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Quinn Brown ’24 carved a distinct path for himself at Hamilton — from outdoor leadership positions to a deep dedication to his educational experiences. His contributions to campus did not go unnoticed. The faculty selected him as winner of this year’s James Soper Merrill Prize, awarded to the senior “who, in character and influence, has typified the highest ideals of the College.”

Ann “Annie” Kennedy ’24 and Luis Felipe López Cruz ’24 received Hamilton’s prestigious Bristol Fellowship. The program is designed to “encourage discovery of self and the world, a greater appreciation and understanding of people and culture, and to enable individuals to act on great ideas through independent study projects.”

For many Hamilton students, Tessa Chefalo is one of the first faces they see when they arrive on campus for orientation. As assistant dean of students, a large part of her role involves overseeing the major transition that first-year students undergo as they begin their studies. Chefalo has been working with orientation and new students since she arrived at Hamilton 10 years ago, and this year her dedication, creativity, and innovation were rewarded when she received the Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate Award from the National Resource Center for First-Year Students and Students in Transition.

Core to Hamilton’s computer science curriculum is the senior project where seniors offer their expertise to local projects, often supporting faculty. This fall, Assistant Professor of Computer Science Sarah Morrison-Smith decided to incorporate ethics and social good into her seminar by having students work with area nonprofits.

As long as she has been a student at Hamilton, Mary Hurner ’24 has been passionate about building community both on and off the Hill, and this summer was no exception. Hurner was recently recognized as an inaugural awardee of the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service, also known as the Voyager Scholarship. The scholarship granted her a $10,000 stipend and free Airbnb housing to pursue a self-designed work-travel experience.

Since relaunching in 2021, the Pottery Club has become one the largest clubs at Hamilton with more than 200 members. Each week the five club leaders, Sophie Crehan ’24, Alya MacDonald ’25, Izabo Ramos ’25, Eva Pearlman ’25, and Julian Jacobs ’24, accompany nine fellow members to the Kirkland Art Center (KAC) in Clinton where they take part in ceramic wheel throwing.

In a project funded through the Kirkland Endowment Advisory Committee, Aliana Potter ’24 spent the summer conducting research in Utica focusing on maternal health services for refugee mothers. She talks about the importance of her research and how she hopes it will make a difference.

Haoying “Ivy” Huang ’22 understands that, although fun, a career in the art industry requires immense dedication to one’s craft. As she heads to Columbia University to pursue a master’s degree in modern and contemporary art: critical and curatorial studies, she reflects on her experiences at Hamilton.

Ella Gaspar ’22 will take a position as a project assistant/paralegal at Proskauer Rose LLP in New York City after graduation.

Mukund Jayaram ’22 will be working as a research analyst for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland after graduation.