Alumni
Leah Chisholm
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Throughout her first two years at Vanderbilt, Leah Chisholm has been involved in serving the various minority communities in the Nashville area. As she devoted and committed her time as a tutor and mentor to underprivileged youth, she was exposed to the educational disparities among different racial and ethnic backgrounds. She soon developed a desire to learn more about such inequalities so that she could be part of administering a change.
Through her service, Leah aims to eliminate disparities caused by cultural and economic barriers. She believes that breaking these barriers starts with encouraging and advising youth about the vast possibilities and opportunities that their future can hold. Through her service with the underrepresented and youth communities, Leah hopes to reduce the number of youth who do not graduate from high school or attend college. She hopes that this will, in turn, decrease various racial disparities by increasing the number of minority professionals in the future.
During her junior year, Leah expanded her interest in youth empowerment by getting involved with programs through the YMCA of Middle Tennessee. She co-founded an essay-writing studio for the YMCA Latino Achievers program. The studio involves editing college and scholarship essays for English-as-a-Second-Language students. The mission of the writing studio is to better application and scholarship essays, while developing the students’ writing skills in preparation for success in college. Leah also serves as a mentor and assistant facilitator of STEP Up, a youth development program at the YMCA. As a part of the program, she works to help at-risk youth with decision making to prevent their engagement in negative behaviors, encourage them to be successful, and help them grow academically, socially, and emotionally.
Leah’s work with minority communities has also opened her eyes to health disparities. As a Spanish medical interpreter, Leah aims to address the differences in health care access and quality due to language barriers and cultural differences. Her interest in bridging the gaps in health care has inspired an upcoming service project on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation. This summer, Leah will assist with the reservation’s summer camp and cooking class in a holistic attempt to increase physical and mental health among the Lakota American Indian youth by adopting psychotherapy methods, promoting healthy food alternatives, and emphasizing self-esteem and cultural pride.
Leah is honored and grateful to be a part of the Ingram Scholarship Program and looks forward to continuing to serve the Nashville and Vanderbilt community as a servant leader.