The Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize, the highest honor the University bestows on a member of the graduating class, was jointly awarded Saturday to seniors Jeremy Golubcow-Teglasi and James Williams.
When they were notified two Fridays ago, Golubcow-Teglasi and Williams had no idea why they were being called into the office of Dean of Undergraduate Students Kathleen Deignan.
"I was completely speechless," Williams said. "I really had no idea at all, and it was quite a wonderful surprise."
"It's an overwhelming honor, given the extraordinary quality of my peers at this University," Golubcow-Teglasi said in an email.
The two were officially recognized by President Tilghman at the Alumni Day luncheon ceremonies on Saturday.
The Porter Ogden Jacobus Fellowship, which supports the final year of graduate study, was also awarded Saturtday. Graduate students Liang Feng, Guy Geltner, Gerard Passannante and David Shih received the honor.
The Pyne Prize consists of a cash prize equivalent to a full year's tuition. Each recipient will receive half.
"Both Jeremy and James combine scholarly excellence with character and commitments to activities outside the classroom," Tilghman said in an email. "They are seen by their faculty teachers as gifted students and as student leaders in the groups in which they participated. The Pyne Prize is meant to recognize that combination of abilities, and these two stood out among the candidates considered."
Golubcow-Teglasi, a religion major from Potomac, Md., who is pursuing a certificate in American studies, did not expect to concentrate in religion upon entering the University. He said, however, that he "got hooked on the department" and the "incredible care and sensitivity with which the faculty approaches the subject of religion."
Religion professor Eric Gregory taught Golubcow-Teglasi during his freshman year before eventually becoming his thesis adviser. "I wasn't his preceptor, but his preceptor passed along his papers because they were excellent so I knew about Jeremy even then," Gregory said.
"He combines the capacity for high-octane philosophical reflection with elegant prose and normative commitments of his own," he said.
Golubcow-Teglasi, who is considering law school after graduation, is writing his thesis on the Christian and Jewish notions of law and their comparative impacts on the American legal system.
Golubcow-Teglasi's ability to "read difficult texts and have a voice of his own" sets him apart from other students, Gregory said. "Even on other people's terms, he is able to show things about what they believe that they might not know themselves," he said.
Golubcow-Teglasi co-founded the student organization Brother's Keeper, which aims to "make Princeton a place where genocide is not only protested occasionally but where the subtleties of the problem and its solutions are really thought through rigorously."
"Both inside and outside the classroom, he's really genuinely concerned about both theoretical and practical issues," Gregory said. "That's another thing that's distinctive. He's really able to join theory and practice and that is often a rare quality."
Last April, Golubcow-Teglasi helped organize the campus visit of Paul Rusesabagina, the heroic hotel manager portrayed in the film "Hotel Rwanda." "His lecture left 600-odd people determined never to stand by indifferently," he said.
Golubcow-Teglasi was previously a columnist for The Daily Princetonian and served on the Editorial Board. "I am also proud to have used my column in the 'Prince' to lend some small measure of nuance to the campus debates surrounding ROTC, the gay marriage brief, USG elections, grade deflation and other University policies," he said.
He is also a member of Princeton Model Congress and a peer adviser for Wilson College.
Williams, a Wilson School major from Portland, Ore., was a recipient of the Truman Scholarship last March for his educational advocacy and public service. He founded a statewide grassroots organization, Students for Oregon Schools, committed to adequate school funding and has served as a representative to the Portland Board of Education.
Dean of Religious Life Thomas Breidenthal said that Williams uses a "macro approach" to everything. "He has a really clear sense of all social issues in the big picture, that there aren't any isolated problems," he said.
Williams is currently writing his thesis on India-China relations, a subject largely inspired by a class he took with Wilson School professor Tom Christensen on International Relations in East Asia.
"I have a longterm interest in international issues," Williams said. "My family is from India. I was born in the U.S., but I have traveled extensively and have done work on educational and environmental issues abroad."
Williams has served on the board of the Student Volunteers Council (SVC) since his freshman year.
Golubcow-Teglasi commended Williams' commitment to the SVC.
"I think that the SVC — as a central clearinghouse to coordinate campus service projects — really does an excellent job keeping students civically engaged," Golubcow-Teglasi said. "I think the best thing the University can do is keep the SVC strong, active and visible."
As the former chair of the SVC, Williams emphasizes "letting student creativity and voice drive the effort" rather than depending on "administrative channels."
"James is willing to be in the background and encourage and support other people to follow through with political and social initiatives," Breidenthal said. "He is quite capable of active leadership, but also very willing to be a person behind the scenes."
Next year, Williams said he plans to work with NGOs in India, primarily with Dahanu Taluka Environment Welfare Association. After that, he intends to return to the United States for law school.
Williams said that Princeton must strive to live up to its unofficial motto of service to the nation and the world.
"Princeton is an academic institution. Making a connection with the community and University through service-learning and academic experience is very important," he said.
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