DSO Reunion Celebration
Hello!
In this report, we feature favorite moments and highlights from our student and professional volunteers both across the USA and globally. You will quickly see why we are so excited about our team!
What was the highlight of your DSO experience in the past year:
“As I move into 10+ years of working with DSO my favorite part is still working with the talented and passionate people at DSO. Specifically, I enjoyed more cross hub collaboration this year - from working on DSO strategy, to building the DC hub and working on the Social Justice Project and Watkins. I continue to be inspired and enthused to work and play with team members old and new!”
Anthony Buchanan (A swiss army knife at DSO for 10+ years in addition to being one of DSO’s volunteer CXOs)
“It was a fantastic experience ringing in 2018-2019 with new members of the Stanford DSO chapter during our first meeting. It was inspiring to see so many students energized to participate, learn, and collaborate, and I’m very excited to be part of the Executive Board this year - I can’t wait to see what we do!”
Michelle Li (Part of the Student Executive Board on DSO’s Stanford team and also makes sure all meetings have snacks)
“It was an amazing experience working with the POISE Foundation, who have had so much impact on the underserved community in Pittsburgh. We helped them to better target and sustainably increase their engagement with individuals. In the end, the competition exceeded our expectations in terms of execution, outcomes, and community engagement. It was great to see all the teams come out on a weekend to compete for the benefit of the Pittsburgh community.”
Shubangham Tekriwal (Has played all roles at DSO in the most countries. He’s now looking for interested volunteers to join him in India)
“Working on the POISE engagement and on the Annual DSO Case competition was definitely a highlight of this past year. Not only did I have the opportunity to work with an amazing team of ELs and students, but I was also able to meet them in person. Even better was being able to see all the presentations and ideas/solutions for POISE from the various teams that participated in the Case Competition.The weekend of the Case Competition I felt extremely proud to be part of an organization that gives students the opportunity to learn and grow intellectually, while also giving back to the Pittsburgh Community.”
Maria Rymer (DSO’s #1 comedian and helping out across all of our teams on the East Coast)
“As part of the DC Hub, I got to spend some quality time with DC ELs (Amy, Anthony, Srujana) while eating delightful food. I’m looking forward to growing the DC Hub alongside Anthony and organizing DC group outings on a more regular basis. Excited to continue this tradition and kickstart recruitment!”
Haejin Hwang (She jumps on everything at the intersection of policy and business in addition to volunteering to help grow our DC team)
“One of my passions is being an EL for DSO, where I get to work with and teach the most impressive crop of Stanford students. Connecting with other socially-driven professionals gives me energy and makes me feel like I’m still tied to home.
Deena Kim (DSO’s quantum physicist! She stays up late or wakes up extra early to support our West Coast team all the way from Europe)
**“**Collaborating with Watkins Elementary School in Washington DC to improve family engagement in the students’ school experience. We immersed in some of the students and family activities and researched family engagement best practices in the U.S. During one of our meetings, a parent asked us if we could join all of their local advisory meetings and the principal shared how helpful the research has been.”
Amy Badiani (She brings the world of magic (Harry Potter) to DSO and is one of DSO’s volunteer CXOs who has managed from both the East and West Coasts)
POISE Foundation Case Competition
Watkins School Garden