The Young Alumni Service Award, established in April 1999, recognizes those alumni graduating in the past ten years whose early volunteer service for Brown sets an example for their peers, helps to keep other young alumni involved with Brown, and shows promise for continued service and leadership in the future.
2023 Recipient
Stephanie L. Harris ’14
Stephanie Harris ’14 came to Brown from her hometown of Milton, Massachusetts. She earned her bachelor’s degree with honors in education, studying in the human development track. She then went on to earn her MSW and MSEd from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016. For the last eight years, Harris has worked in independent secondary schools in a variety of roles, beginning as assistant director of admission and co-leader of an advising program for students of color on financial aid. She currently resides in Harlem, New York and works at Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York as an upper school dean and ethics teacher.
While at Brown, Harris was highly involved in the Minority Peer Counselor (MPC) program and also participated in Native Americans at Brown (NAB), Brown’s Organization of Multiracial and Biracial Students (BOMBS), Black Student Union (BSU), and Habitat for Humanity for all four years. Her time at Third World Transition Program (TWTP) was transformative and introduced her to many of the people she now considers lifelong friends.
As an alumna, Harris has thrown herself into volunteering in a wide array of capacities. Her first volunteer position was as an alumni interviewer and then regional coordinator of alumni interviewing in western Massachusetts. Since then, she has been a mentor with the Women’s Launch Pad and secretary of the Inman Page Black Alumni Council (IPC). Harris also proudly served for four years on the Brown Alumni Association (BAA), where she was elected to the executive board as secretary. She is currently serving as vice president of the Class of 2014, preparing for their 10th Reunion this spring.
Her love for Brown grew exponentially as a result of her volunteership post-graduation. Volunteering has allowed her to meet alumni from all generations and all types of interests and career fields. She has found no other group as vibrant and curious as her fellow Brunonians.
David Chy ’16
Born and raised in Rhode Island, David Chy was the first in his family to graduate college, first with an associate’s degree from the Community College of Rhode Island followed by his bachelor’s in political science from Brown in 2016. At Brown, Chy was actively involved in environmental student organizations and transfer student advising.
He currently serves as an energy policy advisor at the Maryland Public Service Commission while attending law school part-time in the evening at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Prior to this, he held roles in nonprofit administration, executive search, higher education, and local government.
Since graduating, Chy has remained engaged with the Brown community, serving at various times as an alumni interviewing leader, member of the Brown Alumni Association Board of Governors, and member of the Advisory Council on the College. He currently resides in the greater Washington, D.C. area.
Previous Award Recipients
- Orlando Rodriguez ’17
- Gwyneth Lloyd Burak ’91
- Alexander L. Cavallo ’94
- Giovanna E. Cavallo ’94
- Victoria Chiou ’94
- Max H. Clermont ’11 MPH’12
- Brickson E. Diamond ’93
- Sara R. Garrity-Gentile ’09
- Ryan G. W. Grubbs ’10
- Abhas Gupta ’02
- Hope O. Jarvis ’93
- Robert J. Klabar ’07
- Taylor Margis-Noguera ’97
- Joelle Murchison ’95
- Daniel H. O’Keefe ’97
- Erik A. Peterson ’07
- Valerie A. Phillips ’98
- James S. Sinai ’01