Haas Center for Public Service

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 (8^th 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."

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