Emerson Fellow
David Lazere
23rd Class, 2016-2017
David was raised in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in educational studies and public policy. He wrote his senior thesis about narratives of community involvement in policy discourses around community-controlled schools. While at Swarthmore, he worked with the College Access Center for Delaware County, leading regular writing and college readiness workshops to high school students. He also interned at the Economic Policy Institute, researching school initiatives to address the barriers to learning caused by hunger and poverty.
Field placement: Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
San Jose, California
David conducted research, interviewed school district stakeholders, and analyzed federal breakfast participation data to survey the state of school breakfast participation in the Bay Area. He also used these techniques to gather local knowledge about the best practices in increasing student access to free and reduced price breakfast. David worked with local schools and districts, helping to implement alternative breakfast provision models and run breakfast outreach campaigns.
Policy placement: MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
Washington, D.C.
David supported MAZON’s “Help our Heroes” campaign to reduce hunger among U.S. military personnel. He worked on various research and writing projects, including developing a SNAP brochure for military health clinics and compiling a complete list of food insecurity resources available to veterans by state. Additionally, he developed and piloted lesson plans teaching middle and high school students about fighting hunger through advocacy.
Hunger Free Community Report
Starting the Day Right: Increasing School Breakfast Participation in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties assesses the state of free and reduced rice school breakfast participation in Second Harvest’s service area. The report provides a guide for implementing, financing, and sustaining Breakfast after the Bell and Universal Free Breakfast programs. It also profiles districts with strong breakfast programs and lists action steps and resources for those interested in increasing school breakfast participation in their communities.