The Alumni Award, the school’s highest honor for a graduate, was presented to Alissa Keny-Guyer ’77 during All-School Meeting on Friday, January 31.
From 2011 to 2021, Ms. Keny-Guyer served four terms as a Democratic member of the Oregon House of Representatives. She chaired the House Committee on Human Services & Housing and served on the Health Care, Early Childhood and Family Support; Consumer Affairs; Energy and Environment; and Revenue committees.
In addition to her work in politics, Ms. Keny-Guyer has undertaken a number of nonprofit projects. She has worked on community development in Indonesia with Oxfam, a global organization that fights to end poverty and injustice; served as an executive director of Volunteers in Asia, which promotes cross-cultural service and learning opportunities; and founded the Saturday Academy, an outreach program for youth underrepresented in STEM. Annabelle Chu ’28 said, “Ms. Keny-Guyer represents the Hotchkiss spirit in a meaningful way through her service. I want to live up to someone like her.”
During the ceremony in Elfers, Cameron Hough ’09, a member of the Alumni Association Board of Governors and co-chair of the Awards Nominating Committee, shared the history of the Alumni Award with the community. She said, “Since 1931, we have recognized 92 alumni for their exemplary work and achievements. In honor of the indelible mark they left on the world, we have inscribed each of their names on the wall of Lt. Col. James Lindsay Luke Foyer.” Other notable recipients of the award include actor Allison Janney, an Academy Award winner; Forrest Mars, former CEO of the candy company Mars Inc; Chris Wallace, ranked one of America’s most trusted television news journalists; and Bill Ford, executive chair of Ford Motor Company.
Mrs. Caroline Kenny-Burchfield ’77, director of community partnerships and classmate of Ms. Keny-Guyer, then led a fireside chat with her. Ms. Keny-Guyer said, “Before we came to the school in the first class of girls, some board members and faculty thought that bringing girls would lower the standard of education. I wanted to stand up for women’s rights and prove that women are just as good as men.” Several alumnae from the class of 1977 attended the ceremony.
The night before the award ceremony, students joined Ms. Keny-Guyer for an ice cream social. Charlotte Wood ’25 said, “It is quite unique that Ms. Keny-Guyer worked in both politics and non-profi ts, because those are two somewhat different but important ways to help people. It is powerful to hear a variety of ways we can engage in community and make a difference when we grow up.”
On how students can make an impact, Ms. Keny-Guyer said, “It doesn’t have to be about a global change in the world, like stopping the war in Ukraine or eliminating poverty in Colombia. Maybe there are certain people here who need help and we don’t know. When you are in a place like this school where you have a lot of privilege, it’s important to use it in a way that helps people that don’t have that.”
