HAA Clubs and Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) Awards
The HAA Clubs and SIGs Awards honor individuals and organizations with the Outstanding Volunteer Leadership Award and Outstanding Alumni Community Award. Given out annually, these awards recognize individuals who provide exemplary contributions to a Harvard Club or SIG, as well as organizations that make an impact with remarkable programming. They not only showcase exceptional service but also symbolize and encourage an ongoing commitment to excellence in the alumni community.
Awardees are nominated by their peers, with fellow volunteers contributing testimonials that speak to the tireless leadership and impact of these contributing individuals and organizations. Awards were awarded at the Alumni Leadership Conference (ALC) on Thursday, October 24.
Outstanding Alumni Community Award
Alumnae-i Network for Harvard Women
As one of the Harvard Alumni Association’s largest Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) with over 12,000 members spanning generations and continents, the Alumnae-i Network for Harvard Women (ANHW) has built a dynamic, multigenerational community that is dedicated to advancing the value of women’s leadership.
ANHW has strengthened women’s voices by providing a platform where people can connect with Harvard faculty and explore opportunities to volunteer, learn, and socialize. The SIG has hosted a wide variety of in-person and virtual events, including a recent series on reimagining equity, which covered topics such as gender norms in science, inclusivity, and sustainability.
With its mission to empower women around the world, ANHW has expanded exponentially thanks to the vision, talent, and tireless efforts of the immediate past president Joan Schwartz PhD ’71. Due to her leadership in creating an organizational structure, the SIG has grown to become a worldwide hub of chapters and discussion groups. A highly skilled relationship builder, Schwartz has demonstrated a strong commitment to support women individually and collectively that has inspired women across the Harvard community to get involved.
By creating an inclusive space for organic conversations, the Alumnae-i Network for Harvard Women has embraced Schwartz’s vision of a global organization of women who learn from—and celebrate—one another.
Harvard Club of San Antonio
Dedicated to giving back to the local community, the Harvard Club of San Antonio is a tight-knit organization that provides educational opportunities for students to flourish.
For many years, the Club has sponsored a summer intensive in STEM—science, technology, engineering, and math—for high school students through its early college awareness program. This in-depth academic experience, offered to local rising seniors, is taught by alumni volunteers who are also teachers. The Club provides other areas of educational support, including pre-college advising and college tours at nearby universities, including Baylor University and the University of Texas Austin, for students and their families.
In addition, the Club presents prize books to outstanding high school students and teachers, hosts receptions for local Harvard undergraduates, and holds an annual luncheon meeting for newly admitted Harvard students and their loved ones.
Through its steadfast support of promising students, the Harvard Club of San Antonio helps open doors for future leaders to achieve their goals.
Outstanding Alumni Leadership Award
Bruce A. Hochstadt AB ’81
With an unwavering commitment to public service, Bruce A. Hochstadt AB ’81 is devoted to expanding access to education for students and underserved communities in Chicago.
As a longtime member of the Harvard Club of Chicago and its former president, Hochstadt has helped many first-generation students pursue higher education through his former position as chair of the Club’s early college awareness program. In this role, he organized events for middle school students whose families had never attended college. In addition, he coordinated outreach events, including winter break receptions for Harvard College applicants and a virtual celebration for The Harvard-Yale football game with over 200 attendees. For over 38 years, he has served on the Schools and Scholarships Committees of five different Harvard Clubs.
He is founder and co-director of the Harvard Club of Chicago-Cook County Detainee Education Program, where over 50 alumni and undergraduate volunteers from across the University tutor more than 200 incarcerated individuals in topics including current affairs, leadership, GED test preparation, and financial literacy. Students receive certificates of completion and attend a celebration in their honor. He has also helped secure private funding to defray the cost of books for students and tutors and is currently exploring an employment program to connect formerly incarcerated individuals with local businesses.
Passionate about providing educational opportunities for all, he has inspired students across the Chicago area to pursue their academic dreams.
Kandeban Balendran PLDA ’18
Kandeban Balendran PLDA ’18 of the Harvard Club of Sri Lanka has demonstrated leadership, drive, and a collaborative spirit that has nurtured community across the Asia Pacific region.
As president of the Harvard Club of Sri Lanka and co-chair of “Big Bold Brave,” the Harvard alumni-led Summit, Balendran, with the support of the Board of the Harvard Club of Sri Lanka, Prashant Kandoi, and other volunteer leaders in the Asia-Pacific region, took a lead role in programming, building consensus, and warmly welcoming alumni to his home country. The event convened a diverse group of international alumni, representing 10 different countries, to exchange innovative ideas and explore the opportunities presented by the growth of the region.
Covering a wide range of topics—including technology, climate change adaptation, food security, and human capital development—the large-scale event offered opportunities for intellectual engagement that created an outstanding experience for all who attended.
Thanks to Balendran and the Harvard Club of Sri Lanka’s warmth, hospitality, and enthusiasm, alumni from many countries joined together to build connections, make an impact, and build friendships.
