Stride Rite awards grads for public service work

The Stride Rite Community Service Program was established in 1983 by the Stride Rite Foundation. The program’s goal is to provide training and skills development for students of diverse economic and social backgrounds to become leaders in their communities, both as undergraduates and beyond.

The Post-Graduate Fellowships award up to $25,000 each spring to graduating Harvard seniors to fund a yearlong public service project. Recipients are selected based on a number of areas, including the type of project to be funded and commitment to public service.

The Senior Recognition Prizes, which range from $500 to $2,000, are awarded to graduating seniors who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to public service during their undergraduate years.

A committee of Phillips Brooks House Association staff, University faculty and administrators, Stride Rite Alumni, and community leaders evaluated applications for the program’s fellowships and awards.

This year’s Post-Graduate Fellowship recipients include Natalie Guerrier ($25,000), who will work as a health coordinator at Urban Dreams in Dorchester, Mass.; Gail King ($25,000), who will provide transitional support to youth returning home from detention facilities; Janak Ramakrishnan ($10,000), who will teach mathematics and provide supplementary education at a high school in India that serves lower-caste and poor students; and Michael Tang ($15,000), who will work as Project HEALTH’s Boston Regional Coordinator.

The nine graduating seniors who received Recognition Awards this year include Priscilla Chan ($2,000); Jessica Greenberg ($2,000); Jennine Mazzarelli ($2,000); Andrew Park ($2,000); John Chen ($500); Kelly Edwards ($500); Melissa Johnson ($500); Dyisha Reliford ($500); and Charity Shumway ($500).

For more information about the Stride Rite Community Service Program Awards, contact Maria Dominguez at mdoming@fas.harvard.edu.