As fall quarter gets underway, there’s much to look forward to: new classes, renewed friendships and Big Game, among them. Before leaving the summer behind completely, check out how some of your peers spent the last few months.

Stanford students kept busy researching, volunteering, competing and working locally, nationally and globally. Nearly 500 students traveled to dozens of countries to complete Cardinal Quarter fellowships. Others found opportunities through the Graduate School of Business SEED program or the Freeman Spogli Institute’s Rural Education Action Program. One student hopped in a car and drove cross-country for an independent political research project.

From making movies in Hollywood to advocating for human rights in Hong Kong, here’s how a few Stanford students spent the summer.

Teaching & Students

Students document poverty in California for research study

Three Stanford students spent the summer conducting interviews with low-income residents in Southern California. The interviews are part of a research study documenting how the poor make ends meet.

Elk, objects and laughter: A day in Yellowstone

Anthropology major Kerstin Heinrich, ’20, writes about her summer internship at the Yellowstone Park Heritage and Research Center.

Humanities

New Stanford project gets inside Voltaire’s mind

Stanford undergraduate Lena Zlock is developing a first-ever digital humanities study of Voltaire’s personal library, which contains over 6,700 books. She aims to make the library’s contents easily accessible and searchable online.

Arts & Creativity

Student filmmakers go Hollywood

Stanford students were recently invited to a movie studio near Los Angeles to bring their screenplay to life.

European tour

This summer, Stanford women’s volleyball embarked on a European tour, an experience they’ll never forget.

A taste of “the Other China”

This summer, Zecheng Wang, ’21, worked to support community health in rural China.

Teaching & Students

Students in government

The student-led Stanford in Government program offers fellowship opportunities to those interested in public administration and policy. Stanford News spoke with two students to learn about their summer government jobs.

Social Sciences

Students disperse globally for public service

Hundreds of Stanford students are currently engaged in public service fellowships locally, nationally and globally through the Cardinal Quarter program.

First impressions of Riga

Bryan Metzger, ’20, writes about his global policy internship at the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence in Latvia.

Social Sciences

Invigorating student life in India

Through the Graduate School of Business SEED program, co-term Julia Daniel spent the summer interning at an engineering college in India where she developed programs designed to improve teaching and student engagement.

Opener complete

Junior Andrea Lee again showed why she is the nation’s top collegiate golfer by finishing fifth overall at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate contested at Royal Golf Club.

Women’s lacrosse: Senior summers

In addition to a team trip to Fiji and New Zealand that included clinics, exhibitions and cultural experiences, the rising seniors of Stanford women’s lacrosse have traveled, worked and trained this summer.

Social Sciences

Student politician goes cross-country

ASSU Senator Matthew Wigler, ’19, took a road trip last summer to America's swing districts to learn about the voters who reject partisanship in a time of great political polarization.

Wait, was I supposed to be doing work this summer?

Zach Clayton, ’20, writes about his software and web development internship at Henry’s Fork Foundation.