The 2023 St. Louis Fellows shared their experiences and learning from their summer internships with local nonprofit and government organizations. It was part of Civic Action Week held this month. Community partners, family, friends, supporters, and the WashU community were invited to the first St. Louis Fellows Showcase, held on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at Stix […]
Category: Goldman Fellows
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 […]
Cultivating the next generation of civic leaders
More students than ever have committed their time, their energy, and their minds to civic change by joining the Gephardt Institute’s civic leadership programs. The new cohorts of Civic Scholars and St. Louis Fellowship programs were selected after a rigorous recruitment and selection cycle, which included an application process that urged students to meaningfully […]
Introducing: Sonia Sequeira
Summer is finally here, which means our 2022 St. Louis summer fellowships are just getting started! Leading these programs is our Associate Director for Community Engagement, Sonia Sequeira. Sonia joined the Gephardt Institute team back in January, and brings a wealth of experience, humor, and insight to the role. Here, MarComm Intern Lily Gordon chats […]
A Fond Farewell to the Class of 2022
“Kindness, enthusiasm, curiosity, and solidarity, which often show up in small acts, are some of the best ways to make an impact.” Noor Ghanam ’22 Noor Ghanam delivered a commencement speech that invoked common themes from her career at WashU, as Gephardt Institute staff fought back tears of joy and pride. Ghanam, a Kleinhandler Civic […]
St. Louis Initiative Partners with Goldman Fellows

In 2021, the Goldman Fellows Program will support its largest cohort to date. Fourteen fellows have been selected to participate in the 14th cycle of the program. The expanded capacity for the program is thanks to a successful proposal to pilot fellowships with Washington University’s St. Louis Initiative in which fellows will work with the […]
Introducing The 2021 Goldman Fellows
The Goldman Fellows Program, funded by the Joyce and Irving Goldman Family Foundation, is a competitive fellowship that provides $5,000 summer stipends for undergraduate students who secure unpaid internships at nonprofit, community, or governmental organizations in the St. Louis region. Fellows are supported by a network of peers and staff as they embark on their own individually-crafted […]
Student Spotlight: Russell Beckham, Goldman Fellows Program Class of 2020
A Goldman Fellow in the summer of 2020, Russell Beckham (he/him) had the opportunity to work with Beyond Housing and an Economic Development Committee in Pine Lawn while learning about St. Louis alongside a group of other fellows. As an intern for Beyond Housing, he assisted the organization’s community engagement and policy advocacy efforts, including […]
Goldman Fellow Reflection: Kimberly Bolch, Class of 2010
In the summer of 2010 I was fortunate enough to receive a Goldman Fellowship to support my internship at the regional non-profit Focus St. Louis. My experience working on their Policy and Community Engagement team was one of my first opportunities to gain professional exposure to the world of economic and social development. In my […]
Student Spotlight: Christian Baker, Goldman Fellows Program Class of 2019
Meet Class of 2019 Goldman Fellow Christian Baker, AB ’20, and learn more about his experiences in the program, his advice for future Goldman Fellows, and more in the interview below. Can you tell about your experience at WashU? What was your academic focus, and how did you make connections across the university? As a […]
Working Toward Health Equity in St. Louis: Jamaa Birth Village and Casa de Salud Partner with the Goldman Fellows Program

Even a cursory glance at a map of the hospitals in St. Louis quickly reveals the uneven access to healthcare in the region, divided along longstanding, historically rooted lines of class, race, ethnicity, and geography. The World Health Organization defines health equity as the idea that “everyone should have a fair opportunity to attain their full health […]
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 […]