Eric Burchill and Kavyasree Chigurupati to receive the Daniel S. Hall Social Justice Awards

Eric Burchill and Kavyasree Chigurupati, graduating seniors at Wellington High School and the A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, respectively, have been granted Daniel S. Hall Social Justice Awards, the annual scholarships presented by the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council.

The Council, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, awards the annual scholarship to college-bound graduating seniors who have demonstrated an interest in advocacy on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community. 

 

The Social Justice Award is named after Daniel S. Hall, a local attorney who manages a financial counseling company.  Hall, Treasurer of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council since 1990, is the Council's longest-serving board member. As the father of three grown children, Hall has always had a strong interest in education. Over the years, has mentored several LGBTQ students.  

Eric Burchill

Eric Burchill, a senior at Wellington High School and a National Merit Scholar, will be graduating as his class valedictorian  As Vice President of the school's Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA), Eric has worked to encourage the acceptance and equality of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities through school events, decorations, and physical and verbal expression of ideas. He has also helped organize trips to Palm Beach Pride events, as well as local youth summits for the LGBTQ+ community. In college, Eric plans to study neuroscience, while continuing his advocacy for the LGBTQ community and his work for animal rights.

Kavyasree Chigurupati 

Kavyasree Chigurupati is the intersectionality leader of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance at Dreyfoos School of the Arts. She is also the co-founder of Technicolor, a GSA zine that functions as a platform for LGBT+ artists to express themselves. Kavyasree's passion for social justice extends outside of the GSA, and she was voted "Class Activist" by Dreyfoos' class of 2019. 

"My experience at Dreyfoos has shown me how important it is to represent LGBTQ voices through creative expression," Kavi told PBCHRC.

Kavi will be attending the Honors College at Rutgers University, where she intends to continue her fight for social justice as a Political Science major.

"Both Kavi and Eric have been passionate advocates for the local LGBTQ community," said PBCHRC Vice President Carly Cass, whi has coordinated PBCHRC's scholarship program since its inception in 2015.

Dan Hall will present the $1,000 scholarships to Kavi at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts Senior Awards Night on April 29 and to Eric at the Wellington High School Senior Awards Night on May 16.