Mariel Sander graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Neuroscience and English on the premedical track. She served as President of Symposium, Secretary of the Hiking Club, and worked at the Writing Center. As part of RCSS, she started two programs—Symposium Seminars, a set of workshops aimed at helping students build seminar skills to succeed in the Core Curriculum, and the Tricentennial Project (now the project of another student!). She was recognized as a Senior Marshal for Leadership and Excellence in her senior year.
RCSS was integral to helping her develop the confidence to believe it was possible for her as a young person to make a change in her community. She will always be grateful for the wonderful faculty and students she met during her time with RCSS. Despite initial skepticism, she wholeheartedly believes in the RCSS model and its ability to empower students even beyond their RCSS projects.
While in New York City during the COVID pandemic, she volunteered as an EMT with the Central Park Medical Unit, as a vaccinator with the Medical Reserve Corps, and as a morgue technician in Brooklyn. Currently, Mariel is the Global Engagement Officer at the Healthy Brains Global Initiative, an organization aiming to change the way mental and neurological health research is conducted. She also volunteers as the Head of University Programs at Generation Mental Health, a nonprofit aiming to build capacity in youth to participate in global mental health work.
She encourages any students or faculty in RCSS to reach out if they want to connect!