Category: Goldman Fellows

New St. Louis Fellows offering aims to reduce gun violence

New this year, the St. Louis Fellows Program will offer a specific opportunity to help address gun violence in the region.  The forthcoming Arnold Family Fellow — created through a vision and gift from Jane Arnold JD ’93 and her children — is part of the new class of St. Louis Fellows and will be granted to […]

St. Louis Fellows Program grows again, reaches 45 students

After a record number of applications, a packed week of back-to-back interviews, and a rigorous selection process, the Gephardt Institute announces its largest class of St. Louis Fellows in the program’s nearly 20-year history.   “WashU is in St. Louis and for St. Louis,” said Executive Director Stephanie Kurtzman. “The St. Louis Fellows Program offers a […]

Seminars bring fellows to Eagleton Courthouse, Democracy Panel

Experiencing the nuances of local leadership and judicial impacts are an important part of student civic learning.  In the Gephardt Institute’s St. Louis Fellows Program, the Fellows engage in summer weekly seminars centered on civic engagement. While most of their sessions are at Stix House, two of the seminars took place off campus at the […]

Spring trainings equip St. Louis Fellows with community-engaged best practices

The 2024 St. Louis Fellows have completed their spring training, immersive and experiential symposia that help equip them with the community engagement tools and knowledge to contribute to change efforts in the region this summer.   With the program expanding to a record 40 Fellows this year, Community Engagement Manager Sarah Nash was grateful that the […]

Institute announces new classes of Civic Scholars, St. Louis Fellows

A record number of WashU students committed to leading change now and throughout their lives by joining the Gephardt Institute’s Civic Scholars and St. Louis Fellows programs.   The announcement of the new cohorts of civic leadership programs follows a recruitment cycle that began last fall and saw more applications than ever before.   “We’re particularly excited […]

Tori Harwell ‘24 named a Rhodes Scholar 

For Victoria “Tori” Harwell ’24, a 2022 St. Louis Fellow, their stellar success invokes not only celebration, but also reflection on the monumental hurdles their ancestors faced to create opportunities for their descendants.   On Saturday, Nov. 11, at an announcement event in Washington, D.C., Harwell learned that they were one of just 32 students in […]

Fellows build community while becoming champions for St. Louis

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Fellows supporting St. Louis, building civic skills through local organizations

“It takes time to heal from the trauma of gun violence,” Dr. LJ Punch, the founder of the Bullet Related Injury Clinic, told St. Louis Public Radio at the end of 2022.   “Unfortunately, in St. Louis, bullet-related injury is endemic,” Punch said. “It brings up all the other traumas that you didn’t get the chance […]

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 […]

New ChangeMaker Series hosts alumnus Marcus Brown

As part of a new event series created to make meaningful connections between civic leaders who are impacting their community and current students who aspire to do the same, Marcus Brown AB ’13, MSW ’16 spoke before a crowd of students and faculty/staff about his career experience at U.S. Bank.   His talk kicked off the […]

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 […]

Goldman Fellows Program Pivots During COVID-19

Back in March, it was hard to imagine what the summer might hold. Indeed, the decision to move forward with the Goldman Fellows Program this year was fraught with concerns about how the COVID-19 pandemic was impacting our students and St. Louis community organizations. Ultimately, moving forward with the program in a remote format proved to be […]

2020 Goldman Fellows Invest in St. Louis While Building Virtual Community

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 […]

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 […]

Gephardt Institute Welcomes New Student Staff Members

This fall, the Gephardt Institute welcomed 14 new student staff members to the team. The institute employs a range of student staff including undergraduate coordinators, graduate assistants, and master’s research fellows who fulfill essential roles and benefit from professional and personal development. Student staff members play a crucial role in the Gephardt Institute, bringing energy, […]

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 […]

Announcing 2018 Goldman Fellows

Congratulations to the 2018 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 continuing undergraduate students who secure unpaid internships at nonprofit, community, or governmental organizations in the St. Louis region. Through the program’s cohort experience, Goldman Fellows are […]

Announcing 2017 Goldman Fellows

Congratulations to the 2017 Goldman Fellows! The Goldman Fellows Program, funded by the Joyce and Irving Goldman Family Foundation, is a competitive fellowship providing undergraduate students with a $5,000 summer stipend for a community-based internship in St. Louis, a distinctive cohort experience, and exposure to St. Louis culture, neighborhoods, and issues. Fellows will spend the […]