‘Empowered and Prepared to Contribute’: Awards of Excellence Honorees Reflect on Maxwell’s Impact
April 3, 2025
Held at Syracuse University’s new DC home, the annual event honored five exceptional alumni who embody the school’s commitment to engaged citizenship.
Standing on stage before an audience of Maxwell School community members, Sahil Jain ’13 B.A. (IR) reflected on the “incredible people, valuable lessons and pivotal experiences” leading to his receipt of the school’s Compass Award for exceptional accomplishments as an early-career alumnus.
“Growing up, I witnessed firsthand the resilience of my parents,” he said at the Awards of Excellence celebration in Washington, D.C., on March 27. “They fled turmoil and worked tirelessly to build a future for our family. Their unwavering determination taught me that true leadership is not solely about personal achievements but about the impact we have on those around us—uplifting others, empowering them, and creating opportunities where few exist.”
Jain, who was one of five alumni honored at the event, shared how he completed his Syracuse University application at his family’s liquor store in Sacramento, California, and, upon receiving his acceptance months later, was so overwhelmed with excitement that he nearly hugged a customer.
“That moment marked the beginning of a transformative journey,” he said.
A foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State, Jain has held roles across the U.S. government helping to advance peace and security around the world. From 2024-25, he was special assistant to the deputy secretary of state, focused on U.S. policy related to South and Central Asia. He served in the White House as a senior advisor at the National Security Council and as policy advisor in the Vice President’s Office of National Security Affairs. He was a political officer at U.S. Embassies in China from 2021-23 and India from 2018-20.
“Over the years, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to serve in the halls of the State Department, our embassies overseas, and at the White House,” Jain said. “Walking through these corridors of power, I often reflect on the journey from the liquor store in Sacramento to where I stand today. I arrived at Maxwell filled with uncertainty and hope; I departed empowered and prepared to contribute.”
This year’s event was held at the University’s new home in Dupont Circle. In addition to Jain, honorees included Margaret Abraham ’89 Ph.D. (Soc); Tom Bozzuto ’71 M.P.A.; Ana Maria Menezes ’06 M.A. (PA); and Tiesha Peal ’99 B.A. (PSc).
Abraham received the 1924 Award, honoring graduates for their distinguished and sustained professional or civic leadership and achievement in the spirit of the school’s mission. She is a professor of sociology and the Harry H. Wachtel Distinguished Teaching Professor for the Study of Nonviolent Social Change at Hofstra University. Her leadership roles include serving as past president of the International Sociological Association and, at Hofstra, as senior vice provost for academic affairs, special advisor to the provost for diversity initiatives, and director of the Women’s Studies Program.
An author, lecturer and advisor, Abraham bridges scholarship and social justice advocacy in the areas of ethnicity, gender, migration and domestic violence. She has published four books and two special volumes, including Speaking the Unspeakable: Marital Violence Among South Asian Immigrants in the United States.
Abraham thanked her supporters and reflected on recent transitions in the federal government. “We are at the crossroads, where we are witnessing multiple cascading effects of policies and laws on political, social and economic institutions that impact everyday lives, especially on the marginalized,” she said. “In these times our activism, engagement and pursuit of justice becomes even more vital. As social scientists, we must share our learning and knowledge with the broader societies of which we are a part. We need to use data and analytical tools, critique, counter misinformation, inform publics and collectively address issues we face. We have the responsibility to engage in building a better world.”
“My wife and I, and our children believe that as citizens, we have a responsibility to our community that goes beyond just paying taxes and obeying the law. As citizens, our duty does not stop at the doorway to our homes. As citizens, regardless of where we work, each of us in some way should try to make our world a better place in which to live.”
Tom Bozzuto ’71 M.P.A
Bozzuto, chairman and co-founder of The Bozzuto Group, received the Bridge Award, which honors exemplary leadership across sectors. Throughout his career in real estate development and management, he has created more than 62,000 homes and apartments, nurturing vibrant multifamily communities. A Vietnam veteran, he worked for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and spent 13 years as mid-Atlantic regional partner at Oxford Development Corp. His leadership roles have included serving as board chair of the Baltimore Community Foundation, the National Multifamily Housing Council, the Maryland Science Center, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where he received undergraduate and honorary degrees.
He thanked Dean David M. Van Slyke for encouraging his re-engagement with the Maxwell School in recent years, and then, shared what has been his family’s guiding compass.
“My wife and I, and our children believe that as citizens, we have a responsibility to our community that goes beyond just paying taxes and obeying the law. As citizens, our duty does not stop at the doorway to our homes. As citizens, regardless of where we work, each of us in some way should try to make our world a better place in which to live,” Bozzuto said. “Our family has been blessed with the resources to allow us to be very active in our city and our state and even a bit in our nation. However, I also know that one of my greatest blessings was a terrific education, the capstone of which was the year I spent at Maxwell.”
Menezes received the Spirit of Public Service Award which recognizes contributions that have had a widespread global impact. For more than 35 years she has applied her knowledge in aquaculture and natural resource management to help eradicate food insecurity, improve nutrition and reduce poverty in some of the poorest regions of the world.
As senior fisheries officer with the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, Menezes works with member nations to increase aquaculture production. Previously, she was national officer for the UN Environment Programme and she served as national director of planning and research for the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and aquaculture researcher at the Instituto Nacional de Investigação Pesqueira in her native country of Mozambique.
“I’ve witnessed from within the rise from Zero to the Blue Economy, the Blue Foods and the Blue Transformation movement, harvesting from the ocean, rivers and lakes, from man-made ponds to feed billions of people around the planet. It’s my great fortune to have been part of this,” she said, later adding, “What I really want to make clear is that what I learned at the Maxwell School in the public administration master’s degree program set me up for a fulfilling journey, a greater purpose, and you in this room share in this honor.”
Peal, an attorney with 20 years of experience helping to ensure equal treatment for all under the law, received the Charles V. Willie Advocate Award. She was unable to attend the event to accept the award in person.
Peal previously worked as the assistant district attorney in the Bronx County District Attorney Office, handling litigation and conducting investigations into criminal activity ranging from contraband to gang assaults. She also represented New York City employees in housing court as an attorney for District Council 37 Union and was a staff attorney with Essex-Newark Legal Services, which provides free legal assistance to very low-income residents. She is a founding member of the Maxwell School’s Alumni Affinity Group and a frequent mentor to current students and alumni.
By Jessica Youngman
Shown in photo above, from left to right, are Dean David M. Van Slyke and honorees Sahil Jain ’13 B.A. (IR), Margaret Abraham ’89 Ph.D. (Soc), Ana Maria Menezes ’06 M.A. (PA), and Tom Bozzuto ’71 M.P.A. Honoree Tiesha Peal ’99 B.A. (PSc) was unable to attend.
Related News
School News
Apr 10, 2025
School News
Mar 26, 2025
School News
Mar 24, 2025