Imagine A World

In this episode, Sydney Hunt ('23 cohort) interviews Willie Thompson ('22 cohort), one of the original creators of Imagine a World, and a person whose presence will be deeply missed within the Knight-Hennessy Scholars community. Throughout the episode, he reflects on what it means to be in community with others and how that has looked for him from where he grew up to his time as a husband and father at Stanford as part of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars community.Don't miss: A surprise visit by another person who played a pivotal role in the creation of the Imagine a World podcast: Taylor Goss ('21 cohort).Highlights from the episode:(02:46) Imagine a World/Denning House-style guessing game(05:54) Surprise visit from Taylor Goss(07:18) Growing up in the Deep South, going to Morehouse College, spending a year in Taiwan as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, spending a year in Beijing as a Schwarzman Scholar, and working at The Bridgespan Group (11:29) Things Willie liked to do in his communities growing up and the inspiration behind his interest in education(15:51) Wanting to start a school(19:49) His experiences in high school leading up to Morehouse and how he was able to form a tight-knit community with his peers at Morehouse(29:25) Deciding to apply to Fulbright and Schwarzman(33:55) Elaborating on his Imagine a World statement(41:48) Being in the Stanford Knight-Hennessy Scholars community and being in community as a father, husband, and a Knight-Hennessy Scholar (47:19) Value of mixing fields and programs while at Stanford(54:44) Improbable facts, five favorite albums of all time, and Willie's walk-on song

Rachel Desch, a member of the 2023 Knight-Hennessy cohort and a second-year master's student in international policy, shares insights from her diverse background on a military base to her academic journey. She discusses the importance of building trust in government to mitigate conflict and inspire innovative policymaking. Rachel highlights how pockets of 'start-up culture' within government can lead to mission-driven progress. She also reflects on common misconceptions about bureaucratic operations and shares her aspirations for public service.

In this special episode, Sydney Hunt (‘23 cohort), Anson Zhou ('24 cohort), and Max Du ('24 cohort) curate some of the most memorable moments of Season 2 through the lens of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars leadership model. Across four segments—curiosity, inspiration, open-mindedness, and visionary thinking—they revisit several standout clips from scholars who pushed boundaries in science fairs, forged lifelong friendships, embraced mentorship, and built new paths for their communities.Highlights from the episode:(01:46) Curiosity: Catharine Bowman ('22 cohort) recounts her first backyard water-filter experiments, her bacterial-growth grocery-bag study, and how a local science fair project led to a world-record baking soda volcano on the Discovery Channel.(05:43) Inspiration: Takondwa Priscilla Semphere ('23 cohort), Sanaa Alam ('23 cohort), Hannah Melville-Rea ('23 cohort), Jocelyn Ricard ('23 cohort), and Leona Neftaliem ('23 cohort) reflect on building enduring friendships across time zones and how the programming at Knight-Hennessy Scholars enabled their close bonds. We also hear about the friendships shared by Longsha Liu and David Jiang and Sydney Hunt ('23 cohort), Gianmarco Coronado Graci ('23 cohort), and Will Dwyer ('23 cohort).(17:16) Open-Mindedness: Jordyn Sanico and Christian Tanja share the teachers and early-career mentors who urged them to “just try,” followed by Eliza Ennis’s ('22 cohort) insights into empowering community leaders in global health policy.(25:38) Visionary: Quyên Nguyễn-Hoàng ('22 cohort) describes the beauty of slowing down in a fast-paced world, and Khushi Malde ('24 cohort) describes founding an entrepreneurship nonprofit that bridges Kenyan students with mentors.

In this episode, Max Du ('24 cohort) and Nikhil Gupta ('22 cohort) interview Madison Freeman ('22 cohort) who imagines a world where technological solutions drive a sustainable economy. Madison unpacks her passion for the venture capital climate technology space and what that work looks like day-to-day. She talks about how she became interested in climate issues and where her desire to do internationally impactful work comes from. Madison also shares how students, startups, and international climate initiatives fuel her optimism about solving climate challenges--even amid today's uncertain funding landscape.Highlights from the episode:(02:48) Her Austin upbringing, time studying in DC, and desire to do internationally impactful work(09:48) Becoming interested in climate matters(14:23) Understanding the increased interest in climate(16:01) Rapid fire questions about Madison and climate(20:17) Work before Stanford and breaking into the climate space(27:01) Elaborating more on her interest in the field of venture capital climate tech ecosystem(31:39) The day-to-day of someone in the venture capital climate tech space(35:22) Working in the State Department(41:22) Advice for those interested in working in policy(45:48) Advice for people interested in applying to Stanford and Knight-Hennessy Scholars(50:50) Breaking down why it is a strange time for climate right now and why Madison continues to be optimistic about eventually solving climate challenges

In this episode, Anson Zhou ('24 cohort) and Ashley Yeh ('24 cohort) speak with David Jiang ('22 cohort) and Longsha Liu ('22 cohort) about their journeys to Stanford and the close friendship they've formed. David and Longsha share the accomplishments and vision behind their KHeystone Project: the Stanford Healthcare Design Challenge, which seeks to bridge the gap between healthcare innovation and implementation. Longsha discusses the motivation behind his interests in the intersections of healthcare with technology, research, and business. He also shares his elaborately planned and heartwarming proposal story (which David played a huge role in). David talks about the importance of community throughout his time as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar and what creating community during COVID times looked like.Highlights from the episode:(04:06) Longsha's journey from Hong Kong to California (and all the places between)(06:09) The motivation behind Longsha's interests in healthcare, technology, and entrepreneurship(11:20) David's journey from the Gobi Desert to Japan and then Minnesota(13:21) David's path to law school(18:02) Their Immersion Weekend experience, how they ended up becoming close friends, and finding community in Knight-Hennessy during COVID times(28:46) Longsha's upcoming wedding, David's role as the officiant and co-best man, and Longsha's proposal story(41:55) Their KHeystone Project: the Stanford Healthcare Design Challenge(51:35) How Longsha's startup influenced the development of the KHeystone Project(1:00:07) Improbable facts(1:01:37) Advice for those applying to Knight-Hennessy

In this episode, Sydney Hunt ('23 cohort) and Ashley Yeh ('24 cohort) speak with Khushi Malde ('24 cohort) about her hopes for education to spark curiosity, build resilience, and empower students to innovate, create, and lead for global responsibility. Khushi shares how growing up and attending high school in Kenya and then pursuing an undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley made her realize the gap in opportunities that she had compared to her peers--and how doing work to bridge those gaps brings her joy. She talks about founding a nonprofit that brings entrepreneurship education to high school students across Sub-Saharan Africa and shares insights into her current work at Stanford, where she's building tools that help students explore potential career paths through hands-on, immersive learning.Highlights from the episode:(03:45) Khushi's journey from Kenya to UC Berkeley to Stanford and how it has influenced her work and academic path(07:18) The gaps that Khushi is working to bridge and the point when she realized the gap in opportunities that she had compared to her Berkeley peers(11:13) Why Khushi chose to pursue data science and business at Stanford(17:33) Elaborating more on her decision to pursue nonprofit work in Africa, the journey of starting and running her nonprofit, and the work that her nonprofit is doing(25:47) Khushi's plans and aspirations for the future as well as the project that she is currently working on at Stanford(33:09) What Knight-Hennessy Scholars has meant to her work and her experience at Stanford(37:43) Her experience at Immersion Weekend and why she considers it a highlight of her overall Knight-Hennessy Scholars experience(39:44) Advice for those applying to Knight-Hennessy Scholars(45:04) Improbable facts

In this episode, Max Du ('24 cohort) and Anson Zhou ('24 cohort) speak with Eliza Ennis ('22 cohort) about her journey from a close-knit community in New Mexico to Stanford’s Health Policy PhD program and how her upbringing, family, and community have shaped her interests. Eliza discusses her academic journey from Harvard to Stanford, plans for her upcoming dissertation, and some of the research and social impact projects that she has worked on around the world. She discusses her passion for health policy, the challenges of translating research into real-world solutions, and her vision for a more equitable healthcare system worldwide.Highlights from the episode:(02:23) Growing up in New Mexico(12:42) The role of Eliza's family and community on her academic path(18:12) Eliza's journey to studying health policy at Stanford and her experiences within the PhD program(25:02) Work she will do in summer 2025 and her past research projects(30:18) How community stories have impacted how she thinks about and approaches global health(36:22) Eliza's work in San Francisco and plans for her dissertation(44:42) Reflecting on community(48:35) Improbable facts

In this episode, Sydney Hunt ('23 cohort) and Will Dwyer ('23 cohort) speak with Gianmarco Coronado Graci ('23 cohort) about how his lived experiences have fueled his desire to work towards a world where access to justice is a right and not a privilege. Gianmarco also shares his experiences studying law in Mexico and then transitioning to Stanford after working as an adjunct professor of law at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México and as a senior associate at a litigation law firm in Mexico City. Highlights from the episode:(04:12) Interviewing the Mexican Supreme Court Justice Hon. Margarita Ríos Farjat(08:21) The Neukom Center's Rule of Law Speaker Series(11:55) Gianmarco's journey from Mexico City to Stanford and decision to pursue law(19:01) Working as an adjunct professor of law at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México(21:00) Lived experiences that led him to pursue studying law(32:43) Elaborating on the motivations behind his Imagine a World Statement(38:23) Pursuing a master of law and master of public policy at Stanford(46:32) Being a Knight-Hennessy scholar(59:37) Improbable facts

In this episode, Ashley Yeh ('24 cohort) and Max Du ('24 cohort) speak with Quyên Nguyễn-Hoàng ('22 cohort) about movement, belonging, and the search for stillness in a fast-paced world. Drawing on Buddhist philosophy, Quyên embraces the idea of finding home in transition and uncertainty. Quyên also shares her experiences attending Stanford as an undergrad and grad student and what it was like to move to the United States from Vietnam.Highlights from the episode:(01:55) Quyên's journey from Vietnam to Stanford(06:11) Her interest in poetry and feelings about how poetry evokes a sense of home--poetry as rhythm, release, and home(13:10) Home as both a physical place and an internal state(33:55) Experiences attending Stanford as an undergrad and grad student(39:01) Moving from one culture to another(45:43) Becoming interested in Buddhist thought(47:43) Pursuing a PhD in Art History

In this episode, Willie Thompson ('22 cohort) and Max Du ('24 cohort) speak with Catharine Bowman ('22 cohort) about how her lived experiences have fueled her research focus on ensuring that patients living with lymphatic diseases are properly diagnosed and treated. Catharine also shares how her studies led to her falling in love with humanity, how she tries to keep a childlike sense of wonder and openness in her approach to research and life in general, and some of the people and research projects that give her hope.Highlights from the episode:(03:43) The motivation behind attending Stanford and her Imagine a World statement(14:49) Falling in love with humanity and maintaining a sense of wonder and openness everyday(19:26) Adding on a PhD in Epidemiology and Clinical Research(22:56) The challenges of diagnosing and treating people with lymphedema or lymphatic diseases(28:35) The people and research projects that give her hope(32:40) Participating in the International Science and Engineering Fair(43:37) Advice for those applying to Stanford and Knight-Hennessy(45:31) Improbable facts