2005 State/Local Fellows
Erin Beller - 2005, Geological and Environmental Sciences - Planning and Conservation League
Erin grew up in Napa Valley, where allocation of limited land and water resources presents enormous social justice implications for a very diverse community. California's heterogeneity is one reason why environmental policymaking here is particularly challenging - and therefore, Erin believes, all the more necessary. She returned in 2005 for her second summer as a SIG fellow with the Planning and Conservation League. Last summer, Erin became familiar with the environmental non-profit world in Sacramento while interviewing over 100 experts and stakeholders for an evaluation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Previously, she researched water policy for the Sonoma County Greenbelt Alliance and extensively studied the hydrologic changes wrought by the proliferation of hillslope vineyards near her hometown. In autumn 2003, Erin extended her hydrology work to Bolivia. A near-fluent speaker of Spanish, she learned Quechua in preparation for her research on farm ponds and sustainable agriculture there. At Stanford, Erin serves on the University Committee on Land and Building Development, plays glockenspiel with the Band, and practices Aikido. She plans a career in environmental policy analysis and advocacy.
Shelley Cheung - 2007, Human Biology and English - Assemblymember Lois Wolk
Shelley, who grew up on Staten Island "playing outdoors not on grass, but on gravel," sees education as a tool of empowerment and a way to effect change. Before college, Shelley founded the Student Environmental Advocates (SEA), which started after school programs in elementary schools and YMCAs in Manhattan to teach young students about the environment. In 2003, SEA won national recognition and Shelley received the National Wildlife Federation Conservation Achievement Award for Youth. Since coming to Stanford, she has found that policy, as well as direct service, is an important tool for implementing change, and has concentrated her studies in Human Biology on environmental policy. During the school year, she conducts research in health and social psychology and serves as a communications intern for the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health. Shelley, who converted to Islam during her time at Stanford, educates the student population about her faith as Vice President of the Muslim Students' Awareness Network (MSAN). In the future, she hopes to build a career working with environmental non-profits and government organizations at the national and international level.
Emmett Hopkins - 2005, Earth Systems; 2006, MS Earth Systems - Planning and Conservation League
In the difficult balance between development and the environment, Emmett believes that "California can achieve prosperity for all its stakeholders by bringing all the players to the table and helping them realize their common visions." In his previous experience as a Haas Center Urban Summer Fellow, Emmett proved that he can put this belief into practice. While interning at the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (SFRA), he worked with senior development specialists to create new Sustainable Construction Guidelines and took care to address such diverse concerns as affordable housing and green building requirements. An accomplished musician, he also found distinctive ways to integrate his various passions: "We still listen to the rap song he wrote about the Agency!" says his SFRA supervisor. At Stanford, Emmett co-directs the dorm-based Environmental Representatives and organized the 2003 and 2004 Stanford Earth Day fairs. As an active member of Students for a Sustainable Stanford, he is currently running a pilot program for worm composting in student houses. Emmett, who speaks fluent Spanish and some Chinese and French, has studied abroad in Beijing, Paris, and Costa Rica, and conducted independent research in the Peruvian Amazon. He plans a future in urban sustainability.
Vinay Mascarenhas - 2007, Political Science; minor in Economics - Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee
"Intelligent scientific analysis is a necessary ingredient to successfully evaluating policy options and legislation," says Vinay. Vinay's growing interest in environmental economics coupled with his longstanding passion for law helped prepare him to undertake such analysis. As a research assistant for Stanford's Program for Energy and Sustainable Development (PESD), Vinay analyzes solutions to environmental dilemmas such as energy scarcity and pollution in Los Angeles. Previously, he interned at San Francisco's Office of the Public Defender, where he interviewed clients, co-researched and wrote a successful appellate brief, and started learning how to navigate California's complex web of state agencies and bureaucracies. Vinay, who has traveled extensively and speaks Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and Hindi with varying degrees of proficiency, counts three cities as his "hometowns:" Kobe, Florence, and San Francisco. In the future, Vinay hopes to create community-based solutions to the problems of environmental degradation in California through the practice of environmental law.
Morin Oluwole - 2005, Human Biology; minor in Spanish - Office of Supervisor Liz Kniss
Morin says that in her home country of Nigeria, adequate healthcare and health information are available only to the wealthy. After immigrating to the US at age 11, Morin found the American healthcare system "not too different." Interested in health since a young age. Morin interned in the emergency rooms and maternity wards of four local hospitals before realizing that she did not want to practice medicine; since then, she has delved into health policy and research. As an intern at the Office of Minority Health in Washington, DC, Morin worked on an initiative to create and improve state HIV/AIDS prevention and education programs. Last summer, she was a research assistant for the Children's Health Council at Stanford, where she assessed the effectiveness of a soccer-based HIV/AIDS intervention program for 12-year-olds in Zimbabwe. During the school year, Morin, a two-time recipient of the Dean's Award for Academic Excellence, has been involved with the Black Student Union as a program coordinator and served as publicity chair of Stanford African Students Association. After graduation, she plans to obtain an MPH degree with a focus on health policy or administration.
Timothy Telleen-Lawton - Earth Systems; minor in Public Policy; 2006, MS Earth Systems - State Controller's Office
During his time at Stanford, Timothy has "become increasingly aware of and interested in the long cycle of ideas, policy, and society." Tim has gone about turning this growing awareness into action through a variety of policy-focused non-profit work. He worked as a field manager for California Public Interest Research Group (CalPIRG), which provided his first glimpse into the world of grassroots organizations. During his time at Stanford in Washington, in addition to completing coursework on environmental law, policy, and economic analysis, Tim worked 40 hours each week at the Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development. There he researched the viability of ecotourism certification programs. He stayed in Washington for the summer to intern at the Institute for Policy Studies, a think tank that investigates issues from environmental to foreign policy. Tim's interests have also taken him farther from home; he has studied abroad in Beijing, attended school and lived with a local family in Uruguay, and made two trips to Honduras to aid victims of Hurricane Mitch. At Stanford, Tim is a research analyst at the Graduate School of Business and serves as President of the Stanford Greens. He hopes to pursue a career in policy after graduation.
Ernesto Velázquez - 2006, International Relations - Committee on Water, Parks, & Wildlife
As a resident of the Los Angeles metro area, Ernesto has witnessed the increasing level of urbanization in neighboring counties. "With a growing population, the need to protect the natural beauty of California and the wildlife of the state also increases," he says. Ernesto's experiences with local government have prepared him to take on such important issues. Last summer, he interned at the Los Angeles County Democratic Party headquarters, where he supported efforts to increase voter turnout and translated documents into Spanish, while also working for US Congresswoman Grace Napolitano. Ernesto felt that the experience he gained in a partisan environment was vital to understanding how to develop public policy. He has also worked at the City Hall of his hometown, Pico Rivera, CA. Fluent in Spanish, Ernesto has traveled throughout the US and Mexico. Last fall, he studied abroad in Berlin, where he took classes on the German economy and the EU. At Stanford, Ernesto is a member of Gamma Zeta Alpha, a Latino fraternity, and also serves on the Latino '06 council, which organized Admit Weekend events and a celebration of the 25th anniversary of El Centro Chicano. In his spare time, Ernesto tutors and leads science workshops for East Palo Alto students with the I Have A Dream program.
Emily Warren - 2008, Undeclared - San Francisco Board of Supervisors
Native San Franciscan Emily calls her hometown "a cosmopolitan blend of cultures, foods, odors, sounds, and sights." Indeed, she sees her SIG fellowship as a way to combine two loves of her life: her city and her passion for government. Emily, who plans to major in Public Policy and Economics and minor in Ethics in Society, has deep roots in serving communities both local and far-flung. Since 1998, Emily has volunteered with her church's Shelter Meal program in San Francisco. She has also traveled to Tijuana and El Salvador for month-long service immersion programs, where she worked at a school for disadvantaged children and helped rebuild houses destroyed by the 2001 earthquake, respectively. Since coming to Stanford, Emily has balanced her multiple interests with finesse; during her first quarter, she took a full course load, joined the Roosevelt Institution (a student think tank), served on SIG's International Fellowships Committee, and became Social Chair in her dormitory. The following quarter, Emily also began working as a research assistant for the Political Communications Lab at Stanford, where she examines the interdependence of the media and politicians. Ultimately, Emily hopes to work with the United Nations or the State Department to promote international human rights.
Erin grew up in Napa Valley, where allocation of limited land and water resources presents enormous social justice implications for a very diverse community. California's heterogeneity is one reason why environmental policymaking here is particularly challenging - and therefore, Erin believes, all the more necessary. She returned in 2005 for her second summer as a SIG fellow with the Planning and Conservation League. Last summer, Erin became familiar with the environmental non-profit world in Sacramento while interviewing over 100 experts and stakeholders for an evaluation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Previously, she researched water policy for the Sonoma County Greenbelt Alliance and extensively studied the hydrologic changes wrought by the proliferation of hillslope vineyards near her hometown. In autumn 2003, Erin extended her hydrology work to Bolivia. A near-fluent speaker of Spanish, she learned Quechua in preparation for her research on farm ponds and sustainable agriculture there. At Stanford, Erin serves on the University Committee on Land and Building Development, plays glockenspiel with the Band, and practices Aikido. She plans a career in environmental policy analysis and advocacy.
Shelley Cheung - 2007, Human Biology and English - Assemblymember Lois Wolk
Shelley, who grew up on Staten Island "playing outdoors not on grass, but on gravel," sees education as a tool of empowerment and a way to effect change. Before college, Shelley founded the Student Environmental Advocates (SEA), which started after school programs in elementary schools and YMCAs in Manhattan to teach young students about the environment. In 2003, SEA won national recognition and Shelley received the National Wildlife Federation Conservation Achievement Award for Youth. Since coming to Stanford, she has found that policy, as well as direct service, is an important tool for implementing change, and has concentrated her studies in Human Biology on environmental policy. During the school year, she conducts research in health and social psychology and serves as a communications intern for the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health. Shelley, who converted to Islam during her time at Stanford, educates the student population about her faith as Vice President of the Muslim Students' Awareness Network (MSAN). In the future, she hopes to build a career working with environmental non-profits and government organizations at the national and international level.
Emmett Hopkins - 2005, Earth Systems; 2006, MS Earth Systems - Planning and Conservation League
In the difficult balance between development and the environment, Emmett believes that "California can achieve prosperity for all its stakeholders by bringing all the players to the table and helping them realize their common visions." In his previous experience as a Haas Center Urban Summer Fellow, Emmett proved that he can put this belief into practice. While interning at the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (SFRA), he worked with senior development specialists to create new Sustainable Construction Guidelines and took care to address such diverse concerns as affordable housing and green building requirements. An accomplished musician, he also found distinctive ways to integrate his various passions: "We still listen to the rap song he wrote about the Agency!" says his SFRA supervisor. At Stanford, Emmett co-directs the dorm-based Environmental Representatives and organized the 2003 and 2004 Stanford Earth Day fairs. As an active member of Students for a Sustainable Stanford, he is currently running a pilot program for worm composting in student houses. Emmett, who speaks fluent Spanish and some Chinese and French, has studied abroad in Beijing, Paris, and Costa Rica, and conducted independent research in the Peruvian Amazon. He plans a future in urban sustainability.
Vinay Mascarenhas - 2007, Political Science; minor in Economics - Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee
"Intelligent scientific analysis is a necessary ingredient to successfully evaluating policy options and legislation," says Vinay. Vinay's growing interest in environmental economics coupled with his longstanding passion for law helped prepare him to undertake such analysis. As a research assistant for Stanford's Program for Energy and Sustainable Development (PESD), Vinay analyzes solutions to environmental dilemmas such as energy scarcity and pollution in Los Angeles. Previously, he interned at San Francisco's Office of the Public Defender, where he interviewed clients, co-researched and wrote a successful appellate brief, and started learning how to navigate California's complex web of state agencies and bureaucracies. Vinay, who has traveled extensively and speaks Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and Hindi with varying degrees of proficiency, counts three cities as his "hometowns:" Kobe, Florence, and San Francisco. In the future, Vinay hopes to create community-based solutions to the problems of environmental degradation in California through the practice of environmental law.
Morin Oluwole - 2005, Human Biology; minor in Spanish - Office of Supervisor Liz Kniss
Morin says that in her home country of Nigeria, adequate healthcare and health information are available only to the wealthy. After immigrating to the US at age 11, Morin found the American healthcare system "not too different." Interested in health since a young age. Morin interned in the emergency rooms and maternity wards of four local hospitals before realizing that she did not want to practice medicine; since then, she has delved into health policy and research. As an intern at the Office of Minority Health in Washington, DC, Morin worked on an initiative to create and improve state HIV/AIDS prevention and education programs. Last summer, she was a research assistant for the Children's Health Council at Stanford, where she assessed the effectiveness of a soccer-based HIV/AIDS intervention program for 12-year-olds in Zimbabwe. During the school year, Morin, a two-time recipient of the Dean's Award for Academic Excellence, has been involved with the Black Student Union as a program coordinator and served as publicity chair of Stanford African Students Association. After graduation, she plans to obtain an MPH degree with a focus on health policy or administration.
Timothy Telleen-Lawton - Earth Systems; minor in Public Policy; 2006, MS Earth Systems - State Controller's Office
During his time at Stanford, Timothy has "become increasingly aware of and interested in the long cycle of ideas, policy, and society." Tim has gone about turning this growing awareness into action through a variety of policy-focused non-profit work. He worked as a field manager for California Public Interest Research Group (CalPIRG), which provided his first glimpse into the world of grassroots organizations. During his time at Stanford in Washington, in addition to completing coursework on environmental law, policy, and economic analysis, Tim worked 40 hours each week at the Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development. There he researched the viability of ecotourism certification programs. He stayed in Washington for the summer to intern at the Institute for Policy Studies, a think tank that investigates issues from environmental to foreign policy. Tim's interests have also taken him farther from home; he has studied abroad in Beijing, attended school and lived with a local family in Uruguay, and made two trips to Honduras to aid victims of Hurricane Mitch. At Stanford, Tim is a research analyst at the Graduate School of Business and serves as President of the Stanford Greens. He hopes to pursue a career in policy after graduation.
Ernesto Velázquez - 2006, International Relations - Committee on Water, Parks, & Wildlife
As a resident of the Los Angeles metro area, Ernesto has witnessed the increasing level of urbanization in neighboring counties. "With a growing population, the need to protect the natural beauty of California and the wildlife of the state also increases," he says. Ernesto's experiences with local government have prepared him to take on such important issues. Last summer, he interned at the Los Angeles County Democratic Party headquarters, where he supported efforts to increase voter turnout and translated documents into Spanish, while also working for US Congresswoman Grace Napolitano. Ernesto felt that the experience he gained in a partisan environment was vital to understanding how to develop public policy. He has also worked at the City Hall of his hometown, Pico Rivera, CA. Fluent in Spanish, Ernesto has traveled throughout the US and Mexico. Last fall, he studied abroad in Berlin, where he took classes on the German economy and the EU. At Stanford, Ernesto is a member of Gamma Zeta Alpha, a Latino fraternity, and also serves on the Latino '06 council, which organized Admit Weekend events and a celebration of the 25th anniversary of El Centro Chicano. In his spare time, Ernesto tutors and leads science workshops for East Palo Alto students with the I Have A Dream program.
Emily Warren - 2008, Undeclared - San Francisco Board of Supervisors
Native San Franciscan Emily calls her hometown "a cosmopolitan blend of cultures, foods, odors, sounds, and sights." Indeed, she sees her SIG fellowship as a way to combine two loves of her life: her city and her passion for government. Emily, who plans to major in Public Policy and Economics and minor in Ethics in Society, has deep roots in serving communities both local and far-flung. Since 1998, Emily has volunteered with her church's Shelter Meal program in San Francisco. She has also traveled to Tijuana and El Salvador for month-long service immersion programs, where she worked at a school for disadvantaged children and helped rebuild houses destroyed by the 2001 earthquake, respectively. Since coming to Stanford, Emily has balanced her multiple interests with finesse; during her first quarter, she took a full course load, joined the Roosevelt Institution (a student think tank), served on SIG's International Fellowships Committee, and became Social Chair in her dormitory. The following quarter, Emily also began working as a research assistant for the Political Communications Lab at Stanford, where she examines the interdependence of the media and politicians. Ultimately, Emily hopes to work with the United Nations or the State Department to promote international human rights.