On turning a bold vision into reality, taking risks, and creating an undergraduate program that nurtures personal growth and innovation
Jaspal Sandhu is a faculty member in Maternal Child & Adolescent Health at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health and served as the Fung Fellowship’s faculty lead from 2016–21. Outside of UC Berkeley, Jaspal is a managing partner at Gobee Group, a global health social impact design consulting firm.
Under Jaspal’s leadership, the Fung Fellowship became established as one of the first undergraduate discovery education programs at UC Berkeley. As faculty lead, he was responsible for building the curriculum, embedding experiential learning into the program, and bringing community into the classroom. …
Nine Fung Fellows developed CalSound, a website for visualizing soundscape data, to help marine resource managers understand ocean sound.
By: Leena Elzeiny, Edgar Hildebrandt Rojo, Audrey Kuptz, Anmol Parande
What can you hear right now? Anything from a person walking past your door to the gentle hum of the electronics around you composes your acoustic environment, also called your soundscape. Oceans have a soundscape too, and they include all the biologic, anthropogenic, and geologic noises in the sea.
The protection of natural soundscapes is necessary because of the impact noise has on ocean life. Sounds within a landscape can provide essential insight into the health of the ecosystem. For example, a study published in 2012 observed the effect of…
“My goal is to maintain the parts of our global systems that work whilst also continuing to develop these systems in a way which is more sustainable.”
Sierra Margolis is a Conservation + Tech fellow studying Conservation and Resource Studies (CRS) with an area of interest in Designing Sustainable Systems. Here, she shares more about her interests and projects at the intersection of sustainability and design.
Tell us about yourself!
I come from the best place in the whole world — a small, simple home in Los Angeles, CA. Though our house is not large it is always full of people. We frequently have visitors and, since my room doubles nicely as a guest room, I have spent many nights squeezed onto our inflatable mattress with my sister. When they say…
On June 8, 2021, author Megan Gerhardt PhD launched her book titled Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce. Gentelligence, a term coined by Gerhardt, is defined by the following:
- A business method and mindset to transform multigenerational challenges into intergenerational collaboration and success.
- Inclusively leveraging diverse skills, talents, abilities, and experience among different age groups.
- A success factor for recruitment and retention of employees.
“I believe legal education will allow me to effectuate long-term change through litigation and advocacy.”
Adriel Ghadoushi is a Fung Fellow in the Conservation + Tech track, majoring in society and environment and minoring in public policy. Here, he shares his various projects and initiatives for societal change, demonstrating his passions in policy, sustainability, and justice.
Tell us about yourself and your journey to the Fung Fellowship!
I was born and raised in Los Angeles to a family of Jewish immigrants. My parents fled religious persecution in Iran and sought refuge in the United States. Their story of perseverance has instilled into me a sense of urgency, commitment, and excitement to be a source of good in the world.
I graduated from high school in 2019…
Learn effective and practical strategies to improve your odds of securing summer internships and opportunities based on the time of the school year as a UC Berkeley student.
Let’s be honest, securing summer plans is the greatest stress on students’ shoulders every year. Internships and summer opportunities can be so broad, especially regarding the range of timing, methods for pursuit, and levels of stress, and application process.
In my observation as an UC Berkeley undergrad over the past two years, I’ve noticed that some students get internships, gain work experience, build cool projects, and work with different professors. Other students don’t get these internships, projects, or work with professors. I don’t always believe that it is solely about smarts, drive, or passion. From what I observe, certain students…
“Architecture empowered me to be curious and critical about the built and imagined spaces both around and beyond me.”
Jenina Yutuc is an Fung Fellows Honors student, majoring in interdisciplinary studies and minoring in global poverty & practice. Here, she shares her experiences as a second-year fellow, her honors team project, and her ambitions and reflections as an aspiring architect.
Tell us about yourself!
I’m Jenina! I am a fourth-year majoring in interdisciplinary studies with a minor in global poverty & practice, and a certificate in design innovation. My hometown is Apalit, Pampanga in the Philippines. When I was 7 years old, my family and I moved to Gainesville, Florida, and lived there for 13 years. …
Shotline is a community-powered organization bridging the digital divide in public health by leveraging the tech skills of a widespread, virtual volunteer network to make the COVID-19 vaccine more accessible to communities facing technological barriers.
When Erin Kraemer, BA ’22 (Computer Science), was going for her daily walk, her 93 year old neighbor, Marie Kolstad, flagged her down to request assistance in booking a COVID-19 vaccine. Marie was unable to figure out how to register on her computer and her phone was too old. With Erin’s help, they were able to secure an appointment in just 15 minutes.
After reflecting on this interaction, Erin called on her Fung Fellowship Honors teammates. She was inspired to see what would happen if they poured more resources and effort into helping bridge the digital divide in the COVID-19…
“I will do everything I can to work directly on the solutions to our environmental crises.”
Chris Gould is a junior transfer in the Fung Fellowship Conservation + Tech track studying economics. Here, he shares his experience in the Army, goal to become a CPA and vision to combat the environmental crisis.
Tell us about yourself!
My name is Chris and I’m a junior studying Economics at UC Berkeley. I’m in pursuit of my Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license and will be taking courses through Haas this upcoming summer to help facilitate the CPA requirements.
I graduated high school in 2015 and went to Cal Poly SLO to study aerospace engineering. Luckily for me, Cal Poly is unique in that…
“I am grateful for this fellowship for acting as a close community during a huge transition in my life.”
Jazalyn Cyrene Cruz is a Fung Fellow in the Health + Tech track currently studying media studies and pursuing a certificate in Design Innovation (IP) at UC Berkeley. Here, she shares about her academic interests, her experience as a Fung Fellow, and her aspirations of becoming a designer.
Tell us about yourself!
“Hi, I’m Jazalyn Cruz and I am a third year student at UC Berkeley, studying media studies and design. I come from a tight-knit family of five who has taught me the importance of hardwork, to take advantage of all opportunities, and to prioritize self-care.
When I transferred to Cal last fall…
