Team

Ben Carver

Ben is a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering at Stanford. He has used his experience with computers in several jobs, including internships at a supply chain company and Space Imaging, a satellite imaging firm. He also co-founded two Internet based companies, using open-source software like Linux, Apache, PHP, and mySQL to lower costs. During the summer after his junior year of high school, he worked at a Boys and Girls Club in a poor neighborhood, assisting children with the computers in their new lab. In his limited amount of free time he enjoys skiing, biking, hiking, backpacking, and reading.

Danielle Dowding

Danielle is a sophomore majoring in Civil Engineering (Structures Focus) and minoring in Environmental Engineering. Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Danielle has had first-hand exposure to the hardships and struggles that people face daily, which has instilled in her a need to help those less fortunate. Beginning with youth activities at church which included breakfast programs and clothing/book drives, she began to work to serve her community. In high school, she was deeply involved in INTERACT - a service organization which contributed to shelters around Jamaica. Through INTERACT, she helped to organize many fundraisers and outreach projects. Last summer, she had an extremely rewarding job at the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) in Jamaica. I worked in poor inner-city areas, helping to design/build sewer pipes for those communities existing without any form of sewage disposal.At Stanford, Danielle has been a participant in the SPOON program, which uses cafeteria leftovers to feed the less fortunate, and the Ravenswood Reads Tutoring program, which tutors children from the surrounding areas in basic reading skills. Danielle greatly enjoys community service work, and is excited to play an active role in helping to light up the world.

Avichal Garg

Avichal is a sophomore currently double majoring in Computer Science and Philosophy. During his high school years in Cincinnati, Ohio Avichal was active in numerous academic, athletic, and service organizations. He worked on projects ranging from developing Rube Goldberg machines for competition to starting a program to bring advanced mathematics topics to talented middle schoolers. During his Senior year of high school, Avichal co-founded an educational services company, PrepMe Inc., with the long term goal of utilizing the Internet to offer online test preparation courses. PrepMe is launching its flagship course in the Summer of 2003 with the hope of pursuing investors shortly thereafter. At Stanford, Avichal is the Digest Manager for BASES (Business Association of Stanford Engineering Students), is on the BASES marketing team, and is involved with the Stanford Democrats. In his spare time Avichal enjoys playing intramural sports, experimenting with graphic design, and cooking. At this time Avichal is unsure of his long term career plans but would love to combine his passions for entrepreneurship and technology in a socially conscious organization.

Albert Hsu

Albert is a sophomore majoring in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Management Sciences and Engineering. In high school he was involved in mock trial, debate, student government, and volunteer work at a local hospital. During his senior year, he sat on the Fremont High School Board of Trustees as a liaison between student interests and board policies. He learned much about the work environment, the importance of team work, and the virtue of being able to learn quickly during his summer internship at Gravity Probe B, a joint satellite project between NASA, Lockheed Martin, and Stanford University. At Stanford, he is an intern for Stanford Technology Assist by Students (TABS), a volunteer group that provides local NGOs free technical consulting. The group consults organizations that would otherwise be unable to improve their operations through the integration of technology. His current project is to implement a database that will replace the traditional paper and pencil way of record keeping used by Urban Ministries of Palo Alto. In addition, he is helping to establish a mentorship program for Stanford's IEEE chapter. His ideal career would be one that combined his love for engineering and his love for business. He is fascinated by the opportunities the latest advancements offer for improving the conditions of the developing world.

BinBin Jiang

BinBin is a sophmore considering a major in Human Biology, East Asian Studies, and Urban Studies. She has spent most of her childhood in the Bay Area, although originally born in northeastern China.The highlight of BinBin's experiences at Stanford besides participating in this startup was going to the Galapagos Islands on a travel/study seminar with Sophomore College. With her class, she lived on a boat for 10 days and slept out in the deck at night. She acquired not only an understanding of evolution, but a sort of empathy for Darwin and what he saw. She tries to get that feeling of acheiving something real in all the activities that she does. She is one of the coordinators for Stanford Program in Nepal, a clinical internship in Kathmandu. Her other leadership experiences include being the recruiting committee chair for the Pacific Free Clinic that was created in the Stanford Medical School. BinBin is also one of the directors for Stanford Student Medical Interpreters. She's also had experience in being a course assistant for the International Health class offered through the medical school. This year, BinBin recieved the Treat Fellowship that will allow her to travel to Singapore, Thailand, and Japan during the summer to learn about these cultures. She is in the process of starting her own organization called The Odyssey Project that will aim to help kids in the hospital to maintain their curiosity in science and the arts through lessons that Stanford students will create. She plans to study Amdo Tibetan this summer in China to set the groundwork for future research she plans to conduct in that region. She also loves to play the flute and avidly practices Wushu (Chinese martial arts).

Michelle Lee

Beth Liebert

Beth is a member of the class of 2005 and is majoring in Product Design (a joint program between Mechanical Engineering and Art) at Stanford. In her high school days in Honolulu, Hawaii, she played tennis and regularly attended public life-drawing classes at the University of Hawaii. She worked at her school's tennis office for four years, and even spent a few months as a TA for physics honors. She also volunteered at Easter Seals, helping mentally and physically disabled teenagers with after-school activities and care. At Stanford, Beth has a great time as the social manager of the Stanford Women's Ultimate B team. She also works for the Linguistics department as a research assistant, helping to study language acquisition in young children. Beth has two true loves: Art and Traveling. Though she's not sure where she wants to take these interests, she's actively exploring both areas. In her lifetime, she's been to several countries in Europe, including a two-week homestay in Southwest France and living for a semester in London. Most recently, she traveled independently in both China and Mongolia, and loved her experiences in both countries. She hopes to travel again this following summer (hopefully somewhere in Africa) and plans to spend a quarter abroad through the Stanford Overseas Program in Kyoto, Japan. She's currently undecided about career plans, but knows that whether its painting landscapes or designing smart mechanisms, her job must require a lot of creativity. While still very open to other interests, she's particularly intrigued by human factors engineering, advertising and graphic design.

David Lu

David is a sophomore majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Product Design. During his time in high school at St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas, TX, David spent his time constructing robots for the FIRST competition, fencing, playing lacrosse, helping to design and build sets for theatrical productions. He was also an active member in student government. At Stanford, along with pursuing his degree, David has helped found two clubs, the Stanford Bike Advocates and the Stanford University Archery Club. The Stanford Bike Advocates is a group dedicated to improving bike safety on Stanford campus through mechanical assistance and bicycle education sessions. The Stanford Archery Club, in its first year of existence, pushed Stanford to the front of college competitive archery in California by taking first place at the California state championships. In his free time, of which there is very little, David enjoys playing his 12-string guitar and singing in the Serra stairwell.

Lan Ngo

Lan is a sophomore majoring in Economics. While in high school in San Gabriel, California, she worked with several community service groups, including the Environmental Club. She was also a varsity debate team member, and volunteered at a local hospital after school. Her leadership experience includes serving as vice president of Women Leaders of Tomorrow, allowing her to help in providing a social and cultural network for female Stanford students. She also serves on a committee of a hunger project, raising awareness of hunger and salvaging food to donate to food banks. Her business experience comes from working with a marketing firm and managing a local branch of a service company. Her other activities include mentoring under-privileged children, advising high school seniors, and judging at high school debate tournaments. In her spare time, she listens to music and attends concerts.

Julie Park

Julie is a sophomore majoring in economics. In high school, she was a research intern in the department of anthropology at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. As a Stanford undergraduate, she put this interest to practical use as a merchandising intern for the Stanford Student Store, where she helped to create and market products that would fit customer lifestyles. Currently, she is a committee member of the Stanford Global Entrepreneurs' Challenge, an international business plan competition which hopes to foster innovation and positive social change around the globe. She is also a Peer Academic Advisor for incoming freshmen. These two activities reflect Julie's realization that it is important to have impact on, and not just observe, people's lives.

Brinda Thomas

Brinda is a sophomore majoring in Physics. During high school years in Silver Spring, Maryland, she applied chaos theory techniques to the magnetosphere, culminating in a paper that was a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search, and first prize in the international First Step to the Nobel Prize in Physics competition. At Stanford she has pursued her interest in business through her involvement in Stanford Student Enterprises, a student-run business for which she has helped redesign and manage an on-campus video-rental service. In the future she would like to find a way to meld her dual interests in physics and social entrepreneurship, possibly through renewable energy research and application of research in a non-profit start-up.

Brandi Thompson

Brandi is a sophomore double majoring in Psychology and Urban Studies with a Community Organization focus. In previous years, Brandi has interned in the finance operations department at Xilinx (a semiconductor company in San Jose) and has organized and led a summer day camp for San Jose children living in a housing development owned by Goldrich and Kest, a California housing company. While attending high school in San Jose, Brandi volunteered at the Support Network for Battered Women in Mountain View, California and delivered presentations on domestic violence and unhealthy relationships to her peers at local high schools. She also worked with developmentally disabled children and adults. At Stanford, Brandi is a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a coed, community service fraternity. With this group, she enjoys activities such as entertaining children at homeless shelters and participating in marathons such as the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. Brandi has also worked on the visual arts committee for Stanford's World AIDS Day and is looking forward in helping to plan Stanford's V-Week at the Women's Community Center. In her spare time, she enjoys practicing with Kuumba, an on-campus African-inspired dance group. Although unsure of her future plans, Brandi hopes to find a career that involves community service and social justice.

Felipe Valdez

Felipe is a sophomore majoring in History with a minor in Economics. While attending Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC, Felipe became very involved in community service, tutoring inner-city school children at two elementary schools, feeding the homeless through the SOME (So Others May Eat) program, and organizing a community blood drive for the American Red Cross. His leadership experience includes serving as Director of Business Development for an entrepreneurial project created under the LEAD (Leadership, Enterprise, Action, Directive) program and achieving the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. His work experience includes serving as a Page in the U.S. House of Representatives, an internship in the office of the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, an internship with Salomon Smith Barney in Washington, DC, and an internship with Federal Sources, Inc, a marketing intelligence firm in Mclean, VA. At Stanford, Felipe serves as vice-president of the FORUM, a student organization that provides students with an opportunity to meet and engage in intellectual discussions outside the classroom. Felipe is fluent in Spanish and has a working knowledge of French. In his spare time, Felipe enjoys traveling abroad, learning languages, playing tennis, and skiing. His career goal is to become an entrepreneur or an investment banker.

Patrick Wong

Patrick is a junior majoring in electrical engineering. He actively seeks to integrate his interests in technology and service. As a high school student in Vancouver, Canada, his community involvement included working with the City Millennium Project to gather stories of seniors and save them on the Internet. He also tutored seventh graders in math, and was actively involved with the Vancouver and British Columbia Youth Parliaments. At Stanford, he helped found the Stanford Undergraduate Research Journal, a peer-reviewed academic journal whose first issue was published in May 2002. Additionally, Patrick is currently a Resident Computer Coordinator, has been the campus liaison for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and has sung with Young at Heart, a student group that performs in senior care centers. During past summers, he has interned with a real estate developer in Vancouver and Fairchild Semiconductor in San Jose. His goal is to create engineering-based solutions to enable the most positive social change in the world.