From the 2025 Schaeffer Fellows Annual Report: Schaeffer Fellow alumni extend their commitment to public service into the nonprofit sector, applying their skills and experiences to advance mission-driven work that strengthens communities and promotes equity. Many have built careers in areas such as sustainability, health, education, and civic engagement. Through program management, advocacy, research, and leadership, these alumni continue to drive meaningful impact and uphold the values of service cultivated during their fellowship summer.
Lauren O’Neil (2021) Research and Operations Associate at NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
This year, O’Neil published An Analysis of Student Involvement in Movements for Racial Justice from the 1960s to the Present. In the brief, she “proposes a framework illustrating how students’ involvement in protests and activism has effectively advanced racial justice and promoted social progress.”
Sethu Odayappan (2021)
Co-Founder and Co-Director at Tree-Plenish
Odayappan co-founded the nonprofit Tree-Plenish as a senior in high school, supporting student-led tree-planting initiatives in local communities. The organization now partners with over 500 schools and has facilitated the planting of more than 100,000 trees nationwide.
“Our environmental justice initiative has a lot of potential to really give leadership opportunities to students who have historically not had them, [and] plant trees in communities that have historically not had trees.”
Ashley Staggers (2020)
Culture Reframed Youth Advisory Council
Staggers partners with New York State and New York City legislators to strengthen support for youth transitioning out of foster care.
“I love helping to create avenues for youth to get the answers they’re looking for, to have somewhere to address their confusion, and to have the confidence and power to make their voices heard.”