Judith Lee Stronach Baccalaureate Prize

The Judith Lee Stronach Baccalaureate Prize supports intellectual and creative pursuits that heighten awareness of issues of social consciousness and contribute to the public good. The award gives motivated students the opportunity to extend and reflect upon their undergraduate work at Berkeley by undertaking a special project after their graduation. Winning projects are creative in the broadest sense, explore themes of significant interest to holders of the Prize, and strive to further understanding of what constitutes humane and effective participation in our worldwide community.

The Prize celebrates the life achievements of Judith Lee Stronach (1943-2002), who as a patron of the arts and education devoted enormous time and energy to numerous charitable organizations. Judith Lee Stronach brought her academic training in art history to her work as a journalist for Amnesty International and her experience as a teacher of poetry to her work at several East Bay schools and centers. She worked tirelessly for human rights both internationally on behalf of Guatemalans and Bosnian children, and locally on behalf of women, girls and the homeless. As a board member of Berkeley’s River of Words project, she helped children throughout the United States learn about watershed stewardship and self-expression through poetry and art. Robert Hass, former U.S. Poet Laureate, UC Berkeley professor of English, and her friend and teacher, has recognized her “passionate love of poetry” and “missionary zeal to bring it into the lives of others.” The Prize commemorates Judith Lee Stronach’s lifelong commitment to intellectual and creative growth, and her mission to effect social change through the arts.