Along with celebrating DDC’s history, three notable alumni will be honored: Dr. Denise De Las Nueces CC’03, an addiction medicine specialist with a focus on vulnerable populations; Duchesne Drew CC’89, the president of Minnesota Public Radio and a University trustee; and Khadijah Sharif-Drinkard CC’93, senior VP of business affairs at ABC News.
The event will be hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist and producer Cathleen Trigg-Jones, and include a special performance by Pulitzer Prize-, Tony-, Emmy- and Grammy Award-winning composer Tom Kitt CC’96.
Critically, this year’s gala will also serve as a fundraiser. DDC lost millions of dollars of financial support in 2025; for the first time in its existence the program is entirely donor funded.
“For six decades, DDC has been an unwavering supporter of first-generation, college-bound youth residing near Columbia’s campuses,” says DDC Executive Director Sasha Wells. “This milestone event is an opportunity to celebrate our history, acknowledge the work that remains and raise crucial funds to continue our mission for the next 60 years!”
Co-founded by Lehecka (CC’67, GSAS’74) in 1965, DDC provides first-generation, low-income New York City high-schoolers with resources and support to improve their experience of learning and imagine a different future for themselves. Over the years, DDC has made college a reality for more than 25,000 teens; 90 percent of high school seniors participating in DDC programs graduate from high school on time and enter college the following fall.
Significantly, DDC also creates opportunities for service, in the form of a robust corps of Columbia and Barnard undergraduates who provide teaching assistance, one-on-one tutoring and near-peer mentorship.
The three alumni honorees will receive the James P. Shenton Award for Excellence for their outstanding contributions to improving the education of college-bound first-generation students. Shenton (CC’49, GSAS’54), a renowned history professor at the College, was instrumental in the creation of the 1965 program, then known as Project Double Discovery.
All of the awardees credit DDC for having a profound influence on their lives. “I was exposed to mentors who believed in me and recognized my potential long before I could recognize it in myself,” De Las Nueces says. “I gained confidence in my ability to set and reach goals — even seemingly insurmountable ones.”
“DDC didn’t just shape my Columbia experience, it helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my life,” Drew says. “I progressed from being a volunteer mentor, to a work-study teaching assistant, to a full-time staff member. I became so knowledgeable and passionate about education while working at DDC that I wanted more people — not just grant officers at foundations — to know what’s possible when we make smart investments in young people from underresourced communities.”
“Not only did I attend the program, but most of my siblings did as well,” says Sharif-Drinkard. “It was a lifeline for our family — a safe and nurturing environment that provided social, emotional and academic support, all of which fueled our drive to become excellent role models for the next generation.”