REAL LIFE HEROES

The reality brought by the COVID-19 pandemic is brutal. From loss of loved ones and economic hardship to educational disruption and employment uncertainty, the spectrum is painfully broad. While each one of these stressors targets our emotional wellbeing, each also tests our capacity to persevere.

We, at the Straubel Foundation, are determined to support young adults as they push through this test. We invited people to share their stories and apply for a Straubel Emergency Relief Grant. Scholars, entrepreneurs, students, and parents all over the country and from all walks of life answered our call. We were inspired by the accounts that made their way to our hands. We saw steadfast courage and focused action. We also heard a deep commitment to long-term success and determination to lead a life of positive impact.

Locations of the Straubel Emergency relief Grant recipients.

Boryana Straubel reflected: “We started this initiative at a dark moment in time. There was an overwhelming sense of desperation and uncertainty. Then I saw something I didn't expect. Our grant applicants were asking for support but their stories made it clear: intrepid, they were looking this crisis straight into the eyes. These were the kind of people that grab life by the horns. Most didn't have resources beyond their own will and determination to grow. But boy was that determination unbreakable. Further, these were people that, while rising personally, felt responsibility to help others. Some of the applicants were barely 20 years old, yet they were taking ownership of their parents’ and siblings' well-being. Many were taking responsibility and investing into the grown trajectories of strangers. I was impressed. I keep saying that it's not ideas that change the world, it's the people that drive those ideas. This Emergency Grant Program became an honor for us: We were let inside the world of some real-life heroes. Then I remembered, it's in dark times like this that you get to see the stars.”

It was important to us to find people that have been overlooked by other COVID-19 Grants; groups or people that fell through the cracks. There are many such groups, but we decided to focus on these three:

STUDENTS: Specifically, community college students and first-generation, low-income students at top universities. This spring, students at top universities were sent back home to study online. This presented two problems:

Their households were now facing unemployment, medical, and financial stressors; Some did not have WiFi; others didn't have a place to stay as their bed was already reassigned or rented for income. Some students now lived in a tent in their small backyard. Many families were worried about food.
Going home, these students lost their on-campus jobs that were covering the gap between financial aid and study costs. They couldn't afford textbooks.

TRAILBLAZERS: Founders or leaders of socially-beneficial projects or organizations hit by COVID-19. These founders were focused on supporting their employees, often bearing the financial burden themselves. Some were single parents with kids at home. We wanted to support them.

PARENTS: Parents committed to breaking generational patterns; mindfully raising and supporting high-performing students.

We share the stories of a few awardees to celebrate them. We hope they will rekindle your hope in our common future as they did for us.

The Path of the Student

Joel Sanchez doesn't have the type of LinkedIn profile you see often. He started at a junior college in Modesto, a small city in California’s Central Valley. He spent years building up others and contributing to the advancement of science by tutoring community college students pursuing STEM degrees. Today Joes focuses on the chemistry and physics of electrocatalysts that are able to convert water into fuels using renewable energy. A former Amgen scholar and currently a PhD candidate at the Department of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University, Joel is working in one of the world's leading material science labs. He has a profile that speaks of hustle and grit and a drive that promises impact through science. Joel’s parents used to tell him “give it your all in school”, and by the look of his hard work, he has not let them down.

Travel about 5 hours south of Modesto along California’s Interstate 5 and you will end up near Lynwood. It is a small town in the sprawling East Los Angeles area which butts up to Compton and Watts. While located in beautiful southern California, Lynwood has a poverty rate almost double the U.S. average. Fortunately, it has young and motivated leaders representing our future, like Abi Lopez. Abi’s belief in scientific innovation as a tool for progress culminated in her selection for the prestigious Edison STEM Scholarship for high school students. Today, Abi is studying electrical engineering at Stanford University. She is passionate about renewable energy and giving back to underprivileged communities like the one she grew up in. Nothing can stop her drive.

Anna Ascheman is another young leader we met. Raised in a rural town in Iowa, Anna recognized, at a very young age, that educational resources are scarce. While performing as Clara, the lead role in The Nutcracker, for Ballet Nebraska in sixth grade, Anna heard girls in the studio express frustrations with math. A year later, she created a math camp that became an immediate success. In junior year, Anna expanded it to become Give me Five, a free history and math camp for middle school girls in the wider community of Iowa. Her math problems focused on the achievements and contributions of the Iowa native and the 31st President of the United States, Herbert Hoover. Through this bespoke curriculum, Anna wanted to inspire the pursuit of dreams beyond geographic bounds. Today Anna, a rising sophomore at Stanford University, believes in and speaks about the power of interdisciplinary learning.

The Path of the Trailblazer

Oscar Ambrocio-Ramirez is the epitome of civic leadership. As the former co-President of the Stanford Latinx Business Association and current Diversity and Inclusion Community Ambassador for the First-generation and/or Low-income community at the Stanford Alumni Association, Oscar is helping underprivileged students navigate professional growth opportunities. As a Political Science graduate with a passion for economic development and business, Oscar understood the importance of entrepreneurship in driving economic empowerment. He mentors young adults from immigrant communities about the importance of entrepreneurship. He also advises them on ways to get internships with top employers or how to win competitive fellowships, like he did. Today, as Chief of Staff at a growing startup, Oscar continues his work in representing the underrepresented.

Our grantees include trailblazers such as Diana Juarez Madera, the only Mexican woman in Stanford University’s smallest engineering PhD program. Born into a humble family in a small town in Mexico, Diana loved to look at the stars. What started as a hobby turned into a passion and a path to unexpected opportunities. Diana received a 2018-19 American Association of University Women Fellowship that funded her doctoral degree at Stanford University, where, as part of the Space Environment and Satellite Systems research group, she aims to understand the space environment effects on spacecrafts. Back on earth, Diana inspires the next generation of aeronautics engineers. She worked with Project ASTRO, a nonprofit organization that pairs astronomy graduate students with teachers in underserved areas of Oakland to promote science in elementary schools, and she has spoken up to encourage women with passion for space to follow their interest.

Jin-Ya Huang has blazed many trails of her own. She is an educator, a mom, an artist, and a social entrepreneur who was recognized by TIME Magazine as one of the “27 People Bridging Divides Across America”. Jin-Ya is a Taiwanese immigrant who wears many hats: she leads Visual & Performing Arts Education Special Projects for the Dallas Independent School District, she is an interdisciplinary artist whose work has been exhibited across the country, and she founded Break Bread Break Borders (BBBB), a catering company that breaks down the walls that often separate newly arrived immigrants from the communities in which they settle. BBBB recruits women from refugee communities who love to cook and helps them get food-service licenses so they can start their own businesses. Jin-Ya has spent her life empowering others. We admire her generosity, her knack for storytelling, and her ability to unite people.

The Path of the Supporting Parent

Another category of grant recipients were parents focused on providing their children with a better future.

Parenthood demands selflessness. Patricia Cervantes is all too familiar with what that means. In 1985, Cervantes immigrated to the US with her husband to secure more of life for her future children. As a housekeeper, Cervantes mastered the skill of making ends meet. However, life had a different plan for her. In 2009, and with two children at home, Cervantes lost her husband. A few years later, the little family found itself living in a van after expenses exceeded Cervantes’ meager income. Cervantes’ did not allow the gloom to put out her light. She persisted, supporting her children while instilling the values of discipline and ambition in them, until she ushered the family to safety. Today, Cervantes’ son is studying Economics at Stanford University while her daughter is at University of California, Davis.

Jim is another parent we were happy to support. A farmer and a father of three children, Jim decided to break the mold of conventions in his community. Instead of imposing an expectation to work in farming, like many parents did, Jim encouraged each child to cultivate personal interests and follow their curiosity. With the humble resources he had, Jim gave his all for this personalized upbringing. He took the children to the nearby mountains to instill in them an appreciation of nature and earth. He spent summer nights explaining star constellations to instill in them a thirst to explore the unknown. He narrated stories about historical wars to instill in them humility and kindness. Today, Lucy, the eldest of the children, is doing her PhD in environmental science; Tamara is completing her undergraduate program in astrophysics; and Johnny, a high school senior, is planning to major in history.

The Story of the Team

We also would like to tell you about the team that helped us discover these inspirational individuals.

In March 2020, Keith Hennessey, the former Director of the U.S. National Economic Council under George W. Bush and current lecturer at Stanford University, promptly reacted to the COVID-19 crisis: He formed a class named the Civic Workshop. Forty-five students eager to have immediate impact signed up. To scale efforts Hennessey extended a collaboration invitation to the Presidential Leadership Program Scholars. Boryana Straubel, a Presidential Scholar herself, offered the Straubel COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grants initiative as an opportunity to collaborate. The Straubel Foundation and Hennessey united forces for good.

Hennessey’s students, Edward Silva (MBA ‘20) and Erin Washington (MBA ‘20), heard about the collaboration. Ready to roll up their sleeves, they quickly became instrumental in the design and execution of the Straubel Grant program.

In reflecting on his motivation, Edward said: “Working to better your own human condition, whether by health, education, religion, or your relationships, is difficult in good times, let alone during COVID-19. Having been the benefactor of others helping me continue to push forward through obstacles towards my educational goals, I felt fortunate to be able to help the Straubel Foundation do the same for others.”

Erin appreciates the long-term benefit of the project. She said: “It’s incredible how these grants not only relieve short-term financial hardship, but also allow the recipients to continue pursuing their dreams, creating a path to longer term financial stability. I love the Straubel Foundation’s approach because direct giving empowers and trusts the recipients to use the funds where they have the greatest need, rather than prescribing a particular use. I am grateful for the opportunity to play a role in easing the burden for such inspiring young people.”

When asked about what it meant to see his students in service for the betterment of others, Professor Hennessey said: "At the Stanford Graduate School of Business we train students to lead organizations, to have an impact, and to change the world. The pandemic created an immediate need for those skills. The Civic Workshop course was simply a vehicle to allow some students to practice those skills before they graduate, and to do some good in the world. It seems to have worked."

For privacy, some recipient names have been abbreviated or changed.

Special thanks to Pamela Hinds, Peter Nedeau, Phuong Phillips and Jean Mach who significantly contributed in shaping this Grant Program.