By JESSICA RICHMAN

Julie Veroff ‘07 was announced in late November 2006 as a Rhodes Scholar, along with Ginger Turner ‘05 and Jacob Lemieux ‘07, and will be attending Oxford next fall.

Why did you come to Stanford? I was really conflicted about choosing a college, but in the end, Stanford won out over UC Berkeley because something about Stanford made me feel like I could achieve great things, not just get a great education. I think this is rooted in the individual attention, plethora of opportunities and encouragement to create new ones for myself if the ones I want don’t currently exist.

How did you choose your major? I had done a lot of speech and debate and Model United Nations in high school and was really interested in international issues, and so I came into Stanford thinking I would be an IR or PoliSci major. Then during freshman year I bounced back and forth between history and feminist studies, and at the end of the year, decided to go back to IR and, within the context of a course load that was international in scope, pursue the issues like women’s rights that I had gotten so interested in within the other disciplines.

What activities were/are you involved in? I tried out many things at Stanford, but the activities I have learned the most from are: FORGE, Camp Kesem, Hillel at Stanford, Alternative Spring Break in Nicaragua, working at the State Department while at Stanford in Washington and tutoring at an elementary school in DC. [Other] activities I have enjoyed a lot: playing the flute, taking the time to have those late-night conversations that challenge your world view and add to who you are.

What do you do over the summer last year, and why? Last summer, I went to Zambia with FORGE to work in Mwange Refugee Camp and establish and facilitate a women’s leadership and empowerment initiative. My understanding of my own motivations, needs, and personal growth are much more complex now that I have returned, and my sense of how to make change in the world is fundamentally different. My original motivations for going were probably to return to Africa (I had been in Ghana the summer before), have an adventure, challenge myself to do something I never thought I could do, and work in partnership with a marginalized community through a program that I could put my own passions into but that responded directly to their self-identified needs.

Of the honors you have earned, which ones mean the most to you? While at Stanford, the biggest honor that I have received is a Rhodes Scholarship. I’m thrilled and excited and overwhelmed. It’s funny, though - while I’m honored to have received the award, it is not something that defines me. I usually try to avoid telling people about it. I’d much rather talk to people about the activities I’ve been involved in and the beliefs and passions I’ve developed, and also hear about what drives them so we can grow and learn together.

What are you most proud of? My cousin Elliott is 10 and he had to do a report for school on his role model and he chose me. I cried and then tried to pretend I wasn’t because other people were in the room and I get really embarrassed about that kind of thing. But it was incredibly touching and I think about it every time I have a bad day.

What do you love (or hate) about Stanford? I love the deep desire for knowledge and learning that thrives here. I love being in classes where professors call their students to action. I love that it is beautiful outside, and that we have enough space to actually be outside and not cooped up in a high-rise.

What is your favorite novel? East of Eden by John Steinback. But there are lots that all tie for second place.

What is your favorite curse word? I tend to add “face” to every possible insult: jerkface, buttface, stupidface, etc. It’s kind of immature. But it makes me happy.