JAMES MURPHEY

Miami University, B.S., Finance; Johns Hopkins, M.S., Education; Dartmouth, M.P.H., Public Health (candidate)

After finishing his undergraduate studies in finance at Miami University of Ohio, James moved to Washington, D.C., to work with Teach For America, where he taught secondary and middle school mathematics both to general and special education students. While completing his Teach For America commitment, James earned a master’s degree in education from Johns Hopkins and spent a summer in Costa Rica learning and working with the La Paz Community School. Beginning this August, James will begin pursuing a master’s degree in public health at Dartmouth, focusing on measuring biomarkers to track stress levels in children from different socioeconomic communities and the relationship of cortisol to mental health within food desert areas.

ASHLEY SITKIN

Boston University, B.S., Video & Film Production; Smith College, M.S.W., Clinical Social Work

After finishing her undergraduate studies at Boston University, Ashley moved to Alaska to pursue her love of the outdoors. During her time there, she helped manage a remote bear-viewing lodge, assisted on several backcountry documentary film shoots, and worked as an advocate at Alaska’s largest domestic violence agency serving women and children. Ashley left Alaska to backpack solo through South America before returning to school to pursue a master’s degree in Clinical Social Work, during which time she lived in northern Thailand for almost a year studying international social work, cross-cultural practice, and mindfulness while working with indigenous, exploited young women. Since graduate school, Ashley has worked as a clinical social worker with youth and families in the Boston area and currently runs the counseling department at a charter high school in inner-city Boston, where she utilizes play, creativity, yoga, and group dialogue in her work.