School Notes: Yale College
January/February 2021

Edward Bouchet portrait unveiled

A portrait of noted scientist and educator Edward Bouchet 1874BA, 1876PhD, was unveiled in a ceremony at Saybrook College on October 9, 2020. It will be the first portrait of a person of color displayed on the dining hall’s walls, when it is permanently installed following the space’s renovation next semester. The portrait, painted by Detroit-based artist Mario Moore ’13MFA, shows a seated, middle-aged Bouchet during his time as a teacher at the Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia. On a table beside him sits a portrait of himself as a student at New Haven’s Hopkins Grammar School, and on the wall behind him is his portrait as a young man. “It’s a remarkable portrait,” said Head of Saybrook College Tom Near. “It honors a person who really left a big part of himself at this institution, and I’m happy that at Saybrook, we are creating a space where that presence is celebrated.” (See Last Look to view the portrait.)

Three awarded Rhodes Scholarships

Two Yale seniors and a 2020 graduate have been named Rhodes Scholars in the first-ever virtual selection process, necessary due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Brian Reyes ’21, of Berkeley College, is majoring in history. At Oxford, he will study for a master of philosophy degree in comparative social policy. Alondra Vázquez López ’21, of Grace Hopper College, is majoring in ethnicity, race, and migration (ERM). At Oxford, she will pursue master of science degrees in migration studies and in refugee and forced migration studies. Jackson Willis ’20, who was a resident of Berkeley College, studied economics and humanities. He will pursue master of science degrees in economics for development and in global governance and diplomacy at Oxford. 2020 was the first year that a class of Rhodes Scholars was elected entirely virtually, with all candidates and selectors participating “safely, independently, and digitally.”