Jennifer Schwartz, Chemistry Instructor
My name is Jennifer Schwartz and I am a Senior Lecturer in Stanford's Chemistry Department. I also did my graduate work here in Ed Solomon's lab earning a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry in 2008. During those 6 years, I found that teaching was my greatest passion, and I got deeply involved in developing new lab activities for our general chemistry program, Chem31A/B. I also began working with the Center for Teaching and Learning to help create a mentoring program for new TA's throughout the university. I am now very happy to be teaching full time in the Stanford Chemistry department where I am able to work with hundreds of talented and enthusiastic new students each year. I have particularly enjoyed the opportunity to reach out to those who have not necessarily had a lot of exposure to chemistry, and help them develop a deeper understanding of the material and see how we can apply it to our everyday world! When I'm not teaching chemistry, I love to take advantage of the beautiful outdoors, cook up a tasty fondue dinner, or relax with an episode of the Big Bang Theory. Having grown up in Wisconsin, I am also an avid Packers fan and keep my cheese-head proudly displayed at home.
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Charlie Cox, Chemistry Instructor
Hello everyone. I am a lecturer in the chemistry department, and I have been at Stanford for three years in August. I grew up in North Carolina, and I was the first person in my family to go to college. I attended North Carolina State University where I started out as a chemical engineering major, but my love for chemistry won out, and I switched majors my junior year. My fascination with chemistry was attributed to my immense curiosity regarding studying existing molecules and making new molecules, particularly with the prospect of changing the world. I spent a lot of time during my undergraduate career working with proteins and studying their physical properties. Following my undergraduate career, I enrolled in a Master's program at Clemson with the intent of getting a job in industry. I studied fullerenes and porphyrins and their properties and truly enjoyed the experience, but my passion for teaching began to come through when I starting teaching laboratory sections of organic chemistry. During this time frame, a new program in chemical education was started at Clemson by chance. This program combined my love for chemistry and teaching into one entity. I enrolled in the Ph.D. program under the guidance of Melanie Cooper with a joint collaboration with Ron Stevens at UCLA. During my three year program, I developed new models for teaching organic chemistry with an emphasis upon successful communication and use of models. Following graduate school, I taught at the University of New Hampshire for one year, Georgia Institute of Technology for three years, and now Stanford. I have taught general, organic, inorganic, and even analytical chemistry during my career. In my free time, I enjoy going to the movies, hiking, running, canoeing, going to the beach, or taking road trips.
Lori Lopez, Teaching Assistant
Nidia Ruedas-Gracia, Resident Assistant Director / Teaching Assistant
Hello! My name is Nidia Ruedas-Gracia and I am a current Stanford graduate student studying Developmental and Psychological Science (aka Educational Psychology) in the Graduate School of Education. I was born and raised in Los Angeles (Go Lakers! Go Dodgers! Go Kings!). I received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where I double-majored in Psychology and Sociology and minored in Philosophy. I then went on to earn my Master’s degree from New York University (NYU) where I studied Human Development and Social Intervention. My research interests include the psychosociocultural factors that influence minority student retention in higher education. I am also interested in factors that influence the psychological well-being of minority college students, specifically first-generation, low-income college students. I am a first-generation college student, and proud of it! I love to pay it forward, give back to my community, and mentor/advise other first-generation college students. When I’m not conducting research, I am listening to music or singing in the Mayfield Band alongside really cool professors. I love to go to concerts, music festivals, and love when my favorite artists release new music. Feel free to send any cool music my way!
Rosie Nelson, Resident Assistant Director / Teaching Assistant
Hi everyone! My name is Rosie Nelson and I am a PhD student in the Stanford Graduate School of Education, studying the Sociology of Education and Higher Education. I am originally from the Los Angeles area, but spent much of my adult life in Oxford, MS, a college town about 75 miles from Memphis, where I completed master’s degrees in both Sociology and Higher Education at the University of Mississippi. Before that, I earned my bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. I’ve been involved with volunteerism and community service activities since I started college and served two terms in AmeriCorps, including disaster relief and recovery work after Hurricane Katrina, an experience that motivated me to attend graduate school. Since coming to Stanford, I have been involved in multiple programs with the Native American Cultural Center and have mentored undergraduate students on research as well as projects focused on leadership and activism. When not studying, I enjoy reading, spending time with people (especially around food), hiking, going to powwows and other events in the broader Native community, trying out new restaurants, and being involved with campus dinners or events when I can—this past year, I hosted a feminism-themed Passover seder for graduate students through Hillel, which was a great experience. I also love attending fun events and programs on campus, which have included everything from foreign films to poetry readings to lectures on cool topics that I don’t hear about often in classes.
Jennifer Telschow, Program Assistant
My name is Jennifer Telschow ('13) and I am from Charlotte, NC. I majored in Human Biology with a concentration in Science Education in Underserved Communities. Being a first-generation college student, I am interested in discovering more ways to combine my experience with my passion for science and education in order to motivate more students to go to college and fulfill their dreams. I plan to become a high school biology teacher and eventually move into education administration. I am actively involved with Stanford's First-Generation/Low-Income Partnership (FLIP) on campus as well as various mentoring and educational groups. I love southern accents, bay area graffiti, black and white photography, and any place in California that serves (real) sweet tea.
Warren Chiang, Program Director
Greetings! I have served as the Director of the Leland Scholars Program since it began in 2011. It has been my utter joy in life to support scholars in the transition to college and to accompany them in taking courageous steps toward becoming who they were meant to be! My journey to the present has meandered through many positions and geographies -- from substitute teaching in Oakland, CA to preparing student financial aid packages in Boston, MA, to designing support programs for AHANA students at Boston College. Indeed, I have also been lucky and privileged enough to study and work at places such as, Harvard University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, and U.C. Berkeley. I have called many places home including -- Maplewood (NJ), Berkeley (CA), Cambridge (MA), Richland (WA), Sacramento (CA), and currently in San Francisco (CA). When I am not on-campus, I can be found at home spending time with my wife and housemates, enjoying a recent flick, or playing a competitive game of tennis. Beyond that, I am an ardent fan of my alma mater (that school across the Bay), addictive video games, and a quality bowl of ramen.
Lourdes Andrade, Associate Program Director
