Gephardt-involved WashU students and alumni — including Student Engagement Specialist Sophie Devincenti, Donovan Dixson ’24, Sophie Lin ’26, Nick Okafor ’16, Aspen Schisler ‘26, Charlie Shaw ’24, Laken Sylvander ‘17, Pat Wang ’24, and Da’Juantay Wynter ‘26 — were honored recently for their civic engagement efforts and community contributions. The U.S. National Science Foundation announced […]
Category: Alumni Spotlight
Alumni Spotlight: Andreas Mitchell AB ’13
“If not for Civic Scholars, I don’t think I would have had the confidence to go down this road.” The lessons Dr. Andreas Mitchell AB ‘13 learned with Civic Scholars inform how he approaches his work today. His time as a Civic Scholar gave him a sense of what civic leadership looks like and whether […]
Pearson reflects on Gephardt Institute’s impact
By Le’Aysha Pearson AB ’19A 2018 Civic Scholar, Le’Aysha contributed the following reflection about her experience with the Gephardt Institute, and how her civic journey that started here continues to shape her path. My journey began with the Gephardt Institute’s Civic Scholars Program and a passion for civic engagement, and has led me to the fulfilling civic […]
Notables: Joshua Aiken AB ’14 and Luka Cai ’20
News from Gephardt Institute alumni Joshua Aiken AB ’14, an alumnus of the Civic Scholars program who was accepted as a Rhodes Scholar while a WashU senior in 2014, published an award-winning book of poetry, “to be in & of.” His poetry dives into the perils and contradiction of how Black life is grieved in American society […]
Alumni Spotlight: Colleen Brady ’11
Colleen Brady’s civic journey can be charted from her time as a WashU student involved in the Community Service Office (CSO), to her current role as a Senior Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Specialist at ZemiTek LLC, working with USAID. Her story is one of dedication to community service, commitment to social impact work, and a […]
Alumni Spotlight: Tishiya “T” Carey ’21
“It’s important to continue to build on things, it’s important to understand the context. It’s important to fully understand, I think, the impact of what it is that you want to do, what it is you’re trying to do, and how you’re trying to do it.” After graduating from WashU in 2021, Tishiya “T” Carey […]
Past and present Civic Scholars getting into trubel (&co)
“I have a strong passion for people and that has led me to this path toward education. I received a lot of great education in my childhood and my parents came here from Nigeria because of education, so I always understood the power of giving back.” Knowing the power of mentoring and engaging others in […]
From WashU to the ACLU: How Jeremy Scheiner forged his path for a career in civil rights and equity
With a passion for both education and social justice, the path of Jeremy Scheiner ‘13 has taken him from WashU’s campus to the forefront of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Through his experiences at WashU, previous role leading a Gephardt Institute tutoring partnership with KIPP, and his subsequent career, Scheiner exemplifies the power of […]
Alumni Spotlight: Burton transforming education and philanthropy
For Ryan Burton, working at the intersections of education, philanthropy, and community development helped land him a spot at Harvard. Burton is a candidate in the Doctor of Education Leadership program, which utilizes a cohort model taught by faculty from three different Harvard schools and is designed for those pursuing vocations in systems-level leadership in […]
Alumni Spotlight: Underwood charts journey from WashU to the White House
From her undergraduate origins at WashU to her role with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy team in San Francisco, Karin Underwood’s civic journey is a powerful example of a life dedicated to civic engagement. Each experience has served as an impactful cornerstone that paved her way to the White House and […]
Alumni Spotlight: Kevin Tsay ’07
Civic and community engagement can spark a passion in students that they carry throughout their careers. We caught up with one such alumni, Kevin Tsay, who graduated from WashU in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in Educational Studies and Organization & Human Resources and now calls Seattle home. Tsay currently serves as a […]
Alumni Spotlight: Anne Filipic ’04
An undergraduate leadership program at WashU helped Anne Filipic ’04 cement her passion for community service—a passion that took her to the White House, and now to her career as a national leader in the fight to end poverty and hunger. In August, Filipic was hired as Chief Executive Officer of Share Our Strength, a […]
Alumni Spotlight: Rachel Sumption, AB ‘16, Civic Scholar Class of 2016
“In another world, I’d be a yoga instructor and own a bed and breakfast,” Rachel Sumption, Civic Scholar Class of 2016, confessed. But in this world, Rachel does quite the opposite—she is an associate at Clifford Chance, an international law firm, taking business calls at odd hours from her apartment in London, England while juggling […]
Alumni Spotlight: Abby Wong, AB ’19
After spending the summer of 2018 interning at St. Louis Effort for AIDS (EFA), Goldman Fellow and recent architecture school graduate Abby Wong, AB ’19, returned to the same organization to work full-time as a Development Associate. The community that she built and the interests she fostered since the summer between her junior and senior […]
Alumni Spotlight: Sarah Cohen
What does it mean to feel heard, to be truly listened to? This is one of the crucial questions that alumna Sarah Cohen (AB ’11) considered throughout the stages of her project, Mi Voz, Nuestra Historia (My Voice, Our Story). The project, first implemented in fall 2017, aimed to train 50 pre-service teachers in creating inclusive and […]