro's transcendent performances in opera, chamber music and orchestral song have been among the most memorable musical events at Yale. Originally a violinist, she brought to Yale a luminous voice and impeccable musical instincts which, along with her courage and self-critical attention to detail, have resulted in inspired performances of music ranging from Brahms, Berlioz and Puccini to Vaughan Williams and Barber.
Ms. DeQuattro has daringly thrown herself into difficult operatic roles, revealing the depths of important characters such as Dido and Cleopatra and captivating us with her poise and dramatic intensity. With her high professional standards and generosity, she has helped undergraduate opera thrive at Yale, inspiring younger singers and giving audiences unforgettable musical experiences.
For her artistic achievements in the area of music, Yale College is proud to award the Louis Sudler Prize for excellence in the arts to Kimberly Akemi DeQuattro.
Charles Wallace DeWitt
The Alpheus Henry Snow Prize is awarded to that "senior who, through the combination of intellectual achievement, character and personality, shall be adjudged by the faculty to have done the most for Yale by inspiring in his or her classmates an admiration and love for the best traditions of high scholarship." This year the Snow Prize is awarded to Charles Wallace Dewitt of Ezra Stiles College.
Wallace DeWitt's learning is matched only by the exuberance and joy that he brings to his scholarship. He has earned 55 credits at Yale, with 40 grades of straight A. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa after the junior year, he graduates summa cum laude with Distinction in both the humanities and international studies majors. For his senior essay he found a perfect subject for his combination of majors, writing a history of the "Theory of the Just War." With a deep interest in foreign languages and cultures, Mr. DeWitt has done work at Yale in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Japanese and Chinese. He will study in Japan next year on a Light Fellowship and the following year he will enter Harvard Law School; he plans a career in the diplomatic service.
Praised by one of his teachers as "a great example of the best kind of liberal arts student we cultivate," Mr. DeWitt has won the admiration of his teachers and his fellow students not only for his remarkable intellect, but also for the humility and generosity which he invariably displays as a citizen of Yale, whether writing for the News or participating in the Mellon Forum. Beyond Yale's walls, he has worked in New York City's Gorilla Repertory Theater, and tutored in New Haven schools.
In recognition of his impressive accomplishments as a scholar, the inspiration he has provided to his classmates, and his commitment to a life of public service, Yale College takes great pleasure in conferring the Alpheus Henry Snow Prize for 2003 upon Charles Wallace DeWitt.
C O M M E N C E M E N T
Yale Celebrates 302nd Graduation
Robert E. Lewis Award for Intramural Sports
Reception with President Richard C. Levin
Other Undergraduate Awards and Honors
Graduate School Awards and Honors
T H I S
James Andrew Haas Prize
Warren Memorial High Scholarship Prize
Arthur Twining Hadley Prize
Russell Henry Chittenden Prize
Louis Sudler Prize
Alpheus Henry Snow Prize
2 0 0 3W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Yale Celebrates 302nd Graduation
Trip expands Yale ties to South Korea
Koplan elected as alumni fellow
YSN researcher to head state's VA Department
International festival returns June 12-28
Edelson named director of Yale Cancer Center
ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPSXing Deng appointed as Eaton Professor of Plant Biology
Pierre Hohenberg named to Eugene Higgins chair in physics
Dieter Söll is designated as Henry Ford II Professor in MB&B
Alumnus donates first novel by an African-American slave
Reunion events to explore world's public health crises
British Art Center acquisitions honor its founding 25 years ago
'Behold, the Sea Itself' showcases center's collection of marine art
Graduate/Professional International Study Grants
YCIAS offers Summer Institutes for educators
Corrections
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