Meet the Student Philanthropy Council
Smera Dwivedi
Class of 2027
Smera is a sophomore and intended chemistry major in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. She is currently a member of The Women's Network, The Waldron Student-Alumni Connections Program, and is involved with Northwestern Dance Marathon. She is also currently serving on the Kaplan Humanities Program advisory board. She wanted to join the SPC because she wants to be more involved in philanthropy in order to set up her own type of endowed fund/nonprofit in the future!
Emily Fosker
Class of 2027
Emily is a sophomore student majoring in journalism at Medill and minoring in economics or business institutions. On campus, she is currently involved with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Daily Northwestern. Philanthropy has always been important to Emily, so joining the Student Philanthropy Council and educating her community on the importance of giving back is a meaningful experience for her.
Sophia Gambill
Class of 2025
Sophia is a senior studying communication sciences and disorders in the School of Communication. On campus, she is involved in Kesem, National Student Speech Language Hearing Association, and the Swallowing Cross-Systems Collaborative. She loves being involved with philanthropy and joined the Student Philanthropy Council to grow her involvement and share the impact of philanthropy with the Northwestern community.
Zoey Hall
Class of 2025
Zoey is a senior studying biological anthropology and global health in Weinberg College. On campus, Zoey is involved with the Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band, Northwestern University Dance Marathon, and Books & Breakfast. She is also on the executive board for Caped Clinicians, Minority Association for Pre-Medical Students, and Elevating Deaf Voices. Philanthropy has always been a large part of Zoey's life, and she is excited to share her love of giving back with the rest of the Northwestern community.
Anoushka Kapur
Class of 2025
Anoushka is a senior student studying computer science in Weinberg College. She is also a member of DISC NU (Develop + Innovate for Social Change) and is serving on the junior executive board of NU Women in Computing. Being involved with philanthropic initiatives has always been extremely important to Anoushka and a big part of how she engages with the community around her; she is very excited to be a part of the Student Philanthropy Council to help inform her peers of the importance of philanthropy and how they can engage with it at Northwestern.
Jonathan Mazor
Class of 2025
Jonathan is a senior studying statistics, mathematics, and Jewish studies in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. On campus, he is involved with the Hillel student engagement committee and a startup in The Garage. Philanthropy has had a significant role in Jonathan's life, so he is excited to spread awareness and education among the student population.
Molly McCarthy
Class of 2025
Molly is a senior studying psychology, cognitive science, and global health in Weinberg College. She is a research assistant in the Body and Media Lab, the development coordinator for Camp Kesem, the director of philanthropy for her sorority, and a peer advisor. Molly joined the philanthropy council to help share her love of giving back to her community with her peers and encourage all students to get actively engaged in their communities.
Katherine Payne
Class of 2025
Kate is a senior studying economics and political science in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. On campus, she is the current co-president of Womxn in Law and is a student ambassador for the Global Learning Office. She is also involved in Women in Business and is a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority. Philanthropy has always been important to Kate, so being a member of the Student Philanthropy Council for the past three years has been a wonderful experience and opportunity. The organization has allowed Kate to help educate her peers and herself on the importance of giving back to the Northwestern community.
Efren Ponce
Class of 2025
Efren is a senior in the School of Communication. He is president of NU Nights and co-president of CoPilot. He joined the Student Philanthropy Council to help celebrate ’Cats giving back and to learn the impact it can have on the Northwestern community.
Lilly Reed
Class of 2025
Lilly is a senior in the School of Communication. She is majoring in radio/television/film and economics, and minoring in business institutions. Outside of her studies, you can find Lilly DJing on WNUR-FM's Rock Show, filming for Northwestern Sketch Television, or spending some time at the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion, either working or working out. She joined the Student Philanthropy Council because she sees the value and significance of philanthropy and is excited to relay that importance to others.
Steven Sacerdote
Class of 2026
Steven is a junior studying history at Weinberg College. On campus, he enjoys playing intramural sports and being involved in student organizations such as the Alexander Hamilton Society. He is extremely excited to be a part of the Student Philanthropy Council so he can educate the Northwestern community about philanthropy and the value of giving back to all the important causes that have impacted their Northwestern experiences.
Isabel Su
Class of 2027
Isabel is a sophomore student studying journalism and economics with a minor in French. On campus, she is involved with the Daily Northwestern, Delta Gamma Sorority, and Asian American Student Journalists. She joined the Student Philanthropy Council because she has always been passionate about philanthropy and wants to give back to the Northwestern community in any way she can.
Kelly Teitel
Class of 2025
Kelly is a senior student studying biology and environmental science in Weinberg College. She has been involved in Community Health Corps, The Campus Kitchen at Northwestern University, Relay For Life, and Wild Roots Garden. She is looking forward to encouraging fellow Northwestern students to participate in philanthropy on campus.
Maya Turun
Class of 2026
Maya is a junior studying social policy in School of Education and Social Policy. She plans to double major in learning and organizational change and minor in legal studies. She is currently part of Peer Inclusion Educators (PIE) through Social Justice Education and the Center for Leadership-Undergraduate Leadership program (CFL-ULP) . She is a strong believer in the power of philanthropy and education. She looks toward pursuing a career in humanitarian and philanthropy work after her education and has been looking to gain more knowledge in this field. She believes that joining the Student Philanthropy Council would be a great opportunity for her to learn and begin her philanthropic journey of restoring balance and giving the needed resources to various communities.
Klara Vinn
Class of 2027
Klara is a sophomore studying neuroscience, data science, and global health at Weinberg College. On campus she is involved in the swim club, Arch Scholars, Compass , and Alpha Chi Omega. She also tutors immigrant children in English and volunteers to help Ukrainian refugees. As a Ukrainian immigrant herself, this cause is extremely dear to her heart, and she is excited to join the Student Philanthropy Council with a unique perspective on ways to give back to her new community at Northwestern and hopefully inspire others to do the same.
Kate Walter
Class of 2025
Kate is a senior student studying journalism in Medill and political science in Weinberg College. At Northwestern, Kate writes for The Daily Northwestern, is a member of the club swim team, and is involved with an entrepreneurship program through The Garage. She joined the Student Philanthropy Council to learn more about Northwestern’s philanthropic efforts and work with other passionate students to serve the community.
Jonathan Wu
Class of 2026
Jonathan is a junior studying industrial engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering. He is currently involved in Engineers for a Sustainable World, a Garage startup, and the Advancing Teams, Systems, and Leaders (ATLAS) lab here at Northwestern. To him, philanthropy is more than just giving, but a way to help create opportunities and shape a better future for the community. He joined the Student Philanthropy Council to learn more and contribute to Northwestern's efforts to extend philanthropy amongst the Evanston community.
Angela Zhang
Class of 2025
Angela is a senior student, studying journalism and potentially political science in Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. On campus, you can find Angela singing her heart out with the Treblemakers a cappella group and fostering connections as an Arch Scholar. To her, philanthropy means more than giving back. Angela hopes to connect her experiences in gender equity advocacy and artistic storytelling to create a proactive, empathetic future , driven by the communities she strives to serve.
Leeland Zhang
Class of 2026
Leeland is a junior in the McCormick School of Engineering majoring in applied math. He is involved in Northwestern Science Olympiad, Global Engagement Summit, Northwestern TAMID, Scholars of Finance, Global Brigades, and is doing research at C3 Lab on campus. He works at a startup outside of school, but has been finding ways to incorporate more impact-focused philanthropy into his work, thus motivating a join into Student Philanthropy Council as a means to support the local Northwestern community.