Environmental Justice For Frontline Communities in South San Mateo County!
Overview
Our Mission: We exist to uplift Latino families in East Palo Alto and the mid-peninsula through community education, leadership development, and advocacy.
Our Vision: Nuestra Casa envisions a vibrant East Palo Alto community united around shared values, a multicultural community working together to ensure that all its residents are integrated and have access to the American Dream. Our families pave the road for other generations to follow through their participation in civic engagement activities and collaborative community actions.
Who We Are: Nuestra Casa has been serving the needs of the immigrant Latino population of East Palo Alto and surrounding communities since 2002. Our organization rose out of a community assessment conducted by a group of local activists who were concerned about the growing needs of the rising immigrant population. Today, Nuestra Casa is positioned as the premier Latinx serving nonprofit in our community. Over the past five years, our growth has allowed us to expand our services and programming into neighboring communities like Menlo Park (Belle Haven region) and Redwood City. Through our advocacy efforts, we also reach other communities in San Mateo County.
At Nuestra Casa, we welcome our community to a place that feels like home. We stand by their side to help them navigate institutions, build people’s power, and use their voice to shape a new, more equitable community. Our programs transform our leaders into advocates actively engaged in our local economy, school district, and civic life. Together, we will build a community that leaves no one behind.
About the Fellowship
Nuestra Casa seeks a creative, motivated, and passionate student to join our Environmental Justice Department. This fellowship offers the opportunity to address real-world environmental justice issues by centering community voices in impactful work.
Environmental Justice:
Our Environmental Justice Department organizes and empowers community residents to take ownership of their advocacy abilities. Our goal is to ensure frontline communities’ inclusion in discussions and policies related to climate change. Nuestra Casa is well known for adapting our workshops to local cultural identities, including Pacific Islander, African American, and Latino/x.
Responsibilities and tasks include but are not limited to:
- Community Research Support:
Assist with microplastics research for a local horizontal levee project, including supporting sampling days with community members and partners at Palo Alto's Baylands.
- Youth Engagement:
Support the Estuary Youth Council in partnership with the San Francisco Estuary Partnership by organizing meetings and outings with educational and outdoor components.
- Community Outreach:
Develop educational materials and plan outreach events focused on environmental justice.
Create social media content that translates complex research into accessible formats, including Spanish translations when possible.
- Policy and Advocacy Support:
Research and support ongoing legislative efforts, including:
Developing a centralized database for contamination sites in coordination with state agencies (DTSC and State Water Resources Board).
Advocating for state code changes to recognize cities like East Palo Alto as disadvantaged communities, enabling access to funding through the State Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience Program (SAFER).
- Collaboration and Meetings:
Attend environmental justice meetings, collaborating with community members and partner organizations.
- Research and Administrative Tasks:
Investigate community concerns and synthesize findings into accessible formats for advocacy.
Support program tracking and data entry using Salesforce and assist with team administrative needs as required.
Learning Opportunities:
- Gain hands-on experience developing community-focused curricula and translating complex research into actionable items for diverse audiences.
- Deepen understanding of environmental justice issues in frontline communities of San Mateo County.
- Learn about policy development, key stakeholders, and decision-making agencies in the region.
- Build connections with environmental justice organizations and gain practical advocacy skills.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Open to all academic levels (undergraduate, Master’s, or PhD).
- Knowledge of Spanish is preferred but not required.
- Academic background in environmental studies, science, political science, or related fields is helpful but not mandatory.
- Demonstrated passion for social and environmental justice.
- Awareness of immigrant and low-income community issues.
- Strong organizational, communication, and teamwork skills.
Apply Today to Make an Impact!
Join Nuestra Casa’s mission to empower frontline communities and contribute to meaningful change in environmental justice.
Stipend
Undergraduate Cardinal Quarter Fellows receive a base stipend of $8,000 (which includes a $500 cost of living adjustment for the Bay Area) to support living expenses during the 10-week fellowship. Financial aid and supplemental funding ($1,000-$1,500 additional) may be available to students who qualify (learn more here).
Students in a 2-year Masters program will receive a stipend of $9,500. Students who have begun their coterm programs (i.e. paying graduate tuition) will also receive a stipend of $9,500. PhD students on a 50% assistantship can work up to 16 hours/week and will receive up to $4,500 for a part-time fellowship. PhD students with departmental flexibility for more hours can discuss options with PCJ program staff.
Please note that students can apply for no more than three different PCJ fellowship opportunities during a single application round.
This is a full-time (35-40 hours/week), 10-week opportunity during Summer 2025, starting no later than July 7, 2025. All fellows are required to work with their community partners for ten consecutive weeks.
Undergraduate, co-term, Masters and PhD students from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to students who have completed fewer than two previous Cardinal Quarter opportunities.
Graduating seniors are only eligible to apply during Round 2 (early April) if funding is available and positions are still open. Please note graduating seniors are not eligible for financial aid supplemental funding. Please review our program policies for complete eligibility requirements.
In order to be eligible for a Haas Center-sponsored Cardinal Quarter summer opportunity, undergraduate students are required to be enrolled in both the winter and spring quarters. Graduate level students must be enrolled at least in spring quarter.
Students are required to be in good academic standing. The requirements for good academic standing include: 1) Earn at least 9 units of credit in a single quarter. 2) Earn at least 36 units over the most recent three quarters 3) Maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or above.
Additional Fellowship Requirements
This opportunity is associated with Partnerships for Climate Justice in the Bay Area (PCJ in the Bay), an initiative to build equitable climate change solutions by supporting partnerships between Stanford students, faculty and Bay Area community leaders. Fellows will be a part of a cohort of other PCJ in the Bay summer fellows placed at sites across the Bay Area.
Additional requirements include
Spring 2025:
- Complete an online program orientation.
- Participate in an in-person Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service workshop at the Haas Center.
- Identify and meet with an academic mentor (Stanford faculty or staff) at least once.
- Design a personal learning plan and share the learning plan with your site supervisor and academic mentor.
- Complete all required pre-orientation forms.
- Attend the spring retreat with cohort peers (date TBD).
Summer 2025:
- Complete a pre-program assessment survey.
- Attend all PCJ in the Bay Fellows cohort activities (more information will be shared about these events in spring quarter).
- Submit a final report documenting your work and reflecting on your learning.
- Correspond with fellowship donor(s) as requested by fellowships program staff.
- Complete a post-program assessment survey.
Fall 2025:
- Meet with your academic mentor to discuss your fellowship experience at least once.
- Participate in outreach activities to share the experience and help publicize the program.
Frequently Asked Questions for PCJ Summer 2025 Fellowships.
Selection Process
Complete applications are screened, finalists interviewed, and fellows selected by the host organizations staff with the intention to award fellowships prior to spring break. Applicants should respond promptly (within 48 hours) via email to a fellowship offer, or the offer will be rescinded. Once an applicant accepts a fellowship offer, the student should promptly notify all other Stanford and non-Stanford programs to which they have applied that they have accepted another offer and to withdraw their candidacy.
