Martinez '15, Robertson '15 win Pyne Prize

Yessica Martinez ’15 and Jake Robertson’15 were named as the recipients of the Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize on Wednesday afternoon.

The Pyne Prize is the University’s highest general distinction, awarded to an undergraduate who displays excellent scholarship, strength of character and effective leadership.

Martinez and Robertsonwill speak at Alumni Day exercises onFeb. 21.

Martinez said she was notified that she won the Pyne Prize last Friday.

Martinez, a comparative literature concentrator who was born in Colombia, was also a Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America scholar.

"The prize means a lot to me because when I applied to Princeton and got here, I was still undocumented, so it was like a dream come true, but beyond that because there are so many undocumented individuals in this country that can’t go to college because they can’t receive financial aid," she said."I knew about [the Pyne Prize] because people talk about how Sonia Sotomayor had gotten the prize. It’s in her book and people talk about it."

Martinez added that although her experience at the U.S.-Mexican border was life changing, the DREAM Team helped her develop as an individual.

"There was one point where we stopped the deportation of someone, and I think for me that was powerful because it showed me that when people get together, we can really change someone’s life," she said.

The man was slated to be deported in a matter of weeks, but the DREAM Team helped prevent it within a few days. They held a protest on campus and helped his family fill out immigration forms. She said this moment taught her the importance of unity and perseverance.

"If you have a passion and meet likeminded individuals who care about the same sorts of things, and have a can-do attitude, you can achieve a lot," she said.

Martinez said she decided to format her thesis as a book of poetry, which includes themes of death, migration and human vulnerabilities. For her, she said, poetry and art have the ability to liberate.

Martinez added she is undecided between becoming a professor and helping people directly through nonprofit organizations. She said she hopes to help marginalized youth and continue working for rights for undocumented immigrants.

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Martinez said she dedicates her success to her parents, who moved to America to seek a better life and insisted that she enroll in English classes.

Robertson, a Slavic languages and literatures major who is pursuing certificates in theater and Russian, East European and Eurasian studies, said he was first contacted last Friday by Deputy Dean of Undergraduate Students Thomas Dunne, whom hehad known through various extracurricular activities.

“He said, ‘I need you to see me today, because I have a time-sensitive performance opportunity’,” Robertsonsaid.

In an unexpected twist, Robertsonmet Dean of Undergraduate Students Kathleen Deignan and Dean of the College Valerie Smith, who notified him that he had won the Pyne Prize. He said he was completely taken by surprise but honored.

Robertson'sinterest in Russian started in childhood.

"As a kid, I only read non-fiction, so I loved biographies and histories," he explained. "One day, I picked up a book called ‘The Concise History of Russia,’ and said ‘Mom, mom, can I get this from Barnes & Noble?’ "

Robertsonsaid he was born an actor and that it has defined his life and encouraged him to develop.

"When I was two or three years old, maybe four, my parents were watching television, and I was playing on the ground," he said. "This gentleman came on the television with a very distinct South Asian accent, and I stood up and repeated what he said, then went back to playing with my toys."

His "Madman/Robertson" one-man theater performance was the culmination of his artistic work not only at the University, but in his life, he said. Each character in his show had been characters in shows that he had performed in throughout his lifetime. The performance explored what it meant to be an actor and also broke down the facade of conceptions of that by exploring the imagination.

"It was the most personal show I’ve ever done, because I myself play a character — Jake Robertson— in the piece," he explained. "I love playing characters in a piece, but to challenge myself to be myself on stage was difficult and intriguing, but ultimately rewarding."

He said was first introduced to his thesis idea in his Soviet Gulag freshman seminar class taught by sociology professor Deborah Kaple, his "advisor for life."

"We were reading a big tome, called 'Gulag: A History,' by Anne Applebaum, and while I was reading it, I saw one line that said they had done a performance of Gorky's 'Children of the Sun'," he said. "'There's theater in these camps?' I said. So I circled it, highlighted it, and wrote in the margin: 'thesis idea?'"

Robertsonsaid that he hopes to become an actor and was recently accepted to the Royal Conservatoire in Scotland.He attributes his success and encouragement to his two moms as well as members of Quipfire, which he has found to be a rewarding experience.

Correction: Due to a reporting error, an earlier version of this article incorrectly reported Jake Robertson's last name. The 'Prince' regrets the error.