“Some people see their contribution as being a fireman, while others may see it as being a nurse, or a full-time parent, or business entrepreneur. We all have our own vision.”

For Savannah Lengsfelder ‘04, that vision lies in public policy, which she pursues through her position as a Legislative Assistant for Africa and global health policy in the Senate.

“It’s not terribly glamorous,” she said, mentioning long days, black suits, cubicles and little recognition. “But there are perks — C-SPAN appearances, receptions with celebrities and meetings with world leaders.”

Working closely with NGOs, think tanks and lawyers, she helps draft legislation and authorize and oversee the use of U.S. funds. And while she can’t name-drop on the record, she’s corresponded with African leaders as well as prominent Cabinet members.

“For years, I’d watch the ‘Save the Children’ commercials or read about Darfur and just feel so helpless,” she said.

“[While at Stanford] I went with Volunteers in Latin America to a children’s shelter in Quito, [Ecuador] and it just broke my heart. No matter how hard I worked, I wasn’t going to make any difference in these children’s lives.”

That’s what motivates Lengsfelder to put in 45 to 55 hours a week.

“It’s so wonderful when you see something that you’ve worked on become law, or when you see U.S. dollars saving millions of lives or when a statement you wrote makes the front page of African newspapers,” she said.

The job involves a delicate dance with the realities of bureaucracy and politics.

“You’re limited by political realities, and I think that’s true of any political position,” Lengsfelder said. “This is the administration that we have — we have to work with them, and we have to respect their priorities and constraints, but that doesn’t mean we ever stop raising our own concerns and proposing solutions.”

An international relations major with minors in economics, Latin American studies, Spanish and Portuguese, Lengsfelder has been familiar with Washington, D.C., since her Stanford days. As a freshman, she fell in love with economics in Economics Prof. John Taylor’s Econ 1 class; after he was appointed Under Secretary of the Treasury, she worked for a quarter at the U.S. Treasury Department upon his suggestion.

Nonetheless, Lengsfelder did not always know that she would be involved with Africa.

“I thought I was going to work on promoting development in Latin America, as I had a very Western Hemisphere focus until I was 20 years old,” she said.

Upon graduation, Lengsfelder was unsure about her next steps. But she wanted to explore international human rights law and development policy, and she was particularly inspired by Africa when she spent the summer on a Haas Center fellowship with the Center for Human Rights in Pretoria, South Africa.

“I didn’t know anything about Africa,” she said. “But Stanford really gives you access to incredible opportunities and options, so I had mentors who got me smart on Africa very quickly. I fell in love with South Africa. I felt like this was a part of the world where the United States has a role to play.”

Afterwards, Lengsfelder studied international development issues in England for a Masters degree before taking a Congressional fellowship.

“I was actually quite sure I didn’t want to work on the Hill, but the fellowship was just six months, so I thought, ‘How bad could it be?’” she said. “But I fell in love with life on the Hill — I caught the bug. I ended up being the only [fellow] to stay on after our six months were up.”

The bug?

“I really do enjoy it here — there’s incredible energy, so many opportunities and so many people who share my objectives,” she said.

So though Lengsfelder is eager to go to law school to pursue human rights law, she’s also a bit regretful about the possibility of leaving her dream job.

“It would be hard for me not to be in D.C.,” she said. “But there are people who share these passions and goals all over the world and in all walks of life, so I’m not too worried.”

Ultimately, Lengsfelder wants to open a school for underprivileged girls, a dream she and her sister have shared since Lengsfelder was four years old.

“We want to promote diversity and tolerance by taking advantage of international cultures and perspectives,” she said. “We were raised by more or less stay-at-home parents, which is the greatest blessing any child can receive, and we’d like to create an environment in which girls can be nurtured and empowered by strong role models.”

She also reflects fondly upon her Stanford years, which were filled with fountain hopping, Kappa Alpha Theta and the Workplace English Literacy Program.

“What Stanford epitomized for me was the work-play balance, and that’s something I don’t see in D.C.,” Lengsfelder said. “I remember coming home from an exam, hopping into the shower and then putting on a dress to go to a party. The transitions were seamless, whereas now I feel like I’m constantly forced to choose between the two. I have great memories of late-night study sessions and theme parties that were often on the same night. That really made the University unique.”

Touché. Fellow fountain hoppers: work on, party on.