Award Recognition
Principled Action
Heather Chen CC’26 studied sustainable development. She was the 149th managing editor of the Columbia Daily Spectator, overseeing the publication’s journalism division and its 200-plus student journalists during the 2025 calendar year. She led Spectator through its nationally recognized coverage of the Trump administration’s cancellation of University grants and its targeting of University protesters. Previously, she served as the 148th sports editor for Spectator. In 2025, Chen was awarded the Jimmie & Suey Fong Yee Grant by the Asian American Journalists Association Sports Task Force. Chen has also written for Defector and The Nation.
“Thank you to my mom, dad, and twin brother for supporting me during my time at Columbia. I’m also endlessly grateful for my friends, roommates, professors, and the staff of the Columbia Daily Spectator, many of whom became my closest friends at Columbia.”