type of community member he wanted to be. The academic preparedness and values Isaac demonstrated during his college application process made him stand out in a field of applicants.
Living in a community like the Alzar School, working towards common goals, was something Isaac knew he loved during his semester, and now continues to seek out and immerse himself in other intentional communities. With the world at his doorstep, Isaac choose to study abroad in a public health program in South Africa. He pinpointed his particular program because of a deep community engagement and service component and because he was looking for a study abroad experience that would challenge him. Alongside his studies, Isaac is working closely with various local service organizations, learning and understanding the intertwined and convoluted dimensions of South African class, identity, and race. The complexity of South African society has given Isaac the opportunity to broaden his worldview and challenge the way he views himself. In addition to studying abroad, Isaac is actively involved in Stanford’s theater community and has applied to live in cooperative housing next year.
The Alzar School builds leaders and Isaac is one. Even the 10-elements of leadership Isaac learned at the Alzar School have stuck with him, for he realizes that they are “ten incredible values to keep in mind in your life.” Isaac sees his ability to step back and see the larger picture as his biggest area of growth at the Alzar School. “Being a leader isn’t always being the one in charge,” Isaac explains that even in situations where he is not in a designated leadership role, he still views how he interacts with people and the world through the lens of leadership. Embracing every day as a leader has helped Isaac find his “role in the community and [his] role as an individual part of a whole.”
This summer, Isaac will stay in South Africa where he will be working with Stanford Storytelling Project on an audio documentary. Isaac is working on a piece that looks at how stories and personal narratives in South Africa are influencing education. He plans to explore how educational reform movements in South Africa have been impacted by the history and stories of Apartheid. As Isaac continues his education in South Africa and at Stanford, his Alzar School experience echoes through his life in his desire to seek out intentional communities, and his passion for learning and self-awareness.
“A lot of the values that I have today and a lot of things I look for in experiences...stem from the values and things I learned at the Alzar School.”