— President Emeritus Stephen Knapp
Steven and Diane Robinson Knapp established the Knapp Fellowship for Entrepreneurial Service-Learning at The George Washington University to recognize, reward, and facilitate creative public service and academic engagement. Selected undergraduate or graduate students design and implement entrepreneurial service-learning projects that make a significant difference in the lives of others. Selected Knapp Fellows work with the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service and a faculty member advisor to implement projects in collaboration with other students and/or community partners. Fellowship projects are conducted over the course of an academic year (beginning in summer or fall to no later than June 30th of the following year). One or more Knapp
Fellowship awards, ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 are distributed annually.
Knapp Fellowship projects should integrate scholarly work in the student’s discipline with the design and implementation of the service project. Projects should also involve collaboration with a local community organization or community members, and be heavily informed by their knowledge and experience. These projects are substantial and rely on Fellows having prior experience working with their community partner and/or the social issue. Knapp Fellows also receive professional development opportunities, preparing them to work with community partners and/or faculty members who are subject experts. Additionally, faculty advisors may receive funding for their role as advisors to selected Fellow(s).
GW undergraduate and graduate students, working individually or in teams, are encouraged to apply.
Jennifer Ko is a graduate student in the Masters in Public Health (MPH) Epidemiology program, at GW's Milken Institute School of Public Health. Ko’s project aims to allow adults with developmental disabilities (DD) to participate in a 10-week course on health and wellness, and to learn the basic principles of healthy activities that can be easily recalled and applied in their everyday lives. In partnership with the non-profit Our Stomping Ground (OSG), the Health Really Matters project, Ko targets the prevalent issue of poor mental and physical health commonly seen in adults with disabilities that are often the direct result of poor diet and sleep habits, lack of physical activity, mood disorders, core problems with relationships, and lack of community integration.
Bailey Moore is a junior at GW, majoring in Public Health, with a minor in Human Services and Social Justice, and a micro-minor in Health Equity. Through her Knapp Fellowship, Moore plans to expand the Sisters Informing, Healing, Living, and Empowering (SIHLE) DC-based program, an already-existing peer-led training and educational intervention for Black girls and women between the ages of 14 and 19, who are at risk for negative sexual health outcomes. For her project, Moore is working with Planned Parenthood of the Metropolitan Washington D.C. (PPMW) as her community partner to create and facilitate this program series, while also amplifying young women’s voices by including them in the curriculum development.
Grace Rafferty, a double-major junior at GW, is pursuing her B.A. in Human Service & Social Justice and another B.A. in Music. As a Knapp Fellow, Rafferty is developing an after-school mentorship program for DC high school students to become informed and engaged civic leaders in their communities through service and advocacy. Rafferty aims to do this by building connections between George Washington University students and DC public high school students to provide mentorship, advising, and guidance on intentional community service. Grace is partnering with the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service and with the DCPS Counseling Team to develop the program, connect with DC high schools, and recruit GWU student mentors for this project.
