Six Vermont Law School students are among the 2016-17 class of Albert Schweitzer Fellows who will create and implement service projects to address health inequities in underserved communities.
Following the example set by famed physician-humanitarian Albert Schweitzer, VLS students EmmaRose Boyle '17, Heather Devine '17, Antonietta Girardi '17, Laura Savall '18, Eliza van Lennep '18, and Will Lowrey '17 will spend the next year learning to address social factors that influence health and well-being. They are among several graduate students from Vermont and New Hampshire who will join the ranks of Schweitzer Fellows working at program sites across the United States and in Lambaréné, Gabon, at the site of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital.
"I am pleased to announce our next group of students participating in the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship program at Vermont Law School," said Professor Laura Murphy, VLS Schweitzer advisor and associate director of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic (ENRLC). "The Schweitzer Fellowship provides students the opportunity to develop and implement a public service project over the course of a year, in the spirit of the Schweitzer vision to 'create a global corps of leaders who promote positive change with and in our communities, our health and human service systems, and our world.'"
"I look forward to seeing all that these passionate students are able to accomplish for our Vermont neighbors, and am confident their volunteer experiences will serve them well as lawyers," Murphy added.
Schweitzer Fellows fulfill their academic responsibilities as full-time students while designing and implementing unique, 200-hour service projects to address the root causes of health disparities in under-resourced communities. Each project is implemented in collaboration with a community-based organization. Fellows work under the close guidance of community and academic mentors.
The 2016-17 Vermont Law School Schweitzer Fellows are:
- EmmaRose Boyle
Community site: Orange County 4-H Programs
Boyle will work with young men and women who have a passion for agriculture and technical skills to empower them to go on to higher education. She will reach out to students in local 4-H programs and high schools, and encourage them to explore career possibilities, boost resumes, improve college applications, and provide tutoring help. - Heather Devine
Community site: Hunger Free Vermont
Devine will promote healthy eating for children under age 3 and their families by working with parents and piloting a food curriculum that introduces very young children to a variety of flavors, colors, and textures in healthy foods. - Antonietta Girardi and Laura Savall
Community site: Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility
Girardi and Savall seek to increase self-confidence and cultivate professional proficiency in public speaking and communication for individuals incarcerated within the Vermont Department of Corrections. The program consists of an eight-week curriculum wherein female inmates learn debate, research, and critical life skills. In addition, Girardi and Savall will digitize the curriculum, making it globally accessible. - Eliza van Lennep
Community site: Vermont Network Against Sexual and Domestic Violence
Van Lennep will design, create, and populate a web-based smartphone app that provides the survivors of rape and sexual violence a confidential, free, and convenient informational resource regarding their legal rights. The app will also provide links to information on mental and physical health resources, information for the friends and families of victims, and information regarding the legal system for victims who decide to prosecute. Van Lennep will conduct outreach in area colleges and high schools to educate students about sexual violence and advertise the app's availability. - Will Lowrey
Community site: Upper Valley Humane Society
Lowrey will develop and implement a community outreach program targeting pet owners in underserved communities in the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire. The program seeks to identify dogs and cats who may be living outdoors in substandard conditions and bring needed resources to the pet's home, eliminating barriers to the owners' ability to provide proper care and enjoy the companionship of their animals.
Since 1996, the New Hampshire-Vermont Schweitzer Fellows Program has supported more than 450 students in delivering more than 70,000 hours of service. The program is funded entirely through charitable donations and grants. For more information about the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, visit schweitzerfellowship.org/chapters/nhvt.
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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nation's premier environmental law program. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; three Master's Degrees—Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy; and four post-JD degrees —LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, and Center for Applied Human Rights. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.