Engaged Citizens

Meet four students who benefited from the many enhancements the initiative helped bring about.

Pier LaFarge ’10.5

Pier LaFarge ’10.5

Co-founder and CEO of SparkFund
Major: Environmental Science

“I think that one of the core values of a liberal arts education is fostering an academic environment that gives us the formal tools to look at these large important societal systems, like economics, while also having access to the artistic and emotional tools, like literature and poetry and art, to actually see and feel and experience the stories of those systems. Middlebury gives you an opportunity to really deeply explore subjects on an academic level and look at them from different angles. And I have translated a lot of the things that I learned into building a company and into building a team.”

Andrew Locke ’11

Andrew Locke ’11

Research Manager, Harvard University
Major: Economics and Neuroscience

“Behavioral economics is about doing a better job explaining why things are the way they are and how we can move them to the way we think they should be. I manage three offices that are running randomized control trials. So in the same way that you would test a new drug to determine effectiveness, using a treatment and control group, we do that with policy. My first exposure to behavioral economics was at Middlebury. What really turned me onto it was you could use math in a very, very concrete, explanatory way. And that was immediately exciting for me. So I think that was the real value of Middlebury in my life: it never closed any doors on what I wanted to do.”

Marty Schnure ’10.5

Marty Schnure ’10.5

Cofounder, Maps for Good
Major: Geography

“Our mission with Maps for Good is to create one-of-a kind maps in digital media that promote conservation initiatives and connect people with places. Part of why I love the work I do now is that I’m right at the intersection of science, design, and social good, and that is really what I found in the geography department at Middlebury. My adviser completely changed the way I think about places, design, and how I can have an impact. I certainly wouldn’t be where I am now, if it weren’t for him.”

Rana Abdelhamid ’15

Rana Abdelhamid ’15

Founder, Woman’s Initiative for Self-Empowerment (WISE)
Major: International Politics and Economics
Truman and Posse Scholar

“As a political science student, I’ve been able to see how individuals can have an impact on political systems and economic systems and also how to leverage those systems to empower disenfranchised communities. I wanted to use WISE as a space where these young Muslim women can gain the skills they need to access these different political institutions and economic institutions. So when the Center for Social Entrepreneurship first started on campus, I thought it was a great opportunity for me to be able to learn more about how I can make this initiative more sustainable. After graduation I plan on enrolling into a master’s degree program and to study public policy as a Thomas R. Pickering Fellow.”

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