People: Peer Advisors 2008-2009

Learn more about the major from undergraduate students experienced in course planning, research, OSP & SIW courses, and juggling the multiple opportunities available at Stanford!

Douglas Alfaro
dealfaro@stanford.edu
SIW

Douglas Alfaro is a senior majoring in Public Policy with a concentration in Design of Public Institutions. His interests include information technology and education policy. He spent the summer of 2006 teaching algebra and English to middle school students as a part of the GEAR UP Summer Academy at Cal State University Northridge. He is active in Stanford’s Latino Business Student Association and the Stanford Triathlon Team. Douglas participated in Stanford in Washington during spring quarter 2008 and interned for the Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development at the U.S. Department of Education. For summer 2008, He plans to travel to Thailand for a Bing Overseas Seminar on Education, Development, and Globalization.

Jennifer Bernal
jbernal@stanford.edu
SIW
Study Art Minor

Jennifer is a senior majoring in Public Policy with a concentration in International Security Studies.  She spent the summer of 2007 at Stanford doing research on civil war, and will travel to Beijing during the summer of 2008 to be a teaching and residential assistant through Stanford’s Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY).  Jennifer also participated in the Stanford in Washington program during fall quarter of 2007, interning at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). During the 2008-2009 academic year, Jennifer will be writing an honors thesis through the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) on institutional reform and security challenges in Mexico.  Jennifer has also been active in various student groups, including Stanford in Government, the Stanford Concert Network, and the Student Organizing Committee for the Arts.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Choi
lizchoi@stanford.edu
SIW

Lizzie is a senior majoring in Public Policy with a concentration in Education. She spent her Freshmen summer as a research assistant in the Culture and Emotions Psychology lab on campus and continues to be interested in the dynamics of culture and one's background in shaping one's ideals, relationships, and school experience. Last summer, she taught a science class for incoming ninth graders at Downtown College Preparatory, a charter high school in San Jose, where she found teaching to be both incredibly fulfilling and challenging! She was also able to experience, first hand, the impact of infusing culture into curriculum. During the Fall of 2007, while at Stanford in Washington she interned at the Department of Education in the Elementary and Secondary Office of Education, analyzing grants and planning a conference for grantees. Lizzie recommends anyone to apply for SIW, as it was an awesome experience – great internships, classes, events, and a chance to interact with peers and to be involved in a community.  Her other involvements on campus include InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and TUTTI, which is a music tutoring program for Kennedy Middle School. After graduation, she will be participating in the STEP teaching credential program for High School Mathematics in order to both better understand pedagogy while focusing on social justice and reform.

Jessica Lee
jlee09@stanford.edu
SIW
Minor in Chinese

Jessica is a senior in Public Policy with a concentration in Law and the Legal System. She spent her freshman year summer studying Chinese at Peking University in Beijing, China. Jessica is particularly interested in civil rights and public interest law. The summer after her sophomore year, she interned with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, assisting litigants with family law cases. In the fall of 2007, she participated in Stanford in Washington and interned in the Voting Section of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. Jessica was also a member of Stanford Mock Trial for two years, coached basketball at the Boys and Girls Club in East Palo Alto, and is a member of Stanford’s Judicial Panel. After graduation, Jessica plans to attend law school.

Raffi Mardirosian
raffimar@stanford.edu
Secondary Major in Economics
Minor in Middle Eastern Languages, Literature, and Culture

Raffi is a junior majoring in Public Policy with a concentration in International Policies and National Security. Originally from San Rafael, California, Raffi is interested in finance, international development, and business. He enjoys sailing, web design, hiking, playing squash, and attending SIEPR policy lectures. During the summer of 2008, Raffi will travel to Mumbai, India to conduct research at the Reserve Bank of India for 10 weeks, after which he will spend 3 weeks in Doha, Qatar in a Bing Overseas Seminar entitled "Project Finance, Urban Development, and Construction in the Middle East."

Johnny McCormick
johnmac@stanford.edu

Johnny is a senior majoring in Public Policy with a concentration in National Security Policy.  He is writing his senior honor's thesis through Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) on Iran's external support for the insurgency in Iraq.  Johnny will be interning with the Department of Homeland Security in his hometown of Seattle during the summer of 2008.  Johnny is a member of the Stanford Men's Rugby Team, and he has enjoyed serving as one of the senior class presidents for the Class of 2009.