Dani Brown ’26 and Mai Tran ’26 captured the top two awards at Prize Day Saturday afternoon in Memorial Chapel.
More than 100 awards were presented to honor students for achievement in academics, leadership and community service. Many of the prizes carry a monetary reward.
An economics and Africana Studies ID major from Chicago, Ill., Brown received the Frank Bailey (1885) Prize. It is awarded annually to the senior who has rendered the greatest service to the College in any field. It is considered the most prestigious student prize at Union.
Dani Brown ’26 was presented with the Frank Bailey (1885) Prize by President Elizabeth Kiss at Prize Day. It is awarded annually to the senior who has rendered the greatest service to the College in any field. It is considered the most prestigious student prize at Union.
“At Union, she has been a tireless and poised leader,” said President Elizabeth Kiss in presenting Brown with the award. “As a two-time president of the Black Student Union and leader of the Union chapter of the NAACP, she has spearheaded initiatives that have made our campus a more inclusive and intentional space for all. Whether serving as a senior admissions intern—often the first smiling face a prospective family meets—or guiding first-generation students through orientation, her leadership is marked by a profound dedication to the belonging of others.”
Brown initiated service days to support the local Bethel Northside Community Center and hosted Black History Month Celebrations at Proctors Theater. She organized the Chargers Candy Carnival for hundreds of local schoolchildren and collaborated with Black-owned businesses to showcase their work on campus. She has turned her passion into a collective effort, recruiting and inspiring her peers to serve alongside her.
A Seward Fellow, Brown’s academic service includes rigorous research into environmental racism, blending her scholarly pursuits with her activist concerns. Her efforts to empower marginalized communities were recently recognized with the Katherine Rozendaal Volunteer Award from the YWCA.
“This student is driven by a clear vision: to foster equity and strengthen the bonds of community resilience,” Kiss said. “Her dedication to service is consistent—shaping her academic, extracurricular and professional pursuits. In all she does, she demonstrates a sharp intellect, an infectious passion for justice, and a steadfast commitment to leaving Union College better than she found it.”
In addition to the Bailey Prize, Brown also received the Joel A. Halpern (1961) Prize, given annually to the student who has made a commitment to service to the local community.
Tran, a psychology major with a minor in sociology from Hanoi, Vietnam, received the Josephine Daggett Prize. It is presented annually to a senior for conduct and character.
“At the core of this year’s winner is an individual rooted in intellectual humility, self-directed brilliance and a tireless commitment to the advancement of clinical science,” said Kiss. “They have demonstrated unparalleled academic excellence, but more importantly, they have used their scholarship as a vehicle for innovation and peer support.”
Tran’s research—ranging from a self-taught, virtual reality mirror-exposure project to a senior thesis that stayed “three steps ahead” of the faculty— pushed the boundaries of what is possible for an undergraduate researcher, Kiss said. Their work on the ethics of AI in research, recently published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, reflects a deep commitment to the integrity of the psychological profession and the protection of clinical data.
President Elizabeth Kiss presented Mai Tran ’26 with the Josephine Daggett Prize at Prize Day. It is awarded annually to a senior for conduct and character.
As a senior lab member, Tran has cultivated a culture of care by tirelessly reviewing the work of their peers and sharing their own materials to ensure the entire cohort succeeds
“In every space, they bring a steady, self-driven motivation and a genuine concern for the success of their colleagues,” said Kiss.
Tran’s leadership has also extended to navigating the unique challenges of being an international and nonbinary student with resilience and grace.
“From their earliest days at Union, they have used their voice to advocate for those experiencing social isolation, demonstrating a dedication to building a community—and a clinical practice—that meets the needs of all its members,” Kiss said.
Throughout their accelerated three-year journey at Union, Tran has “acted with exceptional honesty and strength of character,” Kiss said. “They have improved the Union community through their brilliance, their tireless work ethic and their generous presence.
In addition to the Daggett Prize, Tran was presented with the Lisa S. Gerhan (1994) Memorial Award, given annually for exhibiting academic excellence, a commitment to the field of psychology, and the potential for future contributions to the field.
For a complete list of Prize Day winners, visit the website.
Other presenters at Prize Day included Michele Angrist, the Stephen J. and Diane K. Ciesinski Dean of Faculty and vice president for Academic Affairs; Annette Diorio, vice president for Student Affairs and Dean of Students; Robin Olinsky, dean for the Class of 2026; and Kara Doyle, dean of Academic Departments and Programs. Kassandra Smeltzer ‘27, president of Student Forum, served as master of ceremonies.
The event featured a performance by the Dutch Pipers, Union’s all-male a cappella group.
The first Prize Day was held in May 1932 to complement the annual Block U Dinner for athletic achievement. The new event honored 20 seniors for their intellectual accomplishments.