2024 YAA Public Service Award Recipients
2024 recipients Titilayo Omotade ’17 MPhil, ’20 PhD, Houngan Collin Edouard ’23 MA, ’27 PhD, and Olivia Ang-Olson ’24

About the Yale Alumni Association Public Service Award

Info Accordions

Alumni Nominees: You may nominate an individual alum of any Yale college or school. Nominations of teams or groups are not typically considered. Nominees should have performed (preferably still be performing) sustained service that is individual, innovative, impactful, and inspiring.

Student Nominees: Must be in good standing at Yale College or at one of Yale’s graduate or professional schools. Self-nominations are welcome!

Any member of the Yale community may submit nominations for the Yale Alumni Association Public Service Award. In past years, nominations have been submitted by:

  • Alumni leaders
  • Student leaders
  • Yale alumni from the US and abroad
  • Yale students
  • Yale faculty and other employees
  • Deans and Heads of College

Students and Alumni of Yale (STAY) provides support to the YAA Public Service Award Selection Committee. Nominations for alumni, Yale College students and Graduate and Professional School students are open. 

Submit nominations for the 2025 YAA Public Service Award
Deadline for nominations: February 28, 2025

If you have any questions, please reach out to João Aleixo.

The Selection Committee is determined jointly by STAY and the Yale Alumni Association. The committee has sole discretion in selecting award winners. The Selection Committee consists of members of the Yale community, including (for example):

  • Senior Yale administrators
  • Student leaders
  • Alumni leaders
  • Members from STAY, the Yale Alumni Association, Divinity School, Dwight Hall, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Office of Career Strategy, Office of the Secretary, Yale Alumni Nonprofit Alliance (YANA), Yale Alumni Service Corps, Yale Day of Service
  • Past YAA Public Service Award honorees

Contact:

João C. Aleixo
Director, Service Programs
Yale Alumni Association
203-432-1943
 

All past recipients of the Yale Alumni Association Public Service Award can be found on our Award Recipient page and can be searched by name and year.

L to R: Nicky Brussel Faria ’21, Paola V. Figueroa-Delgado ’24 PhD, and Margaret Flinter ’80 MSN

2021 Yale-Jefferson Awards

2021 Yale-Jefferson Awards honor three Yalies for their contributions to society and community

In 2021, the Yale-Jefferson Awards went to Nicky Brussel Faria ’21, for her commitment to improving the lives of people experiencing housing instability; Paola V. Figueroa-Delgado ’24 PhD, for her work and dedication to increasing access to educational resources and opportunities; and Margaret Flinter ’80 MSN, for her dedication to providing healthcare services for those in need.

 

The 2020 Yale-Jefferson Award winners: Robert Fernandez ’20 PhD, Scott Morris ’80 MDiv, and Megan Sardis ’21

2020 Yale-Jefferson Awards

Three Yalies honored for their impact on and beyond Yale with 2020 Yale-Jefferson Awards

In 2020, the Yale-Jefferson Awards went to Robert W. Fernandez ’20 PhD, for his dedication to transforming and building programs to improve the diversity of STEM education; G. Scott Morris ’80 MDiv, for his dedication and tireless efforts to provide healthcare for those in need; and Megan Sardis ’21, for her work providing innovative healthcare solutions for children with disabilities.

Keerthana Annamaneni ’20, Charles Best ’98, and Ariel Horowitz ’19 MusM

2019 Yale-Jefferson Awards

Three Yalies win 2019 Yale-Jefferson Awards for public service

In 2019, the Yale-Jefferson Awards went to Keerthana Annamaneni ’20, who utilized storytelling skills to spotlight larger systemic problems; Charles Best ’98, the founder of DonorsChoose.org; and Ariel Horowitz ’19 MusM, who started The Heartbeat Music Project.

2018 Yale-Jefferson Awards

Driven to serve: Jefferson Awards recognize Yale’s unsung heroes

The 2018 awards went to progressive activist Ady Barkan ’10 JD; Rayan Alsemeiry ’19, who is dedicated to social justice and helping first-generation students succeed; and Ashton Gores ’18 MPH, who founded a nonprofit to help New Haven’s homeless population.