An Excellence in Civic & Community Engagement Programming Award

Tuesday, August 25th at 1:00 PM ET (12:00 PM CT / 11:00 AM MT / 10:00 AM PT)

Join us this summer for a deep dive into the 2026 Campus Compact Programming & Partnership Impact Award winners. This session, you will hear from the St. Louis Fellows Program.

The St. Louis Fellows Program at the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a selective opportunity for undergraduates to spend a summer immersing themselves in St. Louis. Students work full-time nonprofit or civic internships, attend a range of community events, and engage in a robust experiential curriculum that explores St. Louis’ history, culture, politics, challenges, and opportunities.

The program’s success relies on developing mutually beneficial campus-community partnerships that foster both student learning and community impact. Students learn skills in civic and community engagement, receive structured supervision and mentorship, engage with a cohort of peers with diverse identities and perspectives, receive a stipend in lieu of summer earnings, and earn four academic credits.

Community partners expand their capacity to advance their mission-critical work through a full-time intern at no financial cost to them and a variety of networking opportunities designed to foster collaboration across organizations. The program uplifts WashU’s commitment to be “In St. Louis, For St. Louis” and experiences high interest from students and community partners, fueling the Gephardt Institute’s plans for continued expansion.

Samantha Young

Samantha (Sam) Young (she/her) is the Associate Director for Community Engagement at the Gephardt Institute. She is responsible for leading the Gephardt Institute’s vision and strategy for fostering robust, impactful, and mutually beneficial community engagement in the St. Louis region. Sam has significant experience with curriculum design and implementation, cross-sector stakeholder engagement, and student support. Before joining Gephardt, Sam was the Director of the St. Louis Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs and worked at Duke University for many years prior to that.

Sam holds a Master of Education from Clemson University and a Bachelor’s in Elementary and Special Education from Bradley University. Originally from the St. Louis region, Sam is elated to be co-creating community in the place she calls home. In her spare time, Sam loves getting outside with her labradoodle Ginger, thrifting, and cooking for family and friends.
 

Sarah Nash

Sarah Nash (she/her) is the Community Engagement Manager at the Gephardt Institute. She joined the team in July 2022 and designs curriculum and leads programming for students to learn about and positively contribute to the St. Louis region, primarily through the St. Louis Fellows program.

Prior to joining the Gephardt Institute, Sarah worked with a variety of local community organizations in the St. Louis area, including the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in St. Louis and East Side Heart & Home Family Center in East St. Louis.

Sarah holds a Master of Social Work from the Brown School at Washington University, a Master of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary, and a bachelor’s degree in American Studies, African American Studies, and Sociology from Saint Louis University. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Sarah has called St. Louis home for over a decade. In her free time, she enjoys attending free local events, checking out new restaurants and coffee shops, and playing board and card games with her family and friends.

Stephanie Kurtzman

Stephanie Kurtzman (she/her) has served as architect and leader for civic and community engagement at Washington University since 1998. As the Peter G. Sortino Executive Director of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, she leads WashU’s efforts to catalyze student learning, participation, and impact in civic life, with a vision that WashU students will graduate prepared and committed to lead positive change across industries and throughout the world as the next generation of civic leaders.

Stephanie began her career at Washington University with the charge to build a community service program for the student body. She was the founding director of the university’s Community Service Office, which later joined with the Gephardt Institute for Public Service to form the comprehensive, university-wide Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement.

She has led the Gephardt Institute since 2016 and was installed as the institute’s inaugural Peter G. Sortino endowed Executive Director in 2017. Stephanie earned her Master of Education in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from The University of Vermont, and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Occidental College in Los Angeles, graduating Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. A California native with roots in South Lake Tahoe and Santa Barbara, she and her family are proud to call St. Louis home.