Yale Book Awards, 2014

The annual presentation of Book Awards is a YWAA tradition and links Yale to the Westchester community. (YWAA photo)

At least 40 students from Westchester have been named winners of YWAA's 2014 Yale Book Award.  Yale alumni in the area made presentations to the students this spring and summer at school assemblies and honors programs.  The awards, administered by Peter Santhanam '85 Ph.d., include a gift, The Yale Book of Quotations, edited by Fred Shapiro of  the Yale Law School.  Winning students are juniors selected by their respective schools on the basis of academic and leadership accomplishments.

Book Awards, a Yale-Westchester tradition, have been given to 130 students the past three years. YWAA guidelines recommend students who exhibit "outstanding personal character and intellectual promise" be considered.  The awards permit Yale alumni to recognize top students throughout Westchester.   As high-achieving students, some students go on to apply to Yale, and a few over the years have attended.  The program is funded by YWAA and by special alumni contributions earmarked for the awards.

Victoria Rainford was the first winner this year at Early College High School, the new magnet school in Yonkers.  White Plains High School in 2014 named two winners, Gabriella Alexandrou and Madeline Beck. Other schools represented include a list from Palisades Preparatory School (also in Yonkers) to Yorktown High School.

Click YBA to see the complete list and to consider making a contribution to the program.