2020 Alumni Prize Recipient William Huang (XXIV) Recognized for His Commitment to the Prep for Prep Community

Director of Alumni Affairs Renata Henry noted that every year, it gets harder and harder to choose the Alumni Prize recipient, but this year’s award winner is more than deserving. William Huang (XXIV) has dedicated much of his time and experience to Prep for Prep students and staff over the past several years. “If I ask something of Will,” said Director of Professional Advancement Rebecca Ervey, “he immediately responds. He always makes time for Prep.” William is a longtime volunteer with Professional Advancement, speaking on summer career panels and helping high school students with mock interviews. He also leveraged his previous position on the Bloomberg Philanthropies Government Innovation team to generate more student internships, and often served as a mentor to student interns at Bloomberg.

Hailing from a tenement and public school in Manhattan's Chinatown, William’s journey came full circle when he returned to volunteer with Prep’s Students Advocating for Young Children (SAYC) in 2016. SAYC is a student-led enrichment program for local fifth graders, hosted at P.S. 188 on the Lower East Side. He served in an advisory role and secured donated lunches from area restaurants. In the four years William volunteered with SAYC, his proactive outreach to local businesses led to 100% sponsorship of lunches, freeing up funds for classroom supplies and enrichment activities. He also secured free or reduced museum admissions for the students. When William decided to pursue a degree in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School last year, he stepped down from his advisory role. Michael O’Leary, Director of Leadership Development Projects, said he knew he would have to find three to four alumni volunteers to replace one William Huang. 

William’s commitment to Prep for Prep led to his appointment to the Alumni Council in 2019, where he helped deepen engagement with alums and represent their interests to the organization. His dedication to his community is evident in the professional and personal choices that shaped his path. While attending Collegiate, he was selected as a Cashin Fellow in Prep’s internship program, where he learned about community development and affordable/supportive housing. After graduating from Tufts, he completed a Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs to deepen his knowledge of public policy and cross-sector collaboration through consulting rotations among New York City government agencies, businesses, and nonprofits. William then worked at the Corporation for Supportive Housing while completing the Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Service at NYU. 

In a video message, Prep’s CEO Ruth Jurgensen shared her congratulations with William and attendees were able to see his placard alongside previous Alumni Prize winners inside the 71st Street brownstone’s library. “Your giving back is an example for us all,” said Ruth and added that she hoped we would all be able to celebrate with William in person very soon. In his acceptance speech, William shared a story from his first summer in the Preparatory Component program. Students were tasked with bringing in an item of cultural significance to them, but William was still uncomfortable with his identity and brought in a souvenir from a family trip to Canada. Later, his Prep advisor took him aside and encouraged him to take pride in his culture, and to never be ashamed of his identity. “Prep believed in me when I didn’t really believe in myself, it whispered ‘you have a voice, you matter.’ With Prep as my North Star, I know I will never be lost.”

Thank you for your legacy of service, William, and congratulations!