Stories of Impact

From journalism to justice

GSE Alumna Channa Pitt leads educational transformation for California schools.

Channa Cook’s relationship with Stanford began with a handwritten letter she composed and addressed to the university in the sixth grade. Four decades later, Dr. Channa Pitt had earned her bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees from Stanford.

From the classroom to the courtroom

Alumni Excellence in Education Awards (AEEA) highlight the work of GSE Alumnus Matthew Kelly, who uses the superpower of data to inform his voice as an educational funding expert.

Matthew Kelly describes his decision to pursue a career in education as intuitive. What he couldn’t have predicted, however, was that his expertise would provide a critical voice in a landmark constitutional case impacting school funding in Pennsylvania. 

An enduring legacy in service to education

A family’s investment in training excellence impacts generations of women scholars

When early 20th-century philanthropist Charles Canfield left $1 million in his will to help facilitate an educational pathway for girls, he may not have imagined that 100 years later his gift would still be changing women’s lives. But that is exactly what happened. 

The multiplier effect of the GSE

First-generation GSE alumna reflects on 30+ years of educational leadership

Jennifer Yee grew up in Compton, California, as the youngest of seven children to Chinese immigrant parents. Her mother, a kindergarten teacher, was a first-generation college graduate; her father was a mechanic. Nearly three decades later, Dr. Jennifer A. Yee credits her experience at Stanford with changing her life. 

Design thinking for real world solutions

Alum applies GSE framework to community capacity-building efforts worldwide.

Jessica (Jex) Huang’s first story to feature on the GSE website details their experience in 2015 as a master’s student in the Learning, Design, and Technology Program. A decade later, Dr. Huang reflects through the lens of a professional health education researcher and practitioner.

Ready ... set ... solve!

Collaboration counts

Interdisciplinary partnerships elicit transformational support  

Following attendance at a conference, a colleague from the Stanford School of Medicine, Dr. Ryan Padrez, met with the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation president, forging a relationship that resulted in a first-ever transformative gift to the Stanford Center on Early Childhood.

A GSE milestone fueled by philanthropy

Meet the families who made a foundational investment in the GSE’s new campus

Philanthropic support for the new GSE facilities was led by longtime supporters Angela Nomellini, ’75, and husband Ken Olivier, ’74, and Tricia and Jeff Raikes, ’80, as well as other generous donors.