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Public Service Leadership Program

PSLP 2010The Public Service Leadership Program provides a comprehensive opportunity for current sophomores and juniors of any major at Stanford who want to be intentional in their personal leadership development.

Candidates begin the program in Winter Quarter with the introductory 2-unit course "Introduction to Public Service Leadership." Through this five-quarter experience, candidates build a strong community of peer-leaders who will learn with and from each other. Each candidate is actively involved in public service leadership through a position or project on or off campus and brings a unique set of experiences and perspectives to the group. After the initial course, much of the work is independent and can be done at a student's own pace until the program completion the following spring.

All participating candidates will be assigned to a Haas Center advisor and be expected to meet with him or her at least once each quarter. The purpose of the advising sessions is to provide candidates a chance to revisit and revise learning plans, provide program assessments, synthesize learning from various components of the program, and discuss future goals and opportunities.

Applications are available Autumn Quarter each year and students who are selected commit to five quarters of leadership development until they complete program requirements during the following Spring Quarter.

For more information, please contact Kristina Lobo [1].

Background and Purpose

Stanford Theatre Activist Mobilization ProjectThroughout its history, the Haas Center has worked to foster community among student leaders and student-led service organizations engaged in diverse public service efforts. The center provides resources that enhance both the quality of student service engagement and the learning derived from it. Leadership programming promotes ethical and effective service and positive personal interactions, while providing a welcoming physical space that contributes to community building. The Haas Center’s goal in all its leadership efforts is to develop thoughtful, skilled, and reflective practitioners equipped to effect social change.

In 2005, the Haas Center launched the Public Service Leadership Program (PSLP). PSLP empowers students with a passion for the environment, health care, conflict resolution, and numerous other issues to build their knowledge of public service leadership theory, become reflective practitioners, and synthesize their leadership learning. The program begins with a two-unit course, Introduction to Public Service Leadership, and continues with skill-building workshops, interviews with community leaders, cohort leadership roundtable reflections, leadership learning plans, mentor involvement, and self-assessment exercises.

Objectives

  • Facilitate leadership learning and skill-building for public service student leaders.
  • Develop a strong community of peer leaders who learn with and from each other throughout their Stanford experiences.
  • Provide high quality public service preparation to student-led service organizations so that they can provide more intentional, ethical, and effective public service.

Student Involvement

Colleges Against CancerProgram Benefits
Components of the program include: Foundations of Leadership, Leadership Practice, and Synthesizing Leadership Learning. These components are outlined below.

Candidates begin the program in Winter Quarter with the introductory 2-unit course "Introduction to Public Service Leadership." Through this five-quarter experience, candidates build a strong community of peer-leaders who will learn with and from each other. Each candidate is actively involved in public service leadership through a position or project on or off campus and brings a unique set of experiences and perspectives to the group. After the initial course, much of the work is independent and can be done at a student's own pace until the program completion the following spring.

Program Commitments
All participating candidates will be assigned to a Haas Center advisor and be expected to meet with him or her at least once each quarter. The purpose of the advising sessions is to provide candidates a chance to revisit and revise learning plans, provide program assessments, synthesize learning from various components of the program, and discuss future goals and opportunities.

Foundations of Leadership

Candidates will gain an appreciation of leadership development as a field of study as well as comprehension of a leadership model and its practices and values in the context of service. Candidates will satisfy this requirement by completing the initial Introduction to Public Service Leadership Course in Winter Quarter as well as an approved leadership course connected to their own interests.

Candidates will attend three skill-building workshops [2] on topics such as those listed below:

  • conflict resolution
  • leadership transition
  • motivation and leadership
  • public speaking
  • delegation
  • public relations and media training
  • meeting management/facilitation
  • grant writing/fundraising
  • philanthropy 101
  • public service job search
  • vision and goal setting
  • negotiation
  • strategic planning
  • networking and relationship building

Candidates will complete a self-assessment program by completing:

  • the two-part Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI)
  • a Values Assessment

and two additional assessments such as the following:

  • MBTI Personality Assessment
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • True Colors

Candidates will gain exposure to individuals who can serve as model leaders in public service through community leader interviews. Candidates are asked to identify and interview three public service leaders. These leaders will represent various aspects of the public service spectrum (i.e., direct service, philanthropy, advocacy, government, etc.) and should be working in the student's field of interest. A paper explaining lessons learned will be submitted for each community leader interview.

Leadership Practice

The Leadership Program requires candidates to be actively involved in leading a public service program or project for at least three quarters. The practice component will provide a context or "laboratory" for developing leadership skills and a personal approach to leadership. It will also be a focal point for the personal and group reflection activities that are a part of the program.

Qualifying leadership experiences include:

  • coordinating a significant public service project for a student organization, outside nonprofit, government agency, or philanthropy
  • leadership position within a community service student organization
  • tutor coordinator for Jumpstart [3], Science in Service [4], Ravenswood Reads [5], Ravenswood English [6], external link EPASA [7], or Stanford College Prep [8]
  • leading an Alternative Spring Break [9] external link experience
  • leadership position with ASSU [10] external link
  • leadership position within a community center or as a residence hall staff member
  • leadership position in other student organizations on a case-by-case basis

Candidates are required to engage in structured reflection opportunities, both verbal and written, to assess their leadership experiences and determine what public service leadership means to them. Much of the reflection activity will be centered on the candidate's leadership practice experience. Monthly "Leadership Roundtable" reflection sessions will be required. These sessions will provide an opportunity for candidates to connect with each other, share what they are experiencing and learning through their leadership practice activity, and learn from each other's experiences. 

Candidates are supported by a self-identified mentor as well as a Haas Center advisor during their tenure in the program. Mentors are adult public service leaders who students find inspiring and they help students plan toward a future in public service. Candidates also meet quarterly with their Haas Center advisor to receive support and guidance for program completion.

Synthesizing Leadership Learning

Candidates will complete a Leadership Learning Plan outlining their personal goals and expectations regarding their leadership development. This will also include proposed objectives demonstrating how they will be intentional about achieving their goals.

Candidates will establish and maintain a Leadership Learning Portfolio including assessment, reflection, and evaluation materials. The purpose of the portfolio is to encourage candidates to be actively engaged in the ongoing synthesis of their learning and leadership development. Learning portfolios will be shared with Haas Center advisors and potentially with the candidate's mentor.

All fellows completing the program in a given year will take part in the Capstone Experience. This experience will include group sessions during Spring Quarter, and they will incorporate the following activities:

  • future public service goals
  • program evaluation
  • recognition/celebration event
  • contributing public service leadership knowledge back to the program and the Haas Center

Application

Applications for the Public Service Leadership Program are not being accepted at this time.

Typically, a complete Public Service Leadership Program application includes answers to the following questions:

  1. What do you hope to gain or learn through the Public Service Leadership Program?
  2. What service-related issue or activity are you most passionate about and why?

Applicants must agree to the Statement of Commitment:

"If selected for the Public Service Leadership Program, I will commit to the following in their entirety:

  • attending all classes of "Introduction to Public Service Leadership" during Winter Quarter 2011, from 4:15 to 6:05 pm on Tuesdays
  • designing and following a personal leadership learning plan
  • contributing to the leadership program community by sharing my opinions and ideas, completing all aspects of the program, and supporting other emerging leaders in public service at Stanford"

Frequently Asked Questions about PSLP

Do I have to have a formal leadership role with a public service organization to be eligible for PSLP?

No. You just need to be actively involved with a public service project or organization, on or off campus, for the five quarters of the program. Active involvement means you carry a substantial level of responsibility for your project or organization. 

Do I have to be on campus for all five quarters of the program?

No. To apply to be part of the next PSLP cohort, you only need to be on campus next quarter (winter quarter) for the required foundation course EDUC 126X: Introduction to Public Service Leadership. 

Can I apply for PSLP if I have another class that will conflict with part of the time for EDUC 126X (Tuesdays 4:15-6:05pm in the Haas Center DK Room)?

No. To apply for PSLP, you need to commit to attending all EDUC 126X class sessions in their entirety. 

Is there a length requirement for either of the application questions?

No. Please write what you consider to be a complete answer to each question, and submit your application online.

For more information, please contact Kristina Lobo [1].

Meet the Candidates

2011–2012 Public Service Leadership Program Participants

Firas Abuzaid '13 (Computer Science)

  • service passions: human rights, social justice, education
  • Stanford activities: NAACP Political Action, APIR-L subcommittee on human rights, Muslim Student Awareness Network, Science in Service
  • other service experience: local tutoring
  • leadership practice area: NAACP
  • post-Stanford plans: develop new models using technology to improve education and human rights awareness

"I choose action over apathy because I have no justification complaining about the problems in the world today without at least trying to solve those problems."

Harjus Birk '12 (Biology)

  • service passion: enhancing healthcare in underprivileged countries such as India
  • Stanford activities: founder and leader of Dharamsala, India Clinical Internship, Co-President of Stanford American Red Cross, Assistant Director of Anjna Patient Health Education, Board Member of Stanford College Interest Group in Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Research Assistant in Guzman Neurosurgery Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine
  • other service experience: Founder of Future Health Professionals of America, Student Board Member of Shasta County Board of Education, Volunteer at Mercy Medical Center, Youth Advisor at Sikh Centre Anderson
  • leadership practice area: health education for youth
  • post-Stanford plans: attend medical school and work for Doctors Without Borders

“In order to challenge society and push it toward the ideals of peace and tranquility, action must be valued over apathy. Each and every human being is able to notice right versus wrong, and it is simply a matter of pushing yourself towards action to really make a positive difference.”

Amy Chen '13 (Human Biology)

  • service passions: organ trafficking, organ donor education, global public health
  • Stanford activities: Global Health Intern at the Asian Liver Center, consultant for Stanford Consulting, VP Alumni Relations for Alpha Kappa Psi, delegate for Stanford Model United Nations, Impact Abroad participant, Jumpstart Corps member, frosh intern for the Asian American Student Association (AASA)
  • other service experience: recruitment staff for KaeMe Foundation (Ghana), intern for the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
  • leadership practice area: Asian Liver Center
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a joint degree in MBA/MPA-ID (Master of Public Administration-International Development) and a career in healthcare development

"Public service gives me the perfect outlet to take everything I love—health care, kids, and education—and explore the best way to put it all together, all the while trying to change the world in my own unique way. To me, life is all about the people. Apathy is out of the question; it is only through actions that I can truly express my love for learning more about others around me."

Yoshika Crider '12 (Environmental Engineering)

  • Stanford activities: Students for a Sustainable Stanford, Stanford Farm Project, Jumpstart East Palo Alto, Haas Community Based Research Fellow
  • other service experience: United Way intern
  • leadership practice area: education, Stanford Farm Project
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a career involving human health and the environment

"Mary Oliver wrote, 'Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?' I choose to make mine count through public service because it allows me to constantly learn from and share with others, follow my passions, and hopefully make the world a bit better than when I started."

Natalie Dillon '13 (International Relations)

  • service passions: youth and female empowerment; water sanitation in developing countries; human trafficking
  • Stanford activities: Women’s Tennis Team, Kappa Kappa Gamma
  • other service experience: co-founder of the Not For Sale High School movement and summer volunteer at the Janet Pomeroy Recreation Center for the disabled
  • leadership Practice Area: collaborating Stanford athletics with service/ athletic youth programs fostering to inner city youth
  • post-Stanford plans: I hope to attend graduate school and receive a Masters in business or urban planning. I’m interested in urban growth in developing countries, particularly implementing infrastructure that boosts trade, reduces damage caused from natural disasters, and highlighting cultural traits.

"A life fulfilled is a life of action. Thinking inquisitively, envisioning creatively, and achieving compassionately are what make us feel most fully alive. For me, there is no sweeter joy than that of serving others and to be a part of something that is greater than myself." 

Elyse Galles '12 (Human Biology)

  • service passions: caring for the medically uninsured, addressing and
    voicing the medical needs of the underrepresented, working toward
    culturally-competent medical care
  • Stanford activities: Kappa Kappa Gamma
  • other service experience: Spanish translator at Latin Clinic, English tutor
  • leadership practice area: local free clinics
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a career in a health-related field

"I choose action over apathy because the pay-it-forward system will benefit us all in the long run."

Diana González '13 (Sociology)

  • service passions: education and youth empowerment, immigration, translating/interpreting
  • Stanford activities: mentor coordinator for East Palo Alto Stanford Academy (EPASA); secretary of Derechos (Latino Pre-law Group); dancer in Ballet Folklórico de Stanford; class manager of Mariachi Cardenal de Stanford; MEChA: co-chair of Raza Day Youth Conference; participant of Alternative Spring Break to Arizona; Catholic Community at Stanford; Education and Youth Development Fellow; interpreter for Immigrant Rights Clinic at Stanford Law School
  • other service experience: translating/interpreting for East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring
  • leadership practice area: EPASA (8th grade teacher)
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue Stanford’s STEP program and teach afterward; pursue a law degree (education, family, or immigration law)

"I know I would not be where I am right now if it were not for the altruistic people that cared about me and took the time to take action and help me to strive for my biggest goals in life. I choose action over apathy because I will forever be in debt to those individuals that helped me; for this reason I would like to return the favor and do the same."

Sarah Hennessy '12 (Human Biology)

  • service passions: expanding service-learning; child health justice
  • Stanford activities: Volunteers in Latin America trip leader, member of Alternative Spring Break Coordinator Team, member of Stanford Students for Queer Liberation
  • other service experience: translator at medical clinic during high school; summer work with kids with physical disabilities at Camp Hope in Quito, Ecuador
  • leadership practice area: Alternative Spring Break
  • post-Stanford plans: join Global Health Corps; pursue a graduate degree in Epidemiology or Public Health and a career dedicated to ameliorating disparities in child health in developing countries

"I choose action over apathy because I don't know how to do it any other way. When you are passionate about something- anything- you can not take a back seat. You can't sit back and wait for someone else to step up. The problems of the world compel us to act, and I feel so very fortunate to be in a place where so many opportunities to be a public servant are afforded to me." 

Vivian Ho '12 (Biology)

  • service passions: educational equity, reducing healthcare disparities
  • Stanford activities: Science in Service, Anjna Patient Education, BioBridge peer advisor
  • other service experience: volunteering at a food bank and hospital, tutoring elementary school students, and teaching at a free debate camp for low-income students
  • leadership practice area: Science in Service
  • post-Stanford plans: attend medical school and work in pediatrics at free clinics

"As a first-generation Vietnamese-American, I was raised on stories of the struggles and triumphs my family members experienced as they established themselves on American soil. These narratives taught me that life is a complex blessing, full of moments that are both incredibly beautiful and devastatingly hard. I choose action because I want to help others take on their own challenges. Hardships may be an inherent aspect of the human condition, but we don’t have to face them alone."

Julian Jaravata '13 (Urban Studies)

  • service passions: education, immigrant rights
  • Stanford activities: Stanford Asian American Activism Committee, Pilipino American Student Union, Alternative Spring Break Trip about Asian American Issues, education-themed Impact Abroad trip to Bolivia
  • other service experience: volunteer for Peninsula Interfaith Action
  • leadership practice area: Kapatid High School Mentorship Program
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a graduate degree in education

"I choose action over apathy because injustice does not occur in isolated moments of time. For me, to actively fight against injustice means to consciously participate in a life of service."

Irene Jor '13 (Urban Studies)

  • service passions: urban education and communities; commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking; the national service movement
  • Stanford activities: Leilan Fusion Belly Dance, Stanford Muay Thai, Haas Summer Fellowship, First-Generation and Low-Income Partnership (FLIP), Stanford in Government (SIG) Women’s Political Leadership Conference
  • other service experience: AmeriCorps/City Year alumna, Casa Myrna Vazquez peer educator, Youth Enrichment Services snowboard instructor, Boston Center for Community and Justice board of directors, Youth Service America youth council, Service Nation community organizer
  • leadership practice area: continued public service and research in the area of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC), designing a service-learning course on the history and culture of sneakers
  • post-Stanford plans: I see both teaching and holding public office in my future. But immediately after Stanford I would like to travel urban communities around the world and later pursue a MA in Urban Affairs and/or Public Policy.

"I choose action over apathy because I have people in my life that love and believe in me and I reciprocate this by contributing my best to the world we share and live in."

Jaclyn Le '12 (Political Science)

  • service passions: educational equity, homelessness
  • Stanford activities: DreamCatchers staff member, member of Cap and Gown, member of the Stanford Quest Scholars chapter, Haas Center student intern
  • other service experience: executive intern at Earning by Learning and Family Gateway in Dallas, judicial intern for U.S. Federal District Court Judge Kinkeade in Northern District of Texas
  • leadership practice area: DreamCatchers
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a law degree and career in civil rights law, education law, or education policy

"Action over apathy is not a choice but a calling and responsibility to me. With so much inequality and injustice in the world, many people do not get what they deserve and few deserve what they get. I have been so blessed to be surrounded by privilege at Stanford, and I plan to use that good fortune to empower others and contribute to the well-being of my community. Public service is the pathway to a more tolerant and just society."

Joseph Levenson '13 (Human Biology)

  • service passions: international health, youth empowerment
  • Stanford activities: co-founder of GlobeMed at Stanford, mental health researcher for ANJNA Patient Education, Sophomore Class Cabinet Member, events writer and freshman fellow for the Stanford Daily, research assistant in Neurodegenerative Disease laboratory, member of Theta Delta Chi Fraternity, Science in Service tutor
  • other service experience: rutor for Workplace Education Literacy (WEL) program, Peace4Kids
  • leadership practice area: GlobeMed
  • post-Stanford plans: attend medical school and ultimately pursue a career in international health

"I remain unsure of many things in life, but of this I am certain: I want to use the opportunities and resources I have been given to help others, and to live a life dedicated to purposes larger than oneself. Thus, through action, I hope to have a profound impact on lives."

Pamela Martinez '13 (undeclared)

  • service passion: immigrant rights and education
  • Stanford activities: Stanford Immigrant Rights Project (SIRP), Tutoring for Community, participant of ASB trip to study immigration in Arizona, part of the 2009-2010 Frosh Service Ambassadors Program
  • other service experience: volunteer at Mountain View Worker Center, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, past president of high school Humanitarian Club
  • leadership practice area: Stanford Immigrant Rights Project (SIRP)
  • Post-Stanford plans: find employment in the technology industry or go to law school

"All we have to do is to open our eyes to be faced with the injustice and misfortune our world faces, but only by choosing action over apathy will we be able to begin changing these patterns of misfortune. I choose action because one person can make a difference in our world, and that difference, whether small or large, can inspire someone else to continue with this mission to better the life of our fellow citizens of the world. It is easy to simply wait for the world to change, but then who will take that first step?"

Sarah Medina '12 (Public Policy)

  • service passion: education and women's rights
  • Stanford activities: officer for the student group Right to Education for All Children, various tutoring programs including Jumpstart and Closing the Gap, Community Service Work-Study
  • other service experience you have: Youth and Education service trip in Bolivia, volunteer with the Special Needs Aquatic Program, board member for Kids With Dreams
  • leadership practice area: officer for the student group Right to
    Education for All Children
  • post-Stanford plans: work as high school teacher in Houston, TX

"Social issues will prevail until some degree of personal convenience and self interest is sacrificed for the sake of community."

Landon Medlock '12 (Management Science and Engineering)

  • service passion: education, youth empowerment
  • Stanford activities: tutor and mentor at East Palo Alto College Track
  • other service experience: Stanford UNICEF
  • leadership practice area: Society of Black Scientists and Engineers
  • post-Stanford plans: I hope to participate in Teach For America. Then I want to create a social business aimed at improving education for everyone.

"I believe that one man’s problem will soon become all men’s problem. Most times we wait until a problem touches close to home before we attempt to fix it. So why wait? I choose action over apathy because I never doubt humanity’s capacity to make a difference today for everyone." 

Alexandra Nana-Sinkam '13 (International Relations)

  • service passions: youth empowerment and international public health
  • Stanford activities: research assistant at Stanford African Studies Department, intern for Stanford African Students Association, Stanford Dollie, Urban Styles Dance Group, Impact Abroad trip to Bolivia, Teach for the Community, Everybody Dance Now!, Ravenswood Reads, ASSU Freshman Service Ambassador
  • leadership practice area: international social empowerment, SASA
  • post-Stanford plans: I hope to possibly participate in the Peace Corps or attend graduate school.

"I don’t think its so much a choice; rather, I practice action over apathy because I believe it is our generation’s responsibility."

Emma Ogiemwanye '12 (Urban Studies)

  • service passions: youth advocacy, education, and poverty
  • Stanford activities: ASSU Service Team, Stanford in Government, Ravenswood Reads, Stanford College Prep
  • other service experience: Family Crossroads Homeless Shelter, YP4 Progressive Fellowship, Children’s Defense Fund Youth Advocacy
  • leadership practice area: ASSU Stanford Service Ambassadors, Family Crossroads, homeless shelter
  • post-Stanford plans: service fellowship post-grad, law school, pursuing a career positively affecting social justice 

"The principle of Tikkun Olam (a Hebrew phrase that means ‘repairing the world’)    has been engrained in me since I was little. With time, my commitment to Tikkun    Olam has developed in working with people. My responsibility to others, particularly in my community, is something that helps guide my everyday decisions."

Brianna Pang '13 (Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity)

  • service passions: education and legal services access
  • Stanford activities: Stanford NAACP, Black Student Union, Asian-American Sib Program, Alternative Spring Break, ASSU Constitutional Council, The Stanford Daily, The Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs, JusticeCorps, The Stanford Phoenix Project
  • other service experience: Learning Enterprises 
  • leadership practice area: social justice
  • post-Stanford plans: returning to work in the Oakland Unified School District and pursuing a law degree to practice public interest law

"I dream of and work toward a world where public service is no longer needed because equality has finally taken over and compassion has become a foundational trait of human nature."

Robin Perani '13 (Science, Technology, and Society)

  • service passions: at-risk youth, social systems/programs design, immigration, creativity in education
  • Stanford activities: co-chair of ASSU Senate Advocacy Committee, Alternative Spring Break, d.school
  • other service experience: Marin County Youth Court, church music camps, Spanish interpreter for immigration law office, teaching high school ELL classrooms, Project Amigo service trips in southern Mexico
  • leadership practice area: advocacy through student government, youth empowerment, restorative justice
  • post-Stanford plans: working to find innovative ways to solve widespread problems, using human-centered approaches through business and politics

"My action is to give people this same choice by offering the tools to succeed. That way I can watch others mature and teach me how to grow as well. I have seen how people change once allowed this choice and the subsequent power we together have to truly change our lives for the better."

Karthik Prasad '12 (Biology)

  • service passion: healthcare disparities and lack of health education
  • Stanford activities: student intake leader at Arbor Free Clinic; co-president of Stanford chapter of Student Society for Stem Cell Research which focuses on science educational outreach, Stanford in Government, Alternative Spring Break
  • other service experience: volunteer with immigrants and underserved children in Houston, TX, Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity
  • leadership practice area: School of Medicine project focused on health education, screenings, and community building for migrant farmers in Salinas valley
  • post-Stanford plans: attend medical school and continue focus on migrant health

“I fundamentally believe that you have to not only take action, but also to do it now. Building a passion for public service, taking a vested interest in the lives of others, and striving to level the playing field are all critical to truly making the world a better place.”

Tianay Pulphus '13 (undeclared)

  • service passions: education, youth and community empowerment
  • Stanford activities: chair of the Education Committee for the Stanford National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (Stanford NAACP); participant in Veteran’s Health themed ASB trip to DC, co-trip leader of 2011 Alternative Spring Break (ASB) “Growing Creativity: Education Reform in New York City”
  • leadership practice area: Stanford NAACP and ASB
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue postsecondary education degree, travel around the world, be happy

"I truly believe that action happens as a result of being present in the lives of others around you. And meaningful action grows out of the connections that I make with whatever community I am involved in. In connecting, I find time to listen and identify needs. Action, then, is a small price to pay for being apart of a community."

Jasmine Rodriguez '12 (Sociology)

  • service passion: youth and education
  • Stanford activities: member of Lambda Theta Nu Sorority, Inc.; Dancer, Ballet Folklorico de Stanford; volunteer with Project Motivation
  • other service experience: volunteer tutor Centre Social Jacques Prevert, former intern and Student Ambassador, QuestBridge
  • leadership practice area: co-community service chair, Lambda Theta Nu Sorority, Inc.
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a Master's in Education, and then a career that addresses the issues of access and equity in education

"We as students have more power than we give ourselves credit for, so why not use that power to help someone in need? All it takes is one person to step up, and that action in itself will be the catalyst for change."

Tenzin Seldon '12 (Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity)

  • service passion(s): international development and security, youth activism, Tibet, human rights, education inequity
  • Stanford activities: CCARE Fellow, ASSU Diversity & Equality Chair, Diversity Advisory Board Chair, President Stanford Friends of Tibet, Project Compassion Founder and Liaison, Rathbun Fellow, ASB Changemakers participant
  • other service experience: regional coordinator Students for a Free Tibet, Executive SF Team Tibet, developed critical thinking into Tibetan Children's Village in India, Served as Asian American Network President
  • leadership practice area: Stanford, local Tibetan and Asian American community, and internationally
  • post-graduation plans: work with a mentor in the field of international development and then pursue a PhD in social policy or law school

"Service is a moral obligation. My inner balance is dependent on the existent of action over apathy."

Reagan Thompson '12 (Chinese/International Relations)

  • service passion: orphaned and vulnerable children in Africa
  • Stanford activities: Stanford in Government, class council, Reformed University Fellowship, Cap and Gown Honors Society
  • other service experience you have: work with orphanages in Ghana and Malawi, teaching in China
  • leadership practice area: KaeMe, homeless breakfast
  • post-Stanford plans: working with or for the federal government and graduate school

"Public service is a part of who I am. It has taken hours, sweat, and thought, but it had contributed greatly to my life. Action is a way for me to take advantage of the blessings in my life."

Erika Topete '12 (Urban Studies)

  • service passions: preparing students of color to excel in higher education; mentoring students from high-poverty and underserved neighborhoods
  • Stanford activities: mentor for Stanford College Prep, member of the Political Chicano/Latino Activist Group MEChA
  • leadership practice area: officer for MEChA
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a career in education and ultimately become a university professor

"Injustice and inequity continue to prevail in the twenty-first century. I cannot overlook the fact that students of color continue to have fewer resources to pursue and excel in higher education. With the incredible resources and opportunities I have been afforded at Stanford, I choose action because I hold the responsibility to level the playing field for future generations." 

Maritza Urquiza '13 (History/International Relations)

  • service passions: education, youth empowerment, immigrant rights
  • Stanford activities: Stanford College Prep mentoring, Derechos (Pre-Law Society), Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA), Education and Youth Development Summer Fellow, Alternative Spring Break to Arizona
  • other service experience you have: elementary school tutor
  • leadership practice area: Stanford College Prep
  • post-Stanford plans: work in the nonprofit sector serving low-income and minority communities and eventually pursue a law degree or an MA in Public Policy

"I choose action over apathy because I have experienced and seen many inequalities and injustices in the communities that surround me that can only be resolved through action. I am thankful for others in my community have taken action before me and whose actions have allowed me to succeed. I feel it is my turn to give back and help give others the opportunities they deserve."

Sean Valle '13 (individually designed major: Genetic Engineering)

  • service passions: cancer awareness, public service impact awareness, health, education
  • Stanford activities: Stanford Relay For Life Chair, Colleges Against Cancer, Undergraduate Medical Research
  • other service experience: American Cancer Society volunteer, Rotary Interact District Representative, organized Plumas County Public Library Children's Summer Program, 4-H Community Service volunteer
  • leadership practice area: Relay For Life
  • post-Stanford plans: enroll in a PhD/MD program and practice medical research concerning genetic diseases.

"When I choose action over apathy, the illuminating expressions of individuals, who's lives I strive to enhance and enrich, have demonstrated the true impact that my actions can have. It is my desire to illuminate even more faces, and only through my public service actions can such a desire be fulfilled."

2010–2011 Candidates

2010–2011 Public Service Leadership Program Participants

Yordanos AsmareYordanos Asmare ’12 (Psychology)

  • service interest: violence against women/human rights/education
  • Stanford experience:  intern at the Center for Relationship Abuse Awareness, tutor with EPASA, alternative spring break participant  
  • other service experience: volunteer at the YWCA and an HIV/AIDS orphanage
  • leadership practice area: Center for Relationship Abuse Awareness
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a law degree and a career dedicated to ending violence against women (either in the US or back home in Ethiopia)

“I choose action over apathy because there is so much injustice, inequality, and wrong in the world which all needs to be acted up on and changed. There are many overwhelming and concerning issues that need to be dealt with and what is at stake is simply too great to be apathetic about and not choose action.”

Karmina Chan Cao

Karmia Chan Cao ’11 (English)

  • service interest: promoting social change through community-based arts; education for underserved populations
  • Stanford experience: Asian American Theater Project; researcher with the Stanford's School of Education
  • other service experience: consultant to Compassion for Migrant Children, student ambassador to The Salvation Army, volunteer at Langfang Orphanage, co-founder of Operation 1001
  • leadership practice area: Asian American Theater Project
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue an MFA in Film Production or Creative Non-Fiction

“Never, from the cradle to the grave, do human beings stop making a difference in this world. For better or worse, consciously or unwittingly, every one of us molds our planet. Public service is imperative to me because I have come to grasp this truth and it compels me to strive for a life of mindfulness, dedication and gratitude.”

Dora Duru ’12 (International Relations)

  • service interest: genocide, international development, and reconstruction
  • Stanford experience: member of  STAND and Mock Trial
  • other service experience: volunteer with Facing History and Ourselves, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
  • leadership practice area: STAND
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a graduate degree in international affairs

“I choose to be part of the solution, not the problem. I can just imagine how much worse the world would be if we were all innocent bystanders when confronted with the complex issues of the world. I want to be remembered for being an architect of change.”

Racquel EnadRacquel Enad ’11 (Human Biology)

  • service interest: human trafficking
  • Stanford experience: Science in Service [4] mentor; member of the Face AIDS National Team and the Rotaract Club; volunteer with SEALNet and the Arbor Free Clinic
  • other service experience: volunteer with Bless the Mind Foundation and Visayan Forum Foundation
  • leadership practice area: Bless the Mind Foundation, Face AIDS, and Rotaract
  • post-Stanford plans: work in a clinic in a developing country and attend medical school

“Acts of public service can take us to new and greater heights of human progress. People believe that developments such as technology and scientific discoveries will advance humanity, but what will actually advance humanity is the enhancement of our perception of interconnectedness. We are all linked, and when we choose to serve another person, we in effect also serve the global community.”

Sharada JambulapatiSharada Jambulapati ’12 (International Relations)

  • service interest: immigrant rights
  • Stanford experience: member of Stanford Immigrant Rights Project (SIRP), Stanford NexGen, Stanford Habla, Stanford Democrats; tutor with East Palo Alto Stanford Academy (EPASA) [7]; participant in Impact Abroad [11] trip to India and Alternative Spring Break [9] to Arizona
  • other service experience: volunteer at Mountain View Day Worker Center
  • leadership practice area: Stanford Immigrant Rights Project (SIRP)
  • post-Stanford plans: join the Teach For America program; pursue a law degree focusing on international human rights

 “President Barack Obama said, ‘we are the change we seek.’ I want to embody this statement everyday with the hopes of improving my community for more tolerance, diversity, and equality. Public service is the key to this goal.”

Stacy KaufmanStacy Kaufman ’11 (undeclared)

  • service interest: health and cancer education
  • Stanford experience: co-president of the Stanford chapter of Colleges Against Cancer, member of the Stanford Tennis Club
  • other service experience: Girl Scout for thirteen years (won Silver and Gold Awards); president of high school Rotary Interact Club, United Cultural Club, and Peer Assistance Leadership
  • leadership practice area: Colleges Against Cancer
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a career with the American Cancer Society

“My parents instilled the values of hard work, determination, and goal setting in me at a young age.  These values lend themselves to action, especially in areas that I am passionate about.”

Ariana KoblitzAriana Koblitz ’12 (Anthropology/Product Design)

  • service interest: promoting student activism
  • Stanford experience: volunteer with Dance Marathon
  • other service experience: built up and led Big Sib program in high school, participated in HFH chapter in Beijing, China
  • leadership practice area: building a student grassroots movement training portfolio for Stanford Voluntary Student Organizations
  • post-Stanford plans: joining a design consultancy agency

“I choose action because it is my only way of assuring a change in the world.  Awareness of a problem will get us no closer to an answer to the problem.”

Yu-Jin LeeYu-Jin Lee ’11 (Human Biology)

  • service interest: healthcare and its accompanying issues: water and sanitation, education
  • Stanford experience: community special events executive and campus education executive for Stanford Dance Marathon, research assistant in Dr. Maldonado's lab working on poliovirus eradication
  • other service experience: volunteer with Margo Maternity Clinic and Royal Seed Home in Ofaakor, Ghana
  • leadership practice area: Stanford Dance Marathon
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a degree in medicine, serve as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer with the Centers for Disease Control, and eradicate disease

“Upon reflection of my volunteer experience in Ghana, I became very frustrated with my lack of skills, the seemingly inevitable poverty, corruption, and the disparities between what the developed countries gave and what the local communities received. I believe that public service is the most accessible and important way of alleviating these frustrations and actually providing direct, sustainable impact.”

Neveen MahmoudNeveen Mahmoud ’11 (Psychology)

  • service interest: poverty, including but not limited to educational disparities and homelessness
  • Stanford experience: president of NexGen, member of the women’s club lacrosse team, member of Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND)
  • other service experience: co-founder of Project Skill Build, volunteer with Habitat for Humanity
  • leadership practice area: NexGen
  • post-Stanford plans: move to New Orleans to work on Project Skill Build and pursue a joint Master in Public Affairs/Juris Doctor program

“The minute ways in which I’ve successfully impacted others makes me believe that acting in service of others is the most powerful way to connect with humanity and effectively change the state of the world. This is precisely why public service is so important to me.”

Alfredo Martinez, Jr.Alfredo Martinez, Jr. ’12 (History/International Relations)

  • service issue: youth and education
  • Stanford experience: volunteer with Relay for Life, Stanford College Prep, Project WRITE, MEChA
  • other service experience: tutor for UCSD Upward Bound
  • leadership practice area: Relay for Life, Project WRITE, MEChA
  • post-Stanford plans: work to improve access to education for underserved youth in the US and around the world

“Participating in public service has greatly benefited my time at Stanford by both adding meaning to what I learn. Public service has also given me a venue to turn theory and thoughts into concrete results and achievements.”

Matt MillerMatt Miller ’12 (Urban Studies)

  • service interest: environmental justice
  • Stanford experience: chair of the Environmental Committee with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), youth empowerment conference coordinator with the Black Student Union, founding officer with Environmental Justice Coalition
  • other service experience: fundraiser to rebuild Anaka Secondary School in Northern Uganda through Invisible Children, math tutor, youth programming leader at church, Outdoor School counselor
  • leadership practice area: environmental justice, NAACP
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a law degree and career that addresses environmental inequity, especially for people of color and socioeconomically-disadvantaged communities

“I am a first-generation college student from Tracy, California by way of East Palo Alto. I hope to bridge my interests in socioeconomic diversity, environmental equity, and youth engagement. I choose to act in hopes that the efforts that I do can eradicate the addressable social ills of my generation.”

Shazad MohamedShazad Mohamed ’11 (Computer Science/Political Science)

  • service interest: international development and foreign policy
  • Stanford experience: co-president of FUSION (Future Social Innovators Network), research assistant at Stanford GSB on nonprofit social impact project, research project through Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, research project at the John W. Gardner Center
  • other service experience: nonprofit transparency work with GuideStar.org, research assistant at Collaboration for Poverty Research
  • leadership practice area: FUSION
  • post-Stanford plans: become a social entrepreneur and policy maker on international development issues

“My most important service activity has been working on my research on nonprofit transparency. The work that we're doing has the potential to meaningfully impact how resources are distributed in the nonprofit sector, and potentially increase the effectiveness of charitable contributions that people make.”

Jessica PhamJessica Pham ’12 (International Relations)

  • service interest: anti-genocide
  • Stanford experience: participant in Alternative Spring Break (ASB) trip to New Orleans and Impact Abroad trip to India; member of STAND, Branner house government, and Stanford Cheer
  • other service experience: founded and presided over Friends for Africa club in high school; volunteer with the American Cancer Society, American Heart Society, and Friday Night Live
  • leadership practice area: STAND
  • post-Stanford plans: studying international affairs and law

“I feel a sense of responsibility to give back what I can by using all that I have been given in this lifetime. This means using my education, skills, and talents to help those in developing, third-world countries and realizing that those factors are not just for my own success in the future, but for the well-being of others who I will reach out to in the future.”

Jackie RotmanJackie Rotman ’12 (Economics/Public Policy)

  • service interest: youth empowerment and international development
  • Stanford experience: co-president of Right to Education for All Children (REACh), dancer in Dv8, dancer in Urban Styles, participant in Impact Abroad, participant in Alternative Spring Break: Changemakers: Perspectives on Public Service Leadership
  • other service experience: founder and  executive director of Everybody Dance Now!, researcher for Educate! in Uganda, leader of social action trip to Guatemala
  • leadership practice area: Right to Education for All Children (REACh), Everybody Dance Now!
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a career in international development

“What would my life be for if not to serve the world in some way, or to leave it better than when I came?  I believe that we don’t just inherit the earth; we borrow it from our children.  The energy I gained from running Everybody Dance Now! enabled me to defy expectations and showed me that when we work from a place of love and inspiration, our possibilities are limitless.”

Alexandra SalgadoAlexandra Salgado ’11 (History/Political Science)

  • service interest: immigration reform; poverty
  • Stanford experience: member of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA), Stanford Immigrant Rights Project (SIRP), Stanford American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU); participant in Alternative Spring Break trip to Arizona dessert
  • other service experience: research for the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Foundation (MALDEF), social justice intern for Partnership for Immigrant Leadership and Action (PILA), San Francisco Immigrant Rights Defense Committee, intern for Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard
  • leadership practice area: co-chair for MEChA; Stanford Immigrant Rights Project
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a joint law degree and MA in Public Policy and a career in civil rights advocacy work

“Public service is an opportunity to recognize the problems in society and empower oneself to do something about them. I feel that public service is a way to confront fear and ignorance and to develop a greater sense of human understanding.”

Liesl SpitzLiesl Spitz ’11 (Drama/Human Biology)

  • service interest: using art as a vehicle for social change.
  • Stanford experience: directing and producing for Stanford Theatre Activist Mobilization Project (STAMP) and other theater groups on campus
  • other service experience: counselor for people with disabilities and assistant teacher at an elementary summer school program
  • leadership practice area: STAMP
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a career with arts organizations that address specific community needs through education, activism, or other means

“I want to share my love for performance, and give to others the same opportunity for personal growth and inspiration that has been so important to me.”

Melissa SuonMelissa Suon ’11 (Political Science)

  • service interest: underserved high school students
  • Stanford experience: Impact Abroad [11] trip to India
  • other service experience: summer assistant with Lynn North Shore Community College Upward Bound Program
  • leadership practice area: Lynn Upward Bound Program
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a law degree and a career in the nonprofit sector

“I was a participant in the Upward Bound program for four years and I have seen the impact it has made on my life.  I would not be here at Stanford today if it were not for the resources that I was given through that program.  In return I just want to give back to that community because it has given me so much.”

Lena SweeneyLena Sweeney ’12 (Biology)

  • service interest: rural health
  • Stanford experience: tutor with Service in Science, Henry's Place, and East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring (EPATT); member of NexGen, the Catholic Community, and Mariachi
  • other service experience: tutor with AVID; participant in 4-H and Alternative Spring Break; volunteer with Blind Babies Foundation, Children's Hospital of Central California, Adopt a Star, and Breaking Down the Walls
  • leadership practice area: NexGen
  • post-Stanford plans: attend medical school and work in pediatrics in Central California

“Public service is important to me because life isn't fair.  So many people lack the basic resources, encouragement, and support to achieve their dreams.  For me, public service exists to empower others (in ANY way) so they can make their own positive impact on the world.”

Michael TubbsMichael Tubbs ’12 (Sociology)

  • service interest: youth empowerment
  • Stanford experience: co-chair of Diversity and Tolerance ASSU, mentor coordinator for Stanford College Prep, board fellow with New Leader's Council through Stanford Non-Profits, co-coordinator of Black Student Union Youth Empowerment Conference
  • other service experience: motivational speaker with Inspiring Speaker's Bureau, campaign leader for Children's Defense Fund Campaign to End the Cradle to Prison Pipeline in California, co-founder of Save Our Stockton (youth lobbying group), chair of City of Stockton Youth Advisory Commission
  • leadership practice area: education, student government
  • post-Stanford plans: Teach for America, law school, social justice work

“Public service is not a choice nor an option, but a necessity given the dire need that marginalized and oppressed groups are in the world over.”

Minh Dan VuongMinh Dan Vuong ’11 (Economics)

  • service interest: immigration/migration and education
  • Stanford experience: program coordinators for Alternative Spring Break (ASB) [9], participant in an immigration-themed ASB trip and leader of an ASB trip to San Diego, founding member of the Stanford Immigrant Rights Project (SIRP).
  • other service experience: tutor and teacher in the community
  • leadership practice area: Stanford Immigrant Rights Project (SIRP)
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue graduate studies in Management Science and Engineering or Education and apply for Teach for America

“Public service gives me a sense of purpose in life. It encompasses so many aspects from lifelong learning to sharing passions and joy with others. It is about making a positive difference in somebody's—a friend's, a neighbor's—life. It is about creating the just world I dream of, instead of waiting for it.”

Kelsei WhartonKelsei Wharton ’12 (International Relations)

  • service interest: working and street children issues; global poverty; education
  • Stanford experience: ASSU Undergraduate Senator; member of Senate Associates Program and Volunteers in Latin America (VILA).
  • other service experience: volunteer with the Big Brother Big Sister Program at the Boys and Girls Club; volunteer with the Mural Music and Arts Project (MMAP)
  • leadership practice area: ASSU
  • post-Stanford plans: considering pursuing a graduate degree or joining the Peace Corps

“Since my early childhood, my parents stressed the importance of working hard and believing in the benefits of an education and being a global citizen. Although I've been afforded great opportunities, I know that there are others who haven't been as fortunate as I have, so it's my duty to balance the playing field for them as best as I can. I choose action because there is no better day for change than today. I won't settle for waiting for someone else to present solutions to the most pertinent issues of our time. I am 1 of 6.8 billion people in this world. If we all choose action then we'll live in a better place.”

Zack WettsteinZack Wettstein ’11 (Human Biology)

  • service interest: international health and health equity
  • Stanford experience: volunteer and trip leader with Impact Abroad in Nicaragua, peer health educator (PHE) in Rinconada dorm, teaching assistant for Stepping Stones to Success Program, member of the Vaden Student Advisory Committee, member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, and tour manager of Stanford Mixed Company a Cappella
  • leadership practice area: Stepping Stones to Success and PHE Programs
  • post-Stanford plans: attend medical school and make a difference in the international public health community, possibly as a CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service officer

“I feel so fortunate to be here at Stanford, and I have only made it this far with the help of countless others throughout my life.  Service is important to me because it's an opportunity to give back and help other people achieve their dreams and goals, an experience that I have been lucky enough to have.”

Isabelle WijangocoIsabelle Wijangco ’12 (Human Biology)

  • service interest: international development, health and education
  • Stanford experience: Sophomore Class Co-President; REACh Co-President; member of Catholics at Stanford, Stanford Ballroom Dance Team, and the Student Activities Advisory Board
  • other service experience: volunteer at the Barrow Neurological Institute Neuro-Oncology Research Laboratory, president of the Regina Caeli Chapter of the National Honor Society, math and biology tutor
  • leadership practice area: international development, youth empowerment, women's rights
  • post-Stanford plans: attend medical school and pursuing a career related to global health policy

“I believe we can actively make a change on a daily basis, whether in our immediate communities or a wider setting, whether a simple act for the day or a building block for a future vision. The time to act is now.”

Laura YuLaura Yu ’12 (Public Policy)

  • service interest: education equity, international development
  • Stanford experience: member of the ASSU Service Cabinet, the Forum for Chinese-American Exchange at Stanford (FACES), Stanford in Government (SIG), and Right to Education for All Children (REACh)
  • other service experience: intern for Patrick Murphy for Congress; tutor; volunteer with the Board of Directors for Foundation for a College Education
  • leadership practice area: Impact Pages Project for the ASSU
  • post-Stanford plans: attend law school and pursue a career either with an international aid organization, or in private sector development

“To me, service is not an act, but a lifestyle. My academic and extra-curricular interests are many and varied, but public service is always the unifying undercurrent. Everything I am interested in, all the change I want to affect in the world, can connect to public service.”

2009–2010 Candidates

2009–2010 Public Service Leadership Program Participants

Avery Brown ’11 (International Relations)

  • service interest: global poverty
  • Stanford experience: Stanford Association for International Development; FACE AIDS; campus coordinator for Support for International Change (SIC)
  • other service experience: HIV/AIDS microfinance research with Village Hopecore International (VHI) in Kenya; HIV/AIDS education and SIC in Tanzania
  • leadership practice area: FACE AIDS
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a graduate degree and a career related to addressing global poverty

“During my time in East Africa, I experienced the tragedy of death from preventable and treatable diseases and saw how the lack of access to healthcare was not only a social justice issue, but also a huge barrier to development. This experience reaffirmed my commitment to improving health as a step toward alleviating poverty by providing each person the opportunity to work and live a healthy life.”

Thanh-Lan Bui ’10 (Science, Technology, and Society)

  • service interest: educational equity
  • Stanford experience: team leader for Jumpstart preschool program; fourth-grade tutor through Henry’s Place; publicity coordinator for Right to Education for All Children (REACH), a student group working towards improving education in Kenya and Bangladesh
  • leadership practice area: Jumpstart
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a Master’s degree from the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP), law school, and a career focused on educational policy

“Working in East Palo Alto has opened my eyes to the existing inequalities in education and fueled my resolve to improve the education gap. I particularly care about early childhood education because I believe it is the essential building block for a child’s success in school.”

Aleya DhanjiAleya Dhanji ’10 (Physics)

  • service interest: educational equity
  • Stanford experience: founder and co-president of Right to Education for All Children (REACH), a student group working towards improving education in Kenya and Bangladesh; president of Leadership, Experience, Opportunity Club (LEO)
  • leadership practice area: REACH
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a doctorate in Physics

“I believe that our only impediment to making the world a better place if our lack of will, and is sustained in my public service work by my faith in the human spirit’s immense capacity for hope and love.”

Iberia Elster ’11 (Earth Systems/International Relations)

  • service interest: education and criminal justice
  • Stanford experience: Haas Public Interest Law Fellowship with a private investigator on death penalty cases; Prisoners Literacy Project, an organization that provides free books to prisoners nationwide; Project Motivation, an organization that gives tours to low-income minority students
  • leadership practice area: SPEAK and Project Motivation
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a law degree focusing on international human rights and/or environmental law

“I believe that positive change is an external and internal process that occurs by embracing possibilities, not fear.”

Shelley Gao ’11 (History)

  • service interest: balanced and inclusive political dialogue
  • Stanford experience: chair of the Undergraduate Senate; director of community development for Stanford in Government
  • leadership practice area: Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU)
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a graduate degree and make a contribution to US-China relations through diplomacy

“I believe the most effective way of realizing change is through the political process, and I seek to raise the quality of discourse and create a culture of engagement on campus.”

Jessica Jones ’10 (Human Biology)

  • service interest: autism; supporting children with special needs and their families
  • Stanford experience: Kids with Dreams, a student organization that works with special-needs children; Camp Kesem; Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
  • other service experience: Camp Infinity, a camp in Georgia for teenagers with special needs
  • leadership practice area: research and public service to support special-needs children
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue an MD/PhD in Pediatric Neurology in order to provide support to children and families who deal with brain injuries or developmental disorders

“During my first year of high school, I suffered a serious brain injury, which should have left me physically and mentally impaired for the rest of my life. After an unexpected recovery, I latched onto the idea that the experience had not been an accident, and I now live with a greater conviction that I can make my life count.”

Salone Kapur ’10 (Comparative Literature/International Relations)

  • service interest: international human rights and preventing violence against women
  • Stanford experience: Chappell-Lougee research grant used to investigate judicial accountability in Kashmir; co-president and founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) chapter at Stanford; elementary-school tutor through Ravenswood Reads; executive board member of the Stanford Pre-Law Society; senior editor for The Stanford Undergraduate Research Journal; staff writer for The Stanford Daily
  • leadership practice area: Stanford ACLU
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a law degree specializing in human rights law and a career drafting national and international legislation on foreign policy issues related to gender-based violence

“Though service passions have taken me from working with youth issues to the elderly to education, the pervasive devastation of gender-based violence has motivated me to pursue a career tackling these issues.”

Steve Ko ’11 (Biology)

  • service interest: medical missions and international health care
  • Stanford experience: Impact Abroad trip to Nicaragua; community service coordinator for the Stanford Premedical Association; co-leader of Health Education for Life-Partnership for Kids (HELP), a student group that brings comprehensive health education to students of underserved communities; InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
  • leadership practice area: HELP
  • post-Stanford plans: to become a doctor who will positively impact the international community

“During my trip to Nicaragua, I was humbled by the happiness and gratitude with which the people—despite their depressingly impoverished living conditions—carried out their lives, and decided that to serve them would be an honorable mission for my own life.”

Leah Kuritzky ’10 (Chemistry)

  • service interest: international health and the environment
  • Stanford experience: local business outreach executive and director of external affairs for Stanford Dance Marathon
  • leadership practice area: environmental science and Stanford Dance Marathon
  • post-Stanford plans: become a scientist, philanthropist, and leader in the energy and climate crisis

“Dance Marathon was my introduction to the causes of international health equity and HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention both at home and abroad. I am confident in the ability of the world to improve the lot of those currently living without healthcare and to one day soon see the eradication of HIV/AIDS in all parts of the world.”

Justin Libaw ’10 (Political Science)

  • service interest: global health equity
  • Stanford experience: co-founder of Initiative Against Malaria (I-Am); tutor for East Palo Alto Stanford Academy (EPASA); Stanford Youth Project; member of Alpha Phi Omega; Stanford in Government; Junior Class Cabinet
  • other service experience: intern for Learn and Serve America, a Washington, DC-based organization that encourages and enables service-learning across the nation; Malaria No More, a nonprofit non-governmental organization working to end malaria deaths; intern with Civic Enterprises, a Washington, DC-based public policy firm; White House intern with USA Freedom Corps
  • leadership practice area: I-AM
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a career in medicine and public health

“My experience as a White House intern helped me to develop a better understanding of service on the national level and reaffirmed my belief in the goodness of the American people.”

Griffin Matthew ’10 (American Studies)

  • service interest: health policy and cardiovascular disease in the African-American population
  • Stanford experience: civil rights analyst with the Department of Justice through the Stanford in Washington Program; research with Professor Doug McAdam on the origins of contemporary American social movements; member of the varsity track and field team
  • other service experience: medical public service projects in Honduras, Vietnam, Korea, Hong Kong, China, Japan, and Russia; volunteer with Shevet Achim, an Israeli-based medical organization that provides heart surgeries for Palestinian children; Multicultural Institute, a Washington, DC-based nongovernmental organization focused on eliminating human trafficking
  • leadership practice area: public health service projects
  • post-Stanford plans: pursuing an MPH/JD

“Ultimately, I hope to converge my passion for social justice with my interest in disparities in the healthcare system by pursuing a MPH/JD.”

Tyrone L. McGraw ’10 (American Studies)

  • service interest: educational equity
  • Stanford experience: varsity football and track player; Cardinal Council; member of the Committee on Athletics, Physical Education, and Research for Stanford University
  • other service experience: the Academic Integrity Sub-Committee for NCAA Re-Certification
  • leadership practice area: Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a Master’s degree from the Stanford Teacher Education Program and a JD/MBA and a career in social entrepreneurship and public service

“To date, my greatest public service experience involves bringing the vision of an original production of the play Bang Bang You’re Dead to my high school. Though the shows were free to the public, they raised about $2,000 in just three performances and we donated all of the proceeds to a local nonprofit Brothers Against Guns. For our efforts, my high school received an Official Proclamation from the City and County of San Francisco.”

Shannon Moskitis ’11 (Urban Studies)

  • service interest: environmental justice; opportunities for youth; women’s empowerment
  • Stanford experience: Haas International Service Grant to teach English to a community in rural Poland; leader of Stanford Outdoor Outreach Program (SOOP), which teachers students from East Palo Alto High School outdoor skills; assistant to the Science in Service Program; Students for a Sustainable Stanford; Kids with Dreams; Green Living Council
  • leadership practice area: SOOP

“I believe that learning is not about being the best, but preparing yourself to give others your best, to make an impact on the world, a community, or a single person that is truly significant.”

John Mrkonic ’11 (Mathematics)

  • service interest: education
  • Stanford experience: Boys & Girls Club in East Palo Alto volunteer and Math Club co-founder for students in Edison McNair School’s High School Prep Program
  • other service experience: student council president at Detroit Country Day School; Senator Obama’s presidential campaign in Iowa
  • leadership practice area: Boys & Girls Club Math Club
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a degree in business

“I am most passionate about affecting positive change in the US educational system.  I know that being an informed, concerned citizen is not enough.  Instead, one has to be engaged and inspire and engage others in order to bring about the change you know is necessary.”

Janessa Nickell ’11 (Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity; minor in Middle Eastern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures)

  • service interest: cross-cultural dialogue and inter-faith connections, especially as they relate to diplomacy and conflict
  • Stanford experience: operations committee member for Stanford in Government (SIG); assistant at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford
  • other service experience: founder of English language learners tutoring program in high school
  • leadership practice area: SIG and public service projects affecting the Middle East
  • post-Stanford plans: explore human rights work and international politics

“I have been curious about difference for as long as I can remember. How are we different? What is the significance of this difference? How can we learn and teach others to value and respect this difference?”

Charmaine Peck ’10 (Economics)

  • service interest: poverty in South East Asia
  • Stanford experience: South East Asia Leadership Network (SEALNet), working with students in Muba, Indonesia, to restock their school libraries; coordinator for Project Indonesia 2008 to Aceh on water sanitation project
  • other service experience: president of high school Interact Club; Dover Hospice in Singapore; Pearson-Arastradero Preserve
  • leadership practice area: public service project for a nonprofit organization
  • post-Stanford plans: return to Singapore for government service

“I stumbled upon public service after tearing my knee ligament and getting kicked off the basketball team when I was 14 (when everyone was still 5”2). With my newfound time, I tutored children from underserved families and realized how lucky I was.”

Ariana Poursartip ’10 (Economics/International Relations)

  • service interest: environmental sustainability and economic development
  • Stanford experience: Stanford in Government (SIG) Fellow in Lima, Peru, working for the Global Center for Development and Democracy; co-director of SIG International Fellowship; subgroup leader of Students for a Sustainable Stanford; member of Stanford Consulting
  • leadership practice area: Students for a Sustainable Stanford
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a career in private sector development in Latin America and the Middle East

“The process of identifying the barriers to development and empowering people to find strategies to address them at the local level is what inspires me most.”

Suejung Shin ’11 (Environmental Engineering)

  • service interest: the environment; technology; social entreprenuership
  • Stanford experience: Alpha Phi Omega, the community service fraternity; tutor with Barrio Assistance; Community Service Work Study placement at BUILD, a nonprofit that teaches entrepreneurship to underserved high school students; Green Campus
  • other service experience: president of high school Interact Club
  • leadership practice area: pursue a career in renewable energy technology for developing nations

“While searching for a link between public service and technology, I came across the movement of renewable energy for international development. I was astounded to hear about the intricate link between poverty and access to electricity, and was forever converted to becoming a part of the solution for the pressing environmental issues of the day.”

Brittany Stich ’10 (Political Science)

  • service interest: educational equity and opportunities in East Palo Alto
  • Stanford experience: Closing the Gap, an East Palo Alto-based mentoring program; Stanford Sierra Camp counselor; president of Kappa Alpha Theta
  • leadership practice area: Closing the Gap
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a law degree and work as a child advocate

“I have proudly spent the past three years at East Palo Alto Charter School, as both a participant and now coordinator of Closing the Gap, striving to be a proactive agent of change for these sixth through eighth graders. It is within these youth that I sees hope; I truly believe in the power of their dreams.”

Charlie Syms ’11 (undeclared)

  • service interest: lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT)rights; sexual health; support for LGBT youth
  • Stanford experience: Service, Spirituality, and Social Change Fellowship; peer counselor at the Stanford Sexual Health Peer Resource Center (SHPRC); counselor with HIV*PACT
  • leadership practice area: LGBT Community Resources Center student staff member
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a graduate degree and work with a nonprofit organization focused on human rights

“Through the Haas Center, I have been able to expand my commitment to service while also developing an understanding of the ethics of public service. My passion for service stems from a desire to catalyze positive change for those often marginalized by society.”

Jamie Tam ’10 (Biology)

  • service interest: health and minority rights
  • Stanford experience: president of the Stanford chapter of Colleges Against Cancer; Queer-Straight Alliance; Community Academic Support and Advising (CASA) mentor to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT)-identified freshmen; co-leader of Stanford’s campaign against California Proposition 8
  • other service experience: member of the California division of the American Cancer Society’s Youth and Cancer Team
  • leadership practice area: cancer issues; LGBT advocacy
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a career related to health advocacy and minority rights

“I hope that my work leading campaigns to spread cancer awareness and fight the tobacco industry will inspire my peers to lead in the youth movement against cancer as well.”

Darius White ’11 (undeclared)

  • service interest: educational equity
  • Stanford experience: East Palo Alto Stanford Academy mentor (EPASA); peer counselor at the Career Development Center; Men Against Abuse Now (MAAN)
  • leadership practice area: EPASA and MAAN

“Every Stanford student has had that one teacher who has inspired him or her. For that reason, I hope that my interest in social and developmental psychology, urban studies, and ethnic studies will give me the skills and cultural perspectives needed to be a valuable teacher and a role model.”

Josh Wong ’10 (Human Biology)

  • service interest: healthcare
  • Stanford experience: Patient Advocacy Program; leader of Alternative Spring Break (ASB) to the California Central Valley to study healthcare of migrant farm workers; Student Association for International Development (SAID); research assistant at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital on infant immune responses to measles vaccines
  • other service experience: HIV/AIDS research in Tanzania and Kenya
  • leadership practice area: ASB and patient advocacy
  • post-Stanford plans: pursue a degree in medicine and serve as a doctor for the Center for Disease Control’s Epidemic Intelligence Surveillance

“While I may seem a trifle goofy on the surface, I am quite serious about ameliorating the health of underserved communities both locally and internationally.”

Previous Fellows

2008–2009
Lia Bonamassa ’10 (Human Biology)
Eutiquio Chapa ’10 (Public Policy)
James Chu ’10 (undeclared)
Abimbola Dairo ’10 (Human Biology)
Jay de la Torre ’10 (Urban Studies)
Stefanie Demong ’09 (English/Urban Studies)
Amanda Gelender ’09 (Drama/Political Science)
Sarah Golabek-Goldman ’10 (History/Political Science)
Mondaire Jones ’09 (Political Science)
Pin-Yi Ko '09 (Human Biology)
Kasiana McLenaghan '09 (Economics)
Angie McPhaul '10 (Urban Studies)
Niko Milonopoulos '09 (Political Science)
Theo Milonopoulos '09 (Political Science)
Garrett Neiman ’10 (Economics)
Jessica Perez ’10 (English)
Lauren Ponti ‘10 (Psychology/Urban Studies)
Meera Subash ’09 (Human Biology)
Mario Suntanu '09 (Mathematical and Computational Science)
Rebecca Tisdale ’09 (Human Biology)
Ronnie Tisdale ‘10 (Individually Designed Major)

2007–2008
Amie Baron ’08 (Public Policy)
Luke Beckman ’09 (Human Biology)
Kirby Bumpus '08 (Human Biology)
Di Dang '08 (Philosophy/Religious Studies)
Lauren Finzer ’09 (Human Biology)
Ashley Holland ’08 (Urban Studies, MA ’08 Communications)
Aaron Jackson ’09 (International Relations/Psychology)
Amanda Johnson ’08 (Psychology)
Elizabeth Kersten
Andi Kleissner ’08 (Mechanical Engineering)
Ginille Lazaro ’09 (Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity)
Joseph Liu ’08 (Chemistry)
Lang Liu ’08 (Cultural and Social Anthropology/Economics)
Andrew Meyer ’09 (Science, Technology, and Society)
Tu Ngo '09(Public Policy)
Rachel Shen ’09 (Management Science and Engineering)
Daniel Shih ’09 (Political Science)
James Vaughan ’09 (Political Science)

2006-2007
Meredith Theresa Bell
Eric Boromisa
Kirby Bumpus
Lindsay Caldwell
Matthew Cano
Theodora (Theo) Chang
Niccolina Clements
Jonny Dorsey
Shadi Gholizadeh
Lauren Graham
Jacob Lemieux
Wei Wei Liu
Susan Lou
Michael McDaniels
Elizabeth Pratt
Jessica Richman
Kenneth Shaw
Amparo Vazquez
Megan Watkins
Carl Michael Woodward
Joanna Yang
Lauren Young

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