CLASS OF 2017

Leul is a sophomore at Harvard College studying pure mathematics. He spends the lion's share of his time at school working in the theoretical mathematical space from research opportunities to the classroom. Additionally, Leul has been dedicating the rest of his efforts towards entrepreneurial pursuits that he believes will be contributive toward his community as a whole.

In honor of Yeshihareg Gebremedhin (mother)

Joshua Dong - Chapel Hill, NC

Joshua is a rising senior at Stanford inspired by startup founders who deeply see human needs and go up against great odds to serve them. He is really interested in working on early stage products. Last summer, Joshua worked with the founders of a manufacturing tech startup out of Stanford to define a new product direction. He studies mathematical and computational science and spends significant time in faith community and dancing. He is also a fan of cold showers.

In honor of Diana Dong (mother)

T.J. Foley - Clive, IA

T.J. Foley is a sophomore at Harvard College studying social studies with a focus in technology policy. Originally hailing from Iowa, Mr. Foley has a passion for leadership and public policy. He was a co-chair of the National Security Policy Group, which studied Sino-U.S. relations and made policy recommendations to the U.S. Congress. He also is a Case Team Leader for Harvard Undergraduate Consulting on Business and the Environment, working on sustainability and life science issues with corporate clients. Mr. Foley serves as a debate coach for the Valley High School Debate Team. Last summer, he interned at the National Governors Association in Washington, D.C., where he researched future technology trends and wrote speeches for governors. He recently began an independent research project on Russian interference in the 2016 election, studying the theoretical implications of disinformation on the international system. He graduated from Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa in 2017.  

In honor of Ms. Karen Downing (teacher of several years who always encouraged him to follow his passions and try to make an impact wherever possible)

Josh Kaplan - Phoenix, AZ

Josh Kaplan is a Robert W. Woodruff Scholar at Emory University, where he studies Economics and Portuguese. After researching foreign policy at the Wilson Center’s Brazil Institute and studying at the University of São Paulo and the London School of Economics, his academic interests have centered on economic development in Brazil. At Emory, Josh leads Consult Your Community, a student organization that provides free consulting services to minority-owned small businesses in Atlanta. He also serves on the Global Youth Advisory Panel for Plan International, a development organization advancing gender equality, and is the founder of GOALS, a nonprofit soccer program for youth with intellectual disabilities. Josh is a 2020 Truman Scholar.

In honor of Lisa and Dan Kaplan (parents)

Brooke Martin - Spokane, WA

Brooke Martin is a sophomore at Stanford University pursuing a degree in Management Science and Engineering. She is a Director of Business Leadership for Stanford Women in Business and a member of the Stanford Equestrian Team.  Voted one of the Top 20 Global Teen Entrepreneur; Innovators of 2014 by TeenBusiness, Brooke is the Inventor and Founder of iCPooch, an innovative device that enables dog owners to video chat with and deliver treats to their pet from anywhere in the world. Brooke and iCPooch have been featured on ABC’s Shark Tank, NBC Nightly News, Fox Business Network, NPR, The New York Times, The Meredith Vieira Show, and numerous other media outlets. She is passionate about promoting entrepreneurship to youth as a member Independent Youth’s Teen Network and as a motivational speaker on leadership and entrepreneurship.  During the summer of 2018, Brooke was an intern for the Vice President of T-Mobile’s Internet of Things department, where she was able to utilize her entrepreneurial experience in the IoT industry to develop long tail marketing and distribution strategy.  

In honor of Robert Christopher Martin (father)

Sophia Mautz - Portland, OR

Sophia Mautz is a member of the graduating Class of 2016 at Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon and a current student at Harvard College. In addition to achieving excellent grades in high school, Miss Mautz was active in numerous academic organizations, such as being the unit captain of the National Championship winning Constitution Team, voted MVP of the Mock Trial Team, and volunteering with Mission:Citizen to tutor individuals for their citizenship tests. She nourished her artistic and creative passions as well, founding the Poetry Club at her school, as well as Poeteen, an organization which offers free poetry workshops aimed to provide at-risk-youth with an alternative means of expression. She is also an accomplished bricolage artist and dancer. Miss Mautz has won numerous national awards for her poetry and art, including be ing named one of eight of the nation’s best high school writers from Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. She took a gap year before college experiencing language immersion and learning about environmental sustainability in South America, traveling through Southeast Asia, and attending art school in Greece. At Harvard, she is the poetry editor of The Women's Issue, leads backpacking trips for incoming Harvard freshmen through the First Year Outdoor Program, is part of the Harvard Student Art Collective, is involved with feminist and environmental organizations and campaigns, and continues to write poetry, dance, and make art.

In honor of Paulann Petersen (poetry mentor)

Jake Mosley - Ocala, FL

Jake is now a sophomore at MIT studying chemical engineering with a minor in public policy.  He specifically plans on combining his coursework to understand the issue of infectious diseases and pandemic preparedness through the varied lenses of biochemistry, biophysics, epidemiology, medicine, and health policy.  On campus, Jake has been active as the External Relations Director for the Undergraduate Association’s Committee on Innovation, where has has been developing various projects to improve the student experience on campus and outreaching to organizations for partnerships and funding.  Jake has also participated in two research projects on campus; one using CRISPR and advanced RNA sequencing to understand stem cell genetics, and the other to develop nanosensors capable of real-time detection of cancer in the body.  He is also just starting to work as a Product Development and Strategy Associate at a nanotechnology start-up based in Boston.  Jake will be working to improve the pipeline of a variety of products as well as to develop effective marketing and social outreach strategies to guide the company towards an ethical expansion.  

In honor of William Goldman Mosley (grandfather)

Nkazi Nchinda - Oak Creek, WI

Nkazi Nchinda was a member of the graduating Class of 2017 from Oak Creek High School in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. In high school, Mr. Nchinda volunteered extensively with local robotics teams, HOSA: Future Health Professionals, and a youth-led nonprofit called Lead2Change. As a biomedical engineering student at Harvard, he has combined his passions for engineering, healthcare, and service through his work with Engineers Without Borders. He serves as the chapter's Co-Director of Fundraising, working to support infrastructure projects in Kibuon, Kenya and Los Sanchez, Dominican Republic. Outside of EWB, he conducts microbial research and loves learning about food systems.

In honor of Dionne Grayson (mentor and role model)

Emilia Porubcin - Coal Valley, IL

Emilia Porubcin is a sophomore and likely History major and Computer Science minor at Stanford University.  She is particularly interested in the concepts of community and privacy, and especially how they have evolved across history and into the present day.  She has pursued this interest through classwork in Soviet history, cybersecurity, and computer science, as well as user privacy research at Stanford’s Center for Internet and Society.  Ultimately, she is excited to merge her digital and humanistic backgrounds into a framework for understanding the past and improving the present.  Beyond the classroom, she is a remarkably eager Stanford Club Tennis member and Bay Area tourist.

In honor of Emilia Porubcin (grandmother)

Tess Reiman - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Tess Reiman is a member of the graduating Class of 2017 at Ponte Vedra High School in Ponte Vedra, Florida. While excelling in academics, Miss Reiman also managed to devote countless hours to service in her local community. As Founder and President of her school’s Sharks & Minnows Club, she mentored local children in need. Miss Reiman also Founded Project Storybook at age 13, a non-profit organization that works with Habitat for Humanity to provide new books to children as they move into their new homes. She also served as Editor-in-Chief for the school newspaper, and is an accomplished Lacrosse player, selected as Team Captain for the 2017 season. She is continuing her academic and athletic career at Davidson College, which she entered in the Fall of 2017.  Tess will likely major in Economic Development, focusing on Economics, Political Science and Sociology.  This semester, Tess will continue to conduct education policy research with her professor. She is also volunteering as a literacy tutor at a local elementary school. It is now her second season of lacrosse, and she is very excited to see what they can do as a team this year. This summer, Tess will be participating in the Davidson in Washington DC program. Tess has an internship and will take classes taught by a Davidson professor. 

In honor of Brette Reiman (mother)

Adam Sella - Cincinnati, OH

Adam Sella is a member of the graduating Class of 2017 from Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mr. Sella excelled academically, while also acting as Student Congress President and participating in the Harvard Model UN team. He founded STAR (Students Together Assisting Refugees), a national organization of high school students dedicated to raising aid and awareness for refugees through fundraising, mentoring and donation drives. Mr. Sella was selected as the Ohio representative of the Prudential Spirit of Community Award for his work with refugees. He is an avid learner of languages and spent a summer in Morocco to study Arabic through the NSLI-y US State Department Scholarship. Following high school he took a gap year and continued his study of Arabic in Morocco through the same NSLI-y scholarship. In this full immersion program, Mr. Sella lived with a Moroccan host family and spent his days studying Arabic and exploring the Moroccan culture and society.  Mr. Sella entered Harvard University in the Fall of 2018.

In honor of Uri and Gillian Sella (parents)

Fatima Shahbaz - Vienna, VA

Fatima recently declared a joint concentration in Government and South Asian Studies, with a potential thesis on the diplomatic relationship between the U.S and Pakistan, with the goal of moving South Asian Studies academics in the United States towards a more inclusive view of South Asia and expand their scope beyond just studies of India. She is still very involved with the Harvard South Asian Association as the Academic-Political Chair, and got the chance to help #DefendDiversity in the recent admissions lawsuit through some campus activism and as a part of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund's amicus curiae brief.  Fatima volunteers as a weekly government teacher at area elementary schools through CIVICs and work as a Diversity Peer Educator for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, where they put on diversity programming for the campus. Outside of that, she staffed Harvard's high school Model UN conference in January, and ran a successful campaign for Undergraduate Council's President and VP. This March, Fatima will be traveling to Madrid with WorldMUN, an international Model UN conference put on by Harvard, and will be chairing a committee on Sustainable Development in the Least Developed Countries 

In honor of Stephanie Haley (7th grade history teacher)

Sophia Torres - Marco Island, FL

Sophia “Sophie” Torres was a graduate of the Class of 2017 from Lely High School in Naples, Florida, and is a current member of the Class of 2021 at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Sophie plans to major in Comparative Literature, through which she can explore the intersections of language, culture, and the many expressions of written and performed art. In the Winter Study term between semesters, however, she took a break from her loads of course reading packets and books and blissfully studied the practices of reflexology, acupressure, and aromatherapy. Outside of the classroom, Sophie is a board member and doula with the Berkshire Doula Project, and she is actively trying to expand her work to include birth doula-ing and other full-spectrum areas. She also works with youth through an alternative educational program in a neighboring community on a weekly basis. Over the summer of 2018, she interned for the homicide unit of her local prosecutor’s office, further solidifying her love for all things legal and her intention to pursue a career in criminal law; now, with a special emphasis on engaging radical transformative and restorative justice in conflicts involving sexual assault and domestic abuse. 

In honor of Sharon Murray (teacher, mentor, coach, and friend)

Maggie Verst - Alexandria, KY

Currently, Maggie is a sophomore at Ohio State, majoring in Mathematics Education and a minor in history. She was recently accepted into her program and is on her way to gaining Ohio Teaching Licensure.  Maggie hopes to teach abroad in the near future or to participate in Teach for America through their internship and teaching program.  Eventually, Maggie hopes to work in educational leadership as a principal or superintendent and take my experience to educational policy.  Her plans for this summer are to return to Camp Joy for one final summer, hopefully in a leadership position coordinating a unit group of ages 13-15. On campus Maggie is involved in her sorority Delta Delta Delta as the service chair, and currently volunteers at a Boys and Girls Club once a week. In addition, Maggie is participating in Camp Joy’s Fostering Success, where once a month, she works with a group of youth in foster care from Dayton and Cincinnati to give them consistency and a loving family.  Maggie has hopes to travel abroad in Europe next May through Ohio State’s World War II study abroad program.

In honor of Tricia Verst (sister)

Alisha Zhao - Portland, OR

Alisha Zhao is from Portland, OR, and is currently a sophomore at Stanford University studying political science and human rights. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit Kids First Project, which brings educational and recreational programs to youth experiencing homelessness, and is currently the President of Stanford Housing Justice. She was recently named a 2018 L’Oreal Woman of Worth, and was named one of America’s Top Ten Youth Volunteers by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards in 2016. This upcoming spring, she will be taking time off from school to intern at the International Service for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. 

In honor of Hongcheng Zhao (father)