60th Anniversary Gala
Gala Information
Celebrate the Roger Lehecka Double Discovery Center's 60 years of success on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. This event will honor DDC champions with the James P. Shenton Award for Excellence, an award for outstanding accomplishments and contributions to improving the education of college-bound, first-generation students.
The late James P. Shenton CC’49, GSAS’54, was a remarkable Columbia history professor who helped guide the creation of Project Double Discovery, later renamed the Roger Lehecka Double Discovery Center (DDC). This award is the highest honor bestowed by DDC.
I am so grateful for being part of the DDC program back in high school. With the help of the faculty and the resources they provide, I was able to become the first person in my family to go to college on a full scholarship and be accepted to over 20 different colleges.