The Princeton Prize in Race Relations, which recognizes high school students for exceptional work in helping to improve race relations, has expanded to 21 locations across the country in its fifth year.
The program, created by alumni volunteers and sponsored by the Alumni Association, began with awards in 2003 in two cities, Boston and Washington, D.C., and has expanded each year. Added this year were New York City, Rochester, and the state of Connecti-cut. (For a complete list of locations offering the Princeton Prize, go to princeton.edu/PrincetonPrize/.)
Last year some 350 students applied for the award; there were 24 first-place winners, with some locations splitting the $1,000 top prize between two students. This year’s applications must be postmarked by Jan. 31.
To qualify, a student must have volunteered for an activity with a significant, positive impact on race relations in his or her school or community. Among the winning students’ activities cited by the program: organizing a group of high school students to provide child care so that immigrant parents could attend community and PTA programs; creating a program called Theater Against Violence; setting up a Spanish-language instruction program for elementary school children; and planning a leadership development camp for Latino youth.
Two students recognized with the Princeton Prize are enrolled at the University, according to Marguerite Hadley Vera ’79, administrator of the program.