Two human rights students win J. E. Wallace Sterling Award for Scholastic Achievement

Two students affiliated with the Center for Human Rights and International Justice have received the J. E. Wallace Sterling Award for Scholastic Achievement from the School of Humanities and Sciences.

Keith Nobbs is minoring in Human Rights, for which he wrote a short fiction piece capstone project. He was a 2018 recipient of the Center’s Human Rights Summer Fellowship, for which he trained community members in a program that provides community-based mental health care for low- to middle-income rural villages with the Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy in Maharasthra, India. He is graduating with a degree in Anthropology.

“Keith consistently exhibits innate leadership skills and genuine curiosity,” said the Center’s Senior Program Manager Jessie Brunner. “I count myself tremendously fortunate to have witnessed Keith figuring out where to best position himself to advance better human rights outcomes for vulnerable populations, a mission that continues as he prepares to begin law school this autumn. I am so pleased his accomplishments are being acknowledged with this prestigious award!”

Isabel Vasquez has been a student worker at the Center this academic year and the previous year. In that capacity, she has ably supported the Center’s communications and events programming. She participated in the Center’s Human Rights Careers Intensive, a six-session workshop on charting career paths in the field. She also has interned at the State Department and participated in Stanford in Washington and Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society. She is an International Relations major and Modern Languages minor (Spanish and French).

“Isabel has been a pleasure to have on our student staff,” said Center Program Coordinator Steve Hoeschele. “She’s a responsible and capable team player with a can-do, upbeat attitude. I’m happy for—and proud of—her for earning this award, and I know she’ll do great things after Stanford.”

Named after President Sterling, who served as Stanford’s president from 1949 to 1968, and as chancellor until 1985, the J. E. Wallace Sterling Award for Scholastic Achievement is one of Stanford's most selective recognitions of a student's overall academic performance. The top 25 graduating seniors in the School of Humanities and Sciences are honored for their efforts and academic achievements throughout their undergraduate education.