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On a sunny spring afternoon, we gathered at co-president Alicia Purpur’s local family home to celebrate leaders in our community. We enjoyed mingling, tasty food, and cricket on the lawn. In the 2021-22 school year, we had a mix of online and in-person events because of remaining precautions and policies related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We felt lucky to get to gather together in person for this special occasion. The Cap and Gown Leader Award honors individuals who have demonstrated leadership, outstanding academic achievement, and commitment and contribution to Stanford and the community at large. We are extremely proud to showcase our nine 2022 recipients:
Natalie Hampton
Natalie Hampton is a senior at Stanford originally from Los Angeles, California. Majoring in Psychology and minoring in Education, Natalie is passionate about mental health and child development. On campus, she has been immensely committed to Stanford's Psychology Department as a Teaching Fellow for the Psych One Program, the Co-President of Stanford Undergraduate Psychology Association, and the youngest ever Primary Instructor for a class in the department's history. Outside of academics, she works with Hillel and the Haas Center to expand psychological support options and end food insecurity amongst Stanford students, runs a mobile app called Sit With Us which reduces loneliness in elementary schools, and serves as a behavioral therapist for kids with autism. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, film photography, and spending time with her dog.
Kana Cummings
Kana Cummings is a senior majoring in Sociology (Data Science, Markets and Management) and minoring in Economics. She is passionate about food sustainability, racial equity, and cultural inclusivity. On campus, Kana has served as the Co-President and Financial Officer of Stanford Food Recovery, the Vice President of Stanford Roots, and is a member of the Haas Center’s Public Service Leadership Program. Kana also serves as the COO of Bridging the Gap (BTG), a nationwide 501(c)(3) nonprofit changing the face of business leadership by identifying, cultivating, and connecting future BIPOC business leaders. After graduation, she will join Boston Consulting Group as an Associate in the Chicago office. In her free time, Kana enjoys reading, running, and spending time with friends and family.
Isabel Wang
Isabel Wang is originally from Shaker Heights, Ohio. Graduating from Stanford University with Honors, she majored in Symbolic Systems, an interdisciplinary major that combines computer science, neuroscience, psychology, economics, linguistics, philosophy, and logic. Altogether, she studied how technology and society intertwine so as to build innovative solutions to the world's most important issues. Isabel is passionate about improving social justice and healthcare access and has led community initiatives in these areas. She co-founded a technology access 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Bridging Tech, to advocate for marginalized communities, designed digital technologies with UNICEF for health care empowerment, and conducted research at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on the social determinants of health. Her aspiration is to become a physician who serves vulnerable populations while integrating technology innovation and health policy to advance health equity. In her free time, she enjoys acting, spending time with the elderly, and reading about human behavior and the mind.
Youngyoon Amy Seo
Youngyoon Amy Seo is a senior at Stanford originally from the Pacific Island of Guam. Amy is passionate about homelessness and public health, particularly healthy aging and ophthalmic care in the Micronesian Islands. On campus, she has served as the Co-President of Heart and Home Collaborative, a nonprofit organization that provides seasonal winter shelter and basic amenities for unhoused women in Palo Alto, since her sophomore year. In her free time, she enjoys playing the violin as a member of the Stanford Collaborative Orchestra, cooking Korean cuisine, and playing tennis.
Gabby Crooks
Gabby Crooks is a rising senior from Montgomery County, MD. She is passionate about immigrant advocacy, international human rights, and environmental justice. In the future, she hopes to attend law school to receive the tools to construct a more equitable and sustainable world through the law. At Stanford, Gabby has served as an undergraduate senator and co-president of Stanford Women in Law (SWIL), and she is a Cardinal Service peer advisor. Next year, Gabby will be writing an interdisciplinary honors thesis with the Center on Democracy, Development, and Rule of Law. In her free time, Gabby loves watching rom-coms, reading, and listening to music!
Priyanka Multani
Priyanka Multani is a coterm student at Stanford originally from San Diego, California. Priyanka is passionate about early detection of diseases and hopes to use her Electrical Engineering degree to make medical devices that will improve patient quality of life. On campus, she has served as the Vice President for Stanford Synapse and is the founder of the Glial Program. She now works with Synapse National to establish new Synapse chapters at other colleges. Priyanka also enjoys teaching and has been a course assistant for Engr 40M. In her free time, she enjoys reading, dancing, and hanging out with friends.
Grace Bagga
Grace Bagga is a junior at Stanford majoring in Psychology, minoring in Data Science, and hoping to Coterm in Communication originally from Louisville, KY. Grace currently serves as a Co-President of Cap and Gown and will continue in this role next year. Grace is passionate about mental health which has motivated her to become a Bridge Peer Counselor, and pass these skills to the next generation of peer counselors by Section Leading for Educ 193A: Listen Up! Core Peer Counseling Skills. Additionally, Grace has pursued her interest in developmental psychology by working as a Research Assistant in the SNAP Lab and Lifespan Development Lab. Grace also serves as an ASSU Nominations Commissioner, and has served as an Admit Weekend Coordinator and New Student Orientation Coordinator.
Eleanor Prince
Eleanor Prince is a senior at Stanford originally from Louisville, Kentucky. Studying Mechanical Engineering and Symbolic Systems after dancing in the professional ballet world, she is passionate about large-scale robotic and autonomous systems with the potential to solve complex societal challenges. On campus, she has lifted up student voices across engineering and the arts as a student representative on University Committees, team lead in Stanford Student Space Initiative, and Executive Director of the Cardinal Ballet Company.
Mahnoor Hyat
Mahnoor is a senior studying Psychology and Economics. On campus, she is heavily involved in mental health advocacy and is serving as the Mental Health Coordinator at The Markaz. She aspires to become a clinical psychologist and researcher who furthers cultural humility through her work. Some of her recent interests and obsessions include rock climbing, discovering new boba places and collecting books from different cities.
Women leaders enrolled at Stanford are encouraged to apply for the Cap and Gown Leader Award to receive this honor. More information about how to apply is sent to our mailing address and posted on our social media each spring. So, stay engaged with Cap and Gown by following our Instagram presence (@stanfordcapandgown) and subscribing to our general mailing list (capandgown@stanford.edu). We hope to see you!
Note: These bios were written in May of 2022, and therefore may be out of date. But, they are representative of our award winners at the time of the ceremony. Since then, they have continued to achieve great things and be devoted to the work they do.