“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 […]
Category: Gephardt Stories & Voices on Service
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 […]
Students eager to learn about Gephardt at orientation events
From the Danforth campus to the School of Medicine and even the St. Louis Zoo, the Gephardt Institute is involved with orientation efforts to meet with students of every background at WashU. In the incoming class of 2027 alone, there is representation from all 50 states and 33 other countries. Over half of the class […]
Institute to host WashU’s inaugural”The Longest Table” next week
On Wednesday, Sept. 6, the Gephardt Institute will host WashU’s inaugural The Longest Table event. The event will bring together hundreds of WashU students for a dinner—and facilitated conversation—on long rows of tables on Mudd Field, for a low-pressure environment for students to progress on their journey to civic involvement. “The goal of The Longest […]
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 […]
STL Fellow finds illumination on local government in summer internship
“Behind an elected official is an army of individuals who dedicate their time, and have genuine interest, in improving the communities they represent and live in…I have a newfound respect and admiration for all of these individuals.” These are just a couple of the lessons that Goldman Fellow Jesse Sanchez ’25 learned through the St. […]
Mack using intersection of humanity and data to address violence
For Dylan Mack, a Class of 2024 Bob and Gerry Virgil Civic Scholar humanity should always be at the core of data science. “As someone who is interested in data, it’s so important to always have in the forefront of your mind that every single data point is a person, first and foremost,” Mack said. […]
MAAY Foundation, Gephardt Fellows uplifting Asian American communities
In 2019, Caroline Fan, a passionate St. Louis visionary and organizer, founded the Missouri Asian American Youth (MAAY) Foundation. Fan was driven by a powerful desire to uplift marginalized communities through education and opportunity. As president of the MAAY Foundation, she leads the creation of an organized voice for the AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, […]
Fellows impact STL by day, build strong friendships by night
What are Gephardt Institute’s Civic Scholars and Fellows doing in the evening when they’re not actively pursuing community and social impact? The answers are every bit as interesting and diverse as the students who offer them. For Demarion Delaney, a St. Louis Fellow, time away from work means time working on the “two man whole.” […]
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: 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 […]
Nash well suited for Gephardt community engagement role
In what might be a perfect match between a job description and an employee, Sarah Nash is the Gephardt Institute’s Community Engagement Manager. Since joining the Gephardt Institute in July 2022, Nash leads program strategy and implementation to foster mutually beneficial community engagement between WashU students and community partners in the St. Louis region. Nash […]
Comeaux’s commitment to St. Louis service highlighted in Class Acts
As one of 12 WashU graduates featured in the university’s annual Class Acts piece in The Source, St. Louis Fellow alumni Blake Comeaux reflected on his experiences over his last four years. In addition to his experiences as an Ervin Scholar and varsity athlete, Comeaux credits the Gephardt Institute with making his undergraduate experience even […]
Students grant $40,000 to local nonprofit organizations
A WashU sociology course supported by the Gephardt Institute presented $40,000 in funding to four local nonprofit organizations to bolster their work in the St. Louis community. Philanthropy Lab, a course in Arts & Sciences’ Department of Sociology taught by Barbara Levin and David Rigby, gives students a theoretical and practical understanding of philanthropy today. […]
Civic Scholars celebrate end of school year, next stops on civic journeys
The All Civic Celebration is a unique event that brings together all current students in the Civic Scholars Program—newly selected sophomores, juniors and seniors—to facilitate relationships and celebrate major milestones in the Civic Scholar experience. This year’s event took place on Sunday, April 30, in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge. “It has been such an […]
Ethic of Service Award celebrates 20 years of honorees
The Gephardt Institute hosts the Gerry and Bob Virgil Ethic of Service Awards each year. Here, our 2023 honorees were honored on April 25, 2023, at Washington University’s Stix House. Click on the icons to view more photos and honoree bios. Photos by Sid Hastings/WUSTL Photos “The Ethic of Service Award recognizes those in the […]
Gerry and Bob Virgil Ethic of Service Award Spotlight: Shirley Brown
As we prepare to celebrate our 2023 Gerry and Bob Virgil Ethic of Service Award honorees and the 20th anniversary of the awards, we take a moment to reflect on one of the exemplary individuals who embodies the core principles of this special university honor. In 2008, Shirley Brown was recognized for her remarkable contributions […]
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 […]
Staff Member Spotlight: Nick Zevely
Nick Zevely is the marketing and communications manager at the Gephardt Institute. Prior to joining the Gephardt Institute in November 2020, he served as the Senior Director of External Affairs at The Mission Continues, a national nonprofit organization serving military veterans. In this short interview, he shares his motivation to join the Gephardt Institute, podcast […]
Lu Oros: Putting a Face to Poverty and Homelessness
How will I get to work? Did the kids get to school on time? Do we have enough money for food this week? The Faces of Poverty, formerly known as Poverty TRAP, has been a powerful component of the Gephardt Institute’s Leadership Through Service (LTS) pre-orientation program for many years. During the session, first year students […]
A message from Chancellor Wrighton: Voicing your Opinion
On November 17, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton shared resources for learning more about proposed legislation known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and getting in touch with elected officials to voice our opinions. His message is reprinted below. To our Washington University community: Like many of you, I have been following the course of the […]
Looking Beyond the “Whats” to the “Hows”
Molly Brodsky, a senior and Stern Family Civic Scholar, delivered a powerful speech to first-year students and their families at convocation in August 2017. Brodsky is double majoring in anthropology: global health and the environment, and women, gender, and sexuality studies. I love semi-colons. I think the semi-colon does something pretty magical. It takes two […]
Gephardt Institute Moves Forward with the University Social Responsibility Network
Matthew Bakko, Research Manager and Instructional Specialist, visited the University of Manchester in July 2016 as part of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement’s membership in the University Social Responsibility Network.
1,000 Hours with Gephardt
Rachel Sumption, AB Islamic Studies ’16, has connected WU tutors with St. Louis charter schools as our Each One Teach One Coordinator, and explored a lifetime of advocacy as a Civic Scholar. Here, she reflects on her experience with the Gephardt Institute weeks before traveling to Rabat, Morocco as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. By […]
Blood Drives: More than Meets the Eye
Emily Mueller, AB’16, reflects on her experience with the institute as its Blood Drive Coordinator.
Civic Scholars 2016 Reflections
The Civic Scholars Program Class of 2016 reflects on their two years as scholars.
In the News: A Lasting Friendship, A Lasting Impact
Senior Civic Scholars and friends Nick Okafor and Carrick Reddin discuss their shared experiences in the classroom and the community
Danforth Scholars Reflect on Spring Break Immersion in St. Louis
Danforth Scholars asked for a new model for spring break service, one that would teach them about St. Louis and provide an anchor for their studies at WashU.
In the News: Fail Better: Kierstan Carter
A new series titled “Fail Better” showcases Washington University faculty, staff and students who have failed big, sometimes in very public, humiliating ways. And yet, their so-called failure has brought surprising rewards. The latest interview in the series profiles Gephardt Institute Civic Scholar Kierstan Carter, who wanted to change St. Louis by connecting high school students with […]
Alwyn Loh ’09
“Community service isn’t about padding one’s resume, it isn’t about doing things so that one might be proud and arrogant about it. But it is the dawning realization of to the greater understanding our humanity, our fragility and a greater appreciation of the great lives that so many of us lead and deem to be […]
Diana Barbosa; Student
Diana hated hospitals, but when she underwent heart surgery as a teenager, her perspective changed. The kindness of everyone at her hospital turned a scary time into a positive experience, and she began volunteering there regularly. Today she continues her service as an Annika Rodriguez Scholar. Diana also works with the Community Service Office to […]
Dr. Charles & Mrs. Shirley Brown
This is a Gephardt Story