Stella Murray

I am 50% American, 50% Italian, and 100% Changemaker. By ten years old, I had seen the inequities that hid in the corners of my childhood – the lack of resources provided to the American Indians who lived in my beloved Minnesota and the all-consuming concern that we would lose everything if my Italian grandparents were hospitalized in the US. Two fires were stoked within me – one for standing up for human rights and another for making a difference in the built environment. These two passions coalesced into one personal mission as I pursued one graduate, two undergraduate, and three minor degrees at the Pennsylvania State University. The Schreyer Honors College and the co.space (https://thecospace.com/) granted me opportunities to raise awareness of the inequities facing American Indians, Muslims, and women. Upon graduating, I immediately sought a means of pursuing health-related social justice as a professional. Once I passed the WELL Accredited Professional (AP) exam, I began working full-time at Horton Lees Brogden (HLB) Lighting Design and have since been on the hunt for community development opportunities at a (inter-)national scale. I recently took two important steps in that direction – joining 1% for the Planet (https://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/) and submitting this application.