Saint Michael's College Book Award

This year’s book is the autobiography Lulu in the Sky: A Daughter of Cambodia Finds Love, Healing, and Double Happiness, written by Saint Michael’s alumna Loung Ung ’93.

The Saint Michael’s College Book Award for Academic Achievement & Social Conscience is awarded each year to high school juniors throughout the United States as well as internationally. The Book Award recognizes students’ academic success and exemplary community service involvement. Their accomplishments embody St. Mike’s commitment to intellectual achievement, social justice and concern for others. These values began with our founding order, the Society of Saint Edmund, and continue to be a guiding principle for our students.

Award recipients will be presented with the autobiography Lulu in the Sky: A Daughter of Cambodia Finds Love, Healing, and Double Happiness, written by Saint Michael’s alumna Loung Ung ’93. She exemplifies that at St. Mike’s we combine our belief in the power of peace, justice, and service, with a will to act. Driven by our values, we begin to understand humankind and cultivate human kindness. Loung is a writer, human rights activist, and national spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine-Free World.

Loung describes her college experience and her first steps into post-graduate adulthood, revealing her struggle to reconcile with her past while moving forward towards happiness. After the violence of the Khmer Rouge and the difficult assimilation experience of a refugee, Loung struggled to keep darkness, anger, and depression at bay. She found two unexpected allies: the empowering call of activism, and the redemptive power of love. Lulu in the Sky is set during her years as a college student at Saint Michael’s College and her work as a young professional on the path to becoming an acclaimed humanitarian.

We hope that Loung’s powerful story as a survivor of the Cambodian Genocide prompts students to think deeply about issues of peace, justice, and global conflicts. We invite school counselors to be aware that the book has some thematic elements of wartime violence, parental death, and sexual assault. If you have any concerns about presenting this book to your student(s) please contact us at bookaward@smcvt.edu. We hope this book encourages your students to continue to do well and stay driven to do good.

If you are a school:

Schools interested in nominating current high school juniors for the Book Award should contact us (bookaward@smcvt.edu) for full details about the online nomination process. The nomination process opens in January of a student’s junior year and closes once the school year ends. Our nomination cycle is currently open for students who will be graduating in 2024.

If you are a Book Award recipient:

Congratulations! You were chosen to receive the Saint Michael’s College Book Award for Academic Achievement & Social Conscience by your high school because you embody values held in high regard at St. Mike’s. If you choose to apply, you will be considered for our Book Award Scholarship. Students who wish to be considered for the Book Award Scholarship need to submit their Common App to Saint Michael’s College by either of our non-binding Early Action application deadlines (November 1 & December 15). This is a renewable, four-year merit scholarship ranging from $22,000 to full tuition.

Contact Us!

If you have any questions regarding the Book Award, please contact the Book Award Committee at bookaward@smcvt.edu or call us at 802.654.3000.

Book Award Coordinator: Allison Sherlock