Author: Leslie Gibson McCarthy

In a stirring speech to the Class of 2018, Anne-Marie Slaughter urged the graduates to be part of a great “American Renewal.”

The Brown School’s Najjuwah Walden, once of the system, aims to take on institutional violence as part of the system. Her post-graduate career will focus on reproductive and sexual health, particularly as it relates to institutional racism and economic stability.

From peer leadership in a groundbreaking campus group to netting a legendary goal for the women’s soccer team, Megan Wolf, math major, worked many angles to make Washington University a better place than she found it.

From helping residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods manage chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, to returning to her hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Michelle Mendiola Plá has demonstrated a passion for service and commitment to health equity.

With a unique skill, affection and affinity for working with older adults, Brown School PhD-candidate Cal Halvorson is making a career studying the relationship between work and aging.

How Peter Delaney, who will graduate from Washington University with a degree in global health and the environment in Arts & Sciences, turned a passion for innovation and medicine into an emergency medical system for an African community. And that’s just some of what he did as a student here.

One day, a law professor and a visiting scholar took a walk in St. Louis’ historic Forest Park. A friendship, partnership and a unique class called “Religion, Politics, and the University” followed, which takes a deep dive into how a diverse democracy can develop and be successful in a pluralistic society.

Studying mice, School of Medicine researchers found that a drug can deliver itch relief by targeting particular opioid receptors on neurons in the spinal cord. The drug is being tested for its anti-itch effects in the U.S., but until now scientists haven’t understood how it works.

Question: Who was the first alumnus to become chancellor?

With an eye toward strengthening and expanding Washington University’s efforts in Africa, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton has appointed Benjamin Akande as senior adviser to the chancellor and director of the Africa initiative. Akande, a Nigerian-born American, has built a career on research, teaching and learning with a unique passion for a life-changing political economy across Africa.