The Gephardt Scholar is a two-year Master’s of Social Work candidate who receives a full tuition scholarship in the name of Richard A. Gephardt. The Gephardt Scholar exemplifies a commitment to civic engagement through involvement in service, government, or other manners of contributing to society.

 

In addition to attending the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, the Gephardt Scholar has a number of responsibilities at the Gephardt Institute for Public. These include 100 hours of service each semester to complete work on special projects, serve as a graduate connection between the Institute and the Brown School community, support special events, and conduct research. 

 
Velvet Bryant, 2012-2014 Scholar

Velvet is a first year MSW student at the Brown School, concentrating in social and economic development. Velvet received her B.A. in psychology and minor in Women and Gender Studies from Wake Forest University. Upon graduation she completed a one-year fellowship in the Office of the Provost, and served as the assistant director of the Institute for Public Engagement for two years. During this time Velvet led faculty development programs to support service-learning courses and community-based research, a non-profit summer internship program for undergraduate students, and collaborative capacity building workshops for community partners.

 
 

Lauren Samuelson, 2011-2013 Scholar

Lauren is a second year MSW student at the Brown School, concentrating on Social and Economic Development. In addition to her role as the Scholar, Lauren served as a Grad Fellow for the Park Mudd Residential College.  Before coming to Washington University, she spent two years as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Alternatives Credit Union in Ithaca New York where she created and led a financial education program for at-risk elementary students.  Lauren graduated from William Smith College in Geneva, New York and is a native of Olean, NY. In her free time she loves to read, bake, and hike.