’59 actively supports several Class Projects. Learn more about them by opening the links below.
’59 Affiliation with Hopper (Calhoun) College
’59 Monthly Lunch – New York City Yale Club
’59 Alumni Community Service Fellowship
Hopper College Fund for Excellence
In FY21, Hopper College did not fund student projects including the Class of 1959 Fund For Excellence due to Yale’s pandemic restrictions.
They did award $750 to a wonderful senior, Alex Liang, for his work on contemporary U.S. governmental limits on Chinese and Chinese-American scientists.
Hailing from Bellaire, TX (basically Houston), Alex Liang likes to call himself the Fresh Prince of Bellaire. At Yale, he majors in Global Affairs, is interested in U.S.-China relations, and has studied abroad in Beijing and Taipei on the Light Fellowship. If you hear bagpipes on campus, it’s probably Alex playing. He loves music (but can’t really sing) and the outdoors (but doesn’t remember any of the knots he learned to tie). He also loves airplanes and travel. Alex is so excited about the upcoming school year and can’t wait to welcome the Hopper Class of 2025 to Yale!
Deyri Garcia: National Diversity in STEM Conference
This past academic year, I conducted research on dengue virus, and was invited to present my research at an important conference. I was thrilled that I was accepted to SACNAS (Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science) because it is one of the best-known conferences for undergraduates and graduate students alike. I was also delighted to be invited to present since I had not presented my research at this level before. This opportunity allowed me to 1) articulate my research, 2) learn about other research being conducted in the field, 3) network with graduate school scouts and scientific professionals, and 4) attend educational sessions and talks. Attending a conference of this sort is a huge professional and educational step in the scientific world and presenting one’s research well is a fundamental skill. Finally, national STEM conferences are quite expensive, and I greatly appreciated the Class of ’59 funding that made it possible.
Janis Jin: Migrant Detention Center in El Paso
The Class of ’59 supported my research trip to the U.S.-Mexico border, which involved volunteering in a migrant detention center in El Paso. In El Paso, I volunteered with Legal Aid for refugees and asylum seekers who have been detained. My senior thesis — on refugee testimony as a legal and literary form – included a portion on how declaration intake occurs in the context of migrant detention at the border, so the research trip bolstered my work on borders, refuge, and testimony. My post-graduation plans include working in the first instance with the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, so the experience also promises to aid my professional development and career plans.
Bayan Galal: United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth’s (UNMGCY)
I applied to be part of the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth’s (UNMGCY) delegation. Members of the delegation are invited to submit posters for the “Youth Island” – a large-scale presentation of youth-led work. As a career-building activity, as part of its collaboration with UNMGCY, the conference holds sessions designed to tackle challenges and solutions associated with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly from the perspective of youth. The possibility of having in-depth conversations with speakers at the event also aligned with my interests. For example, one meeting centered on Health Care and Education. As a double major in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Global Affairs, I hope to pursue a career at the intersection of these concentrations, and to focus on increasing health education and accessibility in underserved areas. Finally, the last day of the conference, which includes a Youth Forum, gives members of the UNMGCY delegation the opportunity to lead the conversation on many of these pressing issues. Thank you to the Class of ’59 for making this possible!
Lionel Jin, who graduated in May ’18 was one of the students who came to speak at the 2017 ’59 Class Council breakfast, to express his heartfelt gratitude to the class for its support. He graduated with a slew of astonishing Yale awards, including the Chittenden Prize. He is also a Schwartzman scholar. The Class of 1959 will want to keep a close eye on his trajectory, which is already stellar!
Here’s news of two other recent Class of ’59 awardees, both of whom are now seniors:
Lucy Tomasso Lucy is a Hopper senior – at Hopper she manages our music practice rooms. She is already a producer, director, writer, choreographer and actress, and envisions a career in film. The support that she received from the Class of ’59 helped her connect with production and management companies (including Grandview/Automatik) in Los Angeles, and to gain some much-needed preliminary experience, as well as professional contacts. She sends a big thank you! |
Kevin Ou Kevin was very grateful to receive support from the Class of ’59, which enabled him to present his research at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Kevin is a senior, studying biomedical engineering as part of a planned career in medicine. Kevin has also completed research internships with the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the UCLA School of Medicine, and most recently the University of Massachusetts Medical School. |
The Greensfelder Fellowship
In 1998, Ted Greensfelder passed away. One of seven roommates who began a lifelong friendship at Yale, Ted’s death marked the first loss to that core group. The remaining six roommates, Foote, Schumann, Scopelitis, Ruddy, Driscoll and Pender, as well as many other classmates, join together to honor his memory in an ongoing way with an annual scholarship to a deserving Yale student.
The Greensfelder Scholarship:
* Has supported a student every year since 1998;
* Employs the following criteria: a student in Davenport College who demonstrates the various qualities we all admired about Ted Greensfelder.
Finally, we encourage the student to communicate with the Greensfelder family.
The 2016 recipient is Tony Nguyen, who reports, “Yale has been a transformative experience, especially as a first-generation college student. I had never traveled abroad before college, but since then, I have traveled to nine countries, with more to come. In addition, I have had a passion for debate since high school. I continued to pursue that passion at Yale, serving on the board of Yale’s debate team and traveling most weekends to debate competitions domestically and internationally. The Edward B. Greensfelder Scholarship Fund allowed me to take full advantage of these opportunities. Most importantly, it allowed me to meet amazing professor and peers and, in the words of the Yale Debate Association’s oath, ‘form bonds of friendship that outlast my tenure’ on campus.”