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Distinguished Alumna
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The Katherine Delmar Burke School Distinguished Alumna Award is given each year to an alumna who embodies the values at the heart of the school’s mission to educate, encourage, and empower girls. The recipient exemplifies a life of learning, service to community, individuality, and the ability to make a difference in the world.
Distinguished Alumna: Eileen Gu ’17
Eileen Gu is an exceptional talent in the world of freestyle skiing and a trailblazer for aspiring athletes. With a dual American and Chinese heritage, she has bridged cultures and broken barriers through her performances on the slopes and beyond.
At the age of eight, Eileen Gu began skiing and quickly developed a passion for freestyle skiing. She rose to prominence on the international stage in the 2020-2021 season when she claimed her first World Cup victory in a halfpipe event in Calgary, Canada. Her meteoric success continued as she dominated the freestyle skiing circuit, accumulating several World Cup titles and a gold medal at the 2021 FIS Freestyle Ski World Championships in Aspen, Colorado. Eileen's groundbreaking performances at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing solidified her status as a global sensation. She won three medals, including two golds in the halfpipe and big air events, and a silver in slopestyle, making her the first freestyle skier to achieve such a feat in a single Olympic Game.
Apart from her athletic achievements, Eileen is an outspoken advocate for cultural exchange and understanding. With a modeling career that has seen her grace the covers of prestigious magazines, she has become a symbol of diversity and breaking barriers. In addition to competing in freestyle events around the world and serving as a spokesperson for international brands, Eileen is currently enrolled as an undergraduate student at Stanford University.
At the age of eight, Eileen Gu began skiing and quickly developed a passion for freestyle skiing. She rose to prominence on the international stage in the 2020-2021 season when she claimed her first World Cup victory in a halfpipe event in Calgary, Canada. Her meteoric success continued as she dominated the freestyle skiing circuit, accumulating several World Cup titles and a gold medal at the 2021 FIS Freestyle Ski World Championships in Aspen, Colorado. Eileen's groundbreaking performances at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing solidified her status as a global sensation. She won three medals, including two golds in the halfpipe and big air events, and a silver in slopestyle, making her the first freestyle skier to achieve such a feat in a single Olympic Game.
Apart from her athletic achievements, Eileen is an outspoken advocate for cultural exchange and understanding. With a modeling career that has seen her grace the covers of prestigious magazines, she has become a symbol of diversity and breaking barriers. In addition to competing in freestyle events around the world and serving as a spokesperson for international brands, Eileen is currently enrolled as an undergraduate student at Stanford University.
Distinguished Alumnae Award Recipients
2023
Eileen Gu ’17
2022
Lisa McKnight ’82
Eileen Gu ’17
2022
Lisa McKnight ’82
2021
Shafia Zaloom '85
Shafia Zaloom '85
2020
Blair Rosenblatt Shane '85
Blair Rosenblatt Shane '85
2019
Ebony Frelix Beckwith '91
Ebony Frelix Beckwith '91
2018
Mary Shen O'Carroll '90
Mary Shen O'Carroll '90
2017
Zoe Duskin '97
2016
Robin Hauser '78e
2015
Erica Howson Fortescue '89
2014
Lareina Yee '87
Zoe Duskin '97
2016
Robin Hauser '78e
2015
Erica Howson Fortescue '89
2014
Lareina Yee '87
2013
Nancy Bibbero Cherney '70
Nancy Bibbero Cherney '70
2012
Pauline Moffit Watts '66
2011
Rachel Skiffer '88
Rachel Skiffer '88
2010
Vendela Vida '85
Vendela Vida '85
2009
Jean Afterman ’75
Jean Afterman ’75
2008
Ann Blumlein Lazarus ’67
Ann Blumlein Lazarus ’67
2007
Dr. Mary Maillard Piel ’73
Dr. Mary Maillard Piel ’73
2006
Mary Lowrey Gregory ’71
Mary Lowrey Gregory ’71
2005
Dr. Bella Shen Garnett ’89
Dr. Bella Shen Garnett ’89
2004
Nancy Hellman Bechtle ’55
Nancy Hellman Bechtle ’55
2003
Heather Martinez Zona ’81
Heather Martinez Zona ’81
2002
Elisa "Bambi" Escamilla Schwartz ’56
Elisa "Bambi" Escamilla Schwartz ’56
Nominate a Distinguished Alumna
Burke's mission is to educate, encourage and empower girls. Our school combines academic excellence with an appreciation for childhood so that students thrive as learners, develop a strong sense of self, contribute to community, and fulfill their potential, now and throughout life.
Burke's admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.