School Notes: Yale College
November/December 2024

Seven win Stanford scholarships

A Yale College senior and six Yale alumni are among 90 scholars from 30 countries to be named Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford. Daviana Berkowitz-Sklar ’22 will pursue a PhD in oceans at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Tilly Brooks ’23 will concurrently pursue a PhD in linguistics at Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences and a JD at Yale Law School. Gabe Malek ’20 will pursue a JD at Stanford Law School. Qusay Omran ’21 will pursue an MD and PhD in genetics at Stanford School of Medicine. Henry Smith ’22 is pursuing a PhD in statistics at Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. Lina Volin ’19 is pursuing a JD at Stanford Law School. Barkotel Zemenu ’24 will pursue a PhD in physics at Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences.

Alumna is YAA executive director

Alison Cole ’99 is the new executive director of the Yale Alumni Association (YAA), which represents and serves more than 180,000 alumni worldwide from all Yale schools. She began this new role on May 15. Cole, who previously served as the senior associate dean for external affairs and special projects in Yale College, succeeds Weili Cheng ’77, who retired this year after leading the YAA since 2016. A member of Ezra Stiles College, Cole majored in political science at Yale and was the captain and an All-American player for the women’s lacrosse team.

Alumnus named New Haven historian

Michael Morand ’87, ’93MDiv, director of community engagement for Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, has been appointed New Haven’s official city historian by Mayor Justin Elicker ’10MEM, ’10MBA. A New Haven resident since 1983, Morandbrings a demonstrated passion for local history and a devotion to the Elm City to the unpaid role. His five-year term runs through December 31, 2028.